The Ohio State Buckeyes sit in a team meeting during a timeout during the Ohio State-Purdue game on Jan. 19. Ohio State lost 65-67. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
As the final buzzer sounded inside the Schottenstein Center Jan. 19, the Buckeyes faced the reality that despite leading for more than 35 minutes, a late surge from the Boilermakers shattered their three-game winning streak.
Since the shortcoming, no second-half buzzer has sounded with Ohio State trailing on the scoreboard, and a five-game winning streak has propelled the Buckeyes to No. 4 in the country. The streak of success has not been without adversity, but unlike the 67-65 loss to Purdue, poise and consistency have separated the Buckeyes from their Big Ten competition.
With the Buckeyes trailing by as many as 11 points in the win against then-No. 8 Iowa, head coach Chris Holtmann said his team displayed a resilience and level of execution that could not have been achieved at the beginning of the season.
“Our team, as we’ve shown, they’ve got big time guts and they’ve got courage and they made big shots,” Holtmann said Feb. 4.
Following one of the Buckeyes’ most impressive wins of the season, senior forward Kyle Young, who said the team needed increased defensive toughness following the loss to Purdue Jan. 19, said the team was not bothered by the large deficit.
“For us, it was just about sticking with it, not getting discouraged. We always say ‘Don’t flinch,’” Young said Feb. 4 “Just staying poised and staying connected out there.”
Despite questionable health during the stretch, with senior guard Jimmy Sotos sidelined with a shoulder injury and redshirt senior guard CJ Walker affected by a thumb injury, Ohio State has remained consistent.
Prior to Walker’s return to game action against Wisconsin Jan. 23, the Buckeyes saw players filling numerous roles for the depleted backcourt with a fair amount of success. Redshirt junior forward Justice Sueing, junior guard Duane Washington Jr. and 17-year-old freshman guard Meechie Johnson Jr. all took on ball-handling roles in Sotos’ and Walker’s absence.
As the unexpected trio stemmed the tide for the Buckeyes, Holtmann said he hasn’t had many worries about his guard rotation.
“I’m comfortable, our turnovers have went up a little bit in league play and I do think that’s a byproduct of us trying to figure some things out,” Holtmann said Feb. 3. “I think all-in-all I feel comfortable with our rotation of guards when you include Duane, Meechie, CJ and Justice kinda in that primary ball-handling group.”
However, Ohio State is 5-0 since Walker has come back from his thumb injury.
Although the senior guard provides a boost for the Buckeyes on the court, his steadiness and leadership serves as a calming factor for Ohio State. Paired with senior forward Kyle Young and redshirt junior forward Musa Jallow, Holtmann said the veteran leadership on the team has played a key role in their success during the stretch.
“I’ve mentioned the importance of building with guys that have been a part of our program, that understand how we do things, where there is some consistency,” Holtmann said. “In a year where you’re being challenged in a lot of ways, just the quality of your team and their ability to focus, the maturity of your team. It’s essential and we’ve got a mature team.”
As the Buckeyes’ leadership and poise have carried them to Big Ten title contention — those factors have also played a key role in their play against the best team in the country. Ohio State is the only team in the nation with five wins over AP top-15 teams.
The remainder of Ohio State’s schedule includes six opponents, half of which reside inside the top 15 of the AP Top 25 Poll.
Despite the team’s recent success and elevation into the discussion about securing one of the top seeds in the NCAA tournament, Holtmann emphasized that his focus is on the upcoming schedule and not the outside perception of his team.
“We have the hardest schedule that I’ve been a part of in this final four-week stretch,” Holtmann said. “I think we’ve got a lot of basketball ahead of us. I just love coaching this team and I love us getting better.”
