Chris Holtmann reveals Ohio State's mindset entering postseason

This season didn’t go exactly how Ohio State planned, ending the regular season 13-18 overall with a conference record of 5-15. The Buckeyes now enter the Big Ten Tournament as the No. 13 seed, with a long uphill battle ahead of them. After their final regular season game, head coach Chris Holtmann spoke on the mentality of his team heading into postseason play.

“As we all know, when it’s one and done it’s all about how you play on that given night,” Holtmann said. “So the fact of the matter is we have played well in this closing stretch, but it’s all about how you play when you’re in a one-and-done situation on that given night.”

At one point during the regular season, the Buckeyes had one of the worst stretches in the Big Ten conference this season, with a 1-14 stretch that included a nine-game losing streak. All 15 games were conference matchups, but late in the season Ohio State started to show signs of life.

The Buckeyes snapped their nine-game losing streak with a home win over Illinois. Which was followed by another victory as they defeated No. 21 Maryland on senior day. The Buckeyes went 2-1 in their last three games of the season and will look to carry some of their newfound momentum into the Big Ten Tournament.

“So we’ll need to have great preparation for whoever we play and continue to play in a way that we’ve played here the last couple weeks and see where it goes from there,” Holtmann said.

The Buckeyes will be taking on Wisconsin in their first-round matchup, a team that only defeated them by five points when they met earlier this season. Ohio State actually shot the ball better and dominated the glass in their February meeting with the Badgers, but turnovers got the best of them as they trailed all night and could never even take the lead once.

Ohio State currently sits at +7400 odds of winning the Big Ten Tournament, fourth worst in the field, as they look to shock and impress the world with a tournament run. Hopefully the Buckeyes can learn from their previous meeting with the Badgers and rely on their improved play as of late to secure a tournament win, as they face Wisconsin Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. ET airing on Big Ten Network.