There are not many teams in the nation that could withstand the tribulations the Buckeyes have experienced this season.
Ohio State returned only seven contributors from the 2018-2019 team, and that number was trimmed down to six before the year began; prior to the season opener, Ohio State announced that Musa Jallow, a two-way wing who impacts the game beyond the box score, would be out indefinitely.
The Buckeyes would learn to lean on its returning six contributors, two freshmen and a transfer point guard for the first half of the season. Ohio State soared through October, November and most of December before hitting a wall in January.
After a rebound win against Northwestern, D.J. Carton announced he would be taking a leave of absence to focus on his mental health. Whether Carton will return to the court this year remains uncertain, but for Chris Holtmann's squad, the season must go on.
With Carton's departure, Ohio State's nine-man rotation was cut to eight with just one true ball-handler. Yet the Bucks have won six of their last eight games and are finally above the .500 mark in conference play.
One of the more recent matchups during that stretch included another top-10 opponent in Maryland. With four-and-a-half minutes left in the first half, Kyle Young went down with a high ankle sprain and would not return. Holtmann was left with a seven-man rotation.
Even so, Ohio State went on to defeat the Terps, giving the Buckeyes another top-10 win and securing a tournament spot. Holtmann even cut his rotation down to six in the second half, leaving Justin Ahrens on the bench during the tight affair.
The Buckeyes added another victory without Young on Thursday, routing lowly Nebraska with a starting lineup of three guards and the Wesson brothers. The real test, however, will come later today against Michigan.
Even though the Buckeyes are lacking depth and size with Young and Carton sidelined, they were favored to win by 3.5 points as of Saturday night.
As more and more obstacles have started to obstruct the Buckeyes' path, Ohio State has gotten better. Since the rotation has tightened up, it has been a full-team effort with different players stepping up at different moments. In the last four games, four different players have led the team in scoring.
The Buckeyes' streak over the last eight games has showcased Holtmann's greatest trait: getting the most out of each and every rotational player with relatively little decline in performance. Without Young on Thursday, Kaleb Wesson grabbed a season-high 18 rebounds while E.J. Liddell recorded five (!!!) blocks. With both players doing a little more than usual, they were able to cover up the absence of Young.
This, of course, has been the theme of the team for the past month. C.J. Walker, Duane Washington Jr., and Luther Muhammad have all played better during this run to make up for Carton's absence. As long as Young remains sidelined, E.J. Liddell and the Wesson brothers will have to share the load in the frontcourt.
Every player stepped up his game over the past month. Muhammad, for example, averaged 2.5 more points per game and shot nearly 10 percent better from the field in February than the first four months of the season. Walker averaged 2.5 more points per game and an additional assist per game during this run. Washington is acting as a primary ballhandler more often, even leading the team in assists against Rutgers. Liddell has consistently been a menace on the defensive end and is fourth on the team in defensive box plus/minus.
Against Michigan on Sunday, everything Ohio State has built will be put to the test, but when the going gets tough, the tough get going. With what could be their smallest rotation of the season and a matchup with their rival, the Buckeyes must lean on each other to continue their late-season push and sweep the Wolverines.
