The Ohio State Buckeyes are on an obvious downward trend.
January was a difficult month for Chris Holtmann’s Buckeyes.
Following a chilly start to the year, Ohio State (13-8, 3-7) was dropped off of the most recent ESPN Men’s Bracketology on Tuesday.
The Buckeyes had a strong start to the season, finishing 11-2 in November and December 2023, but they appear to be in a similar situation as they were the previous year. Last season, Ohio State also got out to a 9-3 start before entering conference play and finishing 1-8 in January.
Not much better was February of previous year, when the Buckeyes first dropped seven straight games before defeating Illinois in their final game. However, it was already too late.
Ohio State is now ranked No. 12 in the Big Ten, one position higher than where they ended up the previous year. They haven’t reached February yet, though, and after reaching their lowest point, they appear to be trending upward.
The Buckeyes’ first two losses during their current three-game losing skid were by 14 points against Nebraska and 25 points against Northwestern, which is Ohio State’s biggest defeat since a setback to No. 3 Purdue on February 19.
However, their most recent game, a 12-point defeat to Illinois that looked closer than the final score, demonstrated how effective and proficient the squad can be when they force stops and score points on the opposite end.
After Tuesday’s game against Illinois, Holtmann raised some questions regarding whether the returners’ difficulties from the previous season are still weighing on them.
“Could any events from the previous year be influencing [our mindset]? Perhaps, I’m not sure,” Holtmann remarked.
Guard Roddy Gayle Jr., a sophomore, stated on Tuesday that the Buckeyes can push to end the season strong and that he doesn’t want to “feel the same pain I did last year.”
Gayle stated, “We’ve noticed an improvement in our practices.” “We basically went into the game with a lot of urgency, but I think we need to be at a different level in order to accomplish our objectives. I believe we sti