3 Instant Takeaways from Indiana Basketball's 91-78 Loss at Ohio State

COLUMBUS, Ohio — For the heavily scarlet-clad 18,809 fans packed within a sold-out Schottenstein Center, seats were no longer necessary. They rose to their feet and strained their vocal chords as much as they'd allow. They raised their arms and held up two fingers.

Bruce Thornton's left-wing 3-pointer over the outstretched hand of Indiana basketball senior guard Conor Enright made him Ohio State's all-time leading scorer. He was serenaded by the sound of his own name, Bruuuuce, while Indiana forward Tucker DeVries brought the ball up the court.

And while fans reveled in a piece of history forever etched into Ohio State's fabric, Indiana coach Darian DeVries stood with his hands on his hips, his face stoic, and his team facing a 50-33 deficit in the closing seconds of the first half.

The Hoosiers (18-13, 9-11 Big Ten) had no answer for Thornton and the Buckeyes (20-11, 12-8 Big Ten) en route to a 91-78 defeat Saturday at the Schottenstein Center inside Value City Arena in Columbus.

Here are three takeaways from Indiana's defeat, its fifth in the past six games.

Ohio State's offense overwhelms Indiana

Ohio State entered halftime shooting 67.9% from the field while going 8 for 13 from 3-point range. The Buckeyes cooled off in the second half, but only partially. For the game, they shot 59.2% from the floor and made 11 of 24 triples.

Saturday belonged to Thornton, who savored a sweet senior sendoff in a 25-point effort while going 7-for-9 shooting from the field and 9 of 11 at the foul stripe. But he had plenty of help in the scoring column, as sophomore guard John Mobley Jr. and freshman forward Amare Bynum each registered 18 points and redshirt sophomore guard Taison Chatman added 11 points.

Numbers aside, Ohio State routinely hit key shots and never let Indiana get within single digits in the second half. The Hoosiers had stretches of quality defensive play, but their first-half woes on both sides of the ball ultimately buried them.

IU's offense wakes up too late

For the first 25 minutes, nothing came easy for Indiana. The Hoosiers struggled moving the ball and getting consistent penetration. They couldn't get many open looks or free their shooters. The energy and liveliness DeVries preaches often evaded Indiana's offense, and it struggled keeping pace while the Buckeyes lit the net on fire in the game's first 25 minutes.

In the first half, Indiana shot just 46.4% from the field and was 1 of 8 from distance. The Hoosiers found a better offensive rhythm in the second half and applied game pressure, making 65.2% of their shots while going 4 of 10 from deep.

Sixth-year senior guard Lamar Wilkerson led Indiana in scoring with 18 points, and Tucker DeVries joined him in double figures with 17 points. Senior forward Sam Alexis had 14 points while Enright added 12 points. Senior forward Reed Bailey also had a solid day for the Hoosiers, tallying 12 points and five rebounds.

Hoosiers' NCAA Tournament hopes in grave danger

Indiana wasn't yet in position to make Saturday a "win-and-in" scenario, but the Hoosiers missed another opportunity to get a Quad 1, and their metrics won't benefit from their margin of defeat.

Perhaps the lone positive to Indiana's Saturday is many of the teams around the Hoosiers on the proverbial tournament bubble also lost, which minimizes, if only partially, the significance of the outcome.

But Indiana now enters the Big Ten Tournament likely needing at least two wins to earn a spot in March Madness. The Hoosiers, who will play at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, have their backs against the wall after an uncompetitive defeat Saturday night in Columbus.