ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Ohio State had a secret coming into this year. Something that would have been completely obvious to anyone who bothered to look at the roster for 10 seconds before the season started.

That's what a secret is, right?

The Buckeyes don't have a point guard. Did well to cover up that fact for two months, but the fact never changed.

C.J. Jackson and Andrew Dakich, to their credit -- and give them credit -- have steered this thing as best they can as Ohio State's primary ball-handlers. Understand that neither was ever intended for a role like this. Jackson is a more natural two guard playing on the ball more than he ever has, and Dakich is playing 20 minutes per game after starting his career as a non-scholarship walk-on at Michigan. That can be a flimsy foundation on which to build a surprising Big Ten contender.

We're starting to see some cracks, Sunday's 74-62 loss at Michigan just the latest example that teams are catching on.

Now the Buckeyes, still an NCAA Tournament-bound team and still positioned to take a run at a Big Ten regular season title (though they need some help), have to figure out how to press forward with everyone wise to their secret.

"It's certainly telling the way teams have played us, really for a while now, but certainly in this last stretch," Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann said Sunday. "Kind of pressing our guards to make plays. We have to figure out as coaches if there are some things we can do. Obviously it was a concern coming into the season, not only our depth, but our ability to manage that. We have to challenge our guards to make better decisions in some of those situations."

Holtmann wasn't ready to hit the panic button, though he surely wouldn't have done so publicly even if he was.

But, man, did Michigan smother Ohio State's guards on Sunday. Got right up in their faces, met them at half-court, took advantage of the Buckeyes' lack of size at the point guard position, and the ball really stuck. Eight assists on 24 made baskets. None of those helpers came from a point guard.

This isn't to rain on Jackson and Dakich, that would be too simplistic a way to describe Ohio State's two-game losing streak. There are other issues. And remember, we are still talking about two road losses against good teams. So maybe don't burn it all down just yet.

But know these stats, and then we'll look at the bigger picture:

Over the last two games, Jackson and Dakich have combined to go 6-for-20 from the field with five combined turnovers and only two combined assists. Hard to be successful when both of your lead guards (and your only lead guards) are struggling.

So how does Ohio State get past this?

The Buckeyes beat Michigan State and Purdue. Roster was the same then as it is now. So there are workarounds here. Maybe. Opponents have adjusted as Penn State (again) and Michigan handed out a couple of Ls in their second pass at OSU. Now it's on Holtmann and his staff, who have done a masterful job of getting this team prepared the right way before this sudden downturn, to make their adjustment.

Problem is, it's not totally clear what that adjustment is.

The Jae'Sean Tate point guard experiment has been an off and on thing. Might see it more now, but Tate is no more of a natural ball-handler than Jackson or Dakich. He's just stronger and plays through contact better. We saw Keita Bates-Diop bring the ball up some a few games ago against Illinois, not a ton, but enough to let us know that Holtmann has at least thought of him as a relief valve. And Illinois pressured Ohio State like no other team has this season.

"I think we can relieve pressure a little bit," Bates-Diop said. "We're both (Bates-Diop and Tate) pretty good ball-handlers. I think we can both bring it up, or set screens to help them out."

But ...

"Keita's got get better in that area too," Holtmann said. "I think he's gotta be able to play through force, and guys creeping up into him a little bit better as well. He has to continue to work to get to his spots. JT (Tate) is an option. I think C.J. will learn from this, and so will Andrew, and they'll make some strides moving forward."

Holtmann's staff has done a good job -- and give both players credit for transforming some too -- of getting this offense to operate without the help of a natural point guard. Jackson and Dakich have been stellar more often than not, it's just that recent events are some confirmation of Holtmann's fears coming into this season.

The answer can't be Bates-Diop just scoring 30 points. Teams are figuring him out some as this season progresses, and he's got adjustments to make as well. That too would just be another house of cards ready to fall down with the next moderate breeze.

Ohio State's success came from its connectivity, understanding of limitations and players putting themselves in the right position to bail each other out. Solid team basketball. That's why this year, even absent of the surprising win-loss record, had been so refreshing compared to Ohio State seasons of the recent past.

Nobody seems ready to call the idea of finding that sweet spot again a lost cause.

"The offensive pace wasn't what it needed to be," Tate said. "The defender is allowed to not only pressure our point guards and turn their back, but also it puts pressure on Keita to make a good move when there's two defenders at him. I think we just gotta get better tomorrow, get our offensive pace back and get more connected."

We've seen the heights of what Jackson and Dakich can too. Jackson, when he gets going scoring, plays with a confidence that really makes the rest of the offense hum. Dakich isn't going to give you much scoring other than hitting the occasional open shot (probably hasn't been as smart about that lately as he can be), but he's a ball mover and he's smart.

They each had a hand in bringing down what as an atrociously high turnover percentage midway through the season. It was creeping toward the 250s in terms of ranking nationally. Right now it's at No. 89 in the country, and No. 5 in the conference during league play (15.9 percent).

Both Jackson and Dakich have their limitations. You won't see either break off a defender with a cross-over dribble in an isolation situation, at least not against some of the top-level defenders Ohio State has seen recently. Probably won't see it on Tuesday night against Rutgers either. Those guys can guard too. Both will continue to struggle with size and physicality.

(Rutgers brings that also. Tuesday night could be tricky.)

But what was an obvious wart heading into the season has not always been a glaring issue. And that's something for which Ohio State should get some credit. It's bad now, but we've seen the good.

Fair to wonder if they can find that magic again, but there's something to be said for knowing it's attainable.

"We're confident they will," Holtmann said. "It's not necessarily their strength, but I'm optimistic that they will."