Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball

Early years and Olsen era (1898–1958)

The first basketball team at The Ohio State University was formed in 1898, playing their first game against East High. Sparing success followed the Buckeyes throughout their time as an independent school. In the year 1912, some thirteen years after forming their first basketball team, the Buckeyes joined the Big Nine Conference, which would eventually be known as the Big Ten Conference. Within the first years in the Big Ten conference, the Buckeyes were not able to mount a sustained run and continued to waiver inside the conference standings, never finishing higher than second in the conference standings^[1]. In 1923, Harold Olsen became head coach for the Buckeyes, launching the longest basketball coaching dynasty for OSU (24 seasons) Harold Olsen began to see success at Ohio State with the Buckeyes first conference championship during the 1922–1923 season. The Olsen era is also highlighted by appearing in the final game for the first ever NCAA Championship Tournament in 1939 where the Buckeyes lost to Oregon 33–46. The Buckeyes would make three more Final Four appearances under Olsen, along with winning five Big Ten championships. Following Harold Olsen as head coach Tippy Dye and Floyd Stahl made their stints with the Buckeyes. While not seeing the same amount of success as Olsen did, Dye and Stahl with one NCAA Tournament appearance between the two men. With the closing of the 1950s, the Ohio State basketball team was not considered a national powerhouse and continued to grow and develop and led to the hiring of a man who would change basketball at Ohio State and bring national fame to the university.

Success and Fred Taylor era (1959–1997)

Of all other Buckeye coaches, it was Fred Taylor who would give Ohio State basketball its greatest claim to fame. With the hiring of Taylor in 1958, not much was expected following an 11–11 season during the 1958–1959 season. However, in 1960, the second year coach, Taylor, and All-American player, Jerry Lucas, led the Buckeyes to their first NCAA Championship Title, defeating California 75–55 in the final game. The 1960 championship season is the only NCAA Tournament championship that the Buckeyes have compiled since that date. Taylor's Buckeyes continued their dominance by being the runner-up the following two seasons, and making a total of five tournament appearances during Taylor's 18 seasons tenure. With the departure of his championship team, Taylor began to see teams accustomed to Ohio State basketball of the past. Taylor's last season at Ohio State in 1976 saw the Buckeyes going 6–20, the worst record only to be eclipsed by the team in 1995. Taylor also achieved seven conference titles and an impressive overall winning percentage of over 65%. Past the Taylor era, Ohio State saw Eldon Miller, Gary Williams, and Randy Ayers take the reins as head coach. Between 1976 and 1997 the Buckeyes made the NCAA Bracket only eight times, while being crowned conference champions only twice.

Jim O'Brien (1998–2003)

In 1997, Jim O'Brien was hired to replace head coach Randy Ayers. During his seven years as head coach, O'Brien drove the team to four 20+ win seasons, two Big Ten regular-season co-championships, the 2002 Big Ten Tournament Championship, and a school record four-consecutive NCAA tournament appearances. Controversy erupted when Ohio State athletic director Andy Geiger fired O'Brien over alleged NCAA rules violations. A two-year NCAA investigation found that player Boban Savovic might have received improper benefits while he played for Ohio State. On March 10, 2006, the NCAA gave Ohio State three years' probation and ordered it to pay back all tournament money earned from 1999–2002 when Boban Savovic was on the Buckeyes' roster. In addition, Ohio State was told to remove all references to team accomplishments by the NCAA directorate from those years, regardless of how questionable, including a 1999 visit to the Final Four.

Thad Matta era (2004–present)

Thad Matta, former head coach at Butler and Xavier, was hired by Ohio State in July 2004. Ohio State has won 20 or more games in all of Matta's twelve seasons, received a berth in the NCAA tournament eight times, and made it to the Sweet Sixteen four times and to the Final Four twice. Ohio State has also been the Big Ten regular-season champions five times and Big Ten Tournament champions three times, appearing in the championship game six times. During Matta's first season at Ohio State, the Buckeyes compiled a 20–12 record, highlighted by a win in the final game of the season over top-ranked Illinois, who were undefeated up until that game. Ohio State was defeated by the Wisconsin Badgers in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals, but the team was ineligible for either the NCAA or NIT tournaments due to self-imposed sanctions. The 2005–06 season opened with the Buckeyes starting 11–0 heading into Big Ten play. Ohio State ended the season with a 26–6 record and 12–4 record in conference, the Buckeyes' first outright Big Ten championship since the 1991–92 season. Ohio State lost to Iowa in the Big Ten tournament championship and as a No. 2 seed entered the NCAA tournament, where they eventually lost to No. 7 seed Georgetown 70–52 in the second round.

Matta's 2006–07 Ohio State team entered the season with the second-rated recruiting class in the nation, headed by Greg Oden and Mike Conley, Jr., and ranked No. 4 in the preseason polls. Ohio State entered conference play with an 11–2 record, with their only defeats coming at the hand of the No. 6-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels and the No. 4-ranked Florida Gators, with both games on the road. Ohio State's loss against No. 4 Wisconsin on January 9 was their last loss of the regular season, with Ohio State winning 14 straight games and ending the season with a 27–3 record. Ohio State defeated No. 20 Tennessee and No. 2 Wisconsin during this winning streak and ended the season as the top-ranked team in the nation. Ohio State won the Big Ten tournament, defeating Wisconsin, 66–49, in the championship game, and entered the NCAA tournament as the overall No. 1 seed. Ohio State advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time under Matta after an overtime victory against Xavier, whom Matta had previously coached. A one-point victory over Tennessee and a 92–76 victory over No. 2 Memphis advanced the Buckeyes to the Final Four. Ohio State defeated Georgetown 67–60 in the national semifinal game, but would lose to the Florida Gators 84–75 in the national championship game. Both Oden and Conley would enter the NBA draft following the season, with Oden being drafted number one overall and Conley going fourth overall.

The 2007–08 season was a rebuilding one for the Buckeyes. Ohio State ended the season with a 19–12 record, finishing fifth in the Big Ten. Ohio State would lose to Michigan State in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals and miss out on the NCAA tournament for the first time in two seasons. The Buckeyes did receive a No. 1 seed in the 2008 National Invitation Tournament, where Ohio State would defeat Massachusetts 92–85 in the championship game. Ohio State began the 2008–09 season with a 9–0 record, but would eventually finish with a record of 20–9. Ohio State would defeat Wisconsin and No. 7 Michigan State to advance to the Big Ten tournament championship, where they would be defeated by No. 24 Purdue. Ohio State's appearance in the championship game, though, would give them a berth in the NCAA tournament, where they would eventually lose to No. 9 Siena in the first round. The 2009–10 season marked Matta's sixth season at Ohio State, with the team entering the season ranked No. 17 in the nation. The Buckeyes had compiled a 7–1 record before Evan Turner, who was averaging 20.6 points and 12.9 rebounds per game was injured. Turner would return later in the season and help finish the season with a 24–7 record and a share of the Big Ten regular season championship. A victory over Minnesota in the Big Ten tournament would give Matta his second Big Ten tournament title and give the Buckeyes a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament. Ohio State would be defeated by the No. 6 seed Tennessee Volunteers in the Sweet Sixteen 76–73. Turner would be named the National Player of the Year and would enter the NBA Draft, where he was selected second overall.

Matta would recruit one of the top ranked recruiting classes heading into the 2010–11 season as well as retain some key seniors such as David Lighty and Jon Diebler. Ohio State was ranked No. 4 in the preseason polls and entered Big Ten conference play undefeated at 13–0, defeating the No. 9 Florida Gators and moving up to No. 2 in the nation. Ohio State would continue to dominate the opposition during the regular season, pushing their record to 24–0 and 11–0 in conference play before they lost their first game at No. 13 Wisconsin. Another loss at No. 11 Purdue would be the last loss for the Buckeyes during the regular season. Ohio State ended the season with a 29–2 record and 16–2 record in the Big Ten, winning the outright Big Ten regular season championship. Ohio State would go on to defeat Penn State for the Big Ten tournament championship, giving the Buckeyes their second tournament championship in a row and Matta's third tournament championship as head coach. Ohio State entered the NCAA tournament as the No. 1 overall seed for the second time under Matta and for the second year in a row would only advance to the Sweet Sixteen, where they were defeated by the Kentucky Wildcats 62–60. The Buckeyes, returning starters Jared Sullinger, Deshaun Thomas and Aaron Craft, would enter the 2011–12 season ranked No. 3 in the nation. Ohio State entered Big Ten play with a 12–1 record, only losing at No. 13 Kansas, without Sullinger. Ohio State finished the season winning a share of the Big Ten regular season championship and being defeated by Michigan State in the Big Ten tournament championship. Ohio State received a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament and would advance to the Final Four for the second time under Matta after a 77–70 victory over No. 1 seed Syracuse. The Buckeye's season would end with a loss to the Kansas Jayhawks, 64–62, in the Final Four. Following the season Sullinger entered the NBA Draft and was taken 21st overall.

Thad Matta's record at Ohio State

Facilities

The Ohio State Buckeyes presently play their home games in 19,200-seat Jerome Schottenstein Center. The first official home court for the Buckeyes was the Ohio Expo Center Coliseum. Constructed in 1918, the Buckeyes called this arena home between the years 1920 to 1955. The facility had a capacity of 7,000 people.

In 1955, a new facility was built on the campus of Ohio State named the St. John Arena named after Lynn St. John, an Ohio State basketball coach and athletic director. This building, while hosting the men's basketball team, also hosted (and still to this day hosts) volleyball, gymnastics, and wrestling. The capacity of St. John Arena is 13,276. This building is the only Buckeye arena to serve as home for an Ohio State men's basketball championship team in 1960.

With the aging St. John Arena over 40 years old, the Ohio State University decided to build the Schottenstein Center to hold men's and women's basketball as well as hockey. The 770,000 sq foot arena was completed in 1998 and seats 19,500 for basketball games.

Ohio State completed a $19 million renovation to the Schottenstein Center in 2013 that includes updated locker rooms for the Men's and Women's Basketball teams, a new training room with hydrotherapy pools, a new weight room, and a new practice gym to complement the existing gym.

During the team's formative years the Buckeyes played their home games at the Armory. Built in 1897 at a cost of $115,000, the massive brick medieval style building was demolished in 1958 after damage caused by a fire. From 1897 to 1917 the Buckeyes used the building known as "Drill Hall" or "The Gymnasium" as their home court, only being asked to leave due to the outbreak of World War I. The teams overall record at the Armory was 178-104. In 1919, without a definite home, the team played some of their games at Indianola Park as well as the Coliseum and the Armory. Finally, in 1920, the team officially moved to the Ohio State Fairgrounds and played in their home games at the Ohio Expo Center Coliseum. During their time at the Coliseum, the Buckeyes played in five national title games.

Coaches

The Buckeyes have had 14 coaches in their 110-year history. Their current head coach is Thad Matta, who was hired in 2004, and has led the Buckeyes to five NCAA tournament appearances and two final four appearances during the 2006-07 and 2011-2012 seasons. The only Ohio State coach to win a national championship was Fred Taylor in 1960.

NCAA Tournament Seeding History

The NCAA began seeding the tournament with the 1979 edition.

NIT results

The Buckeyes are two time NIT champions (1986, 2008).

Big Ten Tournament Championships

Ohio State has won 4 Big Ten Tournament championships since its inception during the 1997–98 season. Ohio State won their first title in 2002 under Jim O'Brien (later vacated), while winning 4 under current head coach Thad Matta. Under Matta, the Buckeyes appeared in the Big Ten Tournament championship five consecutive seasons from 2009 to 2013.

Record vs. Big Ten opponents

The Ohio State Buckeyes lead the all-time series vs. eight Big Ten opponents. Two of the all-time series are within three games. These records DO NOT include vacated games (e.g. Purdue does count all their games played against Ohio State and trail the series 89-85 according to their records. Iowa counts all games played against OSU and the series is tied 78-78 according to their records).

Consensus All-American selections

*National Player of the Year

Big Ten Player of the Year

Big Ten Coach of the Year

First-Team All-Big Ten

All award data taken from

Single-game leaders

All statistical data taken from.

Retired numbers