Ohio State basketball: Buckeye fans are being sold a bunch of lies

The Ohio State basketball program is in disarray following its latest loss to Michigan over the weekend. Buckeye fans are being lied to.

The Ohio State basketball program is not what it used to be. Once a proud program, now Chris Holtman has the team floundering in the abyss of a not-so-great Big Ten conference.  In fact, the Buckeye program is only one of eight schools that have ten plus final four appearances. With unlimited resources and great facilities, an 11-12 record isn’t good enough.

But it’s the outright lies that are the worst part of all this. We were sold after last season that everything was going to be great in 2022 and that the incoming freshmen and transfers would make a major impact on this team. Well, the transfers haven’t meshed and aside from Brice Sensabaugh, the freshmen haven’t played up to expectations. And let’s face it, Sensabaugh is not Malaki Branham.

I wasn’t sold on this team coming into the season. You don’t lose your two best players in Branham and E.J. Liddell and expect to compete at the top of the Big Ten. But Holtman told us they would. And we’re going to be told the same thing next season whether Sensabaugh returns or not.

We’re going to be told that this upcoming recruiting class paired with Bruce Thorton will be good enough for a Sweet 16 run. Holtman is going to tell us that the transfers brought in from lesser conferences are going to make a difference.

We’ll let me be the first to say no. It’s not going to happen. What in Chris Holtman’s five-and-a-half-year tenure in Columbus will tell you otherwise? He’s had much better teams that have failed to live up to expectations.

Holtman will be back next year unless he voluntarily steps down. Gene Smith said as much last week. But I for one am sick and tired of being lied to. This roster isn’t good enough, it won’t be good enough next season, and Holtman isn’t good enough for Buckeye basketball standards.