Ohio State Buckeyes forward Keita Bates-Diop (33) takes a shot against Virginia Cavaliers center Mike Tobey (10) in the first half at Value City Arena.(Photo: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports) COLUMBUS – It was bad news, good news for the basketball Buckeyes. The bad? Ohio State has lost four straight non-league games for the first time since the 1950s. The good? The Buckeyes appear as if they aren’t that far away from turning it around. Facing the No. 10 team in the country, they pushed Virginia for all 40 minutes in a 64-58 loss to drop their record to 2-4. “The biggest thing for us is we can’t take steps backward,” OSU coach Thad Matta said. “I think we’re making some strides in the right direction, but as I told them, it would be the biggest travesty to take another step backwards in terms of our progress.” The Buckeyes looked like a team with promise Tuesday night in a primetime ESPN game as part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. They shot well in the second half, answered runs by the Cavaliers, cut down the turnovers and limited the fouls. Progress. “It’s definitely a good step in the right direction,” Ohio State sophomore forward Jae’Sean Tate said after going for 12 points and eight rebounds. “We also have to realize that we’re still not there yet and just build off of that.” Junior forward Marc Loving played like a veteran, making crucial shots to keep the Buckeyes close, finishing with a team-high 19 points along with five boards on 7 of 11 shooting, while sophomore Keita Bates-Diop had 15 points on 50 percent shooting…
Continue Reading: Column: Basketball Buckeyes making progress
