Buckeyes limp toward the finish line

It has been -- if you'll allow me to use a cliché -- a season of ups and downs. Ohio State started the season 15-0. Then, they promptly lost five of six games in Big Ten play. A month ago, they seemed to right the ship by winning at Wisconsin and Iowa. But now, they find themselves at a low point yet again.

With consecutive road losses to Penn State and Indiana (teams in the bottom half of the conference), the Buckeyes stand in sixth place in the Big Ten. They still have to play Michigan State to close out the regular season.

As of today, ESPN's Joe Lunardi still projects Ohio State as a six seed in the NCAA Tournament. That's the same place he had them a week ago, so they must have benefited from the fact that a lot of other top-25 teams also lost recently. But a loss to Michigan State at home paired with an early exit from the conference tournament could certainly put the Buckeyes in a tougher position.

It's unfortunate to see Aaron Craft go out this way, on a team that really has no chance to make it to the Final Four. As a senior who has been a leader on so many good teams over the last few years, he probably deserved better than this.

But Craft is not blameless when it comes to this mess. He was 2-11 from the field against Indiana. He and his teammates all struggled to finish at the rim, and their outside shooting was abysmal. They were an amazing 0-11 from three-point range.

When this team plays its best basketball, they are probably talented enough to hang with any team in the country. They just don't play that way often enough to be a real threat later this month.