Will the Ohio State basketball team make the NCAA Tournament this year?

The Ohio State basketball team was down bad in each of the last two years. They didn't come close to making the NCAA Tournament two years ago. Last season, Jake Diebler almost led them on a miracle run to get into the dance. But now that Chris Holtmann is gone, the program has a new direction.

A lot of Buckeye fans think that the program is in a good direction now that Holtmann is gone. He had issues making in-game adjustments and the juice was gone from the program. Gene Smith made the right move to remove him and put Diebler in charge.

Now that Diebler has the full year as the head coach, how will he fare? He knows that the expectation is for this team to make the NCAA Tournament every year. Will he be able to do that in his first year? He has a completely remade roster to try to achieve that goal.

He has two really solid guards to help him in his endeavor. Bruce Thornton is still the best player on the team. He is the guy that makes the offense go. He is the best player on the Ohio State basketball team at creating his own shot, although Meechie Johnson helps with that now too.

The fact that the Buckeyes have more guys who can do stuff offensively makes things a lot easier for them. This team is also built to play at a faster pace than they were a year ago. That's something that Diebler wants to do. Buckets are easier to get in transition.

I think the Buckeyes will make the NCAA Tournament this year. After that, I'm not sure how far they will go. I think just making the NCAA Tournament is a good start to the Diebler era. He showed that he could coach on the court. Now, let's hope the players respond this year too.