I'll give it a shot at analysis, if not criticism. The team came out excited, determined, and on fire, a great testament to both the game plan and motivation of the players and coaching staff. They played well, and on top of that, everything they did was right, including getting OSU's bigs in foul trouble.
Sometime during halftime we lost that mojo. Sometime during halftime, OSU refocused on their game plan of using their advantage in the post and taking care of the ball. The run by OSU from .1 seconds left in the first half to the 16 minute time out in the second put them back in the ballgame, and it was a slugfest from then on, which is not a good recipe for an undermanned, run-and-gun team.
Pearl's gameplan this year is not good for holding leads; it is good for giving a team with a personel disadvantage its best chance to win. It did that. I also expect that to change with the development of Chism, Childress, and Crews, and the eventual addition of a true center to give us more options in a half-court set when we are forced to play that type of game.
Props go to Matta for getting his young team to right the ship during halftime; the same to Pearl for taking a team to the verge of the Elite Eight that, based on its roster, had no business being there. I am really looking forward to what Bruce can do with another recruiting class and another year of development for the guys we have.