COLUMBUS, Ohio — When the NCAA Tournament was canceled by COVID two years ago, Ohio State basketball definitely would have been in, likely as a No. 5 seed. That means Chris Holtmann has fielded a tournament team for all five of his seasons leading the Buckeyes, which is no small thing. It won’t show up in the official records, where the 2020 never-was tournament doesn’t count, but that cancellation saved teams like North Carolina from breaking their tournament streaks. They wouldn’t have been in. We’re talking Holtmann, so we’re talking his five seasons. Using a bracket done by 10 experts when the tourney was canceled to stand in for 2020, here’s how many programs have fielded NCAA-quality teams in each of the last five years. Eight of them. Gonzaga, Kansas, Villanova, Texas Tech, Houston, Michigan State, Michigan and Ohio State. The tournament has again become a sure thing for the…
Continue Reading: Chris Holtmann is in rare NCAA Tournament company at Ohio State, now the Buckeyes need to make a run: Doug Lesmerises
