Patience is an uncommon virtue in the modern age.
This isn't a lecture or soapbox stand about that fact. That would be the ultimate pot-meet-kettle moment. My online chess Elo rating has been stuck at 750 (still firmly in the beginner category) for months because I only see bad moves are bad moves after I make them.
My fellow naturally impatient individuals – really any individual who knows of the school's athletic program – can see that Ohio State is an impatient place to coach a sport. There's a demand for immediate results, especially when the Buckeyes' football squadron is constantly in the hunt for conference and national championships.
At a place where football is king, if the men's basketball team isn't also contending atop the Big Ten, apathy can set in quickly with much of the fanbase. Sunday's loss to No. 20 Michigan was played before 18,058 fans in Value City Arena, demolishing the previous season-high of 14,388 against Indiana State on Dec. 29, not coincidentally the last home contest that fell on a weekend for Ohio State. The Buckeyes' average attendance is at 11,609, just 61.7% of the Schottenstein Center's capacity.
I've spoken to multiple people (Buckeye fans and alums) who hadn't watched an Ohio State hoops fixture in several weeks before checking out the team's loss to the Wolverines. There's nothing wrong with that; it's just reality in Columbus. And the football team had a long, emotional national championship run.
Plus, even as his team has been a step away all season, Jake Diebler has continued to publicly set a championship-contending standard for his program. He's been consistent with that message since the summer.
"I have big aspirations for this program and I have not been shy about what the expectations and the standard is for this program," Diebler said on Friday before the Michigan game. "We've had, certainly, our fair share of adversity this season but I'm really proud of the way this group has responded to that."
“I have not been shy about what the expectations and the standard is for this program.”– Jake Diebler
The loss to the Wolverines is the latest in a line of games where the Buckeyes were a step away from that championship-contending watermark. Michigan, who is first in the Big Ten, was Ohio State's fourth one-score loss in Big Ten play, three coming at the hands of ranked opponents.
But objectively, the Buckeyes were always going to take time to build to a title contender under their first-year head coach. And for the first time in three years, Ohio State has well-warranted NCAA Tournament ambitions in late February.
"Frustrated, angry, disappointed," Diebler said after the rivalry loss. "I said this before the game, this game, it's different. It means a ton. And I'm not gonna step back from that because we didn't get the result we wanted. So, we'll take the day to, certainly, reflect on this. And then we've got to move forward and get ready, because everything that we're fighting for is still in front of us."
Not only is Diebler new to being a head coach, but Ohio State's roster is mostly new from a year ago. Four of the Buckeyes' five starters for its season-opening game against Texas were transfers. Its current starting group features two transfers and a freshman.
While Aaron Bradshaw and Sean Stewart were five-star prospects in the recruiting class of 2023, both still had developments to make upon arriving at Ohio State. Stewart has grown into a strong rebounder and defender while Bradshaw has shown a few flashes, but the Buckeyes still need more down low to level up further. The duo has also been hindered by availability issues, whether by foul trouble or absence.
“I don't really believe in excuses necessarily, but there's a reality for – in defense of those guys – there's a reality to, when you don't get significant time consecutively, it slows down your growth,” Diebler said on Feb. 10. “I think that's just natural. And we saw it, like Sean missed almost an entire summer and part of a fall and Aaron was out for a significant stretch and then, you know, it's little things."
Meechie Johnson Jr. hasn't played since Dec. 14, thrusting freshman guard John Mobley Jr. into a starting role. He's averaging 33 minutes per game in Ohio State's last five contests. There have been plenty of lumps taken in the Buckeyes' 15-11 season, but with all that newness and lineup shuffling facing one of the toughest schedules in the country, lumps are expected.
And don't let a cursory glance at the Buckeyes' record fool you, they're still in a good position for the NCAA Tournament.
“Everything that we're fighting for is still in front of us.”– Jake Diebler
Ohio State entered Sunday's game picked as a No. 9 seed by most bracketologists, well clear of not only entry but a bye straight to the first round of the Big Dance. Even after losing to Michigan, the Buckeyes have a NET ranking of 30th and four Quad 1 wins.
There's work to do but with five winnable Big Ten games to close the regular season, three to four more wins should have Ohio State in a good spot to go dancing. Then maybe the pieces listed above can coalesce around stars Bruce Thornton and Devin Royal and surprise some folks come the postseason.
"This group has responded in a great way all season long," Diebler said. "And I have zero reason to believe it will be any different. Like I said, every single game we play right now, we've earned the right to play in big-time, meaningful games."
But the mere fact that the Buckeyes are playing games with such stakes in late February is already progress for Diebler's squad, even if he's striving for more and fans demand instant gratification. It's not a position Ohio State was in during late February 2023 or 2024.
The Buckeyes dust themselves off for a must-have against Northwestern, who is next-to-last in the Big Ten, in Value City Arena on Thursday. Tipoff is at 6:30 p.m. on FS1, for those interested.
