- Ohio State was not picked to play in the NCAA Tournament, and Monday morning the Buckeyes declined a berth in the College Basketball Crown event.
- On his final radio show of the year, coach Jake Diebler broke down the decision and the end of the season.
Ohio State was hoping to play more basketball after it lost in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament. But in the four days between last Wednesday’s defeat and Sunday afternoon’s NCAA Tournament selection show, something became clear to coach Jake Diebler and his staff.
The Buckeyes are banged up.
A few guys are still sick thanks to a virus that has hit the roster hard in the final weeks of the season. And after not being picked for March Madness, Ohio State’s only option was to participate in the inaugural College Basketball Crown event, which takes place seven days after the transfer portal opens.
With all that to take in, Diebler said on Monday’s final radio show of the year that the Buckeyes are ending their season.
“Really, really hard decision because the competitor in me and the competitiveness of this team and program certainly wants to play and keep playing,” he said. “If there’s a championship to win, we want to make a run at it.
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“We had some time to evaluate what the future could hold. We saw (Sunday) night we were very much right there for the NCAA Tournament. The biggest thing for us is we’ve been playing in big-time, meaningful games for a significant stretch. Our guys poured everything they had into it. We have guys who are banged up, some guys with injuries and the impact of the totality of the season. We’ve still got some guys sick right now. It’s been a lot.”
The timing of the event didn’t help. The transfer portal opens March 24 and closes April 22, while the Crown begins March 31 and ends April 6.
“The timing of the Crown’s not ideal,” Diebler said. “We can be open and direct about that too, but it was more about everything else we’ve had going on physically and what we’ve had going on this year that we thought the best thing for us to do was turn it down. The idea of the Crown, I love what they’re trying to do. The timing of it, it’s tough.”
If the event were sooner, though, there’s a chance the Buckeyes would’ve chosen to participate.
Owing to the Big Ten’s partnership with FOX, which is producing the Crown, the top two Big Ten teams in the NET rankings not selected for the NCAA Tournament were contractually obligated to participate. Declining the invitation meant the Buckeyes were prohibited from playing in any other event.
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They did look into other possibilities, though.
“We explored not going to the Crown and trying to get into the NIT as a potential option and because of the deal the Big Ten has, that wasn’t an option for us,” Diebler said. “It was Crown or nothing. We couldn’t do NIT this year because we were the highest-rated NET team in the league (not to be selected). Those were our two options: NCAA Tournament or Crown. And that’s why we aren’t playing.”
The other obvious consideration is that teams play in the Crown when the transfer portal is already open, and Ohio State has already been linked with at least one player planning to enter the portal.
“That’s what’s going on right now is evaluating some very specific needs from a roster standpoint and conversations about retention is part of it,” Diebler said. “That’s what’s happening right now. There aren’t a lot of answers yet on the development of guys.
“The portal has created an instability in rosters across the country. It can be good for everybody. That’s why we’ve chosen as a program to embrace it and make it a part of how we build our roster.”
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Diebler didn’t divulge much about what roster retention for 2025-26 will look like, pointing out that a lot of conversations are happening with a lot of people at the moment. The most intriguing decision likely rests with three-time captain Bruce Thornton, who has one year of eligibility remaining and has not yet reached the NCAA Tournament.
Thornton sounds likely to enter the NBA draft process while retaining his collegiate eligibility.
“It’s Bruce’s decision, but he knows that I support fully him going through that process, getting that information and feedback to see is now the time for him to go the NBA or is it not?” Diebler said. “That stuff’s really valuable. You can go through that process and come back to school.”
It’s just one of many intriguing questions about where the Buckeyes will be headed in year two under Diebler. After falling short of the goal of returning to the NCAA Tournament, Diebler said that while the next two months will be hectic while navigating the transfer portal, the driving force behind it all will be the disappointment of having to watch March Madness once again.
“I’m angry we’re not playing in the NCAA Tournament right now,” he said. “I am. I’m super excited and optimistic about what’s next. We took some steps forward this year. We’re not satisfied. There’s a truth to that too. We’ll get to where we need to go, there’s no doubt in my mind.”
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