As Jake Diebler and the Buckeyes push for the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance in four years, the second-year head coach has the full support of Ohio State president Ted Carter.
Ohio State is 16-9 this season and currently projected as the second team out in Joe Lunardi’s Bracketology for ESPN. Ahead of a must-win matchup against Wisconsin on Tuesday, Carter expressed confidence in Diebler and his team during an interview with 10TV’s Dom Tiberi.
“I think Jake, in his second year, has been doing a really good job as our basketball coach,” Carter said. “We’ve been competitive in most of our games, even against No. 15 UVA. Now you got John Mobley (Jr.) with his little pinkie finger broken on his shooting hand, and yet with Bruce Thornton, who is one of the nicest guys you're ever gonna meet in your life — that guy should be in the NBA, I want to see him get into the tournament more than anything — they’ve still got a chance.
"They’ve still gotta play some big games. They’ve gotta play Wisconsin. They’ve gotta play Purdue. We’re gonna have to get a win or two out of there for us to get in, and then we probably got to win at least a game or two in the Big Ten Tournament.”
Tiberi noted that part of Ohio State’s uphill climb has been injury-related. The Buckeyes first lost Brandon Noel, an offseason transfer from Wright State who averaged 7.4 points and 4.1 rebounds per game off the bench, to a foot injury in January. Then, Ohio State lost Mobley to a hand injury suffered in last week’s win over USC.
Carter then broadened the discussion to patience in program-building, reflecting on his and Trev Alberts’ decision to retain Fred Hoiberg despite disappointing results in his first few seasons as Nebraska’s head coach. He said the decision has paid off for the Cornhuskers, who are 22-3 this season and are a projected four seed in Lunardi’s Bracketology.
“I go back to my experience at Nebraska. Fred Hoiberg, his second year, he won one Big Ten game. One. There were a lot of people calling for him to be fired. We didn’t do it. Look at what he’s done at Nebraska,” Carter said. “These things can be cycling. I’m not saying that’s what’s gonna happen here. Again, we should have an expect-to-win attitude.”
Ohio State’s men’s basketball NIL has come under scrutiny in recent weeks, even becoming a national topic when Fox Sports commentator Gus Johnson said during the Virginia game that all of the Buckeyes’ NIL funding goes to Ryan Day and the football program.
Carter said the men’s basketball team’s NIL can be better and that he knows the Buckeyes can be at the forefront of NIL spending in the sport.
“We can do the NIL for both football and basketball,” he said.
Ohio State hosts Wisconsin on Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. (FS1). The Badgers are 18-7 and the lone team to beat Michigan this season. Ranked No. 24 in the AP poll, Wisconsin is projected as a seven seed in Lunardi’s Bracketology.
