Ohio State Desperate to Win vs. Indiana for Many Reasons

Carton's departure latest in series of setbacks Buckeyes are battling

We're at the point in the season where it's common to say of teams with imperfect NCAA Tournament resumes that they really need a win.

As it concerns Ohio State on Saturday against visiting Indiana, you could follow that assessment with, "No, really."

A victory over the Hoosiers would do a lot more than get OSU a game closer to .500 in the Big Ten, which given their non-conference success early in the year would be enough to land them a decent spot on the NCAA bracket.

The Buckeyes need this one to stall the notion that they are a program in turmoil and to restore some of the confidence that's evaporated and seemingly vanished since they tipped off against West Virginia on Dec. 28 a win away from ascending to No. 1 in the nation.

Freshman guard D.J. Carton's decision late Thursday to leave the team to tend to his well-being added that challenge for OSU to overcome at a time when Carton had emerged as perhaps the solution to getting the Buckeyes back on track.

Couple his departure with earlier suspensions of Duane Washington and Luther Muhammad 90 minutes before tip-off against Nebraska, and a clear-the-air exchange in the locker room after a loss to to Penn State in which the Buckeyes showed virtually no want-to and the bricks appear to be tumbling off the wall Ohio State had built as an ascending program.

For the first time in his three seasons at OSU, fans are grumbling about head coach Chris Holtmann, who conjured not just NCAA Tournament berths, but wins in the first round from limited rosters his first two seasons.

A coach's reputation as a magic man gets sucked out of the brains of an adoring fan base when his team loses six of eight games, which is where the Buckeyes are as they prepare for IU, which has struggles of its own.

A victory would silence some of the grumbling and convince them anew that Holtmann's five remaining contract years will be prosperous, not painful, because OSU fans associate a win over Indiana in hoops as close as anything in the sport to the way they prize a win over Michigan in football.

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