Key Takeaways from Ohio State's Road Win Over Wisconsin

Here is what stood out most to me as the Buckeyes upended the Badgers for a third straight Saturday win in the Big Ten.

Ohio State's win over Wisconsin was the kind of victory that most teams hope they can achieve once or twice per year. Beating a Top-15, Big Ten team on the road is no easy feat.

Which is why it's all that much more impressive that the Buckeyes have done it three games consecutively.

First at Rutgers on Jan. 9, then against Illinois on Jan. 16 and lastly this afternoon in Madison: three straight Saturday's with wins in really tough environments against elite teams.

I continue to be so impressed with how this team is achieving on the offensive end of the floor. It might be too early to tell with E.J. Liddell, but I'm not sure there is a bona fide NBA player on the Buckeyes roster. And yet, Chris Holtmann's team continues to be really efficient on the offensive end of the floor as the year progresses. 

On Saturday, the Buckeyes averaged 1.121 points per possession - a fantastic number. They shot 52 percent from the floor for the game, including 56 percent in the second half when Wisconsin was making a late charge.

E.J. Liddell continues to play like an absolute monster. He's tough, he's steady, he finds ways to contribute on the occasional poor shooting night and he's nearly always playing against guys that are bigger than him. He finished Saturday with a plus/minus of +15 in 32 minutes, which is a terrific margin.

Justin Ahrens also played extremely well and helped lead the Buckeyes on a few good stretches. He only scored nine points, but the offense played very well as a unit when he was on the floor in his 25 minutes of action.

Seth Towns made the comment after the game that he feels good and that he can't wait until he's "healthy healthy", which is a scary thought. Ohio State fans certainly hope he can get there. He scored 10 points on 5-of-8 from the floor and continues to impress, especially considering all that he's been through the last two years.

C.J. Walker looked steady this afternoon. He played like he normally does - under control, aggressive when driving to the basket and he really locked in on the defensive end of the floor. His eight points felt like a bonus - just seeing him out there with great poise and confidence is something the Scarlet and Gray really missed the last couple weeks.

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