Ohio State Buckeyes: Living Dangerously In March On Borrowed Time

Ohio State continues its dramatic postseason play. For an encore to the Evan Turner buzzer beater over Michigan comes a double overtime thriller against Illinois.  The Buckeyes keep coming up smelling like roses, but will it last?

Thad Matta continues to give his starters heavy minutes, minutes that are draining his team in the second half. Ohio State came out sluggish today, and it was expected after the emotional victory over arch-rival Michigan.

The Buckeyes had nothing to gain by beating Illinois; they’ve done it twice this season already. Illinois on the other hand needs to secure its spot in the NCAA Tournament, and a win over No. 7 Ohio State would have looked very good on the resume.

Is it a surprise that this game went into overtime? No, Ohio State didn’t score for almost seven and a half minutes in the first half and another four-minute drought in the second half. Evan Turner had 10 turnovers alone today, combining for a team total of 18.

The Buckeyes had better be careful when they take on Minnesota tomorrow. The Gophers are in the same boat as the Illini when it comes to bubble teams. They have a lot to play for, and an automatic NCAA seed will be something surely on their minds.

Evan Tuner, David Lighty, and William Buford all logged 50 minutes today in the win. Jon Diebler added 40 of his own, giving four of the five starters a complete game and then some as far as game time today. This is going to catch up to Ohio State in the NCAA Tournament fairly soon.

The Buckeyes haven’t looked that impressive as a No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament this season.  If they win it they’ll be in the running for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, something I’m not so sure they want.

Ohio State would be best suited as a No. 2 seed this season. The pressure of a No. 1 seed will be too much for a team that’s already showing signs of cracking this March. The post position continues to be a large concern, and today was a perfect example.

Dallas Lauderdale logged two points and two rebounds in 18 minutes of play today. His limited play is a mystery at this time, but its obvious Matta is not happy with his production.

In his place was Kyle Madsen who’s 32 minutes yielded a whopping four points today. Madsen did have seven rebounds to his credit, but the lack of offensive production in the post for the Buckeyes is alarming.

Right now this team doesn’t have the horses to get it done this season. The lack of depth is catching up with them, and will probably catch them in the Sweet 16 this year. Evan Turner can only take OSU so far, and when he fouled out today the team looked lost even though they still had the lead.

Turner finished with a “triple double” consisting of 31 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 turnovers. It wasn’t his best performance as a Buckeye, but still a solid performance that lifted OSU to the win. If he doesn’t win the Player of the Year this season it’s a shame. Ohio State will go only as far as Evan Turner will carry them.