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Holtmann: With chance for statement win, Ohio State ‘didn’t have the fight’ at Nebraska
LINCOLN, Neb. – Chris Holtmann had a four-letter word to describe his team’s play Tuesday night.
No, it wasn’t that one. Or that other one. This one is printable, discussable and in this case was the descriptor the Ohio State men’s basketball coach chose after an 83-69 loss inside Pinnacle Bank Arena. It wasn’t just that the Buckeyes lost a road game, something they’ve now done in their last 13 such games, or that they lost to a Nebraska team enjoying a breakout season that’s often been lights-out at home.
It was how Ohio State lost this one, and the lack of sustained fight, that was particularly worrisome.
“I thought we were really soft throughout the whole game, but again, give them credit,” Holtmann told The Dispatch. “Ultimately that falls on me. I don’t know if it was just the last 10 minutes or not. We did not have the fight in this game that we needed to have by any stretch. Ultimately, that falls on me. We just didn’t have the fight we needed to, really from the jump, to be honest with you, but certainly when adversity hit we did not respond.”
There has been plenty of adversity as this season has rolled on. The Buckeyes never trailed in last Saturday’s comfortable home win against Penn State, a game that snapped a three-game losing streak and had the potential to be a turning point in Big Ten play. In each of the previous three losses, the Buckeyes were in position to win in the final four minutes only to come up short each time.
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At Indiana, the Buckeyes cut a game-high 66-56 deficit with 3:34 left to a 67-65 game with 1:44 to play before losing 71-65. At home against No. 15 Wisconsin, Ohio State overcame a six-point deficit with an 8-0 run to take a 56-54 lead with 5:49 remaining only to be outscored 19-4 in the final 5:16 to lose, 71-60. And at Michigan, the Buckeyes turned a 12-point deficit into a four-point lead with a 16-0 second-half run but were outscored 11-4 in the final 3:37 and lost, 73-65.
Tuesday night, with Rienk Mast destroying Ohio State’s defense behind a barrage of 3-pointers, things got out of hand and stayed there. In the biggest Nebraska win ever against Ohio State, the Cornhuskers led by double digits for the final 12:08.
Fourth-year center Zed Key, who had 7 points and six rebounds in 18:49, said it wasn’t from lack of effort or fight from the Buckeyes.
“Thinking about it, not really,” Key said. “They went on a run and we couldn’t get the stops that we need or the rebound that we needed. No, but I know we’re going to be better for next game. We’re going to learn from our mistakes and correct them.”
The nature of the loss meant that while Ohio State did not practice Wednesday, the coaching staff was holding individual meetings with a number of players to try and address where things currently stand. After playing Bowen Hardman for the final 7:35 for his first Big Ten minutes of the season, Holtmann said the sophomore guard had earned the opportunity through his everyday approach to being on the scout team.
“I think right now, that’s what we’re looking for out of our bench is just the right approach and the right attitude and I think he’s really had that,” Holtmann said. “I thought he needed to be given a look because he’s had the right approach and right attitude and I think his play was a by-product of having the right attitude.
Hardman scored a career-high 11 points after having totaled 20 in his first 13 career appearances. He saw more playing time than two of Ohio State’s freshmen who seemed ticketed for rotation roles this year. Forward Devin Royal had a turnover, was beaten for a basket in the paint and then called for a foul on an offensive rebound that led to two late-half Nebraska free throws in only 1:29.
He didn’t see any second-half playing time, but it was more than guard Taison Chatman, who was a healthy, unused substitute. Forward Scotty Middleton, who was suspended for the Penn State game for a violation of team expectations, finished with 2 points on 1-of-4 shooting in 14:11.
After the Michigan loss, Holtmann delivered a clear message that this team’s story was still to be written and that he still had “high-level belief” in this group of players.
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The Buckeyes still have 12 games to turn the season around, and it wasn’t long ago that the 2019-20 team started Big Ten play 2-6 only to close by winning 9 of their final 12 games before the postseason was canceled due to COVID-19. There are plenty of opportunities ahead for the Buckeyes to climb back onto the NCAA Tournament bubble.
But sooner or later, they need to have the necessary toughness for a full game if they want to capitalize on a few of them.
“We just need to be better,” Holtmann said. “That’s it. We need to be better. I thought we weren’t tough enough, so ultimately that’s something that we as coaches need to get them playing tougher, much tougher.”
ajardy@dispatch.com
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MIDDLEFIELD, Ohio (WKBN) — The Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Chardon Post is investigating a fatal plane crash that killed three people around 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
According to a press release, about one mile east of the Geauga County Airport, a Piper Comanche 250 crashed into a field.
The plane sustained major damage — killing three Ohioans who were identified as Thomas A. Cunningham, 76, of Rome, John W. Taipale, 71, and Alexander C. Taipale, 40, both from Geneva.
OSHP was assisted by the Geauga County Sheriff’s Office, Geauga County Coroner’s Office, Geauga County Emergency Management Agency, Middlefield Fire Department and Community Care Ambulance.
The Western Reserve Port Authority, Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport’s executive director, Anthony Trevena, reached out to our team with a statement regarding the crash.
“We were heartbroken to learn that members of our extended YNG and Youngstown aviation family, were victims in today’s crash in Geagua County. Our deepest condolences go out the Cunningham and Taipale families. We ask that their privacy please be respected during this difficult time. The FAA and NTSB are leading the investigation to determine the cause and will provide any updates as information becomes available.,” Trevena said.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board were notified of the crash.
The crash remains under investigation.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — As concerns have grown over the impact of social media on young people, lawmakers are pushing to keep protections in tact to keep children safe online.
This week the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Ohio’s law, the Social Media Parental Notification Act, requiring parental consent for children under the age of 16 to use social media must be restored. Gov. Mike DeWine signed the act into law in July 2023.
Netchoice, the trade group that represents Tik Tok, Snapchat, Meta and other tech companies contested Ohio’s law in 2024, arguing that it was overly broad, vague and represented an unconstitutional impediment to free speech.
“An unconstitutional law protects no one, and we remain focused on ensuring the First Amendment rights of Ohioans are protected,” Paul Taske, NetChoice Litigation Center Director said.
Cincinnati-based Sixth Circuit’s panel does not agree with this view point, determined that the law is not unconstitutional and had the block on the law’s enforcement vacated.
“At bottom, the Act imposes a parental consent requirement,” Judge Eric Clay wrote. “That requirement constitutes a marginal burden that precisely targets the multi-faceted problem that Ohio has identified: Children’s unsupervised assent to terms and conditions for use of platforms that take advantage of and harm them.”
The Social Media Parental Notification Act is a way to protect children’s mental health against the “intentionally addictive” nature of social media, according to U.S. senator Jon Husted.
The law requires companies to get parental permission for social media and gaming apps and to provide their privacy guidelines so families know what content would be censored or moderated on their child’s profile.
Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson says the ruling is “a win for Ohio families.”
“The court agreed that parents –- not social media companies –- should get a say in what kids see online,” he said in a statement. “We have an obligation to keep our children safe, and today, the most dangerous place for our kids is the internet. This decision gives parents the tools to be involved and provide oversight.”
LICKING COUNTY, Ohio (WCMH) — When you think of wild animals in central Ohio, a black bear likely isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. That’s why one Licking County family said they couldn’t believe their eyes.
It was an average afternoon drive home for father and son, Justin and Aaron Rhodes, when something walked into the road in front of them.
“I didn’t even think it was real at first, so that’s why I had to do the double take,” Justin said.
Aaron said he thought it was “just a weird looking dog”.
To their disbelief, it was a bear. The sighting comes just one year after the animal was spotted in Licking County for the first time in more than two decades.
“It’s kind of hard to believe that they’re even around this area,” Justin said. “I’ve lived in this area for about 24 years now, so it’s been quite a while, and I’ve never seen one before.”
These sightings are becoming more common. The Ohio Division of Wildlife said the black bear population is growing in the state, and they expect those trends to continue. Ohio saw a record number of confirmed sightings in 2025.
Lindsey Krusling, a wildlife communications specialist with the Ohio Division of Wildlife, said they are seeing more breeding females establish homes in the state, signaling the species is returning. Experts said the work restoring natural forest land is a big reason why.
“We’re starting to get some black bears coming in from neighboring states like Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Kentucky,” Krusling said. “They’re naturally crossing those state borders and coming back to Ohio because we have more of that habitat available to them, especially those forested areas.”
As the black bear population grows, the Division of Wildlife is expanding its research. They are putting radio collars on some bears they find in the state to help track data, such as if the bears are staying here, how far they’ve traveled and if they’re successfully having cubs.
“We’re trying to get quite a bit of data from these bears, and we’re super excited to see where this takes us,” Krusling said.
The research is in the beginning stages, but they expect population growth to continue, Krusling said.
Sighting reports can be submitted here to help the Division of Wildlife track black bear populations throughout the state.
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