When Chris Holtmann was fired by Ohio State nearly three weeks ago, very few people, if anyone at all, thought the Buckeyes still had a legitimate shot to make the NCAA Tournament. Gene Smith made the change to provide a spark to OSU's men's hoops team, and that's exactly what has happened since.
Ohio State is 4-1 since Jake Diebler was named the interim coach, including wins over Purdue, at Michigan State, Nebraska and a dominant win over Michigan on Sunday.
With one regular season gaming remaining (at Rutgers on Sunday), the Buckeyes are playing their best basketball of the year and seem to be playing with much more confidence under Diebler. Which gives us This Week's Question: What does Jake Diebler have to do the rest of the season (and postseason) to be Ohio State's permanent head coach going forward?
Incoming athletic director Ross Bjork recently said that “experience in the chair matters," which could make things tough for Diebler to be named Ohio State's next head coach. Although he doesn't have any head coaching experience, the 37-year-old has proven to be a good recruiter during his time at Vanderbilt (2016-19) and Ohio State (2019-present), has shown plenty of promise leading the Buckeyes so far and has plenty of experience as an assistant coach. Even with all of those accolades as an assistant, though, his experience "in the chair" could be the determining factor.
