How did Ohio State handle its week of prep before closing season at Rutgers?
Bruce Thornton’s smile told a story his words didn’t quite explain.
Friday afternoon, the Ohio State sophomore guard was reflecting on the week of preparation between a win against Michigan and Sunday’s road date at Rutgers. A week-long pause between the final two games of the regular season provided some awkward timing for an Ohio State team playing its best basketball of the season, forcing interim coach Jake Diebler to juggle rest versus momentum.
Thursday was a day off. Wednesday, though, was apparently a day to be remembered, and Thornton hinted at such when asked about the team’s vibe for the week.
“Very competitive, especially when you ain’t playing (games),” Thornton said, the hints of a smile curling up on his face. “Wednesday got super competitive at practice.”
He elaborated no further, letting the words hang in the air as he grinned.
Monday, Diebler said he had spoken with friends in the coaching profession including Grand Canyon coach Bryce Drew, who had previously hired Diebler as an assistant at Valparaiso and Vanderbilt, to get a handle on how to structure the week. The first few days were inwardly focused on both improving in a few areas and getting some guys healthier. That led into the second part of the week, when the preparation turned toward Rutgers.
Wednesday was evidently the dividing line, a chance for the Buckeyes to go hard against each other before having the next day off.
“We tried to normalize the week as best we could from an off day standpoint and create similar prep to what we’ve had leading into these (recent) games on Sunday,” he said. “We tried to do a lot of competitive stuff on Wednesday and guys competed. We’ve got a competitive group.”
Then, like Thornton, Diebler smiled and offered no further insight into that specific date.
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It was one day in the ongoing quest to turn what was shaping up to be a lost season into something meaningful. Ohio State goes to Rutgers having won four of its last five since Diebler replaced the fired Chris Holtmann on Feb. 14 and within shouting distance of getting into NCAA Tournament bubble conversation. Beating the Scarlet Knights would help increase Ohio State’s chances of avoiding the first day of the Big Ten Tournament that opens Wednesday in Minneapolis, but it doesn’t guarantee that the Buckeyes will open the event Thursday, either.
Beating Rutgers would simply do what so much of the last four weeks have done: increase the odds that the next game will be even more meaningful.
“I think our guys are really embracing playing meaningful games this time of year,” Diebler said. “There are things we have to be intentional about working on but we’re not going to shy away from what’s at stake. We’ve talked about it: each next opportunity has been the biggest one, and that hasn’t changed.”
That’s been the focus for the week: continuing to improve with the hope of playing more important games as March progresses. After beating Nebraska on Feb. 29, sophomore guard Roddy Gayle Jr. pointed out that miracles come in March while asking, “Why not be the underdog?” Fifth-year forward Jamison Battle, seeking his first March Madness appearance, echoed him in the same press conference, adding, “Let the Madness begin.”
Save for winning the Big Ten Tournament, getting there will require a win Sunday at Jersey Mike’s Arena. The Scarlet Knights have lost five of their last six but are 1-1 at home during that time.
“We picked it back up late February and now we’re one of the hottest teams out there,” Thornton said. “I feel like a lot of teams don’t want to play us right now.”
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Diebler said the Buckeyes were healthy entering Friday’s practice and that the focus was on Rutgers, not the Big Ten Tournament. The time will come for that, just like the time will come to take stock of everything that’s happened until this point.
This week, Thornton said there had been a little bit of the latter, though.
“We definitely had some times in the locker room looking at each other like, ‘Yo, it’s just been crazy,’ ” Thornton said. “I look at my teammates like, our head coach got fired midseason. There’s nothing normal about it.”
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State basketball has 'very competitive' week of prep for Rutgers
