McCurdy: Buckeyes show they can grind, too

Ohio State beat Nebraska 64-59 to end a four-games-in-eight-days stretch for the Buckeyes with three of those coming on the road.

Rob McCurdy
Marion Star
  • Ohio State is now 18-4 overall and 9-0 in the Big Ten.
  • Ohio State is ranked No. 13 in the latest poll.
  • Nebraska falls to 14-8, 5-4.
  • Keita Bates-Diop scored a team-high 20 points for Ohio State.

COLUMBUS - Everything was lined up against Ohio State on Monday night.

Not only were the Buckeyes playing the back end of four games in eight days, it was the way those games lined up that conspired against them.

A flight to New Jersey, then home. A flight to Chicago, then back. A trip to New York City for a Saturday matinee at Madison Square Garden, then a return to Columbus, where Monday night they hosted a tough Nebraska squad.

Ohio State wasn't winning games in these type of spans over the last couple of years. Heck, the Buckeyes weren't doing this stuff in November. Yet here they are today, still undefeated and atop the Big Ten standings at 9-0 after a 64-59 grinder over Nebraska.

"This is where mental toughness comes in," OSU junior forward Keita Bates-Diop said after scoring a team-high 20 points. "We showed it tonight with our leadership and our older guys and pretty much our whole team.

"I think it comes with maturity and being here obviously three or four years like most of us have that are out there. It’s composure at this point and taking a deep breath and making the right pass or shot."

Whether it was a steal by Jae'Sean Tate or forcing a shot clock violation in the final three minutes or whether it was a 3-point play by C.J. Jackson or free throws by Kaleb Wesson in the closing minute, it added up to another win.

Keita Bates-Diop scored a team-high 20 points for Ohio State.

"Mentally we stayed together," Tate said. "There were times when you could see where we struggled in the first half and were getting a little frustrated, but I think we did a great job in the second half, especially late, of coming together and staying together.

"It’s just a belief in each other. It’s the connectedness that the team has this year."

For the last few years, the Buckeyes talked that talk, but they were empty words. This group isn't just saying it, they're doing it.

"No one has an ego on the team," Bates-Diop said. "We all know our roles and accept our roles. We all trust each other in our roles. At the end of the game, we all trusted that Andre was going to get that stop. Everyone just does what they’re supposed to do."

If ever a team was due to take a step back, it was Ohio State on Monday. In NBA parlance, it's called a scheduled loss.

But the Buckeyes were having none of that.

It was tough. The legs were shot, the focus a little fuzzy.

"I’m definitely fatigued," Tate said with a laugh. "Me and Keita were joking before the game. You see all the young guys doing 360s and going between the legs, and you see me and Keita just laying it up."

They managed the most demanding stretch of their season, beating the No. 1 team in the country just two weeks ago and continuing on.

"It was a really, really gutsy effort," OSU coach Chris Holtmann said. "I don’t want to take this for granted. I’ve never been a part of anything like this and I don’t know if I ever will again. You don’t start 9-0 in conference play, so I don’t want to take this for granted. It’s been an amazing run and hopefully we can continue it."

Rob McCurdy covers Ohio State men's basketball for USAToday Network-Ohio and can be reached at rmccurdy@gannett.com, work 740-375-5158, cell 419-610-0998, Twitter @McMotorsport and Instagram @rob_mccurdy_star.