Chris Holtmann discusses Ohio State's defensive struggles

Ohio State ranks fifth in the Big Ten in points per game this season. But the Buckeyes sit ninth out of the 14 teams in scoring defense — and coach Chris Holtmann spoke about that this week.

Speaking after Ohio State’s win over Penn State on Sunday, Holtmann acknowledged how important a potent offense has been for his team this year. Even though he said he knows the defense has to improve, he thinks it played a huge role in two big victories this season.

“Our offense has been the more significant of the two sides,” Holtmann said. “But [against] Wisconsin, we won [that] game with our defense. Duke, we beat with our defense. I think we just have to continue to be better on that end and continue to grow in our efficiency offensively.

“We weren’t super efficient offensively today [against Penn State]. We didn’t make a ton of shots. But we got to the line at a really, really high level, which was good to see.”

The Buckeyes responded well, though. They played IUPUI on Tuesday and allowed just 37 points — the least they’ve allowed since 2013.

Chris Holtmann provides timetable on return of Meechie Johnson

Ohio State point guard Meechie Johnson has missed the last three games with an injury. Johnson missed Thursday’s loss against Wisconsin, Sunday’s victory over Penn State and Tuesday’s win over IUPUI.

On Monday, Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann updated the status of Johnson, saying that he is “taking steps forward,” via Rivals’ Colin Gay. Johnson got hit in the face by an inadvertent elbow.

Once Johnson is able to return for Ohio State, he might be wearing a protective mask on his face.

“I’m sure he’ll have fun unveiling that,” Holtmann said via Gay.

Gay added that Johnson is currently not cleared for any physical activity.

In the 13 games that Johnson has played this season, he has mostly come off of Ohio State’s bench. On the year, Johnson is averaging 19.7 minutes, 6.6 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists. He is shooting 36.8 percent from the field, 40 percent from three point range, and 71.4 percent from the free throw line.

Johnson is a former four-star recruit, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He held offers from Michigan State, Xavier, Indiana, and Wisconsin prior to choosing Ohio State.

As a freshman last season, Johnson played in 17 games, averaging 1.2 points per game.