Ohio State returns to Big Ten grind as Rutgers brings defensive challenge to Columbus
There’s not a lot of spare time this time of year for a men’s basketball coach. So when he does have some free moments to unwind, Ohio State’s Chris Holtmann said he’s likely be caught watching either the NBA or any of a number of college basketball conferences.
The Big Ten? Not if he can help it. Especially not when the full-on resumption of league play is looming.
“If I have a free night, I don’t love to watch the Big Ten,” Holtmann said Tuesday. “I love the league, but it gets me working and it gets me a little anxious and the heart rate gets elevated and if I’m going to relax I’d rather watch another league that I haven’t watched to get my mind focused on something different, or I’ll watch the NBA.”
There won’t be much relaxation for the remainder of the season for Holtmann. Wednesday night, the Buckeyes will play their first of 18 straight Big Ten games to close out the regular season when they host a Rutgers team that seems as Rutgers-y as ever. At 8-4 overall and 0-1 in Big Ten play, the Scarlet Knights opened the new year with the league’s No. 1 scoring defense and its worst offense.
Rutgers is holding teams to 61.4 points per game and has an adjusted defensive efficiency rating of 93.0 points allowed per 100 possessions, 16th-best nationally. Teams are shooting 42.3% from two-point range (10th nationally) and 29.4% from 3 (42nd nationally) as Rutgers has turned teams over on 23.2% of their possessions (11th nationally).
These numbers fall in line with what the Scarlet Knights typically are defensively: tough, stingy and physical.
“They change defenses … they press … more than anything, you can tell you they’ve got great defenders but also a team-wide commitment to it and they’ve been another really good defensive team,” Holtmann said.
What they don’t have is a team that has shown much ability to score. Rutgers has topped 72 points only twice and is scoring 67.5 points per game with an adjusted offensive efficiency rating of 101 points per 100 possessions that ranks 240th nationally. On Saturday, the Scarlet Knights scratched out a 59-58 home win against a 2-13 Stonehill team ranked 348th nationally by KenPom.
It promises to be a rock fight. Ohio State has been in a few of those this season, and the last time out the Buckeyes needed to withstand a late run by West Virginia before prevailing in overtime. What got Ohio State through that, fifth-year forward Jamison Battle said, is what will be needed to navigate the Big Ten this year.
“Connectivity,” he said. “That’s what I think this team is built on is that connection that we have with each other and understanding that we’ve got to have a next-play mentality. That’s what the mentality of this team is and the connection that we have is understanding that we trust each other and we’re going to make the next play and make the right play.”
That’s going to be important when each play feels like a knock-down, drag-out battle. These teams will close the Big Ten season against each other when the Buckeyes head to Jersey Mike’s Arena for a March 10 senior day game. The road to there will be trying for Ohio State, which after this expected physical challenge will go to Indiana for a Saturday night showdown.
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Although he doesn’t like to torture himself by watching the league unless he’s preparing for an opponent, Holtmann described the Big Ten as being right in line with the Big 12 from a quality of depth position. As of Tuesday, the league rates fourth nationally at KenPom.com behind the Big 12, the SEC and the Big East. In Tuesday’s updated NCAA Tournament projections, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has eight Big Ten teams projected to make March Madness, second to the Big 12 at nine.
So while Ohio State is 11-2, there will be a lot to learn about what these Buckeyes are truly made of in the coming weeks.
“I love where we’re at right now,” Holtmann said. “The way in which we’ve played in some of these stretches, we have a lot to get better at but we’ve beaten some solid teams.”
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Big Ten play resumes for Ohio State with defense-led Rutgers
