In a day filled with upsets, Ohio State came about as close as as a team can come to giving up their unbeaten record against an unshakeable Northwestern.
After a seven point Northwestern possession late in the second half, the Buckeyes let the Wildcats close a 13 point lead going ahead 54-53 with just under four minutes left to play.
Diebler responded with a three point shot, his first points in the game, to put the Buckeyes back on top.
With less than 20 seconds on the clock and the score tied at 57, david Lighty intercepted a pass giving the Buckeyes the opportunity for a last look. Jared Sullinger drove the net drawing the foul and the opportunity to go up by two with only 3.5 seconds on the clock.
Sullinger missed the first shot but made the second giving the Wildcats plenty of time for a two point play. After three back to back time outs the Buckeyes held up on defense leaving Northwestern with nothing but a half court shot to no avail.
The Buckeyes saved their streak now at 22-0 with the 58-57 win.
The biggest surprise is the way Northwestern won out at the boards 31-20 with 14 offensive rebounds.
There’s no question we’ve got a tough lineup in front of us but I didn’t think Northwestern would be the game to take us down. Fortunately, it wasn’t.
Buckeyes face Michigan next before heading into the toughest part of their schedule.
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Was at the game. Good to see so many Buckeye fans make the trip. Doesn’t matter how you win, so long as you win. On a weekend where eight ranked teams lost to unranked opponents and nine ranked teams lost on the road, you’ve got to remember to just. Keep. Winning.