Fair to wonder if Ohio State was overrated earlier in season after latest loss at Nebraska
There now seem to be two schools of thought about Ohio State after the Buckeyes suffered their fourth consecutive loss Monday night 68-62 at Nebraska.
Some look at the four-game skid and wonder, how did that happen?
Remember, it was just two weeks ago OSU was undefeated at 15-0, ranked No. 3 in the nation and cruising.
Then there are those who look at the competition the Buckeyes faced in establishing that 15-0 start and No. 3 ranking and ask, how were they ranked so high?
At this point, it's difficult not to take the latter view.
Perhaps the Buckeyes were a bit overrated when they made it to January undefeated. Can't blame them for that. Expectations were high to start the season and they seemed to be meeting them. It is a program that deserves respect with a great coach, probably the best defensive player in the country in Aaron Craft and few close calls in those first 15 games.
It is the first time the Buckeyes have lost four in a row since the 2007-08 season after all.
But you have to wonder if something isn't going on inside the Buckeyes' locker room lately. How else to explain the fact that OSU beat this same Nebraska team by 31 points on Jan. 4.
Nebraska, 8-8 coming into the game with a five-game losing streak, made a 37-point turnaround in 17 days? Seems more likely this has more to do with what's ailing the Buckeyes.
OSU allowed a second consecutive opponent to make 50 percent of its shots Monday and simultaneously struggled at times offensively, an ongoing problem. Craft led the Buckeyes with just 12 points.
Ohio State fell to No. 17 in this week's poll released before the loss to the Cornhuskers and it will continue the slide in the eyes of voters and bracketologists after this one unless Matta and his players can figure out in a hurry how to get back to being the team they were in November and December.
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is the assistant editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at kyle.ringo@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
