3 takeaways from Nebraska basketball loss to Ohio State

Nebraska basketball missed a big opportunity on Thursday night and here are three takeaways.

Every Nebraska basketball fan knew what was at stake on Thursday night. A quad-1 win over Ohio State, on the road, would have clinched an NCAA tournament berth.

Instead, the Huskers lost a winnable game 78-69 and left their resume with something to be desired. They’ll need another win or two to wrap up a spot in the field, but there won’t be a chance for a quality win until the Big Ten tournament.

Nebraska’s defense wasn’t good enough on Thursday night. Neither was the offense or the officiating. It’s also not the end of the world, but you can forget about a six-seed now. It’s about getting in the field and here are three takeaways from the loss to the Buckeyes.

The offense didn’t travel

Nebraska hit 10 triples in the win over Ohio State but they shot just 30 percent and probably attempted too many 3-pointers. The Huskers shot 33 3-pointers and 34 2s. That’s not the ratio you want.

The refs seemed a little lopsided but Ohio State was also the more aggressive team. Nebraska also didn’t finish that well around the rim. Juwan Gary threw down a thunderous dunk but also missed two layups and two open treys down the stretch.

Just about everyone had shots rim out and the refs missed some calls. That’s life though, especially in the Big Ten, and against a team like Ohio State which ranked outside the top 100 in defensive efficiency, an output of 69 points was disappointing. There’s no way around it.

Refs also sucked

Jamison Battle was a dude. Give him credit. He made his first three attempts from deep and that set the tone. However, the refs were terrible. Ohio State attempted 28 free throws compared to eight for Nebraska. Based on the game I watched, that’s absurd.

A foul on one end wasn’t a foul on the other. Look no further than Battle’s last hoop. He drove at Jamarques Lawrence, pushed off, and instead of getting called for an offensive foul, as Lawrence was seconds before for nearly the same move, Battle got a 3-point play attempt.

Not a resume killer

The Huskers were the underdog on Thursday night and as we know, winning in the Big Ten on the road is difficult. It would have been a quad-1 win and would have just about guaranteed Nebraska a berth, but it wasn’t a bad loss at all. It was the third top-40 win (Kenpom) by Ohio State in its past four games.

What the defeat does do is make the next two games very important. Nebraska has to win at least one in my opinion to get into the NCAA tournament. Three straight losses would put a lot of pressure on that first-round Big Ten tournament game.

Nebraska basketball is undefeated at home in Big Ten play this season and they can’t afford a loss to a mediocre Rutgers or a loss to a bad Michigan team on the road.

The suspense is still palpable and the Huskers berth in March Madness isn’t clinched quite yet.

For More Nebraska content, follow us on Twitter, like our Facebook Page, and Subscribe to the Husker Big Red YouTube Channel. You can also find our podcast on Apple or Spotify.