Ohio State Coach Chris Holtman Updates Zed Key Injury, Talks Michigan State Loss
Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Chris Holtmann met with Paul Keels and former Buckeye captain Ron Stokes on his radio show Monday. Here's everything you need to know from what Holtmann said.
Zed Key still dealing with a shoulder injury, and might require surgery
It's no secret forward Zed Key has been battling a shoulder injury, something he has reaggravated in each of the last two games but has toughed it out.
"Yeah it's not an easy injury to deal with because you get hit there a lot, particularly if you're a big guy," Holtmann said. "When you stretch for rebounds, extend that area, it certainly can put stress on that area."
Holtmann said Key is "physically, a really tough kid," but that he wants him to grow mentally.
Key has told Holtmann that the shoulder brace he wears in games has made him have "a hard time" breathing and running while playing.
"They've looked at different options," Holtmann said when asked about the brace Key wears. "There's really not a better option out there to protect it."
With all the reaggravations of the injury in games, Holtmann said surgery might be an option the medical staff will look at with Key.
"We need to get through this season, evaluate after the season if surgery's required," Holtmann said. "The medical team will look at that and determine if surgery is required."
Defensive details against Michigan State 'pretty good'
Sunday the Buckeyes allowed the fewest points they have given up to an opponent since a 73-57 win against the Northwestern Wildcats on Jan. 1.
Holtmann thought Ohio State's defense was "pretty good" against the Spartans.
"I thought our defensive details were pretty good. I thought our intent was pretty good for the most part," Holtmann said. "I thought our gameplan was solid in terms of, we were really trying to keep our defense tight, make them play over us, and while we were a little bit softer on the ball than we normally are, I thought we were gapped up and made them play over and shoot over us."
Holtmann said the frustration from the offensive struggles probably translated to the defensive end.
"As bad as we were offensively, it's hard. You just can't let it affect your defensive effort," Holtmann said.
Ohio State's struggles from 3 continue
The Buckeyes followed up their 1-for-14 effort from deep against the Northwestern Wildcats with another abysmal shooting percentage, just a 20.7 3-point percentage against Michigan State.
Holtmann said the Spartans "play heavy in the gaps" and Ohio State couldn't break it.
"We didn't do a good job cutting and then we also just missed some opportunities to take advantage of that when we had some open looks," Holtmann said.
The Buckeyes' coach of six years said he liked the looks Ohio State had, pointing to a play where forward Justice Sueing kicked out to forward Brice Sensabaugh for an open shot that didn't fall.
"I liked more than I didn't like," Holtmann said. "I thought we had some step-in, rhythm clean 3s. There were a couple that I didn't like and a couple 2s that I definitely didn't like, but, all in all, our shot quality went too late in the second half."
Ohio State not returning to Columbus between road games
The Buckeyes hit the road for back-to-back games at the Iowa Hawkeyes and Purdue Boilermakers, respectively, and Holtmann said the team will go from Iowa City, Iowa, to West Lafayette, Indiana, without a return trip back to campus.
With the 9 p.m. tipoff against Iowa Thursday and the 1 p.m. start against Purdue Sunday, Holtmann said the Buckeyes will stay in Iowa City overnight to "get our guys a little more rest."
"As opposed to coming all the way back, we're just going to practice and stay there in West Lafayette," Holtmann said.
Holtmann said if the Buckeyes were to return between the two games, there would essentially be "a wasted day" in between.
"You're worried about sleep and catching up on the sleep cycles and what that can do to a body over the course of two or three days," Holtmann said. "I think this gives us a chance to be our best. We're obviously playing two really good teams."
Working through freshman woes
The common mantra with the "freshman wall" is that by January most freshmen, if they have excelled to that point in the season, will start to garner more attention on scouting reports and make more mistakes.
Holtmann said the Buckeyes' freshmen are "freshmen with a lot of minutes under their belt" which should "enable them to continue to grow as players."
"There are still freshman moments that they have," Holtmann said.
Holtmann said a lot of those key details in their game may be missed when watching on TV.
"Sometimes I think when you're watching on TV, whether you're a coach or a fan or whatever, you miss a kid not sprinting back and getting matched up early enough," Holtmann said. "Or he's late to get matched up and then that affects the rotation and that creates an open score or he misses a block out or there's a guy he's supposed to close out too short that he closes out too long to which forces that drive which forces rotation.
"My point is, some of those things are still coming, and I think they'll continue to come throughout the freshman year," Holtmann said. "Right now, we haven't been good enough to overcome, not just the mistakes from our young players, but just in general. Our margin for error has been too small."
Missed shots around rim 'can't be this poor moving forward'
Against Michigan State, Ohio State's 2-point field goal percentage was 35.5 percent.
Holtmann said the Buckeyes have "typically been a really good 2-point field goal percentage team."
He said this season a factor could be a lack of strength, but they have to be "better at playing on balance off two feet."
"We have to be more committed to it. We've got to coach it better. We've got to play it better," Holtmann said. "Our 2-point field goal percentage has rarely been this poor, and it can't be this poor moving forward."
Holtmann said to do that, the Buckeyes have to play "on balance, not playing as much in crowds, reading the defense, making the right play."
How can Brice Sensabaugh impact the game if he isn't scoring?
From Dec. 17, 2022, to Jan. 28, Sensabaugh had scored less than 18 points in one contest.
In the previous four games since then, he has scored 13, 14, four and eight points, respectively.
"Brice has struggled with his efficiency, which was a strength for him," Holtmann said. "We've got to help him with that."
Holtmann said when he isn't scoring at the rate he usually does, there are other ways for him to impact a game. Holtmann didn't think Sensabaugh rebounded well against Michigan State, but he did point to some of the growth the freshman has shown on the defensive side of the ball.
"You saw early in the game where he was in a stance, had a really good rotation on a ball screen," Holtmann said. "Then went and popped Joey Hauser on the block out. Those are details for an entire possession, defensively, that if you do that consistently, you become a good defensive player."
Holtmann has 'to be honest' on how to move forward through tough stretch
Barring a turnaround at the end of the regular season and making some noise in the Big Ten Tournament, Holtmann's five-season streak of at least 20 wins will come to an end.
How has Holtmann tried to overcome losing more than he has won for the first time in his Ohio State tenure?
"You try to lose yourself in the work of just getting better," Holtmann said. "That's really the best antidote that I feel like I've had to be able to manage this. You know, a little alcohol doesn't help... you have to be honest about where we're at."
"You have to check yourself and in some cases, you know, ask your staff or ask people, 'Hey, how am I communicating this to my team?'" Holtmann said. "'Do they see my degree of frustration?'"
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