What Ohio State's First-Round Loss to TCU Means For Basketball Program Moving Forward

One shot is all it took to define Ohio State's season and later the direction of the program.

Unfortunately for the Buckeyes, they couldn’t stop Xavier Edmonds from converting an easy layup with four seconds left on the clock, making them the first team officially knocked out of March Madness in a slight nine over eight upset.

Now the program has to enter a period of reflection to figure out where to go from here. What went right for the season, and what changes are going to need to be made before next year.

Coaching

For starters, this game was by no means a failure for head coach Jake Diebler in his first NCAA tournament. He was outcoached and outplayed by TCU’s Jamie Dixon, who has 23 years of coaching experience under his belt.

It’s a learning moment for Diebler, and frankly he made some great adjustments in game. Ohio State trailed by 15 at the half and worked their way back into the game. That doesn’t happen unless the team can make some serious adjustments on the fly, which Diebler learned how to do.

Hopefully he has some takeaways for next season. This was the biggest game of Diebler’s career so far, and while he didn’t live up to expectations, as long as he gets another chance at it next year, he should be the Buckeyes coach for the foreseeable future.

Recruiting

The Buckeyes should have two goals this offseason as far as recruiting goes. Do whatever it takes to keep John Mobley on the roster, and bring in some stronger bigs to help on the glass.

When the Buckeyes needed scoring late in the game, it was Mobley who delivered. As good as Bruce Thornton has been all season long, he struggled in the biggest moment. Thornton won’t even be back next season, making it even more important the Buckeyes keep Mobley.

Mobley averaged 15 points a game this season. He delivered again with a team-high 15 and six assists. Bringing back a point guard that’s familiar with the system and can score like that is almost enough to get back in the tournament already.

The Buckeyes could also use some serious help in the front court. TCU dominated the game on the offensive glass, collecting 12 rebounds on that end. That was their key in the first half, keeping the Buckeyes from closing out defensive stands.

It also helps that all three of TCU’s bigs (Edmonds, David Punch and Micah Robinson) had over 15 points in the game. Ohio State should be desperate to get some stronger interior defenders and people more dedicated to crashing the boards.

The program may also need to seriously look at expanding the rotation and getting some depth help. The Buckeyes scored just three bench points, coming off a triple from Gabe Cupps.

There were also just 16 total bench minutes, with no one playing more than five. That should be a change for the program in the future.

A loss like this shouldn’t shift the entire direction of Ohio State’s program, but it should be an eye opening experience. It seems clear some changes in philosophy have to shift going forward, and the Buckeyes could come back hungrier and with more experience next season.