Northwestern slips past Ohio State in back-and-forth affair, 69-63

With fewer than 10 games remaining in the season and the losses piling up, time is running out for Ohio State (11-13, 3-10) to scrape together enough wins to have a chance at competing in the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time under head coach Chris Holtmann.

A season that began with hopes of winning a Big Ten title — or at least competing for one — are long game. The Buckeyes are now playing for their tournament lives, and even if they do go on a late run this season, the odds still are not good. Ohio State entered tonight’s game against Northwestern with nine conference losses, which is a number that would get them in the NCAA Tournament if it held and OSU won each of their final eight…