Ohio State basketball: Chris Holtmann deserves some credit

The Ohio State basketball team’s season is officially over. It ended when Purdue took down the Buckeyes 80-66 on Saturday in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals. It was the Buckeyes’ fourth game in four days. They just couldn’t quite keep up the way they were playing.

Despite how poorly the season went, Chris Holtmann still deserves some credit for how the end of the season went. Holtmann was able to keep his team together and kept them from listening to the outside noise. This team played hard until the very end.

Holtmann got a lot of criticism from the media and fans alike. I certainly gave my fair share of criticism. But despite some struggles, I have to give credit where it’s due. Holtmann did his best coaching at the end of the season. He was able to get his team to win when their backs were against the wall.

Facing the prospect of having their season end, the Ohio State basketball team won three straight games. That’s something that they can take into next season. A young team gained some valuable experience that can be used next year to hopefully win more games.

If the buyout for Holtmann had not been so high, I’d be calling for Holtmann to lose his job this year. I think by winning the final three games that he did, he saved his job. Had the buyout not been in place, I think these last few victories would have given Holtmann another year.

Make no mistake, Holtmann is still on the hot seat heading into next year. A Buckeye team can’t go under .500 and not make the NCAA Tournament. But Holtmann went through the toughest year of his professional life and kept his team playing hard until the end. That counts for something.