Big Ten: Ohio State Continues to Underwhelm

ByAndrew Snyder|

Feb 22, 2015; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Thad Matta reacts in the first half against the Michigan Wolverines at Crisler Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

There’s an open secret around the Big Ten that those in the national media still don’t seem to understand — Ohio State just isn’t very good. At least their resume is not as high quality as their national perception would lead you to believe. That was highlighted Sunday by an embarrassing loss to rival Michigan.

More from NBA

I understand the classic narrative that you should “throw out the records” when you play a rivalry game, and that anything can happen, but a team that is ranked 24^th in the country should not lose to a Michigan team (14-13, 7-8 in the Big Ten), as injury-riddled as this year’s Wolverines are. Their best player Caris LeVert is out for the season, and star freshman Derrick Walton Jr. is out for “the foreseeable future.”

Michigan controlled the game from the start, never trailing, and getting out to a 31-11 lead at one point in the first half. Ohio State cut the Michigan lead to 3 with a 14-0 run in the second half, but could not come any closer, eventually losing 64-57.

The Buckeyes defense had no answer for the Michigan attack, allowing them to shoot 7-for-19 from outside. Five of those three-pointers came from Spike Albrecht and Zak Irvin, who had 16 and 15 points respectively.

D’Angelo Russell struggled with his shot, scoring 16 points on 6-for-15 shooting, and Sam Thompson added 11 points. As a team, Ohio State shot only 42.3 percent from the field and committed 14 turnovers. It was their first truly “bad” loss of the season against a team that they unequivocally should have beaten.

Their RPI is a decent 34^th in the country, but their strength of schedule is an abysmal 87^th. Their nonconference schedule is even worse at 237^th best in the nation. After failing to challenge themselves before conference play, it’s no surprise that they are a mediocre 8-6 in the Big Ten.

The best teams they played outside of the conference were North Carolina and Louisville, both were losses. Their best wins of the season have come against a similarly middling Indiana team, and Maryland.

Most years, that would be a respectable mark, but this conference is not what it used to be. With tough matchups against Purdue and Wisconsin remaining on their schedule, it’s possible that Ohio State could finish 21-10 on the year, and 10-8 in the conference. With that record, and their poor strength of schedule, that finish could put them at risk of becoming an NIT team.

Given the weak NCAA field in general, I’d bet on them finding a way in, but it’s becoming quite clear that without superstar guard D’Angelo Russell, the Buckeyes would not be anything close to an NCAA Tournament worthy team.

There’s no crime in being a mediocre basketball team, it’s not Ohio State’s fault that they’ve been overrated this season. That’s just the reality of their situation.

Though, it is surprising that they have the 10th best offensive rating in the country, and 14th best defensive rating, but they cannot find consistency or beat high quality teams. It just goes to show that perception of top 25 voters and fans does not always align with reality. At the end of the day, you are what your record says you are.

But come March, I’m not sure I’d want to play the Buckeyes. When he gets hot, Russell can win games nearly by himself. A first round exit or a run to the Elite Eight is not out of the question for this team.

Can Thad Matta get this team to put their underwhelming regular season behind them, and make some noise in the postseason? Crazier things have happened.

Next: Big Ten Power Rankings

More from Hoops Habit