Ohio State Survives Second Straight Nail-Biter In Pivotal Win For Big Dance Chances, Beating Nebraska 116-114

Last Wednesday, the Buckeyes clung to life in a needed win for their at-large NCAA Tournament hopes at USC after seeing a 14-point halftime lead evaporate. Ohio State led for more than 38 minutes against Nebraska in regulation in another critical contest on Tuesday, but the Huskers constantly cut their deficit to within two scores before forcing overtime and double overtime.

Nebraska led by multiple scores in the first of those extra periods, but still the Buckeyes held on. Through one of the most chaotic games played across the country in college basketball this season with 230 combined points scored, they held on.

A true team effort – five players hit double figures for Jake Diebler's squad before the end of regulation – pushed Ohio State (17-13, 9-10 Big Ten) to a heroic 116-114 win over Nebraska (17-13, 7-12) in double overtime on the Buckeyes' Senior Night.

Bruce Thornton, Micah Parrish, Devin Royal, John Mobley Jr. and Sean Stewart were Ohio State's five double-figure scorers with 29, 22, 22, 20 and 13 points. Thornton nearly recorded a double-double with nine assists.

Star Nebraska guard Brice Williams nearly single-handedly destroyed Ohio State, racking up 43 points. Forward Juwan Gary followed with 24 points as guard Connor Essegian added 16.

First Half

Thornton's tournament ambitions were thwarted each of his first two seasons in Columbus. He came out on Tuesday like a man desperate to go dancing.

The Buckeyes' star point guard hit each of his first three shots, including two floaters while driving to the hoop with physicality. The last of those baskets sparked a 9-2 run to put Ohio State ahead 19-8 in the early going. Aaron Bradshaw got in on the action with a 3-pointer and a fancy finish on a pick-and-roll.

Nebraska answered with a five-point possession, getting an and-one layup, getting an offensive rebound on the free throw and drawing another foul on a made shot, this time a mid-range jumper by guard Connor Essegian. Mobley strung together five points to push the lead back to 10, but Gary nailed a high-arcing triple and a floater to cap a 7-0 Husker run and make it a 27-25 ballgame.

Mobley and Parrish each canned shots from distance to push the edge to 38-30, only for Williams and Essegian to counter with too-easy mid-range buckets.

It appeared that Ohio State would only enter halftime up one score after holding multiple double-digit leads. But Mobley fired up one last logo 3-pointer as the clock expired for the first half and buried the attempt to carry a 45-39 lead and momentum into the locker room for the Buckeyes.

MOBLEY JR. AT THE BUZZER @OhioStateHoops leads Nebraska 45-39 at the half #B1GMBBall on Peacock pic.twitter.com/nj4xCH7pO4

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) March 5, 2025

Second Half

It took less than three minutes for Nebraska to claim its first lead of the contest once the second half got underway. Williams knocked down two 3-pointers as Gary added his third triple of the game and the Huskers were up 48-47.

The lead exchanged hands three times before Ohio State put Nebraska back at arm's length with a 12-2 run. Sean Stewart, who only played four minutes in the first half after collecting two fouls, picked up four points and Royal played some bully ball for an and-one layup. A fast break corner 3 from Parrish and a floater from Thornton made it 63-53 Buckeyes.

But the Huskers wouldn't go away. A 7-0 run capped by five points from Sam Hoiberg cut the edge to 66-62. Royal and Thornton combined for a four-point possession and Stewart added four more points to make it an eight-point lead, but Essegian 3-pointer cut it back to five.

The exchange of baskets kept coming. Parrish drained a circus 3-pointer off a dribble, Essegian responded with his own triple. Mobley hit a mid-range jumper, Gary tipped a Williams miss back in.

Thornton finished a fantastic layup through contact and Ohio State's lead was 83-76 with less than three minutes to play, but Nebraska kicked off one final run to tie the contest.

An Essegian 3 and two Gary free throws made it a one-score game for the first time since there were 15 minutes left to play. Then Andrew Morgan finished a scoop layup falling to the floor through a Thornton foul and converted the ensuing free throw to knot things at 88 with 42 seconds left.

Ohio State's shot clock drained down under five seconds the following possession before Mobley drove to the hoop and drew a foul, splitting his pair at the line to set up a do-or-die final trip down the floor for Nebraska.

Or at least it seemed that way before Williams drew a foul spinning to the basket and split two free throws and the Buckeyes' ensuing offensive possession went nowhere, sending the game to overtime.

Overtime

Williams drained a 3-pointer and a mid-range jumper over a strong contest to surge Nebraska to an immediate 94-89 lead. A parade of whistles followed from there as free throws closed the next five possessions.

Thornton reinvigorated the Value City Arena crowd with a top-of-the-key 3 as the clock wound under 90 seconds in the extra period. Williams hit a mid-range silencer, but Parrish answered again with a step-back triple to cut Nebraska’s lead to 99-98 in the final minute of the first OT.

Williams finally missed and Ohio State got a chance to draw something up with 15 seconds to play.

Royal got to the rack and drew a foul going up for a dunk. His first shot rattled home with two hits of the rim. The second missed. Williams charged up the floor and fired a prayer that hit the side of the backboard, sending the game to a second OT.

Second Overtime

Williams opened the extra-extra period with a 3-point splash, but on this occasion the Ohio State response was swift. Thornton made another floater and two Parrish free throws made it 104-103 Buckeyes with three minutes remaining.

Thornton’s third three of the game made it 107-103 Ohio State. Ahron Ulis converted an and-one layup but another triple by Parrish placed Nebraska on the ropes.

Micah Parrish hit 5 three-pointers in the B1G 2OT win over Nebraska at home #B1GMBBall x @OhioStateHoops pic.twitter.com/Fq9kKv23Dx

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) March 5, 2025

Two defensive stops and steady free-throw shooting at long last sealed the Buckeyes' win.

What's Next

Ohio State closes its regular season with a road trip to Indiana, another critical game for NCAA and Big Ten Tournament positioning. Tipoff is at 3:45 p.m. Saturday on CBS.

Game Notes

• Tuesday was Senior Night for Ohio State, with guard Ques Glover and forward Kalen Etzler both honored. Fellow senior guard and San Diego State transfer Micah Parrish elected not to participate after being honored at the Aztecs' Senior Night last year.
• Both the Buckeyes and Huskers entered Tuesday as projected 11-seeds in the NCAA Tournament per the Bracket Matrix, which aggregates projections from 104 bracket predictors. 
• Three players fouled out for Nebraska: Guards Rollie Worster and Hoiberg alongside forward Berke Buyuktuncel. Stewart fouled out for Ohio State.
• Nebraska scored the most points by a Buckeye opponent since Indiana collected 122 in 1959.
• It's the most points Ohio State has scored in a game since it notched 121 against George Mason on Jan. 8, 1995.