Ad Disclosure
Here’s what Chris Holtmann said after Ohio State’s thrilling win over Michigan in B1G Tournament
Published:
Ohio State edged out Michigan 68-67 on Saturday afternoon, advancing to the Big Ten Tournament final.
Duane Washington Jr. and EJ Liddell were the leaders offensively with 24 and 18 points, respectively.
But it was OSU’s defense that stood out the most. The Buckeyes held Michigan to a field goal percentage of 35.1 percent. Michigan also struggled from beyond the arc, hitting just six of 19 3-point tries.
After the game, Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann addressed his team’s defense as well as a number of other topics.
“We executed this defensive game plan maybe as well as any I’ve coached,” Holtmann told reporters after the game.
As for Washington Jr.’s performance, Holtmann said his outstanding performances vs. Michigan are no coincidence. He scored 30 points vs. the Wolverines back on Feb. 22.
“He knows what this game means to our fans,” Holtmann said.
Ohio State was without star forward Kyle Young for this game after he suffered a head injury on Friday. Holtmann said the team FaceTimed with Young immediately after the win.
#Buckeyes coach Chris Holtmann, on Kyle Young: "We facetimed with our guy after the game. We missed him too."
— Adam Jardy (@AdamJardy) March 13, 2021
Here’s a few other notes from Holtmann’s postgame press conference:
Chris Holtmann on today's game: “Doggone it, did we make it interesting.”
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) March 13, 2021
"Twitter coaches don't always understand that this is hard" – Chris Holtmann, aka my new favorite quote of all time
— Stephen Means (@Stephen_Means) March 13, 2021
#Buckeyes coach Chris Holtmann with some kind words for Juwan Howard: "I give Juwan credit. I asked him about his kid that went down and he asked me about E.J."
— Adam Jardy (@AdamJardy) March 13, 2021
#Buckeyes coach Chris Holtmann: "They put the jersey that got ripped last year, put it up on the screen, a picture of it. It was a constant reminder of a guy who really does care about this rivalry." Kyle Young is day-to-day, doesn't anticipate him being available tomorrow.
— Adam Jardy (@AdamJardy) March 13, 2021
Ohio State will face the winner of Iowa-Illinois in the Big Ten title game on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Spenser is the news manager at Saturday Road and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.