Ohio State just went back-to-back the wrong way.
After losing on Sunday to West Virginia, the fifth-ranked Buckeyes returned home on Friday night and dropped a second game in a row, falling 61-57 to Wisconsin on Friday night despite leading for the vast majority of the game.
As much as Ohio State wanted, Wisconsin simply wouldn't go away easily.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| #5 OHIO STATE | 25 | 32 | 57 |
| WISCONSIN | 29 | 32 | 61 |
The Buckeyes held onto the lead for nearly the entirety of the second half until Wisconsin's Nate Reuvers hit a shot to give his team a 52-51 edge with 1:47, leading to Chris Holtmann calling a timeout. With 1:08 remaining, Wisconsin got a 3-pointer from Brevin Pritzl that Duane Washington answered to pull Ohio State within one point with 57 seconds remaining. But the Badgers pulled away with two pairs of free throws from D'Mitrik Trice and Reuvers for the win.
Neither team could find many clean looks, especially from beyond the 3-point arc with both hitting less than 26 percent of their attempts from 3-point range. Ohio State shot 40.4 percent from the field, and Wisconsin hit 37.5 percent of its shots.
For the vast majority of the game, the Buckeyes held an edge on the scoreboard. They led for the first 19 minutes of the game, though that advantage never exceeded seven points. In the final minutes of the first half, the Badgers hit a pair of 3-pointers to take a lead that they gave up just a minute into the second half. Ohio State controlled the lead for most of the second half, too.
| OHIO STATE | STAT | WISCONSIN |
|---|---|---|
| 57 | POINTS | 61 |
| 19-47 (40.4%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 21-56 (37.5%) |
| 6-20 (30.0%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 6-23 (26.1%) |
| 13-17 (76.5%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 13-16 (81.3%) |
| 14 | TURNOVERS | 10 |
| 32 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 34 |
| 8 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 12 |
| 24 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 22 |
| 2 | BENCH POINTS | 20 |
| 1 | BLOCKS | 0 |
| 4 | STEALS | 5 |
| 8 | ASSISTS | 8 |
Kaleb Wesson, as he has done so often in his career, carried Ohio State for sizable portions of Friday's game.
The junior big man was one rebound away from a double-double by the end of the first half, and he continued to pour it on in the latter 20 minutes. Wesson had 22 points and 13 rebounds, going 7-for-10 from the field and 7-for-9 from the free-throw line.
Kyle Young did not play in Friday night's game after having his appendix removed following Sunday's loss to West Virginia. Duane Washington Jr. started in his place with Andre Wesson moving to power forward to accommodate the three-guard lineup.
With the increased role, Washington increased his shot total, but his efficiency suffered. The sophomore guard hit 6-of-19 shots for 18 points.
Next up: Ohio State heads on the road to take on No. 15 Maryland on Tuesday in College Park, Maryland. The game will tip off at 7 p.m. and be shown on ESPN.
Other Notes
- Kaleb Wesson scored his 1,000th career point in the first half of Friday night's game. He became the 59th player in the program's history to reach the mark.
- Seemingly injured, CJ Walker went to the ground with 15:53, leading to the under-16 media timeout. During the break in action, trainers with gauze took a look inside his mouth. He returned to the huddle shortly thereafter, though, and soon reentered the game.
- Andre Wesson appeared to get a contact knocked out at one point in the first half. A trainer helped him put it back in during a timeout that came when he began holding his face.
- Former boxer Buster Douglas was in attendance. He has been at multiple games this season.
- The Schottenstein Center was packed, though it was fairly quiet for large stretches. The students have not yet returned to campus for the spring semester, meaning there wasn't a large student section behind the scorer's table, which didn't help the noise level.
- Former Ohio State forward Micah Potter played in his fourth game as a Badger and scored four points against his former team. Wisconsin is 4-0 since he has been eligible to play.
