COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 12 Ohio State basketball team is in the midst of a four-game stretch that consists of Colgate, High Point, Moorehead State and North Carolina A&T. Next up is Moorehead State on Saturday afternoon, and odds are Ohio State will win by a lot. It’s not an exciting matchup, and nobody is pretending that it is. But stretches like this on Ohio State’s nonconference schedule have been happening dating back to even before Thad Matta arrived in Columbus. Still, some wonder why the Buckeyes keep playing games like this, even if they are sandwiched between a road game at Louisville and a game vs. North Carolina in the United Center in Chicago. “It really doesn’t bother me,” Matta said of criticism. “It doesn’t. … When I got here 11 years ago they said, ‘Just try to win or get some wins for Ohio State.’ Now we have to pick who we beat, I guess.” But if you want an answer, here it is – it’s impossible to load the entire nonconference schedule up with schools from power conferences. Look around the entire country and you’ll find nonconference schedules very similar to Ohio State’s. So it’s a reality of December basketball. Most games won’t be that exciting, Ohio State will win by a lot and Matta’s hope is that the Buckeyes will grow from playing competition, even if it’s inferior at times. Then when Big Ten play comes, Ohio State will be tested regularly as part of one of the deepest and most talented conferences in the country. “You guys think I listen and read stuff,” Matta said. “I really don’t know what you’re talking about.” • Before Ohio State’s win over Colgate last Saturday, there were some major upsets to Big Ten teams and Matta brought it up to the Buckeyes before they took the floor. “Saturday’s tip against Colgate, NJIT had just won and North Florida had just beaten Purdue right as I was getting ready to do a pregame talk,” Matta said. :I brought it up, and said, ‘Hey, look, here’s two of our conference schools that just lost some games.’ So they were aware of that.” Nebraska has since lost to Incarnate Word. That’s three Big Ten teams suffering major upsets. “We know we have to put our best foot forward every night,” senior Sam Thompson said, “or we could lose.” • Thompson and freshman Keita Bates-Diop spoke about how the intensity with which freshman Jae’Sean Tate plays has been contagious in practice, in the locker room and into games. Matta said that’s something he has been hoping for. “I’ve seen it go through the team,” Matta said of Tate, who has seen his playing time increase as of late…
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