Ohio State's Jake Diebler Gets Real About Buckeyes' NCAA Tournament Push

The Ohio State Buckeyes might as well be already playing in the postseason with the way the team has approached their NCAA Tournament bubble path.

The Buckeyes (19-11, 11-8 Big Ten) close the regular season Saturday afternoon against another bubble team in the Indiana Hoosiers at Value City Arena in Columbus (5:30 p.m. ET, Fox) in an absolute must-win game for both teams ahead of next week's Big Ten Tournament in Chicago and impending NCAA Tournament the following week.

Even if Ohio State were to make a miracle run to the title game next Sunday (or if the Hoosiers were to do the same), chances are slim. For coach Jake Diebler, he is fully aware of the stakes in front of him, but his No. 1 priority is making sure his team stays grounded in controlling the outcomes of every game and not bracketology metrics.

Appearing as a guest on Wake Up Barstool, Diebler didn't hold back when asked about the added pressure of being a bubble team with much to play for on Senior Day.

"If you're [a coach] in college basketball, you have an awareness of what's going on, right," Diebler said. "So, I'm not going to sit here and pretend like I have no clue where we're at."

With this factor in mind, alongside the Hoosiers (18-12, 9-10 Big Ten) also fighting for their tournament lives, Diebler admitted there's only so much a bubble team can realistically do to impress decision-makers.

"But, I am focused on helping our guys be ready," Diebler said. "There is so much outside noise right now that we have to have tunnel vision, laser focus and, you know, our guys have done that. I think that, combined with the fact that we're a lot healthier [as a team] than we've been, is a big reason why we're playing the way we are."

Diebler said as long as Ohio State continues to win, having done so in back-to-back games and five of its last 11 contests, the rest will work itself out.

"Our metrics and all that stuff will speak for themselves," Diebler said. "We're in a good position from a NET [standpoint] and that WAB stat (No. 38) that they're talking about. So, I like where we're at, but, you know what, we gotta focus on the task at hand and that's a big game against Indiana on Saturday."

We'll see if the Buckeyes can pull it out, but only time will tell.