Ohio State Head Coach Chris Holtmann Previews Minnesota Matchup

The Ohio State men’s basketball team ended a four-game losing skid with a victory at home against Nebraska on Jan. 14, but then lost at Penn State on Jan. 18 in its next game.

The Buckeyes welcome Minnesota, who gave them their first loss on Dec. 15, to Value City Arena for a 6:30 p.m. ET tipoff on Jan. 23.

• Another really good team coming here in Minnesota with really good players.
• Freshman guard D.J. Carton will continue to learn both guard spots. You’re a little bit cautious as a coach because you don’t want to throw too much at a freshman who is still processing a lot.
• Playing off the ball allows Carton to think a little bit less and play off of instincts.
• Sophomore guard Duane Washington? He’s a really good ball handler. I’d like to see him distribute the ball more. While his assists haven’t been high, his turnovers haven’t been as high lately.
• We just have to play tougher and be tougher as a group.
• I’m not sure our toughness got challenged enough during the nonconference schedule. We didn’t get tested on the road or in our neutral-site games.
• We’ve struggled both physically and mentally. Some of it is a younger team lacking physical strength and size, but really we’re lacking in both areas. We need a resilient mindset. We also need to play physical and finish through contract.
• The only way you get tougher is you do tough things on a regular basis. Right now our toughness is in question. We’ve got a competitive group. I’ve got to find out who are toughest guys are and roll with them.
• One of the greatest challenges has been bringing a positive mindset to practice in a negative situation on a losing streak.
• It takes some time for junior big man Kaleb Wesson and Carton to develop chemistry playing together. They’ve done a good job but they have to continue to learn to play together.
• We had a lot of turnovers early against Penn State and that put us in a tough hole.
• Minnesota freshman center Daniel Oturu and sophomore guard Marcus Carr have had great Big Ten seasons when you look at their stats. We knew they were a good team when we played them and people are starting to see that now.
• Junior forward Kyle Young has still been limited in practice while recovering from surgery. He won’t feel like his normal self until six weeks after the surgery.
• Sophomore wing Justin Ahrens? I’ve liked his attitude and his effort in practice.
• Junior wing Musa Jallow will have ankle surgery and take a redshirt.
• You try not to put a whole lot on your kids in this profession, but my daughter Nora (9) feels it.
• We have to play tougher and smarter. Bottom line.

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