Ohio State Basketball: Why Buckeyes must finish strong next year

The Ohio State basketball team got off to a terrific start this season but certainly didn’t perform well down the stretch, and that must change.

Before the 2018-19 Ohio State basketball season began, many previews placed the Buckeyes around the eight to twelve spot in the Big Ten standings. Yet, just over a month into the season, the Buckeyes had surged to a 12-1 record and looked to be improving drastically from an already impressive 17-18 campaign.

However, that torrid start, which had the Buckeyes as high as 11th in the Coaches’ Poll, was quickly quenched by a dramatic collapse. The Buckeyes would proceed to go 6-12 the rest of the season, plummeting from a projected 4 or 5 seed in the tourney to a team on the bubble.

The struggles were clear to see, as the Buckeyes struggled mightily to put points on the board. Turnovers, foul trouble and poor shot quality caused the Buckeyes to have several games where they scored less than 60, including two games against Michigan and Michigan State, where the Buckeyes scored 49 and 44 points.

However, the Buckeyes pulled through the struggles, including a 3-game suspension of Kaleb Wesson to end the season. In the first game of the Big Ten Tournament against Indiana, the Buckeyes pulled out a tough victory that many said clinched their spot in the NCAA Tournament. They battled Michigan State in the Big Ten quarterfinals, but fell short.

The Buckeyes nervously awaited whether they would make the Big Dance on Selection Sunday, and they received a match-up against the Big 12 Tournament Champion and sixth-seeded Iowa State Cyclones.

The Buckeyes became the only 11-seed to upset a 6-seed by overcoming their struggles, and fought into the second round against an underrated Houston Cougars. The Cougars dispatched of the Buckeyes, as the turnovers once again became the clear problem, and Ohio State was eliminated from a tournament that they weren’t expected to make before the season began.

The optics of the 2018-19 season went from negative to positive, back to negative, before ending on an indifferent conclusion that saw the Buckeyes eliminated from the Second Round. However, if Chris Holtmann wants to keep bringing in talent like rising sophomore Duane Washington or transfer Keyshawn Woods, the Buckeyes will have to have a better finish next year.

In Urban Meyer’s third season as the Ohio State football coach, the Buckeyes won the National Championship. In Thad Matta’s third season, the Buckeyes made it all the way to the National Championship Game, losing against a tough Florida Gators team.

While the football team may not be significant to the basketball team, it does show that expectations are high at Ohio State. With the three incoming four-star players (PG D.J. Carton, SF Alonzon Gaffney, and PF E.J. Lidell), recruits still see Ohio State as a good place to go to play basketball. For that to continue, the 2019-20 basketball season must show improvement.

Chris Holtmann has certainly done an impressive job, turning around a team in flux to two straight Round of 32 appearances and a combined 45-24 record. But if he wants to ensure he makes it through his contract, which runs through 2025, the Buckeyes must take a clear step forward next season.

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There are no talks of a buyout yet, and possibly even if the Buckeyes see a similar finish next year they won’t. But if the highest the Buckeyes rise in the first three seasons in the Round of 32, Buckeyes fans will begin to feel uneasy about where the team is headed.

With 10 (1999 Appearance vacated) Final Four Appearances all-time, the Buckeyes aren’t at the level of Duke or North Carolina (combined 36 Final Four Appearances). Nonetheless, they do possess a good recipe for similar success: an impressive and well-respected coach, a hot-bed for basketball talent (see LeBron James), impressive facilities, and a thriving relationship with Nike King LeBron James (see North Carolina and Michael Jordan).

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If the Buckeyes can reach the Sweet 16 or better next year, more recruits will be interested and Chris Holtmann will show that Ohio State is the place to be to win. And with more improvement each season, the Schottenstein Center could soon see an 11th Final Four appearance being added to the Final Four banner above the court.

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