After a year that Chris Holtmann called “difficult and yet rewarding” in his performance review during the offseason, Gene Smith evaluated that the head coach “exceeded expectations” for the second year in a row.
The Buckeyes, who had lost Keita Bates-Diop and Jae’Sean Tate in the offseason, began the season with a 12-1 record, ascending to No. 13 in the Associated Press top-25 rankings. They went 1-6 in January and rebounded with a 5-3 record in February before ending the regular season with three straight losses. Ohio State won a game in the Big Ten tournament and upset fifth-seeded Iowa State in the NCAA tournament, then lost to Houston in the second round, ending its season with a 20-15 record.