With Four of Next Five on the Road, Consistency is the Next Step for Buckeyes

By Tim Shoemaker on February 1, 2015 at 7:45 am
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Like most head coaches in college basketball, Ohio State's Thad Matta is always wanting more.

More energy. More passion. But perhaps most importantly, Matta wants to see more consistency.

"I think in terms of the evolution of this team, I want to see us do it again," Matta said following Ohio State's 82-70 win over Indiana last Sunday. "I want to see us play with that type of emotion, that type of energy, that type of togetherness."

The Buckeyes' next time out — Thursday against Maryland — they showed it.

Ohio State dominated, for once, from start to finish as it blasted the 16th-ranked Terrapins, 80-56. They had three guys score in double figures and held Maryland to a dismal 30 percent shooting effort. The Buckeyes never trailed in what was their second straight win over a ranked team and third straight victory overall.

"I think this was probably the most consistent we’ve played for 40 minutes," Matta said following the win. "We finally outscored somebody to start the game, but it was only 3-1. But that’s a good start for us. We’ll take that, it was good to see.”

The recent stretch has Ohio State playing its best basketball of the season. The Buckeyes are up to 17-5 overall and are one of seven teams with three Big Ten losses as they sit at 6-3 in the conference.

The big question remaining for Ohio State, though, is can it continue this stretch of play when it has to do it outside of the friendly confines of the Schottenstein Center. The Buckeyes play four of their next five games on the road beginning Wednesday when they travel to Mackey Arena to take on Purdue.

It's the second time this season Ohio State has a stretch of playing four out of five games away from home.

"We’re blessed to go on the road for four out of the next five again and I think from that standpoint we’ve got to take it," Matta joked. "It’s like I told those guys after the game, we’ve won three in a row now and our max was two in a row. What do we do next? Do we get complacent? The biggest challenge we have is keep getting better.”

A large part of Ohio State's resurgence has been the play of its sensational freshman, D'Angelo Russell, who has been dazzling over the last five games. 

But he's not doing it alone. Jae'Sean Tate and Marc Loving are proving to be solid scoring options behind him. Sam Thompson and Shannon Scott are taking it upon themselves to lock down the opposing team's best players.

It's a large reason why Ohio State has resurfaced among the conversation as one of the better teams in the Big Ten.

"Everybody just played hard and played their role," Tate said.

But can the Buckeyes keep it going as they prepare to hit a stretch that includes road games against the Boilermakers, Michigan State and Michigan? They seem to think so.

"Feel like we’re going through our stride and playing the best basketball we've been playing all year," Russell said. "No stopping now."

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