Ohio State basketball: Tanner Holden erupts in Buckeyes exhibition game

The Ohio State basketball team defeated Chaminade in an exhibition game on Tuesday night 101-57. This was the first piece of action we got to see this Buckeye basketball team on the floor together, and we learned a lot. However, the main story from this exhibition was the play of transfer Tanner Holden.

Holden came off the bench to start out for Holtmann and the Buckeyes, and he provided a ginormous spark. The senior transfer erupted for 25 points, 19 of them coming in the first half. He went 10-12 from the field, 2-2 from deep, and also made three out of four from the charity strike. Holden was the leading scorer in the game.

It’s not a huge surprise that Holden had this scoring outburst in his first live-action with the Buckeyes as he averaged 20.1 points per game a season ago at Wright State. What is surprising is how soon this performance came in his Buckeye career. It’s not easy transitioning to a brand-new offense, especially coming off the bench.

What impressed me the most from Holden in his Buckeye debut was how he was able to score on all three levels. He was attacking the basket, finishing through contact, and he also wasn’t afraid to pull up for a mid-range jump shot. He didn’t settle for three-point shots the whole time as he only shot two of them and he made them both.

Holden did come off the bench during this exhibition game. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if he finds himself in the starting rotation very soon. It’s not a horrible idea to have a player like him bring a lot of scoring like that off the bench. If Holden continues to perform this way offensively he will provide a huge boost for this Ohio State basketball team.

Holden and the Buckeyes will be back in action for their game of the regular season Monday night when they take on Robert Morris at Value City Arena.