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Chris Holtmann praises play of Eugene Brown

On3-Social-Profile_GRAYby:On3 Staff Report•02/28/23
Eugene Brown, Ohio State Buckeyes guard
Ohio State guard Eugene Brown applauds during a game against Illinois on Feb. 26, 2023. (Dylan Buell / Getty Images)

Ohio State snapped a nine-game losing skid with a 72-60 win over Illinois this weekend, and the Buckeyes got some terrific performances from players down the bench like Eugene Brown.

Brown played 17 minutes and managed to score nine points, pull down four rebounds and pry away two steals from the Illini.

“I thought Gene was great,” coach Chris Holtmann said after the game. “I thought Gene was great.”

The Buckeyes had to play a little unconventionally as a result of the way the Illini set their lineup.

According to Holtmann the forward-heavy lineup kept his Buckeyes from getting a few other players he would have liked more involved into the action.

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“You know it’s interesting how we’re playing without Zed (Key),” Holtmann said. “We’re a little bit faster and a little bit more versatile and Isaac (Likekele) and Gene really fight in there. They really fight in there. We thought (Dain) Dainja, we’d see Dainja more. I wish I could have played Felix (Okpara) more. It’s just they went with a bunch of forwards so it was hard to get him in there longer.”

Buckeyes breakthrough finally arrived

After nine straight losses in conference play, Sunday was some sweet relief for the Buckeyes with the win over the Fighting Illini.

Holtman said after the game that the team played really well for as long as it has been in recent games.

“You do not know when there will be any type of breakthrough when you’re going through a stretch like this,” Holtmann said. “I think the teaching point is and has been, that should not change our preparation, our togetherness and our ability to play the right way for longer stretches. That’s really been what we’ve preached. If we didn’t have a breakthrough today, but we played for longer stretches the right way. That was going to be the conversation in the postgame and and I think that has to be continued to be the case the rest of the season.”

Ohio State will return to action on Wednesday with a 7 p.m. ET tipoff against No. 21 Maryland. The game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.