Ohio State is putting together a January winning streak, surging in overtime past Minnesota 82-74 in front of a home crowd.

The Buckeyes sought to maintain momentum against Minnesota, following a rather emotional win against UCLA the previous Saturday. John Mobley Jr appeared to have the same mindset as he once again opened scoring with a three to start the contest. Ohio State stormed to an early 10-0 lead as easy looks were coming at a premium for the Gophers early.

Minnesota wouldn’t get on the board until the 15:23 mark with a pair of free throws from Senior Forward Cade Tyson. This would spark what became a 16-2 run from Minnesota, making it 16-12 by the 11:30 mark. However, as he does, Mobley Jr would once again ignite the offense with another three on the next possession as the Buckeyes snapped out of their drought soon after, and Mobley finished the half with 15 points. Bruce Thornton would also continue his clutch ways on offense, trickling in 12 points of his own.

The lid on the basket for Minnesota became a storyline as the Gophers would finish just 28% from the field at halftime. OSU set the tone with tough defense in the paint, holding Minnesota to 6 points in the paint as well. OSU would finish the half with 14 points of their own in the paint.

Coach Jake Deibler discussed this week the fact that OSU has been working with a smaller rotation as of late, but they were looking to increase production from the bench moving forward. Unfortunately, with just 2 bench points in the first half, that hadn’t come into fruition. Fortunately for Ohio State, Minnesota finished with zero bench points, and the Buckeyes would lead 31-28 at halftime.

The second half proved to be a very different affair. Bruce Thornton opened the half with a fast-break layup. From this point on, the game was a back-and-forth slugfest. Chris Tilly set the tone on defense, diving for a forced turnover and then hustling to the other end to convert a big and-one, putting OSU up 38-28.

However, this lead would not last for long as Minnesota’s Jaylen Crocker-Johnson would go on an absolute tear. The Colorado State transfer would go 7-11 from the field in the 2nd half while amassing 16 points for the Gophers. Ohio State’s John Mobley Jr would, of course, have answers, scoring another 13 points of his own- he would finish with 26 himself.

The back-and-forth nature of the game continued to be a theme as stops were at a premium, and by the end of regulation, both teams were tied at 67-67, and the fans in Columbus were treated to free basketball.

In overtime, Ohio State would finally reclaim the momentum as it was the Bruce Thornton and Devin Royal show. The duo would combine for 11 points, which proved to be too much for the Gophers, who fought Deibler’s Buckeyes to the bitter end.  The Buckeyes come away with an 82-74 win to notch back-to-back home-conference wins and improve to a 13-5 (5-3) record on the year.

Jake Diebler after Ohio State’s OT win over Minnesota as the Buckeyes now prepare for Michigan expressed his gratitude to the conference for the opportunity to play the Wolverines twice every year.

Said his team is excited for the challenge. pic.twitter.com/ULioTICBvS

— The Silver Bulletin (@tSilverBulletin) January 21, 2026

Jake Deibler, in a suit, appears to be an entirely different animal. When asked about the outfit change, Diebler joked, “The bosses in my life…you can probably guess who that would be. They liked it. So I didn’t really have much say at that point.” Whatever the reason, the wins are a welcome sight to Buckeye fans.