COLUMBUS, Ohio — In his first ever matchup against Wisconsin freshman year, forward E.J. Liddell didn’t play much.

In the time when he was on the court, he struggled, scoring two points without a made field goal, recording four fouls, a turnover and an assist in 13 minutes per game.

“He hadn’t figured out how to play as hard and as physical as you need to to beat a team of that caliber,” Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann recalls.

These are the memories Holtmann hopes Liddell and some of the older players are sharing with players like freshman guard Malaki Branham heading into his first ever meeting with the Badgers: examples of adversity faced.

Branham’s going to need it because the Buckeyes will be facing a certain level of adversity it really hasn’t seen yet in 2021-22.

Ohio State will match up against a Wisconsin defense Holtmann calls “elite,” bringing in the No. 15 defensive efficiency rating according to KenPom into the Schottenstein Center Saturday afternoon.

To Holtmann, it’s consistent with the pedigree Wisconsin has developed over time: the physicality, the aggressiveness.

“It is a real, true Big Ten game in every sense of the word,” Holtmann said. “They are old, physical bodies. I think it’ll be kind of a new thing in a lot of ways just because of what Wisconsin provides and how they play in general is a little bit of a different style.”

But like the team as a whole, Branham is still a work in progress.

The freshman guard found a bit more consistency against Duke and Penn State, hitting a combined nine-of-15 attempts from the floor for 19 points, three rebounds and three assists.

However, Holtmann sees a player that needs to develop more of an attack-minded approach, building up his physical maturity to match his physical mentality.

The Ohio State head coach knows what’s ahead. He knows it’s going to be difficult. But it’s something that Branham, along with freshman guard Meechie Johnson Jr., will have to learn and build from.

“You can’t soothe every moment,” Holtmann said. “Some of it they just have to go through and experience it, realize it’s part of the maturation process.”

It’s also something that doesn’t end after the buzzer sounds Saturday.

It’s only going to keep coming when January hits.

“You roll into January where it’s every night it’s going against your brother in the backyard,” Holtmann said. “It’s that kind of a bone-on-bone matchup.”

Liddell’s been in the film room a lot this week preparing for Wisconsin.

But it’s not Badgers film he’s watching. He’s watching for what’s going wrong on the turnover front.

In the past four games, the junior forward has recorded 19 turnovers compared to 11 assists, a number, Holtmann says, is too many.

The head coach said Liddell is watching specific examples of where turnovers are happening: some passing, some ball handling, some exposing the ball, forcing Liddell to have stronger hands instead of letting opponents strip the possession.

“Just saying hey, quit turning it over, that’s not really great coaching,” Holtmann said. “We have to show him how to turn it over less.”

Holtmann said Liddell is learning to keep the ball steady and strong no matter the situation, whether it’s against a trap or in a double-team, working on his general recognition.

But it’s something Liddell’s keyed in on himself. It’s not something that Holtmann has to force the junior forward to work on.

“He understands that and he wants to do better,” Holtmann said.

Redshirt senior forwards Justice Sueing (abdomen) and Seth Towns (back) will not be back for Saturday’s matchup against No. 22 Wisconsin.

Holtmann said Friday that both are “making progress,” but there’s not an immediate timetable for each of their returns.