Ohio State Basketball: Chris Holtmann expects to return on Tuesday

We all know the Ohio State basketball team has been on a hiatus for over a week now. But, head coach Chris Holtmann seems pretty optimistic that the Buckeyes will be back in action Tuesday.

Holtmann announced recently that he expects the Buckeyes to be back on the court this Tuesday when they host New Orleans in their last non-conference matchup of the season. This will be their first game in over two weeks dating back to their blowout win over Wisconsin, 73-55.

This outbreak couldn’t have happened at a more inopportune time as the Buckeyes were playing tremendous basketball; by far their best in the early season. They were starting to get contributions from guys that we’ve been waiting to see get involved, and who we expected to be major factors from the start of the season.

Other than E.J. Liddell playing like the best player in the country, Zed Key has presented a dominant inside presence which was something missing from this undersized Buckeyes frontcourt. Jamari Wheeler had been playing stellar defense and supported the offense by averaging nearly 10 PPG prior to the break.

Kyle Young developed into the “glue guy” with his toughness to battle inside and he filled a prominent role on the offensive end. Let’s hope these guys can continue to play how they were before the pause.

I’m hoping this Ohio State basketball team plays with a lot of excitement and energy for it being their first game in over two weeks. Without playing in over two weeks they could’ve easily been forgotten. On Tuesday, they need to play like the 14th ranked team in the country and gain some momentum back before Big Ten play resumes.

The game with New Orleans is the perfect opportunity to dust off any rust there might be before they travel to Nebraska after the new year. Since Coach Holtmann is optimistic that his squad will be back this Tuesday, Buckeye fans should be filled with excitement when they return to the court.