MARCH 18 DIEBLER’S AGREEMENT Following his Monday press conference, the terms of Ohio State Men’s Basketball Coach Jake Diebler’s contract were made public. Diebler has agreed to a five-year contract at a basic salary of $2.5 million annually, according to the release. Additionally, he will receive a number of incentives: $50,000 for qualifying for the Elite Eight, $100,000 for winning the Big Ten Tournament, $25,000 for an at-large NCAA Tournament bid, $50,000 for winning a Big Ten title or co-title, and $100,000 for making it to the final four.
If Diebler guides the Buckeyes to a national title, he will earn $250,000, and if he wins Big Ten or National Coach of the Year, he will earn an additional $50,000. Finally, if the team’s annual cumulative GPA falls between 3.0-3.4 he gets a $50,000 bonus. And if that GPA is 3.5 or above, he gets $100,000 in bonus money.
Diebler will coach his first game as the official head coach of the program on Tuesday against Cornell in the first round of the NIT.
After five seasons with the squad, head basketball coach Juwan Howard of the Michigan Wolverines has reportedly been sacked. The Wolverines recently concluded a season in which they placed last in the conference standings after going 8-23 overall and 3-17 in the Big Ten. In 2021, Howard agreed to a five-year contract extension with the Wolverines, which would have kept him in Ann Arbor until the 2025–2026 campaign.
Under Howard, the Wolverines had reached the NCAA Tournament twice, making the Elite Eight in 2020-2021, and the Sweet 16 in 2021-2022.
However, over the last two seasons, the Wolverines finished with a combined 26-40 record.
Now, just like the Buckeyes, Michigan will be on the hunt for a new head coach, possible battling one another for their desired candidates.
In 2023, the Ohio State Buckeyes were probably one painful loss away from making it to the College Football Playoffs once more, against Michigan. Texas and Alabama secured the final two berths, so they almost missed out. The five highest-ranked conference winners will receive automatic berths to the playoffs, which will feature 12 teams next season. The remaining seven teams in the rankings will make up the remaining bracket. A first-round bye will be granted to the top four seeds.
