Will Ross Bjork have higher expectations for the Ohio State basketball program?

The Ohio State basketball program is in shambles right now. They have now tied the program record for most consecutive road losses with 16 after they lost at Wisconsin on Tuesday night. They are second-to-last in the Big Ten standings with only TTUN being worse.

It's clear that Gene Smith doesn't have high expectations for the Ohio State basketball program. Otherwise, he wouldn't have given Chris Holtmann an extension when he hadn't earned it. Now the Buckeyes are going to have to pay a massive buyout when they fire him at the end of the year.

With Smith out the door once July rolls around, will his successor care more about the success of Ohio State basketball? Ross Bjork was brought it to clearly help the football program with NIL. But will he have the same commitment for the basketball program?

We'll find out at the end of this basketball season. If Holtmann is miraculously still employed, then we Bjork may not care enough. If he did, he would tell Smith to get rid of him and help him find a new coach to lead the next era. That would show some commitment.

How much Bjork tries to help with NIL on the basketball side will give us an idea as well. The football program clearly isn't having any issues with NIL. The basketball program needs some help now to get some recruits in the door so they can turn this program around.

These last two seasons have been the two most disappointing Ohio State basketball seasons I can remember watching. The good news is that it's almost over. In just a couple of weeks, the Buckeyes should be looking around to find a new coach and a new era will be about to begin.

Until then, expect to see the Buckeyes lose again on Saturday when Purdue comes to town. That game could be a bloodbath.