The Ohio State basketball team had to win on Wednesday in order to make the NCAA Tournament. They were taking on Iowa in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament. The fact that they were even in this position is surprising, considering how well the season started.
Coming into the matchup against Iowa, the Buckeyes were seen as the last team in the NCAA Tournament field by most bracketologists. That meant that they could not have been more on the bubble coming into the game. A win was necessary in order to make it.
Instead, they did what they'd done the last two months; crapped the bed. The Ohio State Buckeyes lost to Iowa, ending any hope of them playing meaningful basketball in March. They will now likely be int eh NIT after one of the worst finishes to a season this program has had.
The Ohio State basketball team loses one again
Ohio State lost to Iowa 77-70 and ended their hopes of making the NCAA Tournament. At one point early in the game, the Buckeyes were shooting just 10% from the field. Bruce Thornton was the only one who was able to do anything, scoring 24 points and dishing out nine assists. He was the only consistent player they had all year.
The Buckeyes finished the season with the biggest whimper possible. They lost four of their last six games to finish the season. Jake Diebler showed that he was not able to keep this team together when they needed him to do that the most. Now, he will be in the NIT again this year.
There were questions about whether or not Ross Bjork made the right decision to hire him as the full-time coach. They could have had John Calipari or any number of other outside candidates. The finish to this season won't help stop those questions from be asked.
This was his first full season as a coach. He deserves some grace. Next year, the heat will be on. Collapsing again next season will cause the fans to get even more antsy. The Buckeyes should not have collapsed like this. Diebler needs to get better.