Kirk Herbstreit congratulates Ohio State, interim coach Jake Diebler after upset of No. 2 Purdue

Once a Buckeye, always a Buckeye. After Ohio State stunned No. 2 Purdue on Sunday, OSU alum Kirk Herbstreit congratulated the team on the upset victory.

“CONGRATULATIONS @OhioStateHoops and @JakeDiebler on a MASSIVE win against #2 Purdue,” Herbstreit wrote on X. “Good for these boys-been a tough year and to come out battlin after losing their head coach this week was impressive! Showed serious grit and perseverance-congrats fellas keep it rollin!”

The game was Jake Diebler’s first as interim head coach after the program decided to part ways with Chris Holtmann on Feb. 14. In the win, OSU squeezed 14 turnovers out of the Boilermakers. The Buckeyes didn’t let their efforts go to waste, scoring 22 points off Purdue’s wasted possessions.

Bruce Thornton led the way for the Buckeyes, tallying 22 points in 35 minutes. Not to be out done, Jamison Battle added 19 points in 26 minutes on the floor. For Purdue, Zach Edey notched 22 points despite facing first-half foul trouble.

With the win, Ohio State is 15-11 this season and 5-10 in conference play. The program fired Holtmann after such a slow start to the 2023-24 season. Before Diebler was promoted to interim head coach, he was an assistant for four seasons.

What’s next at Ohio State?

The move to fire Holtmann was not only surprising since Ohio State is in the middle of its season, but because OSU athletic director Gene Smith is in his final year. Smith claimed he will not be involved in the hiring of the next head coach and will defer to OSU’s next AD, Ross Bjork.

“I’m going to help Jake [Diebler] with that and help navigate it and when Ross [Bjork] gets here,” Smith said. “He will share with me his plan for the search. I’ll be there to assist him and be very much a part of it.”

Going 137-84 as Ohio State head coach since he was hired in 2017, Holtmann had tasted success for a whole in Columbus. 

Other than the canceled 2020 NCAA Tournament, Holtmann led Ohio State to the NCAA Tournament during his first four full seasons leading the Buckeyes’ program. Holtmann also led Ohio State to 20-win seasons during his first five seasons, but could not pass that mark in either of his last two years on campus.

According to Smith, it seemed as though this year’s 14-11 record, which ended with Holtmann’s squad losing six of their last seven games before being let go. Sitting at 4-10 through conference play, the only team below the Buckeyes in Big Ten play was Michigan at 3-11.

“I just felt like looking at the last couple of games, a few games actually, that this team needed different leadership,” Smith explained. “So I made the change.”