The Buckeyes and Ramblers will play their first-round game in Pittsburgh on Friday.
Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann briefly met with the media via Zoom on Sunday night, just hours after the seventh-seeded Buckeyes learned they will play No. 10 seed Loyola Chicago in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at 12:15 p.m. on Friday.
Here’s a bullet-point recap of what Holtmann had to say:
- “This is an incredible time if you’re a player, coach or fan,” Holtmann said of March Madness.
- “I’m happy for our guys that they get to play meaningful games here in March.” Noted the Buckeyes didn’t know what seed they were going to be before it was announced.
- Including the 2019-20 season when NCAA Tournament was cancelled due to the pandemic, Holtmann notes this is the second-longest tournament streak in school history, trailing only Thad Matta’s seven straight from 2008-09 to 2014-15.
- Holtmann said there wasn’t any real concern about whether or not the Buckeyes would get into the tournament despite how they ended the season.
- On injuries to sophomore forward Zed Key (ankle) and fifth-year senior forward Kyle Young (concussion): “They just need to continue to make progress.” Mentioned how not playing until Friday will give them additional time to recover. “Another day is certainly needed.”
- On the first round being played in at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, roughly three hours from Columbus: “Love the fact that it’s close and close for our fans. Would love to see them on Friday.”
- “They have a lot of players returning from teams that have had a tremendous amount of success,” Holtmann said of the Ramblers’ Final Four and Sweet 16 runs in 2018 and 2021, respectively.
- “You’re not in this position without having some quality play and wins over the season,” Holtmann said about Ohio State’s position as a No. 7 seed.
- “I think everybody’s well aware of Loyola and Sister Jean,” Holtmann said, also noting they beat Illinois last season. “We understand we’re playing a really good team.”
- “Certainly we would have liked to finish the season better than we did, but obviously, it’s a new season. It’s the postseason.”
- Holtmann said Key would not have been at full strength had he played in the Big Ten Tournament loss to Penn State and that playing him could have prevented him from playing this week. “It was a choice we made with the medical staff that he was going to sit that one out.” Also said Young watched the game from the locker room because the crowd noise has bothered him.
- On not advancing past the first weekend during his tenure at Ohio State: “It’s something you’re always aware of.”
- Holtmann said he does not anticipate fifth-year senior forward Justice Sueing playing on Friday. Noted they should probably put out a statement about his status moving forward, as it has not been explicitly stated that he’s out for the year.
- “What we can control is our preparation and our focus heading into Friday.”
- On making the NCAA Tournament: “It’s a benchmark for every program. There’s an appreciation for how hard it is.”
- Holtmann noted the Buckeyes played the most difficult schedule they’ve had in his tenure. “At the end of the day, we tried to challenges ourselves and we took a couple on our chin in the non-conference and certainly at the end of the conference season … It helps that you’ve been tested. I think it weathers you some, but you have to play well on opening night (of the tournament.”
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