NCAA Basketball: ACC struggles, Gonzaga dropping, and more takeaways

6) Ohio State’s defense has caused recent slide

Now let’s talk about the other side of that Friday night upset in the Big Ten. Ohio State has now dropped three of their last five games, including conference losses to unranked Minnesota and Wisconsin teams.

After the game, head coach Chris Holtmann was at something of a loss for answers, saying he’s still trying to figure out what Ohio State’s best lineup is and that they simply have to get better, particularly in close games. However, the biggest issue is what has happened to them defensively.

Earlier in the season, back when the Buckeyes were blowing out the likes of Villanova, a healthy North Carolina team, and Penn State, they did so on the back of their defense. They limited their first eight opponents to 57 points or fewer and ranked second in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency. Ohio State still ranks sixth in that category, but their defense has slipped more than that.

Five of their last six opponents have scored at least 60 points, including all three teams that beat them (Minnesota’s 84 points are the most the Buckeyes have given up). Against Wisconsin, it was clear to see why. Ohio State’s rotations were not sharp and left shooters open more often than normal without help running at them – especially in key late-game spots. Just look at how open Wisconsin’s shooters got at the most important time in the game.

Those opportunities were there throughout the game, too. A team more explosive than Wisconsin would’ve punished the Buckeyes much more than the Badgers did.

If Ohio State is going to get back to being the dominant team they were in November and the first half of December, they need to get back to playing with more urgency on the defensive end.