Ohio State hoping to buck road losing streak at Indiana with 'guys willing to grind'
Ohio State was shorthanded but confident when it walked into the Xfinity Center on Jan. 8, 2023. Zed Key’s shoulder injury suffered in the opening minutes of a two-point home loss to No. 1 Purdue three days earlier would keep him on the sideline against Maryland, but the reeling Terrapins had lost two straight and five of seven when they hosted the Buckeyes for a Sunday afternoon tip.
None of that mattered. Maryland turned a five-point deficit one possession into the second half into a 26-7 run during the next 10 minutes to seize control and hand Ohio State an 80-73 loss. In the moment, it dropped Ohio State to 2-2 in the Big Ten and 10-5 overall.
Two days short of a year later, it has proven to be the start of a bleak road stretch for the Buckeyes. As Ohio State goes to Indiana on Saturday night, it does so in search of its first true road win since a New Year’s Day victory at Northwestern more than a year ago. It’s a 10-game road losing streak that started at Maryland and was extended when Penn State overcame an 18-point deficit and handed the Buckeyes an 83-80 loss on Dec. 9.
“We have guys willing to grind, guys like Bruce (Thornton), Roddy (Gayle), Jamison (Battle), everybody wants to win,” fourth-year center Zed Key said Friday. “We’re going to do whatever it takes to win. Guys just want to get the ‘W.’ We didn’t get it done at Penn State and learned what we need to do to get better.”
As Key alluded to, the Buckeyes have been close during this streak. According to KenPom.com, Ohio State had a 97.9% win probability when it led the Nittany Lions 55-37 with 15:31 remaining in the second half. At Rutgers on Jan. 15, 2023, freshman Brice Sensabaugh had a shot at the end of regulation to win but missed as the Scarlet Knights prevailed in overtime. Three days later, it was Sean McNeil who missed a 3 at the buzzer that would’ve sent a 63-60 loss at Nebraska into overtime.
Other games weren’t so close. The final results were the same, leading to Ohio State’s longest streak of road games without a win since it dropped 16 straight road games starting with a 69-66 loss at Michigan State on Jan. 11, 1997 and ending with a 61-56 win at Wisconsin on Feb. 25, 1998.
None of the current Buckeyes were born then.
“I think this team has the makeup to get some road victories this year, which is going to be important for us to compete the way we want to compete in this league,” associate head coach Jake Diebler said. “You want to make sure you give yourself an opportunity to win the game down the stretch. We did that at Penn State, but we didn’t finish it. Really, for 25-30 minutes, we dominated that game.
“That speaks to certainly what we’re capable of, but it also speaks to some of the areas we’ve got to improve in.”
After Ohio State fended off Rutgers 76-72 on Wednesday night at Value City Arena, Scarlet Knights coach Steve Pikiell said he tells his team that to win by one point on the road, they have to prepare to win by 10 points.
Ohio State Buckeyes: Join the Ohio State Sports Insider text group with Bill Rabinowitz, Joey Kaufman Adam Jardy
Buckeyes coach Chris Holtmann said after that game that the Indiana game will be a “great test” and that the Buckeyes understand what environment they’re walking into when they play at Assembly Hall at 8 p.m. on a Saturday. Key said that in last year’s 86-70 loss at Indiana, Ohio State’s fifth in a row, it got so loud he literally couldn’t hear what Holtmann was saying in the huddle.
This year, all three said, the Buckeyes have a better connected team with more leadership and toughness. In the last month, that’s allowed them to handle a physical challenge from UCLA and survive late runs by West Virginia and Rutgers while coming away with victories.
Saturday marks the next chance to add to that list – and to stop another one at the same time.
“It’s going to come down to the little details,” Key said. “It’s going to get loud in there. They’re going to go on runs. They’re a really good team. We’ve just got to stay connected.”
Get more Ohio State basketball news by listening to our podcasts
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: At Indiana, Ohio State searching for elusive road success
