Ohio State Coach Drops Defiant Message Amid Brutal Streak

Ohio State Buckeyes coach Jake Diebler is remaining steadfast in the face of adversity.

Feb 23, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Jake Diebler yells to his players during the first half against the UCLA Bruins at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

The Ohio State Buckeyes have seen this NCAA Tournament hopes all but go up in smoke over the last several weeks, as they have gone just 2-5 in February and have some rough losses on their resume.

If Ohio State's 21-point loss to Northwestern wasn't hitting rock bottom, then it's loss to UCLA over the weekend certainly was, as the Buckeyes have lost three straight games overall to drop to 15-13 on the year and 7-10 in Big Ten conference play.

However, head coach Jake Diebler is remaining firm in his stance that Ohio State will be able to go on a run to make the Big Dance.

“We control our own destiny. That's really the reality to it,” Diebler said, via Eleven Warriors. “We're not in a position where we have no chance to get to where we want to go. We just got to take it one day at a time and live in the moment. That's been the message, live in the moment because when we're healthy, we'll go on a run.”

Well, at this point, the Buckeyes are going to have to embark on one heck of a run, because their current argument is almost surely not good enough to get invited to the tourney.

Ohio State sits 11th in the Big Ten right now, and while it does own a couple of really impressive wins over Kentucky and Purdue, it just has too many brutal defeats to justify an appearance in March Mardness.

The Buckeyes will close out their regular-season meetings against USC, Nebraska and Indiana before the Big Ten Tournament begins.

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