• Follow us on Twitter @buckeyeplanet and @bp_recruiting, like us on Facebook! Enjoy a post or article, recommend it to others! BP is only as strong as its community, and we only promote by word of mouth, so share away!
  • Consider registering! Fewer and higher quality ads, no emails you don't want, access to all the forums, download game torrents, private messages, polls, Sportsbook, etc. Even if you just want to lurk, there are a lot of good reasons to register!

2017-2018 Ohio State Men's Basketball (24-7, 15-3, #2 Seed in B1G Tourney)

Jump to latest Follow Reply
Sort by date Sort by votes
OHIO STATE'S CLOSE WIN OVER NEBRASKA “CRITICAL” AS UNDEFEATED BIG TEN STRETCH ROLLS ON

90525_h.jpg


Ohio State is playing for a Big Ten title.

That is not a sentence many thought we would be saying when Chris Holtmann took the reigns of the Buckeye basketball program in June, yet here we are.

Ohio State improved to 18-4 overall with a 64-59 win over Nebraska on Monday night, surpassing its win total from a season ago, in which the Buckeyes were bounced from the Big Ten Tournament in the first round. More importantly for the Scarlet and Gray, they are a perfect 9-0 in conference play, already guaranteeing at least a .500 finish in league games after finishing 7-11 a year ago.

Perhaps even more important than Ohio State's record in conference games is how the Buckeyes are adding W's to the left column in the record book. Holtmann's squad has won games with stellar perimeter shooting, and has won games in the post, as proven by its win over the Cornhuskers, in which OSU scored 38 of its 64 points in the painted area. The Buckeyes have won via blowouts and nail-biters, something the first-year OSU coach believes will benefit his team down the stretch.

"(It's) critical. I think it's important for us to play in close games," Holtmann said. "I expected this would be a game that would go down to the last two minutes. We talked to our guys about that. I think it was good to see how we responded offensively and defensively."

Down the stretch, Ohio State made critical plays that it seemed it couldn't make a season ago. Senior Jae'Sean Tate hit a pair of key free throws with the Buckeyes nursing a one-point lead with three minutes to play. Eighty-five seconds later, sophomore forward Andre Wesson's on-ball defense helped force a shot-clock violation that led to a Tate layup on the ensuing possession.

Last season, Nebraska defeated Ohio State at Value City Arena in a similar, low-scoring game where offense was often at a premium. In the closing seconds of that game, it was the Cornhuskers that made the plays late to earn a hard-fought victory. This time around, the script was flipped.

Nebraska head coach Tim Miles said that other than Ohio State's new-look roster that features a healthy Keita Bates-Diop and a slew of fresh faces, the Buckeyes seem like a re-energized team from the one he defeated in 2017.

"They are bought in and they believe in what they are doing," Miles said of Holtmann's team. "There is no individual agenda. Their body language is really good. You have to commend Chris and his staff coming into a situation late and getting those guys.

Entire article: https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio...itical-as-undefeated-big-ten-stretch-rolls-on
 
Upvote 0
Half-way through the B1G season... and undefeated in it.

Truly remarkable.

We just came through a tough stretch of decent opponents with us in difficult circumstances (3 road games and then a 4th, all in the span of 8 days). I thought we'd probably drop a game somewhere.

We didn't. This team just continues to exceed my expectations in about every way they can. We came close to losing @NW and in the game last night against a talented and surging Husker squad, but we found a way to gut those games out.

Across the board, Holtmann and Terry Johnson have done a fantastic job of getting these guys to buy in on D. They know their assignments and they're committed.

Offensively, we have enough firepower and balance in our starting 5 to beat anyone when we're having a good night. If we're having a bad night on offense, our D has been good and consistent enough recently to keep us in every game. I don't think you see some of those double-digit losses we had earlier in the season before B1G play resumed. The defense has become a lot more sound since then.

I really can't say enough about what a job the coaching staff and players have done. This is a roster that couldn't even make the NIT last season, + Dakich, some frosh reserves, and a slightly better-than-expected Kaleb Wesson. Arguments will rage about whether it was truly addition by subtraction, losing Lyle, Loving, and Thompson, three of our most talented players offensively but very inconsistent, especially in big games or crunch time. I think we now have a team with a winning mentality and if nothing else I think we are better off defensively without Lyle on the team. But the winning mentality is the most important part.

This group is cohesive and they play for each other to win. Holtmann said they're hungry. You can see it. They've had their fill of losing the past couple seasons. They've got something going, they've found the team dynamic they needed to become more than the sum of their parts--something that neither they nor the prior coaches seemed to be able to find (and Kaleb's facilitation of the inside-out game helps with that)--and they don't want it to stop.

This is so vital to the beginning of this new coaching era under Holtmann: the instillation of a tough mindset and a winning culture. Restoring pride to the program. There will be off games and disappointments, but if they can get the right culture in place, those will always be things they can rebound from. The program was sick the past couple seasons. It couldn't learn from its mistakes or get better. It seemed like it could only regress.

The program is healthy again. Even in a weak B1G, I think OSU has shown signs of true strength. I might not bet on the guys to cover every spread, but I won't often be inclined to bet against them, and even if next season is a step back, I don't think I'll be betting against the future of this program under Holtmann.

As for this season, it doesn't seem like Purdue intends on losing any time soon, so I am not sure we can win the B1G race the way the back half of our schedule shakes out... but here's hoping these guys exceed my expectations, once again.

Go Bucks!
 
Upvote 0
CFPBuckeye said:
With an inspiring loss to Rutgers to hopefully, mercifully conclude the 2016-2017 campaign, and no hope in sight, let's get this party started! I dub this season, "The Season of Cardboard Cut-Outs." It will look like they are out there, there just won't be any emotion, desire to win or ability. They'll just, be there...standing around...
Click to expand...

What a difference a couple months make
 
Upvote 0
Jake said:
Wisconsin has made 19 straight NCAA tourneys and they've done it with four coaches:

Dick Bennett
Brad Soderberg
Bo Ryan
Greg Gard

What is going on in Madison that can't happen in Columbus? It's not the weather. It's not low educational standards. They've managed to compete at a high level in basketball AND football in the 21st century. Is it really too much to expect it at Ohio State? I don't think so, but I'm expecting the basketball struggles will continue into 2018. :frown:
Click to expand...

Wisky's streak looks like it's coming to an end and Ohio State's is about to begin.
 
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top