After Buckeyes Lose In Big Ten Tournament, Is Jake Diebler On The Hot Seat?

Jake Diebler's first full season as the Ohio State men's basketball head coach has been filled with big wins and gut-wrenching losses.

Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Jake Diebler watches during the first half of the NCAA men's basketball game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Value City Arena in Columbus on March 4, 2025. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Jake Diebler got off to a really nice start, but the results in his first full year at the helm haven't been quite good enough.

Diebler took over the Ohio State men's basketball program in the middle of February 2024 after Chris Holtman was fired following a 4-10 start to Big Ten conference play. In Diebler's first game, he led the Buckeyes to a massive 73-69 victory over Zach Edey and the No. 2 ranked Purdue Boilermakers.

Ohio State finished the 2023-2024 season 6-2 and they went 2-1 in the NIT under Diebler, which helped solidify the decision of new athletic director Ross Bjork to remove Diebler's interim tag. On March 16, 2024, Diebler was named the full-time head coach and signed a 5-year contract.

Iowa Hawkeyes forward Seydou Traore (7) attempts to grab the ball from Ohio State Buckeyes guard Bruce Thornton (2) on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, in a first round game at the 2025 TIAA Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Ohio State Buckeyes at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Hawkeyes defeated the Buckeyes, 77-70. / Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The agreement was met with some criticism as Diebler was an unproven coach taking over a massive program after a very good 11-game sample size. Many questioned that he had what it took to turn a program around, but gave the Buckeyes the benefit of the doubt that things would turn around.

The 2024-2025 season got off to a decent start in the non-conference. The Buckeyes shook off a beatdown at the hands of Auburn to have an early season signature 20-point victory over the No. 18 Kentucky Wildcats in December.

Once Big Ten Conference play began, the Buckeyes' good play didn't translate to victories as they had four straight losses by a combined eight points against three ranked opponents. After their miraculous buzzer-beater victory over Maryland, Ohio State began to slide. With losses to Nebraska, Northwestern, UCLA and Michigan, the season began to slip through their fingertips as the tournament approached.

Fast forward 361 days from when he was hired, Diebler and the Buckeyes were bounced from the first round of the Big Ten Tournament by falling to Iowa, 77-70. The Buckeyes are 17-15, including a 9-11 mark in the Big Ten, finishing in 10th place. They are currently projected to miss the NCAA Tournament, but are squarely on the bubble with a shaky resume.

Today's sports culture is a "what have you done for me lately" world and patience is not given to many coaches who underperform. One side of the argument says that Diebler is a young coach who needs some time with a roster that he can build, and the other side of that coin says that Ohio State should clean house and start fresh. Diebler was on staff with Chris Holtmann and actively recruited the players he "inherited" on the roster.

The reality is, Bjork gave Diebler a public vote of confidence recently and it's highly unlikely that Diebler will lose his job. But Ohio State shouldn't be overly patient - this is a program that needs to raise its expectations considerably.

No matter what side you find yourself on, missing the NCAA Tournament again would be unacceptable. If Ohio State isn't picked to play in March Madness, they'll head into either the NIT Tournament or the offseason with more questions than answers.

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