The Ohio State men’s basketball team (15-7, 5-6) is coming off three consecutive wins against Northwestern, Indiana and Michigan looking to avenge a 61-57 loss at home on Jan. 3.
Head coach Chris Holtmann spoke to members of the media before Friday’s practice, with the chance for redemption against the Badgers (13-10, 6-6) upcoming at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 9.
- Really good Wisconsin team. We saw what they did at home against Michigan State. They’re talented, older and well-coached.
- Freshman guard DJ Carton can take classes at home. We’ve leaned on our medical personnel here for the best ways to help him.
- Wisconsin’s games are typically in the 50s scoring-wise. That’s typically how they force you to play. Offensively, they’re really good at home, particularly with their shooting.
- I haven’t thought one way or the other about coaching in physical, grind-it-out games. I like games that are in the 80s or 90s (scorign-wise), and I like games that are in the 50s and 60s.
- I’m not following the Big Ten standings on a day-to-day basis unless I hear about it, because it’s one of the best leagues in the country. There are 12 teams in the top 50 in the net rankings.
- Sophomore guard Duane Washington? I don’t want him to play a whole lot differently than what his instincts are. We want him to be who he is. He’s not going to be a point guard who is going to set things up and suddenly turn into a pass-first player.
- What does it take to dig out of a losing streak? Even Michigan State has gone through a tough stretch as the preseason No. 1 team with the preseason player of the year and a Hall of Fame coach. They will find their way out of it as they always do. To get out, you have to be committed to the say-to-day process of getting better.
- Sophomore guard Luther Muhammad has been rehabbing. We had to give him a couple days off with the three-game week coming up next week. He should play.
- Duane Washington is a great kid. I love coaching him. When we recruited him, everyone said, ‘You’ve got to stay on him,’ even his dad. He’s an enjoyable kid to coach. He drives me batty but very few days have I not enjoyed coaching him. I see a lot of potential in him. We’re trying our darnedest as a coaching staff to bring a level of consistency out of him.
- We’ve got to keep building on the strong finish against Michigan. A big part of toughness is making the next right play in the course of a game. We’ve got to keep building on that.
- Junior guard C.J. Walker is used to it, growing up as a point guard with the ball in his hands. He also is looking for other guys. And he’s at his best when he’s steering the ship both offensively and defensively.
- DJ Carton is still learning what that position requires here, but he was doing really good things here before he stepped away.
- Duane Washington requires some adapting and learning while playing both of those guard positions, but he’s done some stuff really well as he’s continuing to grow in that. Duane has to keep getting better at understanding what the best shots look like.
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