January 27, 2024; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Chris Holtmann guides his team against the Northwestern Wildcats in the first half at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton/USA TODAY Sports
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Save No. 14. Illinois continues to demonstrate its resilience as it travels to Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday, where Ohio State has another chance to regain control of a spiralling season.
The Buckeyes (13-7, 3-6 Big Ten) have lost two consecutive and five of six games since Jan. 6, including a humiliating 83-58 defeat at Northwestern on Saturday.
It brings back memories of a year ago, when they lost 14 of 15 from January 5 to February 23.
We’re really looking for it right now, but I still trust my teammates and the coaching staff,” Ohio State guard Bruce Thornton said. “We are just going through a hard phase. We have a lot of games ahead of us, including a crucial one at home. We’re going to take advantage of it, win, and then keep rolling.”
It won’t be easy facing the Fighting Illini (15-5, 6-3).
Unlike the Buckeyes, they have yet to drop consecutive games this season. Illinois lost 96-91 in overtime at Northwestern on Wednesday, but defeated Indiana 70-62 on Saturday by scoring the final eight points.
It was not attractive, but that didn’t matter to Illinois coach Brad Underwood.
“We went from probably a more eye-pleasing loss at Northwestern from a fan standpoint and probably (the media) standpoint to a very ugly W,” he was quoted as saying. “I’m really proud of our men because they have to win these games. “You must find a way.”
Ohio State would be hard-pressed to find any positives from the Northwestern game. The Buckeyes trailed by 11 at halftime, but the deficit grew to 35 before they went on a 12-2 run with the reserves on the court.
“Bottom line, we just have to be better,” Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann said. “Across the board. All of us. We simply need to improve, both as players and coaches. I think it’s
The Buckeyes are hopeful that returning to Columbus would provide a boost. The last two games have come on the road, where they have lost 14 in a row dating back to last season.
After defeating Penn State at home on January 20, the Buckeyes believed they had turned a corner. An 83-69 loss to Nebraska on Jan. 23 and a setback to Northwestern demonstrated differently.
“You coach long enough, you have moments that are certainly really humbling and that’s part of being in a profession like this,” Holtmann went on to say. “I don’t think we played quite as poorly during this (stretch), but we certainly did in the past game and a half. We need to figure out how to fix it here immediately.”
The mood
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