When you try to find a way that a young, sporadic Ohio State team can consistently win against quality opponents, the quest inevitably leads back to defense.
The shooters are all over the place. Keita Bates-Diop scored 11 against Northwestern followed by 24 against Rutgers followed by six on Tuesday night against Michigan. Leading scorer Marc Loving had 15 against Northwestern followed by, uh, zero against Rutgers. JaQuan Lyle fired off 27 against Wisconsin, followed by 16, followed by 4.
Catch the pattern? There isn’t one. That means, if the Buckeyes are going to find consistency anywhere, it almost certainly has to be on defense.