After missing the NCAA Tournament for a third consecutive season, Ohio State has elected not to participate in college basketball's postseason.
The Buckeyes declined their invitation to participate in FOX's College Basketball Crown Tournament on Monday, ending their 2024-25 season. They are contractually prohibited from participating in any postseason tournament other than the NCAA Tournament or the Crown.
Five losses in the last seven games of Jake Diebler's first season will leave a bad taste in the mouths of Ohio State basketball fans as the Buckeyes had chances to lock up an NCAA Tournament bid down the stretch of the season. Other close early-season losses to teams like Pitt and Oregon also contributed to OSU finishing as just the third team out of the Big Dance.
Task one for Diebler and his coaching staff now is to try and hang on to team stars that will be transfer portal targets of other schools. Ohio State will have to do its best to keep Bruce Thornton, Devin Royal and John Mobley Jr. while also trying to make improvements through the portal itself when it opens next week.
The College Basketball Crown starts March 31 in Las Vegas. College basketball's transfer portal window opens on March 24.
