OSU looks for quick bounce back
Buckeyes continue tough closing stretch when they host Illinois.
Sunday’s result left Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann with a choice to make.
That evening, the Buckeyes hosted Iowa for what would prove to be a top-10 showdown in name only. The Hawkeyes, ranked No. 9 at the time, trailed for 30 seconds while mostly dominating the Buckeyes from tip to final whistle in a 73-57 win at Value City Arena. It saddled Ohio State with a third straight loss, dropping it to No. 7 in Monday’s Associated Press poll and likely putting it on the outside looking in at a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Those are concerns for a week or two from now. Sunday night, Holtmann had to decide how to address what was arguably his team’s least competitive game of the season while keeping the bigger picture in mind — namely, that in this three-game losing streak, the Buckeyes had taken
Bohannon two losses to teams now ranked in the top five nationally.
“As much as you want to look at the closing stretch (of games) and talk about what it is with three top10 teams and a (Michigan State) team that’s tough to play at their place, what we can own is areas as coaches and players where we just have to get better,” Holtmann said after the Iowa loss. “You look at (the closing stretch) and can anticipate struggle, (but)