EAST LANSING, Mich. — Ohio State erased a nine-point halftime deficit, a senior buried a clutch three in the game’s final minute to tie it, the intense Breslin Center crowd became merely background noise. The stage was perfectly set for Ohio State to fill the void on its resume: The obvious lack of a quality win over a solid opponent on the road. Now was the time. Winners of five of its previous six; sophomore Marc Loving returning from a three-game suspension; coach Thad Matta feeling better than ever about the No. 23 Buckeyes’ depth; Evan Turner, the former National Player of the Year, sitting directly behind Ohio State’s bench; a classic Big Ten venue. It was all lining up. But after more than 39 minutes of hard-fought basketball that never fails to make Ohio State-Michigan State games classics, Denzel Valentine broke free from Sam Thompson on a screen and buried a cold-blooded three-pointer with 3.2 seconds remaining. Game over. “You can literally start your own classics channel from the last few years of Ohio State vs. Michigan State — the endings have been incredible,” Matta said. “I thought our guys competed. I thought our guys played. … But they made the final play they needed to.” Call it a trend. Louisville. Indiana…
Continue Reading: Ohio State basketball: Are close losses like Michigan State going to define the Buckeyes season?
