Though Ohio State basketball fans weren't expecting a conference title of any kind or a Final Four run given the 2022-23 squad's young roster and the program's body of work under Chris Holtmann the previous five seasons, probably close to 100% of fans weren't expecting this either.
With seven regular season games left, the Buckeyes sport an 11-13 overall record and stand just 3-10 in regular season conference play, good for 13th place out of 14 teams.
After starting the season with a 10-3 record, including a 2-0 mark in conference play, the wheels have come off with the Buckeyes losing 10 of their last 11 games, all against league opponents.
It's not just the losses but the way the team is losing, and sometimes Holtmann's reaction to those defeats, that have a large faction of Ohio State fans ready to move on from the Chris Holtmann Experience.
Of course, the only opinion that matters is that of athletic director Gene Smith and it's clear where he stands after giving Holtmann a vote of confidence just over a week ago as the Buckeyes prepared for what would be their eighth loss in nine games, a 65-60 defeat at home to Wisconsin. Smith noted Holtmann was doing "an outstanding job" while tabbing him Ohio State's "coach of the future."
Yesterday, Holtmann added some more color to where things stand during a Zoom call with reporters as he discussed an understanding between coach and athletic director, dating back many months, about the challenges the 2022-23 squad could encounter, with the expectation brighter days would come as the 2022 freshmen paired with a highly-rated 2023 incoming class.
Bottom line, regardless of your opinion, Smith wants Holtmann leading his program and the two are sticking to the long-term plan even as Ohio State struggles mightily in the sixth season of Holtmann's tenure, with a past that has yet to win a conference regular season or postseason crown, or reach the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament (though one opportunity was indeed wiped out by the pandemic). His Buckeye teams are 3-4 in the NCAA Tournament in four appearances with wins over South Dakota State, Iowa State and Loyola with losses to Gonzaga, Houston, Oral Roberts and Villanova.
That same past yielded five-straight 20-win seasons, two regular season conference finishes in the top-4, an appearance in the 2021 B1G Tournament championship game, a No. 2 seed in the 2021 NCAA Tournament and of course Dance bids every season he's been in Columbus and the tournament was played (four appearances with seeds of 2, 5, 7 and 11).
But back to this season, barring an unexpected turn of events, the reality is Holtmann is set to miss his first NCAA Tournament while guiding the Buckeyes. His team is flirting with posting the first losing season in Columbus since Jim O'Brien went 14-16 in 2003-04, his final season with the Buckeyes.
So with seven regular season games to play, where does this season's current frustration rank over the last 50 years of OSU hoops? Let's take a look at the Misery Index for both overall season records and B1G conference play records.
| SEASON | WON-LOSS RECORD | WINNING PERCENTAGE | HEAD COACH / NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994-95 | 6-22 | .214 | RANDY AYERS - THIRD TO LAST SEASON |
| 1975-76 | 6-20 | .231 | FRED TAYLOR - LAST SEASON |
| 1997-98 | 8-22 | .267 | JIM O'BRIEN - FIRST SEASON |
| 1976-77 | 9-18 | .333 | ELDON MILLER - FIRST SEASON |
| 1996-97 | 10-17 | .370 | RANDY AYERS - LAST SEASON |
| 1995-96 | 10-17 | .370 | RANDY AYERS - NEXT TO LAST SEASON |
| 1973-74 | 9-15 | .375 | FRED TAYLOR - THIRD TO LAST SEASON |
| 1993-94 | 13-16 | .448 | RANDY AYERS - FOURTH TO LAST SEASON |
| 2022-23* | 11-13 | .458 | CHRIS HOLTMANN - SIXTH SEASON (7 REG. SEASON GAMES LEFT) |
| 2003-04 | 14-16 | .467 | JIM O'BRIEN - LAST SEASON |
Though it may not feel like it due to Ohio State's struggles since the calendar flipped to 2023, you've definitely been through worse.
Randy Ayers took you to the gates of Hell in 1994-95 with a 6-22 mark, serving as the gold standard for ineptitude in a single season. But that wasn't all for Ayers as his squads posted four or the 10 worst seasons over the last 50 years. Controversy and drama were commonplace, highlighted by center Gerald Eaker shooting out the tire of teammate Antonio Watson's car, and leaving the scene in a car driven by teammate Greg Simpson during the summer of 1994. Ahh, memories.
Legend Fred Taylor, the second-winningest head coach in OSU hoops history and owner of the school's lone national title, suffered a nosedive at the end of his 18-year run with his final and third-to-last seasons making the list.
Half of the 10 worst overall seasons over the last 50 years were either the first or last season of a coach's tenure.
Jim O'Brien's first season, taking over for Ayers, produced an 8-22 clunker though at least we got to watch freshman Michael Redd throw up a 21.9 / 6.5 / 3.0 slash line.
Eldon Miller's first season, in relief of Taylor, saw the Buckeyes go 9-18 overall with Kelvin Ransey providing some freshman highlights of his own as the team's leading scorer.
For his part, and again with seven games to play, Holtmann's 2022-23 result stands as the ninth-worst overall season with a .458 winning percentage. Should the Buckeyes fail to get over the .500 mark, it would be the school's 10th losing season in the last 50 years but just the third over the last 25 seasons. (O'Brien owns the other two; his first and last seasons at the helm.)
| SEASON | WON-LOSS RECORD | WINNING PERCENTAGE | CONFERENCE FINISH | HEAD COACH |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997-98 | 1-15 | .063 | 11TH OUT OF 11 | JIM O-BRIEN |
| 1975-76 | 2-16 | .111 | 10TH OUT OF 10 | FRED TAYLOR |
| 1994-95 | 2-16 | .111 | 10TH OUT OF 11 | RANDY AYERS |
| 1995-96 | 3-15 | .167 | 10TH OUT OF 11 | RANDY AYERS |
| 1976-77 | 4-14 | .222 | 10TH OUT OF 10 | FRED TAYLOR |
| 2022-23* | 3-10 | .231 | 13TH OUT OF 14 | CHRIS HOLTMANN |
| 1996-97 | 5-13 | .278 | 9TH OUT OF 11 | RANDY AYERS |
| 1973-74 | 4-10 | .286 | 8TH OUT OF 10 | FRED TAYLOR |
| 1988-89 | 6-12 | .333 | 8TH OUT OF 10 | GARY WILLIAMS |
| 1993-94 | 6-12 | .333 | 8TH OUT OF 11 | RANDY AYERS |
Turning focus to just conference action, you'll see a lot of familiar faces and seasons.
Ayers again owns four of the 10 worst conference records over the last 50 seasons with his last four teams posting a combined 24-66 record in B1G play (.267) while finishing no better than eighth out of 11 teams.
Taylor has three squads on this list as his inability to adjust and/or lack of desire to recruit, and of course the criminal brawl instigated by Minnesota in 1972 and its aftermath, crushed the program over his final handful of seasons.
Gary Williams' last season in Columbus was a bust before he bolted for Maryland and O'Brien's first season was a dumpster fire all around as the team recorded one conference win in 16 tries.
This year's Buckeyes currently own the sixth-worst winning percentage in league play with seven games left against the likes of Michigan State (twice), at Iowa, at No. 1 Purdue, Penn State, Illinois and Maryland. Three of those teams - Purdue, Illinois and Maryland - have already defeated Ohio State once this season.
For Holtmann to keep the 2022-23 team off the two lists above, the group needs to fare better in the second half of games and not disintegrate late in close games.
Ohio State is just 2-11 in games decided by single digits this season including 10 straight losses in such contests. One of those two wins came versus Rutgers as a last-second three-pointer by Tanner Holden erroneously counted and gave OSU a one-point win.
As for its second-half struggles, Holtmann's group has been outscored over the final 20 minutes in 10 of 13 conference matchups to date. The Buckeyes tied Indiana 40-40 in the second half of a 16-point loss. That gives Ohio State just two games in which it outscored its B1G opponent in the second half this season (loss to Wisconsin, win over Rutgers).
Time is running short to salvage the 2022-23 season on some level but never say never. The first chance to create some positive momentum starts Sunday at 1 p.m. versus Michigan State in the Schott.
