Ohio State Basketball: 3 reasons why the Buckeyes can win the Big Ten

NEW ORLEANS, LA - DECEMBER 23: Head coach Chris Holtmann of the Ohio State Buckeyes reacts during the first half of the CBS Sports Classic against the North Carolina Tar Heels at the Smoothie King Center on December 23, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /

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NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 20: Head coach Chris Holtmann of the Ohio State Buckeyes goes over plays from the sideline in the second half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers during their game at Madison Square Garden on January 20, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

1. Chris Holtmann is a wizard

The jury is out on whether or not he’s an actual wizard or just someone with plenty of magic to spend. But Holtmann kept the ship afloat throughout the first months of his tenure.

Now, he may be rewarded handsomely for it.

Last year’s Buckeyes went 17-15, including 7-11 in Big Ten play. Their season faced a shameful ending when they lost in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament to Rutgers.

In the offseason, forward Marc Loving graduated, guard JaQuan Lyle transferred, and center Trevor Thompson declared for the NBA Draft. The team’s recruiting class wasn’t nationally ranked by any major media outlet, either.

In other words, they were returning even less than the team that struggled last year. That portended bad things for Holtmann’s maiden voyage.

Well, they’ve already hit the 17-win mark and would need an epic collapse to match last year’s record. Freshman Kaleb Wesson has been instilled with enough confidence to be an impact contributor (11.3 ppg, 5.2 rbg). The Buckeyes are playing better defense and don’t appear as foul-happy as last season.

Holtmann also helped to develop one of the fiercest players in the entire country, one the college basketball world was ill-prepared to handle.

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