Ohio State University has fired men’s basketball coach Chris Holtmann after the team lost its ninth game in 11 outings on Tuesday and appeared unlikely to reach the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
Holtmann, who formerly was coach of Butler University’s men’s team, leaves OSU with a record of 137-86 overall and was 67-65 in Big Ten play over seven seasons. This season, the Buckeyes were 14-11 overall and 4-10 in Big Ten play. OSU lost in a road game at Wisconsin on Tuesday night, 62-54.
Associate head coach Jake Diebler will run the program for the rest of the season and a search for a new head coach will commence then, the school said in a statement.
Holtmann, 52, left Butler for the OSU job in 2017. His record with the Bulldogs was 70-31 in three seasons, including a 25-9 mark in 2016-17.
The Buckeyes went to the NCAA Tournament in 2021 and 2022 but couldn’t make it out of the first weekend either time.
None of Holtmann’s Ohio State teams won a regular season title or conference tournament.
“I want to express my appreciation toward Chris for the first-class program, and the well-respected program, he has run here at Ohio State,” Ohio State athletics director Gene Smith said.
In 2022, Ohio State gave Holtmann a three-year contract extension that pushed his salary to about $3.5 million per season. He will be owed the $12.8 million remaining on his contract.
