Ohio State 79 Indiana 75: Three Keys | Final Box Score | Specialty Stats

Indiana lost to Ohio State on Thursday afternoon at the Big Ten Tournament in Chicago.

The Hoosiers (17-15) will await their postseason fate on Sunday night.

THREE KEYS TO THE GAME

1. Indiana doesn’t take care of the ball. A key part of Indiana’s four game winning streak was that it kept turnovers to a minimum. The Hoosiers had single digit turnovers in the last three games. Today IU had 17 miscues for a 23% turnover rate, as the issue plagued the team throughout the game. Four different IU players had three or more turnovers, and Ohio State was able to convert those mistakes to an amazing 24 points.

2. The Hoosiers can’t knock down shots. After an offensive explosion in the final seven minutes, the final numbers don’t tell the whole story. Indiana was just 25% from behind the three-point line in the first half, and below 40% overall for most of the game until that late scoring outburst. It was the same story from the February meeting between these teams, as Ohio State clogged the paint and collapsed on dribble penetration. That made points in the paint difficult to come by and reduced IU to a perimeter shooting team.

3. Hustle plays permeate several aspects of the game. From the tangible, like Ohio State’s 38-33 rebounding margin, to the intangible like the Buckeyes seeming to be first to the floor on most loose balls, OSU just seemed like they had the better energy in this one. Indiana’s defense couldn’t get enough stops either, as the Hoosiers struggled to do enough on Keyshawn Woods and C.J. Jackson.

After being down by 20 with just over seven minutes remaining, IU made one final desperate push to cut the margin to three, but the hole was deep. And that hole was largely a result of just not bringing it for 40 minutes.