Quick hitters from Chris Holtmann Wisconsin preview press conference

COLUMBUS — After splitting back-to-back home games, each of which hit either end of the emotional spectrum, Ohio State is hitting the road again for three of its next four games.

The stretch begins Tuesday night against No. 20 Wisconsin, which dropped nine spots in this week’s AP Top 25 and is currently on a four-game skid.

Holtmann met with the media Monday to preview the matchup and answer questions about where his Buckeyes are at after a whirlwind of a week in the Schottenstein Center.

Lettermen Row has the rundown.

What Holtmann said Monday…

+ Holtmann was asked if there’s a “nothing to lose” mentality against ranked opponents Wisconsin and Purdue this week. He said you’d have to ask the players, but that certainly can be a factor in these kinds of matchups. Holtmann acknowledged Wisconsin’s recent struggles, as the Badgers have played three of their last four games on the road. They should be hungry Tuesday, Holtmann said.

+ Holtmann said on the road you have to do everything you do at a higher level because you know the home team is going to be operating on a higher level.

+ Holtmann said he hopes Ohio State can take some of the things it did in the last 15 minutes against Maryland and use them on the road at Wisconsin Tuesday. He noted the possession where Roddy Gayle Jr. kicked it out to Bruce Thornton for a game-tying 3-pointer down the stretch of regulation. The Buckeyes will need plays like that in bunches in Madison, Holtmann said.

+ Holtmann said they’re going to be tested in these road games coming up. The biggest thing to watch for is: “What is our fight, our mentality and our togetherness in these environments,” Holtmann said.

+ Holtmann said Ohio State needs to have more than just the scoring of Gayle, Thornton and Jamison Battle on the road, whether that’s Evan Mahaffey, Felix Okpara or Devin Royal reaching double figures.

+ Holtmann was asked about how Okpara has responded to the fact that he’s been in foul trouble each of the last two games after staying away from it most of the season. Holtmann: “I think we just got to keep working through film with him, showing him. He’s just gotta play with more discipline. Because he had done a really good job not getting into foul trouble. He’s got to play with more discipline, and he knows that. He’s such a great kid, and he wants to do well. He’s young, he’s got to get better at playing more discipline 1-and-1. Also, he’s gotten some fouls as a secondary defender where he didn’t need to. He turned his body a couple times where he could have been vertical and not gotten a foul call.”

+ Holtmann was asked about the offensive growth of Mahaffey, who has averaged 8.5 points over the last eight games. “Well, I love how much better he’s gotten and going to continue to get,” Holtmann said. “You got four sophomores in the starting lineup, and I think they all have a fair amount of upside. But he’s got high upside, as does a guy like Devin Royal and other guys. But I think he’s gotten really better offensively. I do want him to take some time and space threes. And I think for him, he’s just in a really good, confident offensive rhythm right now. Our challenge for him is I think he needs to be better defensively in some areas. And that’s what our focus has been with him.”

+ Holtmann was asked about how you balance a quick turnaround with the fatigue that came with a double-overtime game Saturday. He said he was aware of the wear and tear on his team, but there was still the need to feed his guys information about Wisconsin in terms of scouting the Badgers.

+ Holtmann said Wisconsin is really good defensively. Last time against the Badgers, Ohio State had a couple plays that didn’t go their way — Thornton missed the front end of a 1-and-1 a few times, and Gayle missed some 3-point opportunities. Holtmann believes that a smaller lineup, like the one the Buckeyes had against Maryland, can space the floor better for Gayle and Thornton.

+ Holtmann said it will be critical to have additional perimeter shooting, whether that’s from Scotty Middleton, Bowen Hardman or Dale Bonner stepping up. Middleton, who Holtmann said can be a terrific defender, has to work through the up and downs that come with a freshman season.

+ Holtmann was asked about the disparity in Saturday/weekend home games. He said he and AD Gene Smith put in a call to the Big Ten office last offseason. Holtmann said he appreciated the office listening, but the response was essentially that all 14 Big Ten teams ask for the same thing.

+ Holtmann was asked what he expects from Wisconsin playing at home on a four-game losing streak. Holtmann reiterated that the Badgers will be “hungry.” He went on: “Like everybody anytime this year, they’re a proud group. I think the thing about them, they’re obviously really old. They added an impact transfer (AJ Storr), as we all know, and he’s a really good player. But they’re really old, and they are a really proud group. [Tyler] Wahl’s been one of my favorite players to compete against because his competitive spirit is just phenomenal. He’s an absolute warrior. So they’re going to come out hungry. I think our group will come out hungry, and we’ll go from there.”

+ Holtmann said that Bonner’s approach to practice has been good, and that’s given Holtmann a lot of confidence to play Bonner more. The Baylor transfer logged a season-high 36 minutes against Maryland. Holtmann did note that foul trouble and the want to explore some closing lineups also factored into Bonner’s uptick in minutes.

+ Holtmann was complimentary of Gayle’s defensive performance against Maryland guard Jahmir Young down the stretch of Saturday’s win. He believes Gayle can replicate that going forward, but Holtmann stressed that he needs to do a good job of giving Gayle more breaks throughout the game because Gayle can wear down quickly with that big of a two-way workload.