Tom Izzo credits Chris Holtmann for lineup strategy

When it’s broke, you’ve got to try and fix it. After five straight losses and 10 defeats in their last 11 games, Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann had to throw a wrench into the starting lineup against Michigan State. He kept front-court veterans Zed Key and Justice Sueing as starters, but opted to start three freshmen in the backcourt in Brice Sensabaugh, Roddy Gayle Jr. and Bruce Thornton.

Thornton has started every game this season and Sensabaugh is the team’s leading scorer but has come off the bench for roughly half the games this year. However, Gayle almost never starts and the trio of rookies only started one other game together all year, a few weeks back vs. Iowa — the only win in the team’s last dozen games.

Alas, the experiment failed this time around as Ohio State turned in their worst offensive performance of the season and lost on their home court 62-41 in yet another embarrassing representation of Buckeye basketball.

At least Coach Holtmann gave the lineup a whirl when nothing else was working anyway. These freshmen, especially Gayle and Thornton, are likely the future of the program, so might as well give them plenty of run in what’s become a lost season.

After the game, Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo was asked about OSU starting their freshmen. He answered in support of Holtmann and noted those Buckeyes aren’t your typical first-year players from a physicality standpoint.

“What I like is I think they are three talented freshmen, No. 1. We have some problems where Tre (Holloman), he is still 165, 170 pounds. Those young guys they have got are men,” said Izzo. “I’m sure your football coach would die to have a couple of those at linebacker.”

Izzo then went on to explain it’s really not his place to comment on whether the lineup change made sense or not since he doesn’t know what’s going on in the background.

“I’m not here. I don’t have any idea what goes on. I just know that all of our locker rooms are very difficult. They’re all very, very difficult, and it takes daily massaging, communication. I just thought that it was maybe the right thing to try something different. He still played those other guys — who was it that came in? McNeil had a pretty good game. Made a couple of big shots. (Felix) Okpara, him too. I think he is gonna be a damn good player. For a young kid that skinny, he is gonna be a good player. I don’t know. Just my opinion. These are my opinions. Everybody has got opinions.”

Despite such a catastrophic conference slate so far, the one silver lining for Ohio State is that they have a number of freshman who have flashed exciting potential. With the NCAA Tournament likely out of the picture now, Chris Holtmann is focused more on developing his future core.