INDIANAPOLIS –– The physical toll of Ohio State’s four-game Big Ten Tournament run was obvious; the Buckeyes lost starting forward Kyle Young to a concussion, and forwards E.J. Liddell, Justice Sueing and Seth Towns all spent time either in obvious pain and discomfort or receiving treatment from trainers beside the bench at various points throughout the week.
The emotional exhaustion may be harder to quantify, but it’s just as palpable after two overtime games, one four-point margin and another contest decided on the final shot, as each of Ohio State’s tournament matchups saw the Buckeyes experience extended stretches under the magnified pressure of late-game drama on the biggest stage of the season thus far.
Ohio State did not get the release or relief of capping this run with the hoisting of a trophy, but despite the conclusive emotional letdown of an otherwise inspired week of play, Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann said following Sunday’s championship game loss that coming up short only has his team yearning that much more for future postseason success.
“The opportunity to play for a championship was very important for us as a group, because I think when you have an opportunity to be in games like this, it only makes you hungrier,” Holtmann said. “It only makes you hungrier. There’s no question about it, it elevates everybody in the locker room.”
For many onlookers, Ohio State’s account of itself in the conference tournament, even without leaving Indianapolis as a champion, was an overwhelmingly positive one. The Buckeyes beat one NCAA Tournament No. 1 seed, took another to overtime, and in the process, secured a No. 2 seed in the Big Dance in its own right.
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However, that perspective may be difficult to imbue on a group that had a lead on Illinois with 2:50 to play in overtime of the Big Ten championship game just minutes before the bracket selection show.
“We had a lot of emotional guys and we had a lot of emotional coaches. And honestly, I wouldn’t expect anything else of this group,” Holtmann said. “I just wouldn’t have. They had very high-level belief of what we could be, and they didn’t come for anything other than a championship.”
Much of that emotion is no doubt derived from the manner in which the Buckeyes slugged through the tournament, with every game hanging in the balance by the final moments, whether brought on by a sudden Ohio State collapse or a furious Buckeye comeback.
“Words like resiliency and toughness and grit, they get used too much. But this group has it,” Holtmann said. “They have it. They have that, they do. If you followed us, you know that. We don’t play perfect or coach perfect, but we have that. We do have that.”
Even without a conference title, Holtmann has something he didn’t have before the Buckeyes’ first tournament game on Thursday; a better understanding of his team’s ability to bounce back from adversity.
Holtmann said seeing how his Buckeyes responded to the four-game losing streak that ended their regular season was a “seminal moment” for the team and coaching staff.
As one shot at championship glory came to an end on Sunday though, another one began almost immediately after, as Ohio State now has a roadmap back to a potential title ahead of it in the form of an NCAA Tournament bracket.
“I’ll wait to make too many post-scripts on our season,” Holtmann said. “I’m well-aware of where we were picked early and I just feel really good about this group. But we are climbing, and we are still climbing, and we’re trying to stay in the moment as much as possible. But there’s no question as I look back on this moment, playing for a championship was really important for this group.”
