The 2017-18 regular season is over, and just like we all predicted, Ohio State came up just short of a Big Ten regular season title.
The first season of the Chris Holtmann era has already been one for the ages, regardless of what happens in the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments, but the Buckeyes still have postseason aspirations ahead of them. For starters, Ohio State has a chance to win the conference tournament this week in New York City, a tournament the Scarlet and Gray haven't won since 2013.
Unfortunately, the tone surrounding college basketball in recent weeks has been one of corruption, as FBI investigations have reportedly uncovered multiple schools across the country paying players to attend their programs in exchange for cash payouts.
With so much going on in and around college basketball, we opened up the Eleven Warriors mailbag, to answer any and all questions you might have as the postseason opens play on Wednesday.
What is the focus during the time off? Rest or practice? - BradentonBuck
Rest. The condensed Big Ten schedule left a ton of Buckeyes exhausted by the end of the regular season, particularly Keita Bates-Diop and Jae'Sean Tate. With how hard both play, getting a week off after playing the brutal schedule they did is critical. I imagine the Buckeyes will hit the hardwood for practice again today, but I wouldn't be surprised if Holtmann gave his team at least two days off from practice. That said, I am sure they did film work and rehab in that time, but staying off their feet for a few days could pay off big-time come Friday night.
Ohio State gets the winner of No. 7 Penn State vs. No. 10 Northwestern. Assuming that's Penn State, what must the Buckeyes do differently to beat the Nits this time around? - Iowabuckeyes
If Ohio State does indeed draw Penn State for a third time, I think the key is playing the Nittany Lions like they played Purdue. What do I mean by that, you ask? It's simple.
If you watch the Purdue game, the Buckeyes rarely double-teamed Isaac Haas underneath despite a significant size advantage. The reason? They didn't want the rest of the Boilermakers to get open looks. I think taking a similar strategy with Penn State's Tony Carr would be a good way to go. Stay attached to others when Carr attempts to penetrate the lane so he can't drive and kick, and force him to make shots. He will get his, but if you can keep the rest of the Lions in check, you have a very good chance to win.
Name your first team all-B1G men's team. - Iowabuckeyes
Guard: Tony Carr, Penn State
Guard: Carsen Edwards, Purdue
Forward: Keita Bates-Diop, Ohio State
Forward: Jordan Murphy, Minnesota
Center/Forward: Moritz Wagner, Michigan
I want to smack myself for not having a single Michigan State Spartan on this list, but the reality is, the entire second team would likely be players from Tom Izzo's squad. I have been really impressed with Carr this season and I think he is NBA first-round material. Jordan Murphy of Minnesota is on a bad Gopher team this season but is a phenomenal college player. He averaged a double-double during the regular season, the only player in the conference to do so.
Don't want to steal any postseason preview thunder, and I'll stick to the B1G ... how do you like the good guys in the conference tourney? - Hovenaut
Should Ohio State draw Penn State again in the quarterfinal round, I think the Buckeyes finally beat the Nittany Lions, who will have played twice since OSU last took the floor, giving the Scarlet and Gray a significant advantage in the rest department. In addition, the Nittany Lions could be without big man Mike Watkins, who missed the regular season finale against Nebraska with an injury. If Watkins can't play, I think Ohio State advances.
After that, however, I have a hard time picking the Buckeyes to beat Purdue with the talent the Boilermakers have, and revenge playing a big part in that game. My official prediction: Ohio State gets to the semifinals and drops a close one to Purdue.
What awards should we be paying attention to for the team/players/ staff? - Toad1204
I would be shocked if Keita Bates-Diop and Chris Holtmann did not win player and coach of the year in the Big Ten, respectively. By now, you all know their accomplishments this season, so I won't expand on that.
I also expect Jae'Sean Tate to be named second-team all-Big Ten and Kaleb Wesson to likely earn first-team freshman honors. Beyond that, the only other postseason award on the table, in my opinion, would be Holtmann for national coach of the year, which he was named a semifinalist for just days ago.
How do you think the scandal will effect college basketball? Do you think some coaches get fired and some players transfer and decommit? Along with that has the transfer and become immediately eligible rule gotten any steam? - Zdog4307
Ultimately, the NCAA has to look in the mirror and figure out how to fix this, and fast. I am not here to say I have all the answers, but asking the NBA to get rid of its one-and-done rule would be a good start, in my opinion.
Coaches are definitely going to lose their job over this, especially Sean Miller at Arizona if the wiretap reports are true, and I am sure others will be without jobs before the start of the 2018-19 season. Players have already decommitted, as Shaquille O'Neal's son Shareef reopened his recruitment after being committed to Arizona. I don't think Ohio State is in play for him, but the Buckeyes could be in play for Jeremiah Francis in the 2019 class if North Carolina gets hit with any major sanctions.
I imagine this would also be a case where kids who did not receive impermissible benefits could transfer without penalty if their school or coach was hit hard by the NCAA, which could be big for Ohio State, which will undoubtedly try to land a graduate transfer point guard this offseason.
Why do you think Jallow and Young are so hesitant to shoot when open? Is it confidence? Freshman jitters? Do you see Holtmann pushing for them to get proactive on offense? - Cpewster
Much of it is freshman jitters, but also Kyle Young has not developed a consistent jumper yet, so him settling for jump shots in critical minutes would result in an immediate visit to the bench. As for Jallow, he is capable of hitting open looks, but when in the game, he is in primarily to play defense. We didn't see much of either against Indiana or Rutgers and I expect that to continue moving forward. They will get spot minutes if a player at their position gets into serious foul trouble, but at this point, Holtmann's rotation is pretty set.
Any chance (Keita Bates-Diop) doesn't like his draft grade and comes back for one more season? - Tcm1968
I would be SHOCKED if Bates-Diop returned for another season. Why? Just look at the facts.
He has earned his degree, every member of his recruiting class will be gone, he carried this team on his back for most of the season and is more than likely going to run away with the Big Ten Player of the Year award. What more does he have to prove? This Ohio State roster isn't built to win a national title next season, even if he was to return. Beyond that, he has accomplished everything he set out to do in his redshirt junior season, and then some. Enjoy Bates-Diop for the few games he has left in an Ohio State uniform, because the young man deserves his chance to get paid to play basketball.
How much will this rest help KBD get back on track? Will he at all? - ITWASME
I laughed a little at this question, because while he missed 15 shots against Indiana, he finished with 24 points, 14 rebounds and four assists against the Hoosiers, which is a pretty solid stat line if you ask me. Yes, his jumper has been inconsistent down the stretch, but like you mentioned, fatigue had a lot to do with that.
Bates-Diop carried this team offensively for most of the season, and that would take a toll on anyone. An entire week off, I believe, will pay dividends for the Big Ten Tournament, and I expect Bates-Diop to come out in the quarterfinals on Friday with an aggressiveness we haven't seen all season. He will be ready to go.
Assuming KBD leaves, our roster sits at 10 ... it's assumed Holtmann will go after a PG grad transfer, bring the roster to 11 ... if KBD leaves, do we go after a big man transfer/grad transfer? - Buckeyeboy31
I do believe Holtmann will go after a graduate transfer point guard, but I think Ohio State is set with big men for awhile. Kaleb Wesson and Micah Potter will both be back, and Holtmann is set to add 6-foot-7 power forward Jaedon LeDee to the mix, giving the Buckeyes three big bodies underneath. I don't think Ohio State needs anything more than that inside, but getting a graduate transfer point guard will be the focus for the upcoming class.
Will Kam Williams continue to be a starter at the shooting guard position? With the improvement of Micah Potter over the last couple of games, how will Chris Holtmann split minutes between him and K. Wesson? - John-A-Tron
I believe Kam Williams will remain in the starting lineup, because his ability to score is critical for Ohio State, and while Andre Wesson provides more defensive versatility, he has struggled to score the ball consistently. In addition, Williams has played his best basketball of the season in his last two games against Rutgers and Indiana, so I expect him to start from here on out.
As for the big men, Holtmann will continue to go with the best matchup available. If teams go small on him, I wouldn't be surprised to see Kyle Young play the 'four,' while Bates-Diop bumps up to the 'five' in certain situations. That said, I don't see Potter getting any additional minutes because of Kaleb Wesson's ability to score on the block and with his back to the basket.
