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Buckeyes Coach Chris Holtman Goes In-Depth on Michigan State Loss

The penultimate episode of "The Chris Holtmann Show" for the 2022-23 season featured a look at the Buckeyes' recent stretch of play while also looking ahead to the Big Ten Tournament.

Casey Smith

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Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Chris Holtmann hopped on his radio show on 97.1 The Fan Monday to talk about the Buckeyes' play against the Michigan State Spartans Saturday, while also updating forward Zed Key's surgery, a preview of the Big Ten Tournament and more.

Here's everything you need to know from what Holtmann said.

Hanging tough against Michigan State

Ohio State is coming off an 84-78 loss to Michigan State in its regular-season finale Saturday.

The Buckeyes got down 17-4 early, but clawed back to cut it to a three-point deficit. 

Holtmann said he thought "our guys really competed" against a Michigan State team that is "probably playing as well as any team, in our league right now" and is "more than capable of making a run" in the NCAA Tournament.

"We had a chance," Holtmann said. "I thought we had some really good stretches of play again."

Buckeyes' 'Spartan Strong' shoot around t-shirts

Ahead of Ohio State's Saturday regular-season finale against Michigan State, the Buckeyes donned all black shirts that read "Spartan Strong" across the chest.

On Feb. 13, an active shooter opened fire on Michigan State University's campus, killing three and injuring five others.

"More than anything, I think it's solidarity between the coaches, the players in the Big Ten when a university is going through something that is as difficult as what that school has gone through in the last month," Holtmann said. "You wanted them to know that you're there with them, and you're competing as hard as you can and obviously trying to beat them, but there are bigger things that that school has went through, some really significant things in the last month."

Justice Sueing neared a triple double Saturday

Forward Justice Sueing has continued to up his play, a stretch that Holtmann said began with his nine-point, 10-rebound performance against Penn State.

Saturday was a continuation of that stretch in what Holtmann called a "really, really good performance," as he had 10 points, nine rebounds and a career-high seven assists.

"Justice played his best basketball here the last couple weeks and the best basketball of the year really in terms of a complete game," Holtmann said.

Holtmann said Sueing has allowed the players around him to "play more of the natural role that those guys can play." He said he likes Sueing's mindset that has "been instrumental" in the Buckeyes' play.

Sueing will be assigned to slowing down Wisconsin forward Tyler Wahl Wednesday night.

Zed Key's surgery 'a success'

The Buckeyes will have to traverse the Big Ten Tournament without their starting five-man in forward Zed Key.

Key had left shoulder surgery to repair his labrum Thursday.

"I think the surgery was a success. His mom and dad were here and spending some time with him," Holtmann said. "He'll be on the mend here for a couple months."

Holtmann said Key has about a "five-to-six-month total return" timetable to be able to get back to full contact.

In the meantime, the coaching staff is devising a plan to get Key in "the best shape of his life."

"He'll be able to do some conditioning and we've already had conversations about setting up a plan for him in terms of conditioning," Holtmann said. "He needs to get slimmer."

Holtmann said Key will "have plenty of time to get ready for a full season next year."

What Holtmann remembers about last game against Wisconsin

The first thing Holtmann remembered from the first time the Buckeyes and Badgers met was his ejection.

"That was a forgettable moment there for sure," Holtmann said.

But there were other things, the Buckeyes' head coach took away from that contest that Ohio State lost 65-60.

"Wisconsin's ability to really post the ball in game one allowed them to get the lead," Holtmann said. "They made some 3s early."

Now as the two teams are set to meet again Wednesday in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament in Chicago, Holtmann said two of the players, in addition to Wahl, that the Buckeyes will have to take note of are 7-0 forward Steven Crowl and guard Chucky Hepburn.

"Really good interior offensive post player, and that'll be a good matchup for Felix and for all of our guys in there because he's big and he's got great touch," Holtmann said. "They're really, really intentional about getting the ball to him in the post.

"Chucky Hepburn's a really good point guard that can get the ball where it needs to. He can score at three different levels."

Holtmann's understanding college basketball's flop rule, how to coach it

The play that led to Holtmann's Feb. 2 ejection was a post play from Sueing, in which a charge was called.

Holtmann thought it should've been a flop call on Wisconsin and let the officials hear it afterward.

"All the Big Ten did was say, 'That was a 50-50 call that could've went either way. Your second technical,' basically what they said was, 'it was poor officiating in that instance. You should not have gotten that second technical,'" Holtmann said.

Holtmann said this could be a learning moment ahead of the physical matchup he expects the rematch against Wisconsin to be.

"I think there's a way in which you got to go into this thing understanding there's going to be times that we're going to have to control our emotions in the moment," Holtmann said.

As for post plays moving forward, Holtmann said he doesn't want the team to be "too tentative," but that they can use film and scouting reports to know when "this guy on the second hit's going to go down."

"You've just got to play and you got to know that there's going to be some of those," Holtmann said.

How to balance energy in Big Ten Tournament

As the Buckeyes are one of the two games on the opening-night conference tournament slate, they will need to play and win five games in five days to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Holtmann reminisced about how exhausting the 2021 Big Ten Tournament was in which Ohio State played four games in as many days before losing to the Illinois Fighting Illini in the championship game.

However, he said there's one thing on the Buckeyes' minds.

"In a setting like this, all we're concerned about is just get to 1-0 and then prepare for what's up next," Holtmann said.

The Buckeyes are in a win-or-go-home tournament, something they haven't been accustomed to as one unit this season.

Holtmann said in the conference tournament you're playing a team "for the second or third time and you know each other really, really well."

"The scouting reports, you'll make some adjustments, but the scouting reports in terms of personnel are very condensed," Holtmann said.

Openness to playing other postseason tournament

Ohio State needs to run the table and win the Big Ten Tournament to have a chance at a March Madness berth.

If it doesn't, though, then the Buckeyes might be offered a bid to the National Invitation Tournament or College Basketball Invitational. Holtmann said "that's a conversation for another time."

"We would look at it if that opportunity came about," Holtmann said. "Our focus is just playing well on Wednesday night and kind of seeing where that takes us."

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Casey Smith
CASEY SMITH

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