BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Change is needed for the Ohio State basketball team, and it is up to every player and coach donning the Scarlet and Gray to right the ship.

In the March of 2019, the Buckeyes and Hoosiers met in the Big Ten tournament. Both teams were fringe teams for making the NCAA tournament, and despite a season of mixed results, Chris Holtmann’s group was able to secure the victory and a spot in the big dance.

Now in 2020, the Ohio State basketball team is in the midst of a slide that has completely altered the course of its season. Unable to get back on track against Indiana, the Buckeyes will need to do some soul searching and seek growth in practice to salvage their goals.

“Like [Andre Wesson] and [D.J. Carton] said, it starts in practice,” Kaleb Wesson said on turning the season around. “You’ve got to make these plays in practice so they translate to the game. You can’t go out in practice and not box out, not play physical and turn the ball over and expect to come out here and things are going to change.”

For the fourth game in a row, Ohio State was unable to overcome offensive problems and win the game. Falling to Indiana 66-54, the Buckeyes are now sitting at 1-4 in the Big Ten and the team looks lightyears away from the one that was able to beat Kentucky less than a month ago.

Whether it was the early success that was uncharacteristic or the current struggles, the Buckeyes are here now, and it is up to the players and coaches to fix the issues. With any collegiate sport, the roster is locked in for the season, so the changes will have to come from within.

Holtmann is confident, however, that he has the guys in the locker room that can turn the tide and build some positive momentum.

“I feel really good about the guys we have in the locker room and their ability to respond, but listen, it won’t change until we change some of these things. That’s on all of us,” Holtmann said. “It’s not going to change until we play smarter and tougher and sounder in a lot of ways.”

The guard play has especially regressed during this cold spell. Against Indiana, C.J. Walker was able to produce seven points, but it came on 11 shots. Walker’s backup D.J. Carton also struggled, but his issue came in the form of taking care of the ball. Carton would turn the ball over seven times against the Hoosiers.

At off guard, Luther Muhammad and Duane Washington Jr. would finish the game with five points combined. The five points was less than a third of what the pair usually provides the Buckeyes in the scoring department.

While it is on the players to perform, Holtmann continued the emphasis on the struggles being a collective effort.

“The bottom line is we as coaches have to find a way to get that collection of guards playing better,” Holtmann said.

The season is not lost for Ohio State, but they will need to get things rolling quickly in order to position themselves for success in the postseason. Maybe the bar was set too high for the group after seeing the team flourish early in the season, but there is no denying that this team has the potential to not only play with the best but beat the best.

The season is long, but every loss is another lost opportunity.

“We talk about that a lot. There’s a lot of games left, but you can’t say that after every game,” Kaleb Wesson said on there being a lot of season left. “You gotta start picking up your stuff and you got to get some stuff to you.”