There are myriad ways to view the current predicament Ohio State basketball finds itself in.
Off a three-game losing streak including the Buckeyes’ worst performance of the season against Northwestern and its most recent road defeat to a quality UCLA team, Ohio State needs to make a run right now if it is to make the NCAA Tournament with an at-large bid. For a fanbase fresh off a football national championship and a recent history of missed Big Dances under Chris Holtmann, apathy is a pervading feeling with many Scarlet and Gray supporters.
In the minority contingent – at least the minority of vocal fans on the interwebs – there is hope that Ohio State can win its last three regular-season games and/or do enough in the Big Ten Tournament to squeak into its first NCAA Tournament in three years.
Beyond those perspectives lies head coach Jake Diebler, who didn’t mince words about what he believes his team will accomplish once the illness limiting some of its key players clears up.
“We control our own destiny. That's really the reality to it,” Diebler said after the UCLA loss. “We're not in a position where we have no chance to get to where we want to go. We just got to take it one day at a time and live in the moment. That's been the message, live in the moment because when we're healthy, we'll go on a run.”
“When we're healthy, we'll go on a run.”– Jake Diebler
Not can go on a run, not could go on a run, not even should go on a run. Diebler says his team will go on a run.
One can’t fault the coach for his confidence, and certain stretches of play this year for the Buckeyes – like their three-game January winning streak or 85-65 demolition of then-No. 4 Kentucky – have shown they’re capable. But such a tear to close the season will require Ohio State to buck some recent trends and touch the skyline of its potential as a team with two road games and a home tilt with Nebraska remaining.
“We need to do a better job in the rebounding area, which we did after that first segment of the second half,” Diebler said. “Much better job on the glass. So there's some technical things. We didn't play perfect by any means, but if we play with that toughness and that togetherness and that fight, we're going to win a lot of games down the stretch. There's no question in my mind.”
That fight Diebler referenced was a good sign in the Buckeyes’ 69-61 loss to the Bruins, at least. Despite multiple second-half haymakers from UCLA, Ohio State managed to hang tough and keep Pauley Pavilion on edge until the final seconds.
Still, some of the same problems that plagued Ohio State against Northwestern pervaded their performance vs. the Bruins. The Buckeyes shot a dismal 32.7% against the Wildcats and 31.7% against UCLA. They lost the rebounding battle 36-27 in the former game and 45-34 in the latter.
There’s a massive delta between the top scorers on Diebler’s roster and the rest. Bruce Thornton, Devin Royal, Micah Parrish and John Mobley Jr. all average at least 12.4 points per game while no other player manages more than 6.6. The last trio of contests have shown that if defenses can take two of those four starts away or two of them are just having off nights, Ohio State’s offense doesn’t have many answers.
“I think we've gone up against two teams who speed you up and force you into crowds and really attack your dribble,” Diebler said of the Buckeyes’ offensive struggles. “There were a lot of times today the ball was – we got the ball in a good spot and we missed the kick-out opportunity because we bobbled it or got hit or we couldn't get the putback. So I think what we've seen is we've gotten a little sped up at times. I felt like our shot selection this game was better. It wasn't good enough last game. That's been a factor, but it was better today against a team that really limits possessions.
“But proud of the way we took care of the ball (against UCLA). And I thought we had some really good looks that we’ll make. We’ve just got to keep shooting with confidence. And the ball was moving way better than last game. Way better, against a team where it's pretty hard to do that. So I thought that was a good step forward.”
Part of the solution is better ball movement, shot selection and offensive design to get better looks for that quartet. Basketball teams have found success with four scoring options carrying the load in the past, it’s just a matter of maximizing the efficiency of those pieces.
“We need to trust the pass,” Diebler said. “We need to trust and play with multiple paint touches. When we when we scored in the first half, it was usually after a paint touch. When we didn't, had some stretches where we didn't touch the paint, that impacted us. So we got to keep fighting for paint. Spacing is critical. I think guys got to continue to cut when their man helps off, be good cutters. And then we got to get aggressive on the glass. ... So moving guys around, making teams guard multiple actions within a possession and then trusting our spacing and cutting.”
Those four listed above play spots 1 through 4 in Ohio State’s starting lineup, and one area where the Buckeyes need more production is at the 5. The biggest issue for that group lately is its availability.
Sean Stewart picked up three fouls in five first-half minutes against the Bruins, which made it so that he played just 12 minutes total for the game. He averages 3.4 personal fouls per contest. His 12.8 rebounds per 40 minutes lead Ohio State, so it will be important that he can keep himself on the floor if the Buckeyes are to start a winning streak.
“It's really unfortunate that he was in this foul trouble situation again, he had been better and he's been impactful for us when he's on the court,” Diebler said. “We're trying to find a way to let him play through some of that. But it's just been hard because there hasn't been a consistency for him to navigate that particularly well. But you look at his defensive rebounding numbers, nationally, are good. So we need him, clearly, on the court. And him getting in foul trouble was a factor today. But he’s gotta continue to grow.”
Bradshaw missed his 10th game of the season and second in a row due to illness against UCLA, though he’s been inconsistent when available, averaging 6.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.8 blocks in 17.1 minutes per game. Diebler said the intent was to bring him on the West Coast trip but he was left in Columbus before the game against the Bruins out of fear he might spread his illness to other players.
There’s a chance Bradshaw rejoins the Buckeyes before they play USC, but after the UCLA loss, Diebler said he doesn’t have a clear answer on that yet. They could really use his services in tandem with Stewart avoiding foul trouble. Neither has lived up to their five-star recruiting billing this season, but watching the dropoff from them to backup options Ivan Njegovan and Austin Parks has been like watching a penny tumble from atop the Empire State Building lately.
Bradshaw isn't the only player that's been ill. Stewart and Mobley were both listed as questionable with the flu before the UCLA game, though they both started.
“We need to get healthier, there's no question,” Diebler said. “I thought our guys showed a great deal of toughness and we got back to playing with the toughness and togetherness that has been our identity. But yeah, make no mistake, we got some guys battling through some stuff. And I'm just proud of the fight and the effort. Like, they have been committed to getting healthier. We got to utilize this time before Wednesday to get a little healthier.”
Diebler added that Mobley was so sick that the coach thought he wasn’t going to play up until a few hours before the game, but Mobley fought to be on the court. He scored eight points on 3-of-10 shooting in 23 minutes.
“If we play with that toughness and that togetherness and that fight, we're going to win a lot of games down the stretch. There's no question in my mind.”– Jake Diebler
From Diebler’s perspective, the illness pervading his team this past week isn’t an excuse for the Northwestern or UCLA losses, but it’s a reality that Ohio State’s capabilities are way better when several pieces on its roster aren’t flu-stricken.
“I just think that's real,” Diebler said. “Again, we don't make excuses in this program. We stepped between those lines, our expectation was to compete and be in position to win the game. And our guys fought. There wasn't anybody in between the lines complaining about anything. It was all about giving all you have to win. And now these couple of days in between, now we’ve got to recover and now we’ve got to get ready to be able to put our best stuff forward on Wednesday.”
If Diebler’s first season as Ohio State head coach is to go into the history books as any sort of success, his team needs to get healthy, click on offense and get back to respectable rebounding numbers before Wednesday’s game at USC. A win there can course-correct the Buckeyes to a path toward the NCAA Tournament.
“This is a together group,” Diebler said. “We're not in a situation right now where we're searching to come together. We're together. We didn't play together against Northwestern. There's no question. But I think we showed today we're back to playing together, which is really important for us.”
