The last time Ohio State found itself in the Sweet Sixteen, Thad Matta strolled the sidelines while Deshaun Thomas and Aaron Craft donned the scarlet and gray. Nine years later, the Chris Holtmann-led Buckeyes seek to bring the program back to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament. 

In the No. 7 Buckeyes’ (20-11, 12-9 Big Ten) way sits Big East Tournament champion No. 2 Villanova (27-7, 16-4 Big East) — which is led by two-time national champion and head coach Jay Wright — in the Round of 32. 

As Ohio State earned its first Round of 64 win since 2019 Friday, beating No. 10 Loyola Chicago 54-41, freshman guard Malaki Branham — who made his March Madness debut against the Ramblers — said the Buckeyes had to quickly put that victory behind them. 

“It felt good, just personally just winning my first March Madness game,” Branham said. “But at the same time, it was kind of a quick turnaround because we play tomorrow, so we had to lock in.”

Against the Ramblers, the Buckeyes rode their defense to victory — holding Loyola Chicago to 26.8 percent shooting from the field and 28.6 percent from 3-point range. It was an unexpected defensive performance from Ohio State, but a necessary one as the Buckeyes only mustered one 3-pointer on 15 attempts. 

Branham said the Buckeyes will need a similar defensive prowess Sunday against Villanova if they want to advance to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament. 

“I feel like we’re going to have to if we want to win,” Branham said. “If we just stay connected like we’ve been doing last game, I feel like we’re going to be in good shape.”

A tall task awaits the Ohio State defense as Villanova boasts the ninth-best adjusted offensive efficiency in the nation, according to KenPom.com. The Wildcats produce 72.9 points per game. 

Villanova hit shots at a high level against No. 15 Delaware Friday — drilling 46.4 percent of its 3-point attempts en route to an 80-60 win over the Blue Hens. 

Leading the charge for the Wildcats offense is the guard tandem of graduate Collin Gillespie and junior Justin Moore, as each average more than 15 points per contest. Gillespie and Moore stand at 6-foot-3 and 6-foot-4, respectively, and Holtmann said their size is a “concern” for their Buckeyes’ undersized backcourt. 

“We’re small and we’re also slight at some of those spots,” Holtmann said. “Their best post players, along with their five-man, are their one and their two, so yeah, it’s a concern.”  

Holtmann has a significant history with Wright and the Villanova program, stemming from his days as the head coach of Butler. In his 11-year head coaching career, Holtmann has a 3-4 record against the Wildcats — including a 76-51 victory Nov. 13, 2019, in his only game against Villanova as head coach of the Buckeyes. 

While Holtmann has gone toe-to-toe with Wright on numerous occasions, he said he’s taken inspiration from how the Villanova skipper runs his program. 

“Everything kind of goes as he leads. But he’s also got a great humility in how he is as a person and as a coach,” Holtmann said. “We’ve been a little bit not as much in touch since I left the league, but just tremendous respect, and I’ve stolen so much from him and his program. He has no idea because I didn’t tell him. I just didn’t tell him. I just watched his practices, watched his teams, anything that he was doing in terms of teaching I would watch.” 

Multiple Buckeyes made their NCAA Tournament debut Friday — including Branham and graduate guard Jamari Wheeler. 

Now, Holtmann’s squad is hardened with a March Madness game under its belt. Despite this, the Buckeyes’ skipper said there’s a value to nervousness when it comes to this tournament. 

“I think being on edge is not a bad thing,” Holtmann said. “There’s a place for being on edge and having some nerves in a tournament like this.”

Ohio State and Villanova tip off at 2:40 p.m. from PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh with a Sweet Sixteen berth on the line. The game will be televised on CBS.