Everyone knows that teamwork makes the dream work, but in college basketball, it still helps to have a go-to player who can hold things down for his team in a reliable way. Last year, Chris Holtmann looked to redshirt junior forward Keita Bates-Diop to keep things moving on the court. Bates-Diop finished the season with Big Ten Player of the Year honors, averaging 19.8 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. For seven-straight games from Dec. 19-Jan. 14, he was the highest-scoring player on the court for either squad.
With Bates-Diop’s stellar performance last year, it is easy to forget (and, believe me, we have done our best to forget) the miserable sluggery that was the 2016-17 Ohio State basketball season.