Ohio State’s approach hasn’t changed this season.
Head coach Chris Holtmann’s group has been defined by resiliency, one that has shown the ability to learn from what went right and what went wrong the game before, move forward and respond.
Thursday night, in a game the Buckeyes, in the eyes of many, were not supposed to win, they responded, holding on for a three-point victory against Illinois after losing a double-digit lead in the final 3:31.
“Again, we played a terrific team here in Illinois and we will see if we can respond here in a couple days and play well in a very tough environment against a very good team in Maryland,” Holtmann said.
Right now, Ohio State has too many games left to focus on the big picture. But it’s still a picture that looks promising.
With four games left in their regular season schedule, the Buckeyes are one of four teams in the Big Ten with five losses or less, joining Purdue, Wisconsin and Illinois. Of those teams, the Boilermakers, Badgers and Buckeyes are projected by KenPom to finish with five losses or less.
Heading into Sunday’s matchup against Maryland, Ohio State is fourth in the Big Ten standings, with a chance at entering the conference tournament as a top-four seed for the first time since the 2018 tournament, where the Buckeyes lost by one in the quarterfinals to Penn State.
Since its inception in 1998, Ohio State has been a top-four seed in the Big Ten tournament 11 times, but the Buckeyes have not been a one-seed since the 2011 tournament.
Could that happen in 2022?
It would take a lot to happen.
Based on the head-to-head tiebreaker, the Buckeyes have the advantage over Illinois if both teams finish with the same record, putting Ohio State as a three-seed if it wins the rest of its games.
Wisconsin, the No. 2 seed currently in the tournament, would have to lose two of its next three games for Ohio State to jump the Badgers with three games left against Rutgers, Purdue and Nebraska left.
Purdue, the No. 1 seed, would have to lose either to Indiana or Michigan State in its final three games and beat Wisconsin March 1 to secure a potential three-team tie at the top of the Big Ten, one the Boilermakers would still come out on top of with the Badgers in second.
So for Ohio State to come out on top in the Big Ten, the Buckeyes would have to win its next four games against Maryland, Nebraska, Michigan State and Michigan, Illinois would have to lose to Michigan, Penn State or Iowa, Wisconsin would have to lose to two of its final three games against Rutgers, Purdue and Nebraska while Purdue has to lose two of its next three to Michigan State, Wisconsin and Indiana; which would actually put Illinois as the three-seed and the Badgers at the four.
Will that happen? Stranger things have, but probably not.
And it really doesn’t start with any of the other teams vying for that top spot. The Buckeyes are not guaranteed to win each of its final four regular season games.
According to KenPom, Ohio State is projected to beat Maryland, Michigan State and Michigan by single-digits, something that has been common for this Buckeyes team this year with 11 games this season — including losses to Xavier, Florida, Purdue and Rutgers — decided by less than 10 points.
But that’s all big-picture stuff.
In the days leading up to Thursday’s game, Holtmann said his team is aware of its standing in the Big Ten, but that it's not the Buckeyes’ primary focus.
It’s instead to compete, to try and stay afloat when the inevitable realities of conference play come, including lost double-digit leads in the final 3:31.
“That team is tremendous, a tremendous competitiveness and spirit,” Holtmann said. “They are going to lay down playing at home, playing in front of a fantastic crowd? They are going to make a run. Certainly, we could have done some things better.
“You can’t ever look at it like, ‘Oh, we’re doomed. We lost a lead.’ We’re playing a very good team. You kind of survive, you land the plane and you hope you can move forward.”
