Despite a tough loss to rival Michigan, an Ohio State star praises the team's competitive spirit, hinting at tournament potential fueled by recent strong play.
After ending February on the bubble, Ohio State won four games in a row, including a big victory over then-No. 8 Purdue on March 1.
The Buckeyes squeaked past Iowa 72-69 on Thursday in the third round of the Big Ten Tournament to advance to play rival Michigan on Friday.
The Buckeyes and No. 3 Wolverines played a tight game through all 40 minutes, with Michigan taking a four-point lead into halftime.
Michigan outshot the Buckeyes, making 45 percent of their field attempts to OSU's 38 percent. That was the key difference in UM's 71-67 win over Ohio State in the quarterfinal at the United Center on Friday.
Senior guard Bruce Thornton led the Buckeyes with 22 points to go along with three rebounds and four assists. But he did account for four of OSU's 10 turnovers.
With the loss, Ohio State dropped to 21-12 overall and 12-8 in Big Ten play. It remains to be seen if the Buckeyes did enough in March to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
Per Patrick Murphy of 247 Sports, Thornton told reporters after the loss that he was pleased with the team's performance against a dangerous Michigan squad.
OSU's effort on the court Friday has been closer to what the team has been practicing lately.
"I'm glad we're just showing it to the world," Thornton said.
Ohio State was without sophomore guard Taison Chatman against Michigan, who was listed as questionable before the contest.
OSU head coach Jake Diebler told reporters that Chatman wanted to play on Friday but couldn't get "comfortable" in warm-ups.
"Diebler said guard Taison Chatman tried play today, but warmed up and couldn't get comfortable to go," Murphy wrote. "He said the issue happened last game and he didn't play at the end of the game.
"He said Chatman was getting treatment every time he walked by the room, but didn't quite get there. 'We don't anticipate this being a long term thing.'"
Chatman is averaging 4.5 points, 1.2 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game for Ohio State.
The Buckeyes have made a strong statement in the month of March, going 4-1 before Selection Sunday. The team shouldn't be hurt by losing a close game to a likely No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
If Ohio State makes the Big Dance, those practices could pay off--if the team can show the same spirit during games like they did against Michigan.