Ohio State almost has no choice but to play with nothing to lose.
What else is there to do but gain from here? The Buckeyes aren’t on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament at this juncture, slotted at 71st in the NET rankings with a combined 1-9 record in Quadrant 1 and 2 games.
Their only way back in is to win where nobody expects them to. And almost nobody outside the program expects Ohio State to beat No. 20 Wisconsin on the road on Tuesday or No. 2 Purdue at home on Sunday.
“I think the reality is that that can be a help at times,” Chris Holtmann said on Monday.