With just under three minutes remaining in Ohio State’s Big Ten Tournament opener on Thursday afternoon, it appeared the Buckeyes were on the verge of sealing a win.

Up 70-56 with possession of the ball, a lot had to go wrong for Chris Holtmann’s crew to drop their second contest of the year to Minnesota.

That was almost exactly what happened in the seconds that followed.

“Minnesota got going at the end, made some tough shots, forced some turnovers, I think we missed some free throws at the end,” Ohio State senior C.J. Walker said following his team’s eventual 79-75 win. “Just momentum plays they had brought them back into the game.”

In fact, the fighting Gophers ended this game on a 19-9 run behind a slew of Marcus Carr clutch shots, a concerning number of Buckeye turnovers and missed free throws, and a near-collapse by Ohio State against the full-court press.

In those final three minutes of game time, Ohio State shot 0-for-2 from the field and 9-for-12 from the free throw line, all while committing three (very costly) late turnovers.

It was a performance eerily reminiscent of the Buckeyes’ final regular season contest against Illinois, when they went scoreless over the game’s final four minutes and coughed up a three-point lead.

Ever since Justice Sueing’s infamous behind-the-back pass that all but sealed an Ohio State loss to Michigan in late February, Walker and his team haven’t looked comfortable closing out any game, lead or no lead.

Shots have been of poor quality, passes have been rushed against pressure defense, and opposing teams have found open looks on critical possessions.

“We have to take better shots at the end,” Walker said. “I know for myself, I had a very tough play at the end, trying to force a layup. Just better execution at the end of the game.”

Michigan, Michigan State, and Illinois were each good enough to pounce on every Ohio State mistake.

Minnesota wasn’t.

But from here on out, every team the Buckeyes see will be more than capable of taking full advantage of the panicked, near-disaster performance they put together on Thursday.

Holtmann was well aware of his team’s crippling inability to finish recent games, though he wouldn’t let his side take full blame.

“I’ve watched enough college basketball to know players aren’t perfect. They made some plays. We missed a couple free throws, had a critical offensive foul there,” Holtmann said. “There’s a couple things we can do better, but they also made some tough shots.”

If any positive has come from Ohio State’s late game woes, it’s the fact that this team is now very, very familiar with high pressure situations.

Since Jan. 19, the Buckeyes have played in seven games decided by five or fewer points.

They are 3-4 in those contests, and have owned late-second half leads in three of those losses.

“You gotta keep playing one play at a time, just do what you have to do to win the game,” Walker said. “I feel like that’s what we did. It felt better than previously, during our losing streak. I’m proud of our team today.”

The Buckeyes have experienced the highs and lows of top-10 wins, blown leads, and improbable comebacks. Maybe, just maybe, their inability to win any game by more than 10 points will lead to an improved ability in the clutch when games matter most.

Either way, their performance against Minnesota didn’t inspire much confidence-- though it did result in a win.

“It’s March,” Walker said. “You know you gotta survive and advance. Gotta do you what you gotta do to win the game.”

Well said.

If any team represents the late-game drama and vast unknowns of March Madness, it has been this Ohio State side over the past month.