Unranked Ohio State upsets No. 2 Purdue days after firing coach

COLUMBUS, OHIO - FEBRUARY 18: Roddy Gayle Jr. #1 of the Ohio State Buckeyes reacts after dunking the ball during the first half of the game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Value City Arena on February 18, 2024 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)

By The Athletic Staff

Feb 18, 2024

By Alex Andrejev and Cameron Teague Robinson

Unranked Ohio State pulled off a major upset Sunday, taking down No. 2 Purdue just four days after firing coach Chris Holtmann.

Guard Bruce Thornton led the Buckeyes with 22 points, four rebounds and three assists. Forward Jamison Battle put up 19 points and four boards in the 73-69 win in Columbus.

The Boilermakers had four players notch double-digit points, including star center Zach Edey with 22 points, 13 rebounds and three assists. Guard Lance Jones added 13 points, while guard Braden Smith and forward Trey Kaufman-Renn notched 12 points each.

Sunday marks Purdue’s third loss of the season as the Boilermakers fell to 23-3. Ohio State improved to 15-11.

DOWN GOES NO. 2 🚨@OhioStateHoops upsets Purdue in Columbus. This is the Buckeyes' first win against a Top-2 conference team since 2018. pic.twitter.com/RqJixK2Uwr

— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) February 18, 2024

Ohio State fired Holtmann in the middle of his seventh season on Wednesday. In his six-plus seasons, the Buckeyes made the NCAA Tournament four times, most recently in 2022 (a likely fifth bid was wiped out by the cancellation of the 2020 tournament due to COVID-19). He went 137-86 overall and 67-64 in the Big Ten at OSU.

Associate head coach Jake Diebler is serving as interim head coach for the rest of the season.

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How significant is this win for OSU and Diebler?

Diebler’s interim head coaching debut couldn’t have gone any better.

After Holtmann was fired, the Buckeyes’ season seemed over, but instead, they took to the floor to end Purdue’s nine-game winning streak. Led by Thornton and Battle, the Buckeyes held off the Boilermakers despite being out-rebounded by 13 and Purdue shooting a perfect 20-for-20 from the free throw line.

The win is a big one for Ohio State’s season, which comes after athletic director Gene Smith said Wednesday that he fired Holtmann during the season because the team needed a change of leadership.

It got that and a spark of energy with Diebler, who is now hoping to build on this momentum heading into the end of the season.

Ohio State hasn’t won on the road this year and three of its final five games are away from Columbus, but this is a strong start for Diebler and should build confidence in the team.

Ohio State still has a chance to turn this season around with a strong finish and a Big Ten Tournament run. And for Diebler, he has a chance to show he’s ready to be a head coach sooner rather than later. — Cameron Teague Robinson, Ohio State staff writer

Required reading

(Photo: Kirk Irwin / Getty Images)

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