After the first fifteen games of their season, not many people projected the undefeated Ohio State basketball team to lose five out of their next six games. Was Ohio State prepared to take on the rigorous schedule of the Big 10? I think that the weak non-conference schedule ended up contributing to poor conference play. If I’m Coach Thad Matta I want to get Louisville and Kentucky on the schedule every year. The two universities are each only three hours away which builds potential for a huge rivalry to develop. Thinking of a rivalry between two schools that are generally rich in basketball talent gets me excited. The conference struggle has since given opportunities to players who have previously not received as much playing time. Highly-touted freshman Marc Loving from Toledo, Ohio, has played a key role in pushing the team closer to the point they want to be at. If Ohio State keeps at the pace they are currently on, they’re looking at a 5 seed in the Big 10 tournament. The big dance is a scary thought at this point. They will likely have to finish in the top half of the conference tournament to receive a bid. Luckily for OSU, the 2014 recruiting class has already signed their letters of intent. They are a top ranked class according to various major national recruiting services. Had the prospects not signed on the early signing day, they could have taken serious looks at other schools. Fortunately though for the Buckeyes, there’s just enough season left to make something happen and impress their signees. Five regular season match-ups remain and if the Buckeyes win all of them they could possibly reach the 3 seed for the Big 10 tournament. All in all, a realistic goal for the Buckeyes is to make it into the NCAA tournament. In order to close this season out well, they need to get Aaron Craft to drive to the basket and also give Loving more quality minutes. Love him or hate him, Craft can make plays and Marc Loving has some serious potential. Ohio State’s season will ultimately be remembered by how they finish, but this season will hopefully spark interest in a tougher non-conference schedule. A Kentucky and Louisville rivalry added to the current OSU recruiting pitch would likely make for many happy basketball fans in Columbus.
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