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Unreasonable Expectations: Ohio State wins the Big Ten in Jake Diebler’s first season
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Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports
In the current age of college basketball, you can return to the mountaintop after one year. However, it might be unreasonable to expect that in year one of Diebler in Columbus.
This coming season for the Ohio State men’s basketball team will be the first full season of the Jake Diebler era in Columbus.
With the additions of Meechie Johnson, Aaron Bradshaw, Sean Stewart and Micah Parrish, as well as the departures of Roddy Gayle, Felix Okpara, Scotty Middleton, Zed Key and Bowen Hardman plus an entirely new coaching staff, things are going to look very different for the 2024-25 campaign.
With a new-look coaching staff and roster, expectations are bound to be high — and to be clear, they should be. Diebler brought in a great supporting cast of coaches and a transfer class that included two former McDonald’s All-Americans, an All-SEC second-team selection, and a starter on a team that won a national championship.
However, some of the expectations should be tempered a little, and one in particular that I have seen as unreasonable. It’s not impossible, but it’s unreasonable, in my opinion:
Ohio State men’s basketball will win the Big Ten in 2024-25.
It’s fair to expect them to make the NCAA Tournament and finish in the top third of the conference, since there are now 18 teams, but winning the conference in Jake Diebler’s first season is a lofty goal.
For one, he has a brand new roster that he has to mesh together. The main benefit is bringing back two-year starting point guard Bruce Thornton. Still, the other four starters will likely be Johnson, Parrish, Stewart and Bradshaw, all four transfers spending their first season in Columbus.
There is a ton of talent, but it could take some time to get the chemistry and the rotations figured out. This could lead to some early losses, especially with a non-conference schedule that involves Texas A&M, Kentucky, Texas, and an early-season feast week tournament.
Also, the Big Ten is in flux next season with who could win the conference. Purdue lost Zach Edey, Illinois lost Terrance Shannon and Marcus Domask, Northwestern lost Boo Buie, Wisconsin lost AJ Storr, Tyler Wahl, and Chucky Hepburn and four new teams were added to the mix.
I say this is an unreasonable expectation because with this roster and the question marks surrounding the Big Ten, it is not impossible that the Buckeyes will be competitive in year one of Diebler and stay in the conference championship mix.
The reason winning the B1G can be marked as an unreasonable expectation is the current age of college basketball. With the transfer portal, programs can be flipped immediately, and you can go from missing the tournament two years in a row and firing the head coach to being competitive in one year. The Buckeyes have brought in the talent to do just that.
The only reason I am tempering expectations is because of the schedule and meshing the roster together. The slate is tough from start to end, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the Buckeyes lose some games, especially early, as they figure out the rotation, the minutes, and who plays best in certain situations. Even integrating Juni Mobley and Colin White as a freshman and seeing what sophomore jumps Devin Royal and Taison Chatman take.
I think the Buckeyes will succeed under Jake Diebler, win a conference championship or two, and find themselves deep into the tournament on a yearly basis. But, I am not sure they will turn it all around and win it in year one.
Continue reading...
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports
In the current age of college basketball, you can return to the mountaintop after one year. However, it might be unreasonable to expect that in year one of Diebler in Columbus.
This coming season for the Ohio State men’s basketball team will be the first full season of the Jake Diebler era in Columbus.
With the additions of Meechie Johnson, Aaron Bradshaw, Sean Stewart and Micah Parrish, as well as the departures of Roddy Gayle, Felix Okpara, Scotty Middleton, Zed Key and Bowen Hardman plus an entirely new coaching staff, things are going to look very different for the 2024-25 campaign.
With a new-look coaching staff and roster, expectations are bound to be high — and to be clear, they should be. Diebler brought in a great supporting cast of coaches and a transfer class that included two former McDonald’s All-Americans, an All-SEC second-team selection, and a starter on a team that won a national championship.
However, some of the expectations should be tempered a little, and one in particular that I have seen as unreasonable. It’s not impossible, but it’s unreasonable, in my opinion:
Ohio State men’s basketball will win the Big Ten in 2024-25.
It’s fair to expect them to make the NCAA Tournament and finish in the top third of the conference, since there are now 18 teams, but winning the conference in Jake Diebler’s first season is a lofty goal.
For one, he has a brand new roster that he has to mesh together. The main benefit is bringing back two-year starting point guard Bruce Thornton. Still, the other four starters will likely be Johnson, Parrish, Stewart and Bradshaw, all four transfers spending their first season in Columbus.
There is a ton of talent, but it could take some time to get the chemistry and the rotations figured out. This could lead to some early losses, especially with a non-conference schedule that involves Texas A&M, Kentucky, Texas, and an early-season feast week tournament.
Also, the Big Ten is in flux next season with who could win the conference. Purdue lost Zach Edey, Illinois lost Terrance Shannon and Marcus Domask, Northwestern lost Boo Buie, Wisconsin lost AJ Storr, Tyler Wahl, and Chucky Hepburn and four new teams were added to the mix.
I say this is an unreasonable expectation because with this roster and the question marks surrounding the Big Ten, it is not impossible that the Buckeyes will be competitive in year one of Diebler and stay in the conference championship mix.
The reason winning the B1G can be marked as an unreasonable expectation is the current age of college basketball. With the transfer portal, programs can be flipped immediately, and you can go from missing the tournament two years in a row and firing the head coach to being competitive in one year. The Buckeyes have brought in the talent to do just that.
The only reason I am tempering expectations is because of the schedule and meshing the roster together. The slate is tough from start to end, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the Buckeyes lose some games, especially early, as they figure out the rotation, the minutes, and who plays best in certain situations. Even integrating Juni Mobley and Colin White as a freshman and seeing what sophomore jumps Devin Royal and Taison Chatman take.
I think the Buckeyes will succeed under Jake Diebler, win a conference championship or two, and find themselves deep into the tournament on a yearly basis. But, I am not sure they will turn it all around and win it in year one.
Continue reading...