If you really think Holtmann has anything to do with this, I don't know what to tell you.  Bronny would have put OSU in the top 3 if you or I were the coach. 

I could see Gayle, Okpara, or Holden transferring out after this season if they continue to see limited minutes. Based on Holtmann’s history, the most likely outcome is multiple transfers out and then reaches in the transfer portal (Sotos, Brunk anyone?) to get up to numbers. 

Holtmann is in a bind here, and what he does probably depends a lot on what conversations Gene Smith is having with him behind the scenes. The ceiling for this team is probably squeaking into the NCAA tourney and losing in the first round vs maybe winning a close one and losing the second game. If Gene has assured him he’ll be around next year no matter what happens, but then results matter next year, he’d be better off playing the young guys and letting them take their lumps this year, especially since Sueing and Likekele are done next year anyway (I think). If players like Gayle and Okpara don’t  get meaningful minutes down the stretch, I could see one or both of them leaving after the season and then we are back in the same boat of trying to bring in transfers (that he doesn’t play or don’t pan out) or relying on the freshman class again. And we all know how that works out. If, on the other hand, Gene has told him this year’s finish matters, I could see him riding the veterans (and Sensabaugh) to try and salvage the season and next year be damned. 

This comment aged poorly. 

Holtmann hitched his wagon to Sueing a couple of years ago. All we heard from the Holtmann apologists last year was how different the season would have been with a healthy Sueing. Some of us saw him as an average complementary player (he might not even be that good). Now that we’ve seen Sueing in action this year, it’s easy to see he wouldn’t have made a difference for the better last season either. Buckeyes will be better off next year without either of them. 

He’s not even a high-quality MAC level coach. Did you not see the Fox All Access?  He was clueless out there. Maybe a high school somewhere would take a flyer on him. 

It’s because the players have zero confidence in their coach. This team has quit on Holtmann. They haven’t quit on basketball, since some of them have NBA aspirations or are likely looking for a good landing spot via transfer next season. But when the team has quit on the coach it’s time to move on from the coach. 

Pepperidge Farm remembers. 

We can only hope. 

Gene,

Fire this No-good bum tonight. 
 

-Every Buckeye fan

Problem is he’s bought into the NBA hype and is now just looking to get his. That terrible shot he took at the end of the Rutgers game when it was tied shows it. 

I guess we are already at the point where Ohio State men’s basketball is counting moral victories. How the mighty have fallen. 

Then Brice has 0 basketball IQ. Settling for a terrible 3 at the end of a tied game is an abysmal decision.  Go towards the hoop and get a better shot or chance of being fouled. It worked for Minnesota. 

Uhhh, probably not. But if so I’d love to hear that story. 

How could they be worse?  Can it get worse than losing to bottom-swelling Big Ten teams like clockwork every January and then bowing out early in every Big Ten and NCAA tournament?

I mean, I guess it could, but we’ve seen the ceiling with Holtmann. If Gene Smith and the Athletic Department and the fans are ok with it, then this is what we are looking at for the next 5-6 years. 

Should have never been in that position against bottom-dwelling Minnesota to begin with. Yeah it sucks the call was missed at the biggest moment of the game, but being in a spot like that when you’re favored to win by 15 isn’t good. Hopefully the team bounces back and runs off some wins, but I could also see them going the other way and losing a bunch of games in a row just as easily. Time for Holtmann to earn his check. 

Holtmann should be a dead man walking, if not for that horrendous contract extension. 
 

And Sueing…just woof. Any team counting on him to be a top 2 scoring option is going to struggle more often than not. 
 

More of the same from Holtmann, yet again. Time to bite the bullet and move on, Gene, cause this guy isn’t it. He’s a nice guy and recruits fine, just a lousy coach. 

Holtmann ain’t it, dudes. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out of town Chris!

The team is playing like ass. If the players can’t even be bothered to want to be there, then why should fans pay for this sh*tshow?

The problem has been mentioned in both of the last two games by the commentators. The offensive sets that Ohio State does run take time to develop. Often a couple of ball exchanges up top, then an on ball screen after that. With teams pressing or applying full court pressure  starting in the second half, we are often down to 20 seconds or less in the shot clock by the time we start getting into any kind of offensive set, which again takes time. So then we end up with rushed or forced (bad) shots and complete lack of offensive flow. 
 

To combat this, they need to beat the press quickly and efficiently. The way to stop another team from pressing is to get a couple of easy buckets off the press. So far we haven’t demonstrated any ability to routinely beat full court pressure. Until we do, teams are going to keep doing it against us, with similar results to what we’ve seen. 

Same movie, different year. 

Who’s Rodney Gayle?  Is he friends with Brian Sensabaugh?

How about winning some games against middling Big Ten teams for starters. 

Haven’t people been saying for a few years now “seems like the future is bright?”  Every year it’s the same excuse—this is a young team, just wait until they gel!  Then early March Madness exit is followed by “he’s got a great recruiting class coming in, just give him another year!”  Then it’s “they’re a young team!” all over again. We’ve all seen this movie before why would we expect the ending to be any different this time around?

Haven’t people been saying that basically every season that Holtmann has been here?  Then we make an early March Madness exit and everyone says “look at the class he has coming in!”  Then they are average again and people say “let’s see how they are at the end of the season…they’re really young!”  Repeat ad nauseum. We’ve all seen this movie before. Why does anyone think the ending will be different this time?