It’s been a tough week for Ohio State men’s basketball. After a comfortable home win against Penn State on Jan. 20, the Buckeyes headed out for a two-game road trip that only continued their woes away from Value City Arena.

First came an 83-69 loss at Nebraska on Jan. 23, a game where Cornhuskers center Rienk Mast poured in 34 points thanks to a 6-for-8 night from 3-point range. After the game, Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann described his team’s performance as “soft” and questioned their overall toughness. Things got no better four days later, when the Buckeyes needed a 12-2 run in the final four minutes to avoid their most lopsided loss to Northwestern in program history.

Ohio State trailed by double digits for the final 21:06 and fell behind by as many as 35 points during the second half of an 83-58 loss at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Afterward, the talk was of simply needing to be better and the reality that the Buckeyes are in search of confidence. Sunday, athletic director Gene Smith told The Dispatch that “We have a lot of this season left to play, and we have coaches and players that are focused on winning every day,” before adding, “I’m looking forward to seeing how this turns out.”

With all that in the recent past, Holtmann held his weekly radio show Monday. If you couldn’t listen, here are the highlights.

As losses pile up, Buckeyes trying to keep focus on the day ahead

Although Ohio State has lost two in a row and five of six games, 11 Big Ten games still remain starting with Tuesday night’s home game with Illinois. With a short turnaround for the game, Holtmann said he’s trying to keep the focus on the immediate task at hand.

“This is the first prolonged stretch of real struggle for us and we’ve got to respond like good teams do, and that’s focus on today, focus on the process of getting better and stay in the moment,” he said. “You put enough of those days together, good things ultimately happen.”

After getting home from Illinois on Sunday around 2 a.m., Ohio State had a walk-through, yoga session and film work later that day due to the quick turnaround. Holtmann said the coaches are trying to celebrate small stretches of success and strong play while trying to build confidence.

“The way I look at it right now is we’re in a tough stretch here,” he said. “You can’t get away from, there’s a reason we’ve performed well in stretches this year. I don’t think you look at it and say everything we’ve done is poorly and the season’s off the rails. It really is just a focus in on the day at hand, the task at hand, what can we do better.

“The exciting thing for coaches is you get a real opportunity. This is a real challenge for us to get better and with so much of the season let to play, it’s a really exciting challenge for us. How will we maximize what we are as a group? We’ve got to be great today. And we’ve got to build on that and let it rip tomorrow night.”

Chris Holtmann seeing signs of improvement in Roddy Gayle Jr.

Ohio State sophomore guard Roddy Gayle Jr. has dealt with an extended shooting slump, but Holtmann said they’re seeing signs that better play is coming together more consistently for him.

“He’s got a lot he’s growing and learning, and he has definitely improved,” Holtmann said. “They’ve all improved as sophomores, but he’s got to continue to improve for us to be the team we need to be. We’re too reliant on him. He’s got to make good paint reads and not turn the ball over.”

Gayle will be a player the Buckeyes will be relying on to guard Illinois guard Terrence Shannon Jr. on Tuesday night.

“I think he’s starting to come along in terms of his shot-making, but so much of who he is as a player is less about that and more about his ability to impact both ends, to be a bigger, longer defender,” Holtmann said. “We’re going to need that against one of the best players in the nation, Terrence Shannon. He’s a blur with the ball in his hands. There’s a lot that we’re relying on with him overall, and he’s growing. That comes with some growing pains too.”

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Buckeyes picking spots to play Evan Mahaffey

Sophomore forward Evan Mahaffey’s scoring had picked up leading into the Northwestern game, but after he finished with only two points in that game Holtmann said they’re still trying to balance playing him with other players who also aren’t 3-point shooting threats.

“Evan’s confidence is growing,” Holtmann said. “He’s finding spots on the floor that are really good. We need to continue to put shooting on the floor, so it’s hard to play too many guys who are not 3-point shooters. Shooting become a premium because it creates gravity on the floor. It opens the floor. Despite the fact that he’s not really at that point in his career, he’s been able to impact the game with offensive rebounding and facilitating offensive movement, which has been good to see.”

Chris Holtmann cites Keita Bates-Diop conversation

As Ohio State deals with this losing streak, Holtmann said it’s a key for players to play with minds that are uncluttered. As a point of reference, he cited a conversation he had with eventual Big Ten player of the year Keita Bates-Diop during the 2017-18 season as Bates-Diop was dealing with his rising NBA draft stock.

“He was feeling like he needed to protect his draft stock, because at that point he had burst onto the scene,” Holtmann said. “This might’ve been in February. He was playing with a little bit of a cluttered mind, a mind not focused on being himself and the best for his team. He fixed it, because he’s a great kid. That’s what’s required as an athlete is to just focus on the play in front of you, being your very best and losing yourself in that.”

It’s an example Holtmann said younger players typically struggle with.

“They really care,” he said. “It’s a great group. It’s a young group and young groups can get really fragile. Probably searching a little bit. You want a quiet plane after you lose. They care. For coaches it was about getting to work on film and figuring things out.

“For players, you can’t minimize all the stuff that goes on for a young kid right now, all of the stuff they’re hearing. It’s a lot for young players. They have to have great mental discipline in terms of what they’re reading and seeing and talking about. For us, that’s the challenge moving forward.”

Bowen Hardman starting to earn a role

A seldom-used sophomore guard, Bowen Hardman had 11 points at Nebraska and also earned some first-half minutes at Northwestern.

“Quick release,” Holtmann said. “I felt like we needed a little bit more 3-point shooting. His worked on his strength in the last year. As much as anything he’s a really good kid who stayed ready. He’s had a great attitude about being on the scout team and getting better and embracing that part of getting better. As much as anything, as we move forward we do need more 3-point shooting on the floor. That’s what he does. He’s got a really quick release, and at 6-4 as he’s gotten stronger, to be able to snap that thing off is important.

“He gave us some good minutes in the first half at Northwestern. That’s what you’re looking for this time of year. How do you do that? You have the right attitude. Not every player can play well in short stints. He’s shown the ability to do that. It’s a credit to his character.”

How does Holtmann coach during a low point?

A submitted question asked Holtmann how hard or light he approaches coaching his players when things aren’t going well.

“It’s always something coaches are looking at and evaluating this time of year,” he said. “Some of it depends on the stretch you’re in, the challenge of the stretch. You might push them a little harder if you’re coming off a win. You’re trying to push them after a couple losses, but you’re also trying to give them positive reinforcement. There’s a mental and physical fatigue this time of year, but the mental might be more important.”

ajardy@dispatch.com

@AdamJardy

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