Tag: chris holtman

Five thoughts after Ohio State basketball’s loss at Indiana

The Buckeyes have had a January they’d love to forget #GoBucks

There was some hope that [autotag]Ohio State[/autotag] basketball could turn around their horrendous January stretch, but after falling to Indiana 86-70, they would love to forget the first month of the 2023.

Just two wins in nine games during the month, putting [autotag]Chris Holtman[/autotag]’s squad just one game above .500 at 11-10. It’s hard to believe that this team has tumbled so hard after being a fringe top 25 team for the first two months of the season.

This loss is just another disappointing moment in what is turning out to be a forgettable season for the Buckeyes. Once again, it was mostly bad and here are five thoughts after another Ohio State defeat.

Ohio State players to earn “gold jersey” when the basketball team sweeps TTUN

Traditions are what make college sports great. Chris Holtman brought a new one to the Ohio State basketball team with wins over Michigan.

Ohio State fans know all the traditions that come with a university rich with history. Maybe one of the best known and most loved traditions is after beating Michigan on the football field, each player and coach receive a gold piece of jewelry molded to look like football pants with the score of that year’s game.

It’s something we hear past and present players talk about yearly. Each generation likes to gloat about how many pairs they have, representing the number of wins the Buckeye teams had while they were members of that team. Some players have as many as five pairs of gold pants and each one is cherished.

Never to miss an opportunity to help motivate his team, Chris Holtman began dreaming of a way that he could give his players something meaningful after beating TTUN. After talking with the football program, the Buckeye basketball team came up with the gold jersey.

It’s easy to determine how the football team earns gold pants – beat Michigan in the season finale each year. But how would the basketball team go about earning a gold jersey? They may play the Wolverines two or three times in a season.

Holtman made it simple as well. No matter how many times the Buckeyes face the Maize and Blue in a season, OSU goes undefeated (subscription may be required) against that team up north.

Talk about a little extra motivation. It’s probably enough to beat your No. 1 rival but to get a piece of gold commemorating a series sweep? Icing on the cake.

The Buckeye basketball team earned their first-ever gold jersey when they swept Michigan in the 2020 season. Coach Holtman gave the players their hardware at a team Christmas party earlier in the year.

This is what makes college athletics so much fun. OSU will take a step towards a second jersey when they face the Wolverines on Sunday in Value City Arena.

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