Ohio State Basketball Ends 420-Day Road Losing Streak on Sunday

Ohio State ends 420-day road drought with buzzer-beater win over Michigan State, snapping losing streak under interim head coach.

Ohio State pulled off a remarkable 60-57 victory over Michigan State on Sunday, ending a long road game drought with a dramatic win at the Breslin Center. Dale Bonner sealed the deal with a game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer, giving the Buckeyes their first road win in 420 days. Despite winning two games at neutral locations in November, Ohio State had struggled on official road games this season, going 0-7 before this crucial victory.

The Buckeyes had faced road game woes, losing their final nine away games of the 2022-23 season. Their last road triumph had come against Northwestern on January 1, 2023. The odds seemed stacked against them on Sunday as they entered halftime trailing by 10 points. However, a resilient effort in the second half saw them come back from a 12-point deficit with 11 minutes remaining, going on a 13-2 run to take the lead.

Ohio State had not led the game until Roddy Gayle Jr. sank two free throws to put them ahead 57-56 with just 11 seconds left on the clock. Michigan State's Tyson Walker responded with a free throw after an offensive rebound, setting the stage for Bonner's heroics. With 6.4 seconds remaining, the Buckeyes pushed the ball up the court and found Bonner, who hit a contested three-pointer as time expired, securing the thrilling victory.

The win marked another eventful game for interim head coach Jake Diebler, who had led Ohio State to an upset over Purdue in his debut. Prior to Sunday's win, the Buckeyes had lost nine of their last 11 games under Chris Holtmann, including four consecutive road losses. The victory over Michigan State ended a streak of road game struggles for Ohio State, following an 88-79 loss at Minnesota earlier in the week.

On the other hand, the defeat was Michigan State's first back-to-back home losses of the season. Ohio State will now return to Columbus for home games against Nebraska and Michigan before closing out the season on the road against Rutgers. The Buckeyes will look to build on the momentum from their road win and finish the season strong.