Jake Diebler becoming a fan favorite for Ohio State basketball

Being an interim head coach is hard. When someone is put in that situation, they are often taking over for the guy who hired them on staff in the first place. That’s exactly what happened with Jake Diebler. When Chris Holtmann was fired as the head coach of the Ohio State basketball program, Diebler had to step up and fill the void.

Since then, the Buckeyes have gone 4-1 under Diebler. He beat Purdue and won the program’s first road game in over a year. Better yet, he smashed Michigan on Sunday. If you ever want to have the fans love you, beat Michigan. Shellacking the Wolverines keeps the slim hope alive that the Ohio State Buckeyes can reach the NCAA Tournament.

Ohio State basketball fans seem to love Jake Diebler

With all of the winning, Ohio State basketball fans seem to love Diebler. It’s not just that the Buckeyes are winning though, it’s how they are winning. Diebler isn’t stuck doing the same old thing over and over again like Holtmann did. Diebler isn’t afraid to play depth and get some minutes for the talented freshmen that they have.

Devin Royal has been a revelation for this team. His size down low gives the Buckeyes another option to score in the post. On defense, his speed allows him to switch up top and not get burnt either. He’s a versatile player who is finally starting to see some consistent playing time and it’s paying dividends for the Buckeyes.

The biggest improvement for this team since Diebler took over is the perimeter defense. Ohio State used to let teams get too many wide-open threes. Since Ohio State isn’t a very good three-point shooting team unless Jamison Battle is on fire, it was hard for them to catch up in that department. Now the Buckeyes close out hard and don’t leave shooters open.

With each win, Diebler keeps getting a better shot at keeping the job once the season ends. If he can stack up three or four more, I think he will seal it up and will be the head coach when the season starts next year.