Chris Holtmann Reacts Following Buckeyes' 82-56 Win Over Charleston Southern

COLUMBUS — Following Ohio State’s 82-56 win over Charleston Southern on Thursday, Buckeye head coach Chris Holtmann spoke with reporters. He shared thoughts on the good, the bad, and the ugly. Fortunately, there was more good than bad in OSU’s 26-point win. The highlights of everything Holtmann had to say can be found below.

Zed Key was the difference early. He got every loose rebound and he finished.
They want to play a nine-man rotation. He’s not sure they can get to 10 players in a rotation, but they’d like to.
Holtmann liked his defense in the first half but they were too careless in the second half. “I’m going to have to take a deep breath…”
More turnovers than assists in this game, which is not acceptable. Fourteen turnovers to 11 assists.
They had some really careless possessions offensively and defensively in the second half. Give Charleston Southern credit, but Holtmann wasn’t happy.
Zed Key is one of the better offensive rebounding bigs he’s coached. He’s got good hands and long arms. He’s got nearly a 7’2″ wingspan. They have challenged him to have better attention on the boards this year.
People may have made too much of the three-point shooting for Zed Key, but tonight “this is who Zed is.”
Charleston Southern’s guards hurt them offensively. They didn’t get through the ball screens well enough. They need more guys embracing the defensive effort that some guys already have.
Isaac Likekele is really smart and has great attention to detail. He is good at playing and seeing angles. He has great length and has defended some of the best players in the country. He adds a presence.
Rebounding is going to be a constant challenge for them. It helps having Justice Sueing on the court again.
Sean McNeil is used to guys attacking him as a defender. He takes pride in it. He plays angles well and he’s a bigger, stronger, older kid. He needs to embrace defense at a high level because they can’t be a good defensive team if he doesn’t.
Zed Key is a big kid to handle for opponents. Holtmann wants him to be a more cerebral defender. They have challenged him with that.
Have really loved Brice Sensabaugh’s approach and attitude. He watches film on a regular basis and understands he has a ways to go.
Bruce Thornton is the consummate point guard. He has a great feel. He’s different than most guys they’ve had. He is a very capable scorer. There will be nights they need him to score in double figures.