‘Free feeling’ helping Roddy Gayle, Ohio State enjoy late success
CHICAGO – It doesn’t take statistics or in-depth analysis to see that this is a different Ohio State team than the one playing a month ago.
Sure, the roster is the same, and the numbers on the backs of the jerseys haven’t changed. And if you want to get analytical, there are plenty of opportunities to do so, from improved two-point field-goal shooting to better overall defensive presence.
But to get to the heart of what has changed since the Buckeyes lost 14 of 15 games before now having won three of four including Wednesday’s opener in the Big Ten Tournament, you have to go a little bit more by feel.
That’s how freshman guard Roddy Gayle Jr. explained it after the Buckeyes handed Wisconsin a 65-57 defeat inside the United Center.
“From a confidence standpoint none of us are afraid of messing up,” Gayle said. “As players, the coaches have our backs as we’ve messed up. None of us is gonna be perfect. That’s reality. Just having that free feeling and confidence you can mess up but be able to get it back the next play just feels so great. Just to know that we won’t be really penalized for our mistakes as long as we’re able to correct them.”
There’s a lot of ways to break that statement down, but Gayle’s overall message of playing with a feeling of freedom is one that has been repeated during the last few weeks and was echoed after beating the Badgers. It’s undeniable that, in going 54 days with just one win, Ohio State was wearing the stress of a season gone awry at a high level. First, it was a five-game losing streak by single digits, the first such stretch in program history. Then came the nine-game losing streak, Ohio State’s longest in 25 years and the one that knocked the Buckeyes from any serious postseason consideration.
As the losses stacked up, the feeling of carrying around the weight of each successive defeat was palpable. After Penn State beat Ohio State 75-71 on Feb. 23, freshman point guard and newly named captain Bruce Thornton sat in the postgame press conference with a faraway look on his face and spoke of the frustrations with losing at a rate he’d never experienced before.
He referenced that game, where he scored 19 points but Jalen Pickett scored Penn State’s final 14 to salt away the win, after having finished with 15 points against the Badgers.
“When we were going through our losing streak, it’s an intense feeling how you’re losing but now we’ve won three of our last four games,” Thornton said. “You get this loose feeling, this free spirit just playing basketball at the end of the day. I feel like the couple games leading up into this game we just played with a free spirit and it showed today. I’m very proud of the guys, the coaching staff, for this win because I feel like we’re flowing and playing together.”
Gayle, too, said the tension that came with losing was hard to snap.
“I would say we were a bit tense, on the edge a little bit, but I feel like this free feeling has opened up the team a lot more,” Gayle said. “I feel like we’re much more connected.”
Ohio State’s coaches have preached a message of “playing the right way” in recent weeks, emphasizing sharing the ball and making “one more” passes to help find an open teammate. It’s led to a more spirited close to the season, but it’s most likely going to make little difference on where the year will end. Barring an unprecedented run through the Big Ten Tournament, which has never seen a team play in a Wednesday opening-round game advance beyond Friday, Ohio State’s 2022-23 season will end in the United Center.
That could come as soon as Thursday afternoon, when No. 13 seed Ohio State plays No. 5 seed Iowa around 2:30 p.m. Eastern. As that game approaches, the Buckeyes say they aren’t focused on what it’ll take to reach March Madness or anything beyond playing the Hawkeyes.
“The most important thing is are we playing the right way?” Holtmann said. “How are we playing? That is the most important thing, really, regardless of results. That’s really what we’ve emphasized the last month. I believe we’ve played the best we’ve played all year in these last couple weeks.”
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