OSU-WVU: Five Things the Buckeyes Need to Fix Before Tournament Time

Ohio State came up short against West Virginia after leading 40-28 at halftime, losing 71-65. The Buckeyes proved they can handle elite teams on their home courts, but aren't quite there in respect to NCAA Tournament play.

They have to close out games like this, on both sides on the court. Today was a perfect example of why: good teams will find a way to win. Once the tournament starts all the Buckeyes will see are “good” teams.

The film of this game will be very useful for Coach Matta, considering it’s almost February and this Buckeye team is playing at a high level. That being said there are some glaring weaknesses on this Ohio State team.

William Buford needs to continue to become more of a part of this offense. Today he had 22 points and was the game's leading scorer against the No. 12 team in the country on their court. Come tournament time he will have to step up when Turner is double-teamed. Since the Turner injury he’s become a consistent scorer, and that needs to continue into the tournament.

The Buckeyes need to develop a post threat. Dallas Lauderdale is a defensive menace for other teams, but on offense he’s not much better than Madsen. Ohio State doesn’t have a post threat and it shows—this one of the main reasons they run four guards for most of the games they play. Lauderdale finished with eight points and eight rebounds, and Madsen didn’t contribute anything other than two personal fouls.

Evan Turner needs to realize he can count on his teammates late in the game. The last three minutes of the game Turner forced shot after shot, when he had open looks for Diebler and Buford. Turner finished with 18 points and a game-high 11 rebounds, but he could have added to his four assists several times in the second half.

David Lighty and Jon Diebler need to be more productive on offense. These two upperclassmen were enigmas for most of the game, especially in the second half when they needed to step up. The Buckeyes team will need these two to be at the top of their games come tournament time. Diebler is the sharpshooter, but today he missed several makeable shots and played poor defense at best.

Lighty needs to help Lauderdale and Turner in respect to rebounding. Today, for the second time this season, he recorded no rebounds; the other game was Purdue. He needs to show up in big games on both sides of the ball. Right now he is inconsistent at both ends.

Overall this team is in good shape. They have things to work on but still have over a month to fix their issues. They’ve shown they can score with any team in the nation. Now they just need to prove they can play defense with them too. The Buckeyes next game will be at Iowa (7-12) on Wednesday.