Ohio State basketball can still turn season around. Here’s how

On Feb 2, 2023

Just like there’s no one thing holding back this year’s Ohio State men’s basketball team, there’s not just one player whose play is sinking the Buckeyes.

Thursday’s home game with Wisconsin marks the midway mark of Big Ten play, and Ohio State will enter the arena with work to do. The Buckeyes are on the wrong side of the NCAA Tournament bubble thanks to an 11-10 record and 3-7 mark in conference games. Ohio State lost five straight, beat Iowa and then lost consecutive road games to Illinois and Indiana to come skidding back to Value City Arena in need of a significant second-half turnaround.

It’s not just the players who are searching for answers. Now in his ninth season as a high-major Division I coach and his sixth at Ohio State, Chris Holtmann is experiencing his most prolonged losing stretch and facing the real possibility of missing out on March Madness for the first time.

Monday, Holtmann said he’s not ready to perform an autopsy on a season with 11 guaranteed games remaining and said he’s trying to put his focus into his players rather than himself.

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“When you go through something difficult, you have a couple different choices,” Holtmann said. “One is to look inward and to think about yourself and the reality is there’s a lot of people that are impacted. That’s my responsibility right now is our staff and our players and making sure they’re thinking the right way and that they are being encouraged in the right way and yet challenged and held accountable in the right way.

“When you’re in any type of leadership position and you go through something as challenging as what we’re going through, the answer is to not look more inward, it’s to find ways to give more and think of others. That’s what I’m trying to do. I’m not sure I’m great at it, but that’s what I’m trying to do.”

Here’s one thing each player in the primary playing rotation can do to help turn things around. Players are listed in alphabetical order.

Gene Brown – Find a role

After missing the first 11 games with a concussion and subsequent return-to-play protocols, Brown has faced an uphill battle for playing time all season. Including him as a rotation player is almost a stretch, given that he’s played more than 10 minutes in only two of the last 10 games and was a healthy, unused substitute in one of them, but Brown has flashed the ability to impact a game with his rebounding and growing offensive game.

His consistency has matched his inconsistent playing time, however. Statistical impacts are hard to come by with an average of 8.0 minutes per appearance, but if Brown can use his length to help strengthen Ohio State’s defense when he’s on the court and continue to hunt his shot when given the opportunity, it would provide a boost for the Buckeyes.

Roddy Gayle Jr. – Look to score more

Holtmann has consistently said that Gayle would take a step forward as a player late this season and will be poised for a breakout sophomore year, but increased playing time of late has allowed him to flash more of his all-around game. Already an active and willing defender, Gayle entered the Jan. 21 game against Iowa averaging 3.6 points in 13.5 minutes per game but has averaged 6.3 and 18.0, respectively, in Ohio State’s last three games.

It’s not a dramatic uptick, but as the offense searches for answers Gayle has shown an increased ability to make his presence felt on the offensive end. While the Buckeyes need some players to cut down on certain things in order for the team to get better, they need Gayle to continue to develop and give them more. His growing offensive confidence could help provide a spark for a team looking for answers, provided he doesn’t try to do too much.

Tanner Holden – Fight back into the rotation

This is one of the more difficult ones to figure out. An up-transfer from Wright State, Holden was identified as a player who would take time to adapt to the high-major level but was expected to take on a more significant role as the season progressed. Instead, his playing time has dried up, and after the Indiana loss Holtmann said he has to trim the rotation at this point in the season when asked by Holden only played for the final 5:17 of the most lopsided loss of the season.