Big Ten Daily (March 11): Ohio State Should Give Diebler Shot as Permanent Basketball Coach
Nobody from within Ohio State's athletic department is calling me and asking for my input while conducting a search for the next basketball coach. If they did, though, I'd tell them to give Jake Diebler a shot.
The Buckeyes closed out the regular season strong on Sunday, pummeling Rutgers 73-51 at Jersey Mike's Arena. Roddy Gayle Jr. led the team with 14 points and Bruce Thornton had 11 points, six assists and five rebounds.
Jamison Battle and Felix Okpara each added 10 points in the dominant road win. Ohio State improve to 19-12 overall and 9-11 in Big Ten play — heading into the conference tournament with a lot of momentum.
Diebler deserves a ton of credit for the recent success? After the program decided to part ways with Chris Holtmann, Ohio State has rattled off a 5-1 record. You could argue that the Buckeyes are playing as well as any team in the league right now.
In the last six games, Ohio State has taken down No. 3 Purdue and defeated Michigan State on the road. The Buckeyes defeated a red-hot Nebraska team and closed out the season with a pair of 20-point victories over Michigan and Rutgers.
Ohio State has won each of its last four games. With a good showing in the Big Ten Tournament, the Buckeyes might squeak into the March Madness field.
I understand that Diebler's experience as a head coach is currently at six games. There are a lot of risks with hiring a young, unproven coach. But, let's be honest, there's a risk with hiring a guy who has 506 games of experience.
There are no guarantees in college athletics.
I'm not suggesting Ohio State offer Diebler a ridiculous contract with an insane buyout. The program could extend a modest offer to the 37-year-old. If he re-establishes the Buckeyes as one of the prominent teams in the Big Ten, then maybe restructure the deal.
Over the last six games, Ohio State has looked like a completely different team. Diebler should be rewarded for resurrecting a team that most of us had buried in mid-February.
Big Ten WBB All-Tournament Team
After Sunday's championship game between No. 2 Iowa and No. 5 Nebraska in the Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament on Sunday, the All-Tournament Team was announced. Two Hawkeyes and two Huskers made the cut, along with Michigan's Laila Phelia.
Iowa's Caitlin Clark and Sydney Affolter and Nebraska's Jaz Shelley and Alexis Markowski were all included on the All-Tournament Team after outstanding performances in Minneapolis.
There were no surprises when the conference announced the Most Outstanding Player for the event, with Clark getting the nod. Here's a look at the stat lines for each of the five players for the tournament
- Caitlin Clark, Iowa Hawkeyes
- 28.7 points, 11.3 assists, 7 rebounds (3 games)
- Jaz Shelley, Nebraska Cornhuskers
- 20.5 points, 8.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds (4 games)
- Laila Phelia, Michigan Wolverines
- 24.7 points, 4 assists, 3.3 rebounds (3 games)
- Alexis Markowski, Nebraska Cornhuskers
- 16.5 points, 11.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists (4 games)
- Sydney Affolter, Iowa Hawkeyes
- 13.7 points, 9 rebounds, 5.3 assists (3 games)
Iowa and Nebraska played one of the most exciting games of the college basketball season in Sunday's tournament championship. The Hawkeyes squeaked out an overtime win, beating the Huskers 94-89.
Related Big Ten stories
- BIG TEN KENPOM RANKINGS: Nebraska and Minnesota both exceeded expectations this season, moving up the most in the Kenpom.com computer rankings among Big Ten teams. Michigan had an epic fall, as did Indiana, Maryland and Rutgers. Here's a comparison of how it all started, and how it ended. CLICK HERE
- BIG TEN TOURNAMENT PAIRINGS: The 2024 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament bracket is set. Here's a look at the matchups, dates, times and television information for every game from the Target Center in Minneapolis. CLICK HERE
- INDIANA-MICHIGAN STATE GAME STORY: Kel'el Ware had 28 points and 12 rebounds and made a free throw with 17 seconds to go after missing five straight, helping Indiana beat Michigan State 65-64 in the final regular season game of the year. It was the Hoosiers' fourth straight win. CLICK HERE