Ohio State head coach Thad Matta finds himself in an unfamiliar position: For the first time in eight years, Matta will not be preparing to coach in the NCAA tournament.
A 20-13 season has the Buckeyes headed for the NIT. For Ohio State, it’s the first time participating in the event since the 2007-08 season. The Buckeyes’ seven-straight trips to the NCAA tournament was the seventh-longest streak in the nation before it was officially snapped Sunday.
It’s not ideal, of course, as this program under Matta has grown accustomed to playing, and winning, at a high level. Every player and coach wants to play in the NCAA tournament. It’s why you come to a place like Ohio State to play in the Big Ten. The end result is surely disappointing for the players and the coaching staff.
But it’s not the end of the world, either. An NCAA tournament berth for this year’s team was never a sure thing. This was always going to be a transitional year for the Buckeyes with only one upperclassmen — a junior — on the roster and an overwhelming number of players who had never played basketball at the Big Ten level before. If they can make a run, there could be some benefit to all the extra practices and games played.
And let’s not forget where Ohio State was back in November. The Buckeyes lost four-straight games, two of which were at home to mid-major teams, and started the season 2-4. Even at NIT bid back then seemed far fetched.
Just about every program in the country goes through what Ohio State went through this season at some point. But for fans, that doesn’t make it any easier to swallow. It’s still the NIT and not the NCAA tournament.
What about for the players, though? Will they be able to get up for an NIT game as opposed to an NCAA tournament one?
“Whatever comes up for us to play another game, we’ve just got to use it as another opportunity to get better,” redshirt sophomore guard Kam Williams said in the locker room following the Buckeyes' 81-54 loss to Michigan State in the Big Ten tournament. “We’ve still got to keep improving every day because nobody is going to feel sorry for us. Every other college team who is still playing in the postseason, they’re still getting better so we can’t dwell on this loss, we just have to get better.”
Added sophomore forward Keita Bates-Diop: “I still want to play, man. I love these guys. Any chance I get to play this game is a blessing, especially with these guys.”
The Buckeyes host Akron at 7 p.m. on Tuesday in the opening round of the NIT. Should they win, Ohio State would play the winner of Florida and North Florida. A win by the Buckeyes against the Zips means additional practices, additional film sessions. The season gets extended and with such a young group and that’s important.
The players and coaches will all say the right things when it comes to playing in the NIT — Matta said, “We are excited about the opportunity to continue our season and appreciate the NIT committee for selecting Ohio State” in a statement Sunday night —but there's no doubt there is disappointment about missing the NCAA tournament.
It's always better to make the NCAA tournament than the NIT even if it's an early exit; you can't ever replace the experience of playing in an NCAA tournament game. That's not where Ohio State sits this year, though. It will likely be there next season, but for now the Buckeyes will have to try and make a deep run in the NIT.
“Any game that we have, we’re going to try and prepare to win," Williams said. "I’m going to look at it as another opportunity to get better and I would hope everybody else on the team has the same approach. It’s still a game, you’ve still got to play, and you’ve got to get better."
