Two numbers seemed serendipitous at halftime on Sunday.
Twenty minutes into Ohio State’s 95-87 win over Northwestern, the Buckeyes had already put 51 points on the board, the same figure they mustered all game against Indiana just three days before.
By the intermission against the Wildcats, Ohio State forward E.J. Liddell had already poured in 21 points on 8-for-11 shooting – the same total he had against Indiana and Nebraska combined as he struggled through a shooting slump in the past two games.
The Buckeyes hadn’t had much trouble scoring this season before Thursday, but Chris Holtmann pointed out after the Indiana loss that it was Ohio State’s poor offensive effort – its worst of the season, statistically – that doomed the Buckeyes in their first loss in six weeks.