Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann watches intently from the sideline during the Ohio State-Nebraska game March 1. Ohio State lost 78-70. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
Ohio State will prepare to meet the Ramblers and Sister Jean.
Finishing tied for second in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 25-7 overall record and 13-5 mark in conference play, 10th-seeded Loyola Chicago will challenge the seventh-seeded Buckeyes Friday at 12:15 p.m. The Ramblers are no strangers to the NCAA Tournament, reaching the Final Four in 2017-18 and Sweet Sixteen in 2020-21.
Backed behind the support of official team chaplain Sister Jean Dolores-Schmidt, Loyola Chicago is among the most successful programs in recent March Madness history. Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann said he recalls watching the Ramblers in the NCAA Tournament, most notably in their defeat of top-seeded Illinois in the Round of 32 last season.
“We’ve got tremendous respect for them and their play,” Holtmann said. “Their league is a really good league.”
Loyola Chicago closed the season 7-3 in its last 10 games, including three-consecutive wins to earn the MVC Tournament championship. The program is guided by first-year head coach Drew Valentine, who took over for former head coach Porter Moser.
Holtmann said he’s aware of the success the Ramblers have had in their first season under Valentine.
“I don’t know him really well, but obviously he’s done a great job,” Holtmann said.
Ohio State watched the full 68-team bracket unveil at Holtmann’s home Sunday. Holtmann said the Buckeyes’ mood is good as they anticipated their own seeding around where they landed at No. 7.
Ohio State’s season didn’t end like it may have hoped. The Buckeyes lost four of their last five games and exited the Big Ten Tournament in their first game, dropping a 71-68 ballgame to 11th-seeded Penn State.
Holtmann said he thought Ohio State’s nonconference schedule was among the most challenging he’d faced in his head coaching career earlier in the season. Now having experienced adversity down the recent stretch, Holtmann said that only helped prepare the Buckeyes for postseason play.
“That guarantees you that I think you’re weathered a little bit as a group, but it doesn’t guarantee you anything because we know we’re playing a really good team on Friday,” Holtmann said. “I think it helps that you’ve been tested. I think it does weather you some, but you got to play well on opening night.”
Following the loss Thursday to the Nittany Lions, Holtmann said it was key for the Buckeyes to take advantage of their time off to rest and recover. Players such as forwards sophomore Zed Key and graduate Kyle Young have missed game action with respective injuries, while guards sophomore Eugene Brown III and freshman Meechie Johnson Jr. have been banged up at points.
The Buckeyes will need as much talent — and health — on deck in order to avoid last season’s first round loss to then-15th seeded Oral Roberts. While Holtmann said he hasn’t had the chance to look at Loyola Chicago’s roster, he anticipates a challenge from a team that’s proven to give teams a run for their money in March.
“I think everybody is well aware of Loyola and Sister Jean from their Final Four run,” Holtmann said. “We’ll dive more into them and the specifics, but they have a lot of players returning from teams that have had a tremendous amount of success.”
