Coming up: Illinois and Wisconsin

Where: Value City Arena

When: 7 p.m. Tuesday and 4 p.m. Sunday

TV: ESPN and CBS

Radio: WBNS-AM/FM (1460/97.1) 

The week that was

A hallmark of coach Thad Matta’s program at Ohio State has been its improvement as the Big Ten season winds toward a conclusion. In four previous seasons he took ranked teams into February, the Buckeyes’ record the last half of conference play was 30-4. So far this season, it is 3-2. After a Tuesday night victory at Minnesota in which the Buckeyes played cat-and-mouse with the Gophers after dominating the first 16 minutes, they chased Michigan the entire way in a 56-51 loss Saturday night. The loss knocked them out of a tie for first place in the Big Ten with Michigan State and into a tie for second with the Wolverines.

The week ahead

The last two home games of the season are on tap, and the Buckeyes better win both to stay in the race for their third straight conference title. As disappointing as the past week was for Ohio State, though, Illinois truly is in a death spiral, having lost eight of its past nine games and seemingly drawn the curtain on coach Bruce Weber’s tenure at the school. The finale against Wisconsin and coach Bo Ryan will have a rivalry feel and also be the last home game for senior William Buford and probably sophomore Jared Sullinger, who is expected to enter the NBA draft after the season. 

How good are they?

The Buckeyes are losing ground in the polls and in mock NCAA Tournament brackets. Sixth in the polls last week, they will fall again today to their lowest ranking in two years. If the loss to Michigan State a week earlier did not cost them a No.1 tournament seed with some, the one at Michigan surely did. The Buckeyes are 1-3 on the road against ranked opponents, with the regular-season finale at Michigan State still to come. 

Who’s/what’s hot?

Sullinger had 37 points and 16 rebounds in the two games last week, but might have done more. He is only as good as his teammates are at playing through him, and they didn’t always as much as they should. He had 11 field-goal attempts and 12 free throws at Minnesota, 14 field-goal attempts but only two free throws at Michigan. ESPN analyst Jay Bilas said on air during one such interlude that the next player to shoot before Sullinger touches the ball should have his scholarship yanked. Deshaun Thomas had 25 points and 13 rebounds, his first career double-double, and carried the offense at Michigan. But one game does not a hot streak make. On this team, right now, consistency is fleeting. 

Who’s/what’s not?

To paraphrase assistant coach Jeff Boals’ comment to WBNS-TV after the Michigan game, Buford had another “mind-boggling” week with 23 points at Minnesota and six at Michigan. How to make sense of his play? Consider this: In six weekday games since the Big Ten season started in December, Buford has averaged 20.7 points and shot 53.6 percent from the field. In eight weekend games, he has averaged 9.5 points and shot 31.6 percent from the field.

Thomas said Matta told the Buckeyes after the loss that they lacked the toughness to gain the upper hand against Michigan in the second half. Fair point. Despite shooting less than 40 percent from the field, the Buckeyes had their deficit at three points three times in the last five minutes, but Lenzelle Smith Jr. turned the ball over twice (charging foul, travel) with a chance to tie, and the third time, Michigan guard Trey Burke clinched the victory with a running bank shot high off the glass over Sullinger with 11.2 seconds left.

The Wolverines shot 56.5 percent in the second half, didn’t have a turnover in the last nine minutes and scored on four of their last six possessions. They were tougher. 

The Sully watch

It’s admirable that Sullinger returned for a second season to take a shot at a national championship, which he said is his only goal. But he’s becoming the latest testimonial to the wisdom of star players staying in college only as long as needed to become a lottery pick. Sullinger was considered a top-five, maybe top-three, NBA draft pick after being voted national Freshman of the Year. His stock has taken somewhat of a hit because of a less complementary supporting cast that has allowed defenses to focus more on stopping him. Consequently, NBA talent evaluators have had time to poke more holes in his game. Injuries and losing his cool against Michigan State did not help. 

Outside the lines

Freshman LaQuinton Ross was one of three Buckeyes to not get off the bench at Minnesota. He didn’t take it well, posting on his Twitter account shortly after the game ended that he didn’t know how much longer he could take “this BULL----!!!!!” He quickly deleted the post but not before it circulated, and Ross almost as quickly apologized to Matta and, in another tweet, to Ohio State fans. “I let my emotions get the best of me. … that should have been something I took up with my coaches,” he wrote. Matta said he was shocked by the tweet but added that he wants Ross hungry for playing time. 

Quotable

“We would rather them take the threes than go down low to Jared or Deshaun because those are higher-percentage shots.” — Michigan guard Trey Burke on the Wolverines’ defensive strategy.

bbaptist@dispatch.com