Just the same as winning is contagious, so too is losing. Ohio State took a 2 game losing streak into Williams Arena and left with a 3 game losing streak as the Minnesota Golden Gophers defeated the Buckeyes 63-53. It is the first 3 game losing streak for the Buckeyes since February of 2009 and provided Minnesota’s first win over a ranked team this year, though a good argument can be made that the Buckeyes aren’t playing like a ranked team. LaQuinton Ross lead Ohio State in scoring with 22 while the rest of the team managed just 31. Shooting just 35% from the field and only 61% from the free throw line won’t win you too many games and the scoring has to be frustrating to Coach Thad Matta.
With the score tied at 39 apiece, a technical foul on Richard Pitino seemed to spark the scoring as Minnesota closed the game on a 24-14 scoring run to close out the 15-3 Buckeyes. Just like his dad, Pitino knows the value of a well placed technical. Deandrea Mathieu paced the Gophers balanced attack with 13 points with Elliot Eliason and Andre Hollins scoring 12 and 10 points respectively.
The other bright spot for the Buckeyes was Sam Thopmson’s 12 points off the bench. Though Thompson’s points count as bench points, he was in the game at an early juncture and it seemed to spark the Junior’s scoring. Ohio State had plenty of opportunities, including 18 Gopher turnovers but just couldn’t seem to get over the hill and take control of the game. Plenty of close shots and fast break attempts went unconverted and Minnesota took the spark ignited by their coach and turned it into a blaze that raged for the remainder of the game.
Though this was one of the more frustrating games to watch during Matta’s tenure, the coach always seems to find a way to get the most out of his kids when it counts. As a Buckeye fan who spent his formative years cheering for a team that only won 8 games, including just 1 in conference play, during the 97-98 season, I will take Matta every day of the week and twice on Sunday.
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