Going into Chris Holtmann’s first season coaching the Ohio State men’s basketball team, no one knew what to expect from the Buckeyes.
Despite being projected to be one of the worst teams in the Big Ten last season – and not unreasonably so, as Ohio State had gone just 18-15 overall and 6-10 in conference play with a first-round Big Ten Tournament loss to Rutgers in Thad Matta’s final season – Holtmann’s first team went 26-9, including a 13-4 record in Big Ten play, to finish second in the conference and earn a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament.