Chris Holtmann glad to see his messages validated as Ohio State goes on Big Ten Tournament run

Despite struggling through the regular season, Ohio State has managed to win its first two games in the Big Ten Tournament, a run that head coach Chris Holtmann is incredibly happy about.

As Holtmann explained, he’s glad to see this run, as he feels it validates the messages he’s been sending to the team all season long.

“It was really hard. I think I questioned whether I was messaging the right things at times this year because I didn’t feel like always I was — you know, they were hearing me,” Chris Holtmann said. “It almost felt like we needed to go through really serious struggles for them to understand there’s a way in which we have to play in terms of trusting each other.”

The Buckeyes are looking to continue this Cinderella run against Michigan State on Friday. If they’re going to win that game, Ohio State needs to maintain its focus.

“And playing with the necessary focus on the next possession, that’s really hard for any new team, but a young team and a new team to understand. Our understanding of that has just really, really improved,” Holtmann said.

“Then I think, even when we were losing, we were preaching that, and we said, hey, we will see the results eventually. Fortunately it’s been validated.”

Chris Holtmann on Ohio State’s confidence

Part of why Ohio State has been able to make this run is that the team is playing with a newfound confidence, as Chris Holtmann explained.

“I think that’s part of it, but I think the reality is there were too many times throughout this year — listen, there is a way you need to play when you’re struggling and maybe you’re down, and I think our team had to learn to play the right way when we go through adversity in games, and that’s been a hard lesson for us, and it’s taken us a minute to understand that,” Holtmann said.

“There’s a way you’ve got to play to give yourself a chance. Tonight was a great example. We’ve been saying that over and over, and I think it’s been validated in how our guys have performed really starting with the first half at Purdue. You play the right way, you give yourselves a chance. We’ve done that. And on top of that, I think, when you see some success, obviously confidence comes with that.”