COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State played No. 11 Michigan State for the second time this season and its played out the exact same way as the first meeting.
Much like the first game, Ohio State led at halftime. The Buckeyes didn’t necessarily shoot well from the field, but kept their turnovers at a minimum and were stifling defensively. The host Spartans shot just 32.1 percent from the field and their top two players — Cassius Winston and Nick Ward — combined for 14 points.
They found ways to score, but neither did so in an efficient manner. Once again the Buckeyes found themselves unable to sustain its effort as the Spartans won 62-44.
Offensively, Ohio State shot under 40 percent for the second straight game and struggled defensively as Michigan State outscored them 37-13 in the second half. The Buckeyes went the final 7:40 without making a single field goal and made just three shots in the entire second half. Michigan State didn’t shoot much better, but played well enough to pull away.
Winston didn’t have the best afternoon shooting the ball, but still found ways to impact the game by making plays for others. Winston finished with 13 points and eight assists but made just 3 of his 15 shots. Despite Ward being sidelined for much of the second half because of an injury to his left hand, Ohio State couldn’t consistently take advantage of the size mismatch Kaleb Wesson presented. Wesson finished the game with 12 points and nine rebounds.
Outside of Wesson, no other Buckeye could seem to find a way to put the ball in the basket. Luther Muhammad has made just one of his last 15 shots over the last two games, and head coach Chris Holtmann had to pull him at times as it looked like he was forcing shots. Andre Wesson, C.J. Jackson and Duane Washington Jr. combined for 16 points but made just 6 of their 26 attempts. After an efficient first half with just four turnovers, the Buckeyes turned the ball over 11 times in the second.
Ohio State struggled against a ranked team on the road, and its schedule doesn’t provide any let-up. In two trips to the state of Michigan this season, Ohio State has left with a loss and its two lowest scoring outputs of the season.
The 16-9 Buckeyes — 6-8 in the Big Ten — will return home to face a Northwestern team that is currently on a six-game losing streak. They’ll face the Wildcats twice, providing the last two games this season where they could be favored to win. But after the way they played against Illinois that’s isn’t a guarantee even though Thursday’s game is at home.
Side note
According to the Columbus Dispatch’s Adam Jardy, Jackson apparently rolled his ankle in the contest. Holtmann stated that he will be evaluated later to see if it will affect his status.
C.J. Jackson rolled his ankle, Chris Holtmann said. Will see if it affects him going forward. #buckeyes
— Adam Jardy (@AdamJardy) February 17, 2019