Connor Lemons
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You’re Nuts: Is Saturday’s game against Rutgers a must-win for Ohio State?
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Ohio State has lost two in a row and will face No. 2 Auburn after they play Rutgers.
Boy, the vibes sure have taken a sharp downturn in Columbus since last Thursday, eh?
The Ohio State men’s basketball team and the Ohio State football team have combined to go 0-3 over the last seven days, with a fourth straight loss to Michigan, a buzzer-beating loss to Pitt after leading by four with eight seconds left, and a blowout loss to Maryland that saw the Terrapins lead by as much as 40 points in the second half.
Yikes.
But alas, the sun rose today, and whichever Ohio State team you’re most drawn to at the moment, they’ve got an opportunity to make things right.
Last week, Connor and Justin picked which Big Ten men’s basketball programs were several different Thanksgiving side dishes, including green beans, sweet potato casserole, and a few others. Connor won three out of the five polls, with Justin’s only popular answer being the Michigan State to turkey comparison.
Connor- 82
Ohio State faces Rutgers on Saturday. It’s a noon game, and one of just three weekend home games that Ohio State gets this season.
The Scarlet Knights are bringing future lottery picks Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey, who are averaging a combined 42.6 points per game. With both teams riding two-game losing streaks, this is a big game for both teams.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25776062/usa_today_24873886.jpg "Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch")
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
From a vibes standpoint, this game feels like a must-win game. You don’t want to be riding a three-game losing streak before you go face No. 2 Auburn in Atlanta, which is a neutral site but not really a “neutral” site. There’s a real chance Ohio State loses this game and also Auburn to fall to 5-5, which would be the worst 10-game start to the season since the 2015-2016 season.
But in reality, games don’t become “must-win” until your NCAA Tournament hopes or season are on the line. There are 23 games remaining until the Big Ten Tournament begins. If Ohio State loses this game, they’ll be 5-4 on the season and 0-2 in the Big Ten. 10-10 probably gets you into the NCAA Tournament (throwing a blind dart there), so Ohio State would need to go 10-8 over the next 18 Big Ten games to have a chance to dance.
Last year, Ohio State started 3-9 in Big Ten play and ended up being one win away from possibly making the NCAA Tournament as an at-large team one month later. So even though December could start out a bit rough, the Buckeyes will have three entire months to pick up wins and sweeten the NCAA Tournament resume.
If I was Bruce Thornton and the gang, I would very much consider winning this game to make things a little bit easier on yourselves. But if the ball doesn’t bounce your way on Sunday, I don’t think Ohio State’s goals suddenly become impossible to reach.
It is hard to say anything is a must-win in December on game nine out of 30, but after what happened on Black Friday against Pittsburgh and then Wednesday in College Park against Maryland, the Buckeyes have to turn this around fast.
Bad losses can snowball, and the Buckeyes pretty much only have toss-ups or tough games remaining. A week after tomorrow’s Rutgers game, Ohio State will take on Auburn, and then Kentucky one week after that. Those are two of the top teams in the country, and their physicality and frontcourts will make life hard on the Buckeyes.
If they lose to Rutgers, Auburn, and Kentucky, they will be 6-6 and will not have confidence or momentum heading into Big Ten conference play.
The Big Ten is a true toss-up this season. There are 14-15 teams that could make the tournament, but no one has played well enough to be at the top of the conference yet. It will be difficult to win 12-13 games in the conference this year because it is deep with at least good teams.
The Buckeyes will be way behind the eight ball if they start 0-2 in conference with a loss Saturday to Rutgers.
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Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Ohio State has lost two in a row and will face No. 2 Auburn after they play Rutgers.
Boy, the vibes sure have taken a sharp downturn in Columbus since last Thursday, eh?
The Ohio State men’s basketball team and the Ohio State football team have combined to go 0-3 over the last seven days, with a fourth straight loss to Michigan, a buzzer-beating loss to Pitt after leading by four with eight seconds left, and a blowout loss to Maryland that saw the Terrapins lead by as much as 40 points in the second half.
Yikes.
But alas, the sun rose today, and whichever Ohio State team you’re most drawn to at the moment, they’ve got an opportunity to make things right.
Last week, Connor and Justin picked which Big Ten men’s basketball programs were several different Thanksgiving side dishes, including green beans, sweet potato casserole, and a few others. Connor won three out of the five polls, with Justin’s only popular answer being the Michigan State to turkey comparison.
After 181 weeks:
Connor- 82
Justin- 76
Other- 18
(There have been five ties)
Ohio State faces Rutgers on Saturday. It’s a noon game, and one of just three weekend home games that Ohio State gets this season.
The Scarlet Knights are bringing future lottery picks Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey, who are averaging a combined 42.6 points per game. With both teams riding two-game losing streaks, this is a big game for both teams.
This week’s question: Is Saturday’s game against Rutgers a must-win game for Ohio State?
Connor: No
From a vibes standpoint, this game feels like a must-win game. You don’t want to be riding a three-game losing streak before you go face No. 2 Auburn in Atlanta, which is a neutral site but not really a “neutral” site. There’s a real chance Ohio State loses this game and also Auburn to fall to 5-5, which would be the worst 10-game start to the season since the 2015-2016 season.
But in reality, games don’t become “must-win” until your NCAA Tournament hopes or season are on the line. There are 23 games remaining until the Big Ten Tournament begins. If Ohio State loses this game, they’ll be 5-4 on the season and 0-2 in the Big Ten. 10-10 probably gets you into the NCAA Tournament (throwing a blind dart there), so Ohio State would need to go 10-8 over the next 18 Big Ten games to have a chance to dance.
Last year, Ohio State started 3-9 in Big Ten play and ended up being one win away from possibly making the NCAA Tournament as an at-large team one month later. So even though December could start out a bit rough, the Buckeyes will have three entire months to pick up wins and sweeten the NCAA Tournament resume.
If I was Bruce Thornton and the gang, I would very much consider winning this game to make things a little bit easier on yourselves. But if the ball doesn’t bounce your way on Sunday, I don’t think Ohio State’s goals suddenly become impossible to reach.
Justin: Yes
It is hard to say anything is a must-win in December on game nine out of 30, but after what happened on Black Friday against Pittsburgh and then Wednesday in College Park against Maryland, the Buckeyes have to turn this around fast.
Bad losses can snowball, and the Buckeyes pretty much only have toss-ups or tough games remaining. A week after tomorrow’s Rutgers game, Ohio State will take on Auburn, and then Kentucky one week after that. Those are two of the top teams in the country, and their physicality and frontcourts will make life hard on the Buckeyes.
If they lose to Rutgers, Auburn, and Kentucky, they will be 6-6 and will not have confidence or momentum heading into Big Ten conference play.
The Big Ten is a true toss-up this season. There are 14-15 teams that could make the tournament, but no one has played well enough to be at the top of the conference yet. It will be difficult to win 12-13 games in the conference this year because it is deep with at least good teams.
The Buckeyes will be way behind the eight ball if they start 0-2 in conference with a loss Saturday to Rutgers.
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