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Ohio State Basketball: Answering the Many Questions Surrounding the Program
It has been roughly three weeks since Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith let go of former Buckeye Signal caller, Chris Holtman. Holtman went 137-86 at Ohio State. He also brought in many great recruiting classes, however, for the last year and a half he had severely underperformed on the hardwood despite having some good classes roll through. Since the firing, Ohio State has rattled off 4 of 5 wins including as a 10-point underdog in East Lansing, beating #2 ranked Purdue, demolishing biggest rival Michigan, and beating a 20-win Nebraska program. This leads to the first and most important question surrounding the program. Who should be the next coach at Ohio State?
Should Jake Diebler be named Ohio State’s next coach?
Jake Diebler is 37 years old and current interim head coach. Jake is from Gibsonburg, Ohio, and has many ties to Ohio State. Jake's brother, Jon Diebler is one of the best shooting guards in Ohio State’s history and is a fan favorite amongst fans. Additionally, Jake has been the assistant head coach for the last three years and has been on Ohio State’s coaching staff since 2019. When new Athletic director Ross Bjork was asked, he replied with: “experience in the chair matters?”. Diebler is currently 4-1 as the head coach and has the team on the cusp of making the NCAA tournament. Diebler is also credited for getting 5-star and NBA star Darius Garland to Vanderbilt when he was an assistant there. Will Ohio State’s new AD take into consideration a vibrant young successful recruiter, or stick to someone with “more experience”? Time will surely tell, but regardless Jake is doing a great job.
Can Ohio State Realistically Make the Tournament?
No doubt Ohio State is one of the hottest teams in the country, but is it too late? Let’s look into their resume and see if they can realistically make the tournament.
Ohio State’s current record: is 18-12
Big Ten Record: 8-11
Quadrant 1 wins (the top tier division, record vs best teams in the country): 3-5, this is tied for 27th in the country with 3 quadrants and 1 wins.
Other teams on the bubble like Providence are similar in record (18-11), but are 5-8 in Quad 1 wins, even though it's a larger sample size, the Friars have two more Quad 1 wins. Another team to watch on the bubble is St Johns. St Johns is 17-12 and also in the Big East. Ultimately, it is looking unlikely the Buckeyes get in, unless they make a deep run into the Big Ten tournament, and one or both the Big East teams lose early in their respective tournament.