In the midst of another disappointing season, Ohio State has reportedly fired head men’s basketball coach Chris Holtmann.
The Field of 68 insider Jeff Goodman broke the news Wednesday, hours after the Buckeyes lost 62-54 to Wisconsin, their ninth defeat in the last 11 games.
“Holtmann went to the NCAA tourney in each of his first 4 years with the Buckeyes, and was set to go the year the tourney was canceled,” Goodman tweeted. “Went all 3 years at Butler and went to Sweet 16. Buckeyes has taken nose-dive the last two years and Gene Smith decided to make move now.”
Holtmann took over for Thad Matta in 2017-18 and immediately led the Buckeyes to a 25-9 record and trip to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. He followed that up with another second round appearance in 2019 and Ohio State was set to go dancing again in 2020 before COVID-19 struck.
The 2020-21 season saw the Buckeyes reach the Big Ten title game and earn a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, only to be bounced in a first-round upset by 15th-seeded Oral Roberts. Following another trip to the second round in 2022, Ohio State went 16-19 last season, putting the heat on Holtmann heading into this year.
OSU started 12-2, but has since imploded and sits at 14-11 overall and 4-10 in Big Ten play. The NIT is not out of the question, but the team likely needs to win at least four of its final six games to have a chance.
As for Holtmann, his time in Columbus is up, but he should be a desired commodity on the coaching market this offseason, given his resume that includes seven NCAA Tournament appearances at Ohio State and Butler.