Ohio State finished the regular season on a loss – fitting for a group that had already clinched the most defeats by a Buckeye team since 1997-98.
But Ohio State no longer looks like the team that dropped 14 out of 15 games not long ago. Even in a loss on Saturday, the Buckeyes’ performance on the road against Michigan State was more consistent with their two recent wins than it was with the 21-point home blowout it suffered to the Spartans just three weeks ago.
Already locked in as the No. 13 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, Ohio State had nothing to gain or lose in East Lansing, aside from confidence and momentum heading into the postseason.