Chris Holtmann calls Ohio State's rebounding effort 'enormous'

Ohio State snapped a nine-game losing streak Saturday with a 72-60 victory against Illinois, and coach Chris Holtmann believes rebounding played a huge part. Holtmann stressed crashing the glass in practice throughout the week, and it’s clear it paid off.

The Buckeyes outrebounded the Fighting Illini 40-28 in the win, including 32-19 on the defensive glass. Forward Justice Sueing finished with a double-double of 14 points and 11 boards, eight of which were offensive.

Speaking postgame, Holtmann revealed just how big the rebounding effort was for Ohio State.

“Huge key,” he said. “Enormous key. They’re the second-best offensive rebounding team in the league. They have guys off the bench who are really committed to offensive rebounding. It was a huge key. Players will tell you, we drilled it home for two days. We had a really physical practice yesterday because of how good they are on the glass. It was an enormous key and they did a good job.”

The Buckeyes held Illinois 10 rebounds below their season average of 38.2. Ohio State also dominated scoring down low with 46 points in the paint. Bruce Thornton led the team with 20 points as it shot 30-of-56 (53.6% from the floor).

The win was a distraction from what has otherwise been a rough season for Ohio State. The Buckeyes currently find themselves at 13th place in the Big Ten with a 12-17 record, including 4-14 in league play. Following 18 straight winning seasons, they are guaranteed their first losing record since 2003-04.

Ohio State has two more regular season games as well as the conference tournament remaining if it hopes to match its win total from that season. That begins with a matchup against No. 21 Maryland at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday.

Chris Holtmann shares how badly Ohio State needed Illinois win

Saying you needed a win badly after losing 14 of your last 15 games, including nine straight, could be considered a bit of an understatement. However, Chris Holtmann said Ohio State deserved their victory over Illinois on Sunday specifically because of how they’ve played as of late.

Holtmann shared what he meant following the Buckeye’s 72-60 win over the Fighting Illini. He said his team earned this one considering they’d been playing much better. They just had yet to see anything change in the win column. After two games of growth, though, he’s happy that things finally paid off for his players in this one.

“I think, at this point, it’s about how we’re playing as much as anything. We really did feel like we were playing better basketball but not always being rewarded necessarily for that,” said Holtmann. “I think, at this point, that is really what we’ve stressed. Play the right way and play it for longer stretches. We have been doing that since the Purdue game I believe…We just felt the dividends and reward of it with a win here.”