Ohio State Basketball: Is Chris Holtmann on the hot seat?

For the second season in a row, the Ohio State basketball team is struggling in the second half of the season. What does this mean for Chris Holtmann?

The Ohio State basketball team started 9-0 this season and 11-1 overall. In the AP poll, the Buckeyes ranked as high as No. 2 in the country. Now, they are 12-7 as they have lost six of their last seven games, and they are not even in the AP poll anymore.

This has been the second season in a row where the Buckeyes have completely fallen apart in the second half of the season. Last year, Ohio State started 12-1 but then fell to 13-7 over its next eight games and then only finished 18-13 in the regular season.

With the same thing happening two seasons in a row, and there being a good chance that the Buckeyes miss out the NCAA Tournament this year, is head coach Chris Holtmann on the hot seat?

This team is too talented to be losing like this. Not only did the Buckeyes return their leading scorer in Kaleb Wesson, as well as Andre Wesson, Luther Muhammad, Duane Washington Jr. and Kyle Young, but this freshman class was the 14th-best recruiting class in the nation and the No. 1 class in the Big Ten, according to 247Sports.

With that much returning and the Buckeyes having the best recruiting class in the conference, this is arguably the most talented roster in the Big Ten. So, how are they 2-6 in Big Ten play?

I have no answer for you. The Buckeyes have looked like bottom-feeders in the Big Ten and as if they can’t even compete for the conference title.

I do really like Holtmann. He is a great representative of the university, he is obviously a pretty good recruiter, and he had a ton of success at Gardner-Webb and Butler prior to coming to OSU. He also did a heck of a job coaching the Buckeyes in his first season at Ohio State, getting them to the NCAA Tournament after they only went 17-15 the previous season.

However, the past two seasons have brought a cause for concern. This team is too dang talented to be playing like it has been. Depending on how this team finishes the rest of the year, Holtmann could be on the hot seat.