Against Michigan on Monday, Ohio State played reasonably well in the second half, outscoring a pretty bad Wolverine team (by, uh... one), and showing that they were potentially better coached and more talented.
All of that was, of course, negated by a terrible first half in which the Buckeyes couldn't hit a three to save their lives and ultimately ended down by nine. For the game, Chris Holtmann's squad had a grand total of eight assists, shot less than 38% from the field, a number which includes going just 3/25 from the three-point line.
I'm certainly not an X's and O's kind of guy when it comes to basketball. The thing goes into the hoop or it doesn't and my lizard brain extrapolates "good" or "bad" from that. Anything beyond that simple act is about three shades too complicated for yours truly; I just want the Ohio State men's basketball team to win basketball games.
But, throughout Chris Holtmann's tenure as Ohio State's head coach, they have been consistently terrible at doing so halfway through the season.
In 2018-9, the Buckeyes lost six of seven, including five in a row, from January 5th through the 29th. The year after, Ohio State lost six of seven, including four in a row, from December 29th through January 23rd. In 2020-1, they lost four in a row from late February through early March. And last season, of course, Holtmann's crew epically tanked for literally the entirety of January and February, losing 14 of 15 games on streaks of five and nine losses.
And now, again, they are on another losing streak in January.
In his six and a half seasons in Columbus, Holtmann has offered many, many reasons for why this keeps happening, varying from roster issues to bad luck to poor coaching to a big kid yelled at me and I dropped my homework in the snow to injuries and who knows what else.
Which, okay, sure. There are extenuating circumstances for anything bad that happens to anyone; typically anvils don't just materialize out of nowhere and drop on our heads. But eventually as a fan you stop caring about the reasons behind why the losses are happening and just want them to stop.
Holtmann, who doesn't need to be told that, said this after his loss to Michigan earlier this week:
“Listen, you guys will see it,” Holtmann told the Ohio State media gathered in the Crisler Center after Ohio State’s loss to Michigan. “You guys, obviously, can write about a three-game losing streak right now. But our story is far from over. You’ll see what this group can grow into. Not many people are gonna feel that right now, but I certainly do. I know our staff does. And I know a lot of the guys in the locker room do.”
Which is normal coach speak and I appreciate that Holtmann is supporting his guys, but also: it isn't about "a three-game losing streak right now." It's about the perception that these midseason losses are a baked-in feature of Chris Holtmann-coached teams; that no matter the roster composition or opponents or whatever other factors may play into it, Ohio State under Holtmann will inevitably hit a patch of ice at some point during the season and skid into a ditch.
In other words, it's about a losing streak right now, and in the past, and in the future.
Earlier on in his tenure, it was easier to see the arc of a season after the fact and believe that while the team might go through difficulties, they'd emerge from them stronger. That yes, they might've laid a wet fart against Minnesota on Valentine's Day, but by the Big Ten Tournament they'd be an invigorated, entertaining team poised to make a deep run into March.
Last season blew up any hope of that. While the Buckeyes unexpectedly won three games in the conference tournament to end the season, it was impossible (for fans, for the NCAA selection committee, for the NIT selection committee) to ignore the incompetence that preceded those wins.
That's a killer for a basketball program that does not have the kind of institutional momentum that the football team enjoys. We're coming off a wild week in which Ohio State football has absolutely dominated headlines simply by bringing in players and hiring/firing coaches, a luxury which the basketball Buckeyes simply do not have.
Simply put, Ohio State men's basketball has to prove its necessity every time the team steps onto the court. And year after year after year, Chris Holtmann coached teams have undermined whatever argument they might have at that by giving fans these kinds of performances at a time when the spotlight shines on them the brightest. It is difficult to see that changing.
