Midway through the postgame press conference of Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard, a reporter asked what makes the difference in the last four to five minutes of a one-possession Big Ten battle.
“Experience,” Gard replied without hesitation. “I think that’s the big thing. And Chris (Holtmann) has gone through the same thing with his team. He’s got a really good team this year because they went through a lot last year and had some rough moments, as we did too. ... We’re better this year, in part because of what we went through and what we gained from last year.”
There’s no denying the experience of the Wisconsin basketball team. The Badgers returned more than 90% of their scoring production from a season ago and their starting lineup features four upperclassmen.
Whether it was the squad’s background in tough moments or a range of other factors, No. 15 Wisconsin pulled away from Ohio State with a 19-4 run in the final six minutes to win 71-60 in Value City Arena.
The Buckeyes are eager to replicate what the Badgers did to them on Wednesday. And they’ll have to get educated quickly – January has already arrived and conference play is in full swing.
“We didn’t make shots, for one,” Holtmann said of what went wrong late. “Missed a couple free throws, I think those were critical. I thought some of our looks were really good, to be honest with you. Then we had probably two breakdowns defensively, but I just think we’ve gotta be able to make some of those clean, easy looks.”
A failure to close in the second half has cost Ohio State in each of its four losses.
Texas A&M and the Buckeyes were tied with less than eight minutes to play and exchanging blows in a seesaw second half before the Aggies pulled out a 73-66 win.
Penn State came back from down 18 points in the second half to topple the Buckeyes 83-80 on Dec. 9. Four days before it took on Wisconsin, Ohio State fell victim to a cold-shooting second half at Indiana, going 28.2% from the field as the Hoosiers pulled away late to win 71-65.
Even some of the Buckeyes’ victories have featured second-half comebacks from their opponents. They led by 17 against Rutgers on Jan. 3 before the Scarlet Knights cut things to as close as three in a 76-72 Ohio State win.
“I think the biggest thing for us to close out games is focusing on the little details,” forward Jamison Battle said. “I think for someone who’s a fifth-year and who understands that, I have to be more vocal about that. ... I think that’s the biggest thing is honing down on those little details because, in the end, those little details ultimately lead to big things. And that big thing is losing games.”
“those little details ultimately lead to big things. And that big thing is losing games.”– Jamison Battle
Holtmann had plenty of little things to point to as reasons Ohio State could stay afloat against Wisconsin.
Free throw shooting was one of the primary areas he referenced. The Buckeyes finished just 4-of-10 from the charity stripe, including a pair of misses on the front end of one-and-ones in the final two minutes from star guard Bruce Thornton.
Holtmann also said that the Buckeyes need to be able to rely on their defense down the stretch and there were a couple of major breakdowns.
“Really the last four, five minutes,” Holtmann said. “I thought they straight-line drove us a few times. We didn’t plug a gap one time that we certainly should have and our ball-screen coverage, that was another one.”
Holtmann added that he liked the team’s efforts defensively in the final 20 minutes, especially those of center Felix Okpara.
Still, guard Max Klesmit caught fire for the Badgers during their game-clinching surge. He scored 12 of Wisconsin’s final 19 points, including 10 of the first 12 in the 19-4 run that sealed things. That included a mid-range jumper that Klesmit hit despite a strong contest from Battle.
“They had the experience and they had those guys – kudos to Tyler (Wahl), kudos to Max and the way they played, the way they finished down the stretch,” Battle said. “But in the end, they just outworked us and out-physicalled us and it showed in that scoreline. That’s where we have to get better. Finishing games and when things are getting tough, when things are getting rough, we have to come together and want it more.”
Overall, a lot of Ohio State’s struggles in its last two outings have come from a struggle to make shots.
Thornton and star guard Roddy Gayle Jr. combined to shoot 7-of-34 from the field and 0-for-12 from three against Indiana. Versus the Badgers, the duo went 10-of-30, though Thornton did post six assists.
Gayle has struggled mightily since racking up 32 points against West Virginia on Dec. 30. In his three games since that overtime victory, he’s shot 11-of-46 (23.9%) and 1-of-13 from three with 12 turnovers against five assists, scoring just 29 total points.
Asked directly whether there were still some positive trends for Gayle against Wisconsin, Holtmann said there were. He did ultimately score Ohio State’s only four points in the final six minutes of game time.
“I really like how he attacked there late,” Holtmann said. “Thought he had an opportunity to attack in the open floor one time where he kind of settled for that three. We didn’t do a good enough job getting to the line when we were in the bonus, so that’s something we’ve got to help them with and we’ve got to do a better job of.”
“When things are getting tough, when things are getting rough, we have to come together and want it more.”– Jamison Battle
Despite the team’s lumps, Battle still feels confident that the Buckeyes have enough tools and enough scars to come out on top in tight Big Ten standoffs.
“I think so,” Battle said. “And I think the thing is we’re still learning, we’re still growing. There’s still a lot of young pieces on this team and there’s older guys on this team who have experience, and I think that’s on me to show that experience. Regardless of if I haven’t won a lot of Big Ten games, I still feel like I’ve played in a lot of meaningful ones and played in a lot of Big Ten games. So for me, I’ll take the responsibility in that aspect where I’ve gotta be a leader in that regard.”
That optimistic sentiment is one Holtmann echoes. A road test against a 6-9 Michigan squad on Monday will offer his group its next chance to close a contest.
“I have a high level of belief in this team,” Holtmann said. “I really do, and I’m being completely honest. I have a high level of belief in this team and what we’re doing and the fact that we’re gonna grow. Last year is last year. This is a different group. The leadership is different. It’s early in the season. I think the challenge for us right now is to take this and learn from it and grow.
“We have to be tougher in certain areas. We’ve got to be able to finish plays. But I’ve really got a high level of belief in this group and I can’t emphasize that enough.”
