If Ohio State played defense like Chris Holtmann the Buckeyes might win the NCAA Tournament.

The OSU coach stepped in front of every question about his team’s ho-hum defense like a 7-foot center taking a charge, and by the time the postgame interview ended you would have thought Holtmann was bucking for martyrdom. Saint Chris, anyone?

Let’s count how many times Holtmann took the blame for the lack of defense, turnovers and overall malaise following the Buckeyes’ 75-69 loss to Michigan Sunday on senior day at Value City Arena.

“That’s my fault.” (one)

“It’s my fault.” (two)

“We’ve got to find a way to coach it better. (three)

“That’s on me.” (four)

“That’s on me.” (five)

“That’s my fault.” (six)

“ We’ve got to coach it better, so that’s on me.” (seven)

“That’s on me. (eight)

“I didn’t think our bite was near good enough in the second half, and that’s on me.” (nine)

“That’s on me.” (10)

I’m giving Holtmann a call if I ever need a rent-a-husband to take the heat for me forgetting to lower the toilet seat or take out the trash. You know, “Honey, it was HIS fault. Go ahead, Holt, tell her!”

So is Holtmann correct? Is OSU’s tendency to lean on finesse over force his fault? The answer requires texture. A better way to say it is Holtmann is responsible for what happens on the court. He’s not the one too slow or lazy to guard the perimeter, but he did sign the recruits who lack the want-to and/or wingspan to play effective defense.

And that lack of defensive focus is coming home to roost. The Buckeyes’ personnel are not physically equipped, and have not been for two seasons, to bring the heat needed to compete for Big Ten titles or advance deep into the NCAA Tournament. Holtmann said the lack of defensive emphasis is changing, but improvements won’t help what’s been happening this season.

The defensive numbers are not good. Ohio State entered Sunday ranked 121st nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency, allowing 100.4 points per 100 possessions. Northwestern (14-15, 7-13 Big Ten) and Nebraska (10-21, 4-16) posted their best offensive games against the Buckeyes (19-10, 12-8). Ohio State came in allowing 68.1 points a game, which ranked 142nd.

The Buckeyes' defense was OK the first half, as they held Michigan to 35.1% shooting. But the Wolverines shot 48.4% the second half, which doomed OSU. Especially noticeable was a lack of defense on guard DeVante' Jones, who scored the bulk of his 21 points by slashing to the basket.

What’s a bit confusing is the dismal defensive numbers are not new. Ohio State had top-25 defenses in two of Holtmann’s first three seasons, but this is the second consecutive year things have misfired.

“We’ve got to find a way to coach to get better, but clearly there are some personnel things we have addressed and we need to continue to address,” he said.

How to do that? It begins with recruiting, which is where things get tricky. Finding long-limbed bodies is the easy part. Assessing the tenacity within those bodies becomes more challenging.

“It’s want-to. It’s physical dimensions. And it’s want-to,” Holtmann said, repeating himself. “Clearly we didn’t have enough want-to on that end today. That and (13) turnovers got us beat. Again, that’s on me. Obviously, they didn’t have the readiness for that they needed to have.”

Holt making himself a human shield to protect his players felt a bit like slathering too much mustard on a hot dog. It came off a bit too thick, but it’s still better than throwing players under the bus.

It’s maddening to watch, so it must be even more maddening to coach a group that both senior Justin Ahrens and junior E.J. Liddell admitted was just not tough enough against the Wolverines (17-13, 11-9).

“We’re seeing some things where we’ve got to continue to get a little more length and a little more positional versatility,” Holtmann said, returning to where recruiting needs to go. “And we need a little more defensive versatility than we’ve had. Some of that is it takes time to build and construct the roster. But we’ve been intentional in our recruiting, and I think it’s heading that way, but it’s not all that. We’ve got to coach it better, so that’s on me.”

Be careful, coach. It’s no fun getting burned at the stake.

roller@dispatch.com

@rollerCD

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State vs. Michigan: Defense comes unglued for Buckeyes | Column