OSU freshman JaQuan Lyle (13) takes a shot over two UT Arlington players during a game on Nov. 20 at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio. OSU lost 73-68. Credit: Hanna Roth | Lantern Photographer Before the season, the meeting between Ohio State and Memphis in Miami, Florida, for the HoopHall Miami Invitational was seen as a premium nonconference affair. The teams have been mainstays in the NCAA tournament in recent years, led by a great deal of athleticism. However, for whatever reason, each team has failed to live up to the standards attached with its gaudy prestige this season. The Buckeyes and Tigers each came into the game 2-2, with a mutual loss to mid-major University of Texas-Arlington. The teams continued their shaky showings of the 2015-16 campaign on Friday, but Memphis ended up hanging on in overtime for an 81-76 victory. The game was an up-and-down ride for both teams, highlighted by turnovers and fouls. An 11-4 run early in the first few minutes of the second half enabled the Buckeyes to open up a nine-point lead, but, as a model of the inconsistency shown so far this year, a 14-2 run by the Tigers put coach Josh Pastner’s team back on top. That Memphis (3-2) run was highlighted by OSU turnovers on five of six possessions. The Buckeyes (2-3) answered back from there, clamping down on defense to take a four-point lead into the under-eight minute timeout. Not to be outdone or buck the roller-coaster trend, Memphis answered with a 9-0 run to grab a five-point lead with just over four minutes left. OSU later found itself trailing by three with under a minute left, but a 3-point make by sophomore forward Keita Bates-Diop knotted the game at 75…
Continue Reading: Ohio State men’s basketball drops under .500 with 81-76 overtime loss to Memphis
