Tip Sheet: What to know as Buckeyes begin Big Ten Tournament run

COLUMBUS — Ohio State enters the Big Ten Tournament in an odd spot.

The Buckeyes, the No. 5 seed, have at times looked like a team that can capture a Big Ten Tournament title and make a deep run in the Big Dance after that. At other moments this season, the Buckeyes have fallen to lesser competition or played poorly.

Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann likes his team, even after the current four-game losing streak it finds itself in the middle of heading to Indianapolis. He’s confident the No. 9 Buckeyes are in the right mindset heading into a loaded Big Ten Tournament bracket.

“Everybody is in a good place,” Holtmann said. “I think normally, as you’d expect, we watched film on Sunday, disappointed. A lot of good things from that game, and really outside of the Iowa game, there have been some really good things to come out of this stretch.

“Guys are really in a great place here, and ready for tournament play.”

Ohio State is set to open the Big Ten Tournament with a tough matchup against Minnesota on Thursday afternoon in Indianapolis in a game broadcast on Big Ten Network. It’s the first postseason opportunity, and it serves as a chance to finally put the losing streak behind them and look ahead to what could be a special March for this talented Ohio State roster.

Lettermen Row has all the details about what to know before the Buckeyes open in the Big Ten Tournament.

Buckeyes turning page on recent losing streak

Ohio State would rather not enter the Big Ten Tournament on a four-game losing streak. Part of that streak is a product of the brutal final stretch of games the Buckeyes played recently. Part of it falls on not closing games.

Any way they slice it, the Buckeyes needed to regroup and refocus entering the Big Ten Tournament. And Chris Holtmann has confidence his team will head to Indianapolis with a fresh mindset.

“You obviously think about your guys feeling good about themselves,” Holtmann said. “Having said that, I think they recognize they put themselves in a really good position in a couple games, and you don’t do that without playing well. I don’t look at this stretch and think ‘wow, we have had four games where we have played really really poorly.’ That hasn’t been the case. If that was the case, I’d be more concerned. I think our guys would be more concerned.

“Having said that, I think the feeling good about yourself and getting a win is important, but at the end of the day, you know how this thing works. You’ve seen it before. Guys can go into tournament time really hot and struggle, go in really struggling and get hot. It’s just an unknown. What you really have to focus on is being healthy and playing well.”

And that’s what the Buckeyes are doing in preparation for the postseason.

Buckeyes mixing rest, practice in postseason prep

The Buckeyes have played just two games in 12 days leading up to the Big Ten Tournament. They’ll face Minnesota in the second round of that tournament. Holtmann and Ohio State have focused on getting better as a team. They have also made sure his team was well-rested for the postseason.

“We have tried to focus on ourselves and at the same time knowing that we try to have a piece of every practice where you’re preparing for the opponent,” he said. “That’s what we try to do in every practice. … Obviously we’ve practiced a few days here but you’re not spending two hours on the floor every single day.”

With this approach, the Buckeyes could be in a position to make a deep run in the Big Ten Tournament — and beyond.

Conference tournament brings excitement, urgency

Ohio State knows its season won’t end this weekend at the Big Ten Tournament. But the Buckeyes still have a level of urgency entering this week’s games. The Buckeyes need to grab a win to escape the losing streak and carry momentum into the Big Dance.

For the entire league, the excitement and urgency of March is here.

“I think there’s an excitement and an anticipation for every team that goes into it,” Holtmann said. “Those teams, right now, that know they’re playing beyond the Big Ten Tournament still feel great anticipation about playing well. And moving forward, I think those teams that know this is their final shot to get into the NCAA Tournament are going to play with great urgency. So I think that’s what makes conference tournaments special even in power leagues.

“There’s some urgency across the board. That’s an exciting thing, whether you’re guaranteed a spot in the NCAA Tournament, like several of us are, or teams that are trying to fight their way to win the automatic bid.”

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