PITTSBURGH — Chris Holtmann wants to know how other coaches and players would characterize Ohio State. He likes to think it would surround the ideas he has built around: a tough-minded mentality that is connected both offensively and defensively, and consistent.
These aren’t original ideas.
“I've stolen so much from him and his program,” Holtmann said of Jay Wright, calling the Villanova head coach the statesman of the Big East when he was a fellow coach in the league at Butler. “He has no idea because I didn't tell him. I just didn't tell him. I just watched his practices, watched his teams, anything that he was doing in terms of teaching I would watch.
“Even to this day, I have stolen a lot from him. So thanks, Jay.”
Wright sees that.
When asked to describe Ohio State and what Holtmann’s program does well, the Villanova head coach was succinct, describing the Buckeyes with three words: disciplined, intelligent and physical.
But its a team that’s versatile too, whether it’s E.J. Liddell, a player the Villanova head coach describes as good as anyone in the low post in terms of both passing and scoring, to Kyle Young and Zed Key, who provide a sense of balance and an ability to play with more size when it needs to.
Ohio State’s defensive performance against Loyola Chicago in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Friday was just that: disciplined, intelligent and physical.
The Buckeyes swarmed to the basketball, forcing 14 turnovers with the help of seven steals, showing a relentless physicality in and around the paint with Liddell and the return of Young, giving the Buckeyes an ability to switch with ease in a showcase of athleticism.
It was the kind of defensive performance that clouded every offensive inconsistency — every 3-point miss in a game where the Buckeyes couldn’t hit one to save their lives, every time they turned the ball over against one of the more physical defenses Holtmann’s team had seen up to that point.
To Jamari Wheeler, that’s how things should be. Defense, to the redshirt senior guard, is the overarching safety net.
“That's what we hang our hat on on the defensive end because we can't control shots falling, so we know focus on the defensive end, you're going to get good shots,” Wheeler said. “You can't control if it goes in the hoop or out of the hoop so just get shots and you'll like the result at the end of the day.”
Ohio State’s defensive assignment doesn’t get easier.
The Buckeyes will face one of the most efficient offenses in the sport, one that finished with the third-ranked two-point percentage (52.2%) and the third-ranked 3-point percentage (36%) in the Big East, averaging 73.7 points per game.
And while Villanova, like Loyola Chicago, may not have the size that has plagued Ohio State throughout Big Ten play, it has size in the backcourt that Holtmann’s incredibly concerned about, being forced to match up his “short and slight” guards with players like Justin Moore, who’s describes himself as a “Villanova guard:” coming in at 6-foot-4, 210 pounds, along with Collin Gillespie, who Holtmann describes as a “power guard,” finding him in the paint as one of the Wildcats’ better post players.
As far as a game plan, Wheeler said there’s really no changes. It starts and ends with physicality with an attention to detail that silenced the highly-efficient Ramblers offense Friday.
It’s physicality, intelligence and discipline: the three things Wright feels defines Ohio State,
It's being tough-minded and connectedness: the two things Holtmann wants Ohio State to be known for each time it touches the floor.
To get to the Sweet 16, Ohio State knows this is the kind of team it will have to be.
“I feel like we're going to have to if we want to win,” freshman guard Malaki Branham said. “If we just stay connected like we've been doing last game, I feel like we're going to be in good shape.”
