Chris Holtmann not worried about transfers adjusting to Big Ten play

Ohio State saw plenty of turnover on its roster after last season’s run to the Sweet Sixteen. That includes three transfers, two of which came from the Big 12, and they got their first taste of Big Ten action Thursday night against Rutgers.

Going forward, Chris Holtmann thinks they’ll do just fine adjusting to the level of competition.

“I’m not sure it’s a huge difference between the Big 12 and the Big Ten,” Holtmann said prior to the conference opener. “I think there’s more similarities than there are differences. I think Tanner and our freshmen will need to know — everybody will. Everybody will need to be reminded of what this step-up in level is, for sure. All of us. But certainly, our freshmen.”

Isaac Likekele is now in the fold from Oklahoma State and leads the Buckeyes with 3.1 assists per game, while West Virginia transfer Sean McNeil ranks fourth on the roster with 10 points per game. Wright State transfer Tanner Holden made his presence known right away in Big Ten action, hitting a thrilling buzzer-beater to defeat Rutgers Thursday night.

Ohio State now has a break in conference action before it gets back underway Jan. 1 against Northwestern. The Buckeyes are now getting ready to take on North Carolina Dec. 18 at 3 p.m. ET before closing out the non-conference slate against Maine and Alabama A&M.

Tanner Holden hits wild buzzer-beater to send Ohio State past Rutgers in Big Ten opener

Just when it looked like Rutgers was going to pull off a victory over Ohio State Thursday night, the Buckeyes pulled off the impossible. Tanner Holden hit a wild, game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer to propel the Buckeyes to victory.

Rutgers’ Caleb McConnell missed a free throw with five seconds left, setting up a scramble to the other end of the court. That’s when Holden caught a pass from Bruce Thornton to set up his three-pointer to give the Buckeyes a 67-66 victory at Value City Arena. It was Holden’s lone bucket of the game.

It also made for quite a scene as the Buckeyes celebrated at center court.

Zed Key led the way for Ohio State Thursday night with 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting to go with a game-high 12 rebounds. He continued to impress early on this season as he entered the matchup against Rutgers as the Buckeyes’ second-leading scorer and top rebounder. Brice Sensabaugh, Ohio State’s leading scorer, also added 13 points to the effort.