Oller: Take a bow, OSU salvaged sunken season with impressive finish
After the final curtain dropped on Ohio State’s three-act season Tuesday, the Buckeyes left the floor of Value City Arena to a standing ovation.
They had just lost 79-77 to Georgia in the NIT quarterfinals. But they also won, by salvaging a sunken season. And the appreciative crowd of 7,641 let them know it.
Now, seating fewer than 8,000 fans inside your 18,800-capacity, $200 million barn is no reason for the OSU administration to squawk, but at least the place was rocking for most of the night.
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Two reasons for that:
1. On Valentine’s Day, the Buckeyes were curtains. Seven weeks later, Jake Diebler’s fresh voice and an uptick in urgency brought a DOA season back to life.
2. More curtains. (Sense a theme here?) Ohio State had the good sense to close off the upper bowl with the black draping that sends sound bouncing back toward the arena floor, even as it conceals the embarrassment of too many empty seats. The curtain decision, which also created a more packed lower bowl, made a huge difference in the noise level, improving the fan experience.
Moving forward, I propose keeping the curtains in place, at least until the Buckeyes become a consistent Sweet 16 program. Waiting … waiting. Some may wonder – we’re looking at you, Gene Smith and Ross Bjork – “What about the lost revenue?” A fair question with no easy solution. But that’s why they pay OSU athletic directors the big bucks. Not as big as the coaches, but no one is starving.
Here’s an outside-the-box-won’t-ever-happen idea: Turn the upper deck into a betting parlor during games. Sports gambling is big business, right? Ohioans bet more than $7 billion in 2023. Set up a mini-casino behind those black curtains and, ta-da, loss of revenue problem solved. Heh-heh.
Ohio State needed a strong final act
Back to reality.
The Buckeyes needed their strong final act to offset the embarrassment that immediately preceded it. We may never know exactly what went wrong under coach Chris Holtmann, who began his seven-year stint with a bang – people forget that OSU won 25 games and defeated No. 1 Michigan State in Holtmann’s first season – and ended it with a thud.
Whatever happened, it wasn’t good, especially for long stretches of this season and last, when extended losing streaks were the norm. We’re all familiar with Ohio State’s opening act, when during the nonconference portion of the schedule the Buckeyes kick butt (18-4 the past two seasons). But those first scenes turned out to be misleading. Sustainability through the grueling Big Ten schedule was a struggle for Holtmann.
Things immediately changed under Diebler, whose first win as interim coach was a doozy. The unranked Buckeyes stunned No. 2 Purdue in Columbus, and mostly kept the pedal to the metal by finishing 8-3. In a somewhat surprising move, given his inexperience, Diebler was promoted to full-time head coach March 17.
“I told our guys this is a team I will never forget,” Diebler said following Tuesday’s loss that set OSU’s final record at 22-14. “What we were able to accomplish, and I want people to hear me, I thought the character of our guys, both individually and the collective character of this team, was revealed in such a big way from mid-February on. What we were able to do as a program, during a time with just a great deal of adversity and different emotions, our guys hopefully are remembered … for how they handled the adversity and finished the season.”
No question the 8-3 finish cleansed the palate of a fan base miffed about missing the NCAA Tournament two years in a row and always underperforming in conference. The way the season ended gives reason to predict better days ahead, even if concerns remain. Ohio State needs an influx of talent, especially in the post. The Buckeyes also need to find more rhythm on offense. Too often under Holtmann, but also at times under Diebler, the flow ricocheted between “stuck in traffic,” with point guard Bruce Thornton dribbling … dribbling … dribbling into congestion, and hurrying into a turnover or out-of-control drive to the basket.
The Georgia game had elements of both, with the Buckeyes falling behind by 13 as the offense stalled, then rallying to pull ahead with six minutes left before losing the lead on turnovers caused by rushing things.
Diebler, who oversaw the offense under Holtmann, has not decided how much of the play calling he will hand off next season, though don’t expect him to go full “Ryan Day” and turn into a full-time CEO.
More certain is that higher expectations now fall upon the 37-year-old first-time head coach, who no longer is playing with house money. A winning record is not enough. Winning 20 games may not be enough. A reasonable “ask” is for OSU to make the NCAA Tournament eight of 10 years – even Thad Matta made it only nine of 13 – and to advance out of the Round of 32 more often than not.
Ah, but that is theater for next season. For now, it is right and proper that Diebler and the Buckeyes take a bow for how they handled adversity and finished strong. Add a well-deserved curtain call while you’re at it.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State basketball should be expected to enter NCAA March Madness
