Can Jake Diebler steal the Ohio State basketball job?

The Ohio State basketball team will have a new leader on Sunday when they take on Purdue. Chris Holtmann is gone after almost seven seasons at the helm. Jake Diebler will be coaching the team for the rest of the season. He’s the guy on the staff that Gene Smith decided made the most sense to take over on an interim basis.

Diebler has a big opportunity in front of him. Ross Bjork is leading the search for a new coach while Smith is helping him. It’s likely that Bjork decides to go outside the program to bring in the new coach. Yet, Diebler has a shot to do something that no one is expecting him to do. He has a huge opportunity in front of him.

The Ohio State basketball team could rally around Jake Diebler

Ohio State has to take on the number two team in the country on Sunday afternoon when Purdue comes to Columbus. It’s a game that no one expects the Buckeyes to win. They are just 2-9 in their last 11 games. Diebler has a massive opportunity in front of him. If he beats Purdue and goes on a run at the end of the year, he could put himself in a position to land this job full-time.

If Diebler is able to get the guys to rally around him and win a few games, he becomes the favorite in the clubhouse for the job. Of course, that’s a longshot scenario. This team isn’t good enough to win the Big Ten Tournament to somehow sneak into March Madness. But if Diebler is somehow able to get this team to do that, he deserves the job.

It all starts on Sunday afternoon against Purdue. They’re one of the best teams in the country, and if the Ohio State basketball team can win that game, Dibler gives himself a great start to earning the gig next year.