Ohio State Basketball: What Buckeyes Must Do to Contend for B1G Title

Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press The date was September 6, 2014, and the Ohio State football season was virtually over. Buckeye Nation begrudgingly slumped out of the hallowed gates of Ohio Stadium after watching their football team lose in startling fashion to a mediocre Virginia Tech squad. It was the cherry on top of the gut punch that was delivered just weeks before when superstar quarterback Braxton Miller was ruled out for the season with injury. You don’t have to be an Ohio State fan to remember what happened next. While it may be a far stretch to envision Thad Matta and the basketball Buckeyes rallying together after a slow start in the same fashion their football counterparts did, it would be ill-advised to simply give up on this team already. Sure, Ohio State is in eighth place in the Big Ten standings, but it is only two games back in the loss column. A conference title is not out of the picture just yet. After all, crazier things have happened in Columbus this very month.  Here are some things that Matta’s bunch has to do if they hope to contend for that Big Ten championship. Win the Next Six Games Jamie Sabau/Getty Images There is really no shame in any of Ohio State’s losses if each one is viewed through a vacuum, but there are also zero quality wins on the resume. If that pattern continues, an NCAA tournament bid is no sure thing. What will Ohio State’s record be in the next six games? 6-0 5-1 4-2 3-3 2-4 1-5 0-6 Submit Vote vote to see results What will Ohio State’s record be in the next six games? 6-0 0% 5-1 0% 4-2 0% 3-3 0% 2-4 0% 1-5 0% 0-6 0% Total votes: 0 All it would take is one bad loss to throw the entire resume off, especially since the nonconference schedule was a steady diet of cupcakes outside of the two losses to Louisville and North Carolina…

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