5 takeaways: Michigan loss shows Ohio State still doesn't know how to close games
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Florida. McNeese State. Minnesota. Penn State. Maryland.
For the last month, these five teams had grappled with Michigan and walked out of the arena with a win against the Wolverines. Most recently, both the Nittany Lions and Terrapins had looked up at double-digit halftime deficits, rallied during the second half and extended what looked to be an increasingly lost season for Michigan. When the Wolverines tipped against Ohio State on Monday, it was one day shy of a month since their last win.
For about six minutes in the second half, history was in the process of repeating itself. Down by 12, Ohio State put together a 16-0 run, took a 59-55 lead with about seven minutes left and had a chance to extend the misery of its rivals to the north.
What happened next was not a surprise to those who watched the two Ohio State games that led into this one. This time, an 11-4 Michigan run in the final 3:37 handed the Buckeyes their latest loss. That made it three in a row for Ohio State and 12 in a row away from home, and once again the Buckeyes were left decrying little mistakes in critical moments that led to another defeat.
The final in this one: Michigan 73, Ohio State 65.
It has brought questions raised by last year’s stretch of 14 losses in 15 games uncomfortably close to the surface, even as both coach Chris Holtmann and sophomore captain Bruce Thornton bristled at the notion that this year’s team is similar to its predecessor.
“You guys will see it,” Holtmann said. “You guys obviously can write about the three-game losing streak right now. Our story’s far from over. You’ll see what this group can grow into. Not many people are going to maybe feel that right now, but I certainly do. I know our staff does, and I know a lot of guys in the locker room do.”
Here are five takeaways from the loss to the Wolverines.
Ohio State still hasn’t figured out how to close games
This one seems obvious.
After Roddy Gayle Jr.’s dunk with 4:23 left gave Ohio State a 61-60 lead, the Buckeyes were outscored 13-4 in the final 3:37 on Monday. In Wednesday night’s 71-60 home loss to No. 15 Wisconsin, the Buckeyes led 56-52 but were outscored 19-4 in the final 5:49. In a loss at Indiana on Jan. 6, the Hoosiers outscored the Buckeyes 21-13 in the final 9:50.
It’s admittedly cherry-picking some of the numbers, but in those final 19:16, Ohio State has been outscored 53-21. In the other 100:34 of playing time, the Buckeyes have outscored those three opponents 169-162. It adds up to three losses by a combined 25 points as Ohio State continues to look for answers in the final minutes.
Thornton pointed to a 3-pointer by Nimari Burnett that regained the lead for Michigan with 5:48 to play as an example of a play the Buckeyes need to make differently.
“The close-out on the 3 that Burnett hit, I didn’t close out hard enough and he hit the 3,” Thornton said. “Little small things. My hands were down. Little small things like that count in the last 3-4 minutes.”
Ohio State would take the lead at 61-60, but as Michigan scored on its next three possessions the Buckeyes got a miss from Thornton in the paint and a 3-point miss from Jamison Battle. When Thornton scored on a tough drive with 52 seconds left, it only cut the deficit to 67-63.
“I’ll just say what it is: We’ve got to make shots,” he said. “Me missing that bunny could’ve changed the perspective. I’ve got the upmost confidence in my teammates and coaching staff. The season is nowhere near over. We’ve got plenty of time to go, and we’re going to get the next one.”
Does Ohio State have a toughness issue?
Mounting a 16-0 second-half run during the second half in a hostile environment would indicate otherwise, but there are different levels of toughness. While the Buckeyes didn’t fold when they trailed by a game-high 12 points, they didn’t have enough to make their lead stand up in the final minutes.
Is that maybe the different between toughness and nastiness?
“I would say we just need to reach that next level,” sophomore center Felix Okpara said. “Playing tougher. We’re tired, when our body’s hurting in the last 2-3 minutes of the game, we’ve got to take that next step. We do it in practice every day. We’ve got to keep going hard when we’re tired.”
Holtmann said he didn’t necessarily agree with that summary of what went wrong for the Buckeyes but didn’t completely disagree, either.
“It’s a toughness thing, yeah,” he said. “I don’t know if I see that as much of an issue. Sometimes we get deflated when our shots don’t go in late and that can affect us on the other end and that’s a toughness thing, too. Both of those things are growth areas for our guys.”
As shots don’t fall, the offense is stagnating again
Under Holtmann, Ohio State is now 25-57 when scoring 69 points or fewer. It is 1-4 this season when being held below that mark and it has not topped 65 points during the current three-game losing streak.
A common theme: the Buckeyes are regressing with their perimeter shooting. During this losing streak, Ohio State is 16 for 70 (22.9%) from 3-point range. Against Michigan, the Buckeyes went 3 for 25 (12.0%), a mark of futility only surpassed by their 1-for-15 (6.7%) effort in a win against UCLA.
Ten of those 16 made 3s are from Jamison Battle, who was 1 for 8 against Michigan. Thornton is 3 for 19 from 3 in the losing streak. Roddy Gayle Jr. has missed all 12 3s he’s attempted.
“What we can do is really evaluate the quality of our looks,” Holtmann said. “Then they’ve got to trust their stroke. That’s really what we’re trying to evaluate: what are the quality of our looks?”
Offensive statistics typically take a turn when league play begins, the quality of opposing defenses increases and scouting reports are more detailed. But right now, Ohio State seems to have too many guys who are questioning their ability to shoot open shots.
“What would it look like if me, (Battle), Dale (Bonner), Rod, we’ve got a wide-open one and we don’t shoot it? Now they’re going to play under (on screens),” Thornton said. “I told Roddy, just shoot it with confidence. Even though I’m not shooting well at all, I’ve got to shoot it like I’m going to make the next one every single time. That’s my thought process.”
Ohio State knows the perception of the season is turning
It’s the elephant in the room as the losses mount. What gives Ohio State confidence that this isn’t just a repeat of last year? What assurances are there that this doesn’t turn into another stretch of 14 losses in 15 games, or something similar?
Until the results change, it’s hard to forecast a different fate for the Buckeyes even as they repeatedly say this year will be different.
“It’s a whole new team,” Thornton said. “A whole new feeling. That’s always in the back of my head because I know what not to do, but that’s not who I am and who this team is. We’re going to keep fighting every day and get the next one.”
Okpara, who had 10 points, nine rebounds and four blocks, echoed Thornton’s thoughts.
“Right now, we’re going through a little adversity,” he said. “The coaching staff and players, we trust what the coaches tell us. We practice hard every day. We know what we’re capable of. We can’t let this little three-game adversity set us back. We’ve got to come ready for the next one.”
This year’s team, Holtmann said, is demonstrably better than last year’s. The numbers back that up, the coach said, but the final results just haven’t been there yet.
“Even the ones we’ve lost, the quality of play has been much better than the stretch we were in last year,” he said. “Obviously, it’s an end result game and we’ve got to figure out how to finish out but our play has been significantly better than that stretch.”
Ohio State Buckeyes: Oller: Michigan game a 'must win' for Chris Holtmann, Ohio State men's basketball
How much is Holtmann self-evaluating the job he’s doing with this team?
“You’re always self evaluating,” he said. “You’re evaluating the quality of the looks we got late. We’ve got young guys that are closing games for pretty much the first time. There’s a process to that. I’ve shared often, this is league play. In good leagues, I think the second-deepest league in the country, we’ll look at ways we can play better and coach better.”
Thornton said he hears the negativity and knows there are fans that want Holtmann to be fired, but the sophomore pushed back on that notion.
“They’ve been saying fire Holtmann since before I got there,” he said. “We don’t look at it at all, because they ain’t in the locker room. They ain’t running with us. They ain’t going to meetings. They ain’t going through the film. They ain’t lifting with us.
“It’s bad energy. It’s not good for the soul. We’re all we’ve got, good or bad. When you’re losing, they’re going to crush you. When you’re winning, they’re all happy. That’s how it is.”
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Ohio State might have a new athletic director soon
During the game, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that Ohio State is zeroing in on hiring Texas A&M athletic director Ross Bjork to replace the outgoing Gene Smith, who is retiring. Holtmann was asked if he had any thoughts on Bjork and if he knew him.
“I’m not at liberty to discuss anything, but I’m sure there will be word here real soon,” he said.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State still struggling to close games: 5 Michigan takeaways
