Ohio State fired men’s basketball coach Chris Holtmann on Wednesday after a disappointing 4-10 start in Big Ten play.
The Buckeyes lost 62-54 at No. 20 Wisconsin on Tuesday to drop to 14-11 in Holtmann’s seventh season in Columbus.
Ohio State fell to 0-7 on the road this season and has lost nine of its last 11 games overall.
Holtmann, 52, replaced Thad Matta in 2017 and guided Ohio State to four NCAA Tournament appearances and an overall record of 137-86 (67-65 Big Ten).
“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,” athletics director Gene Smith said in a statement. “He and his wife, Lori, are wonderful people. I thank each of them for their seven years here in Columbus and I wish them well.”
The Buckeyes failed to win either a regular season or tournament title in the Big Ten and never made it out of the first weekend in an NCAA tourney under Holtmann.
Holtmann had four years remaining on a contract that ran through the 2027-28 season. ESPN reported that Ohio State will owe him more than $14 million in guaranteed salary.
Holtmann coached three seasons at Butler (2014-17) and three seasons at Gardner-Webb (2010-13) before taking over at Ohio State.
Associate head coach Jake Diebler was named the interim coach for the remainder of the campaign, starting with Sunday’s home game against No. 2 Purdue.
–Field Level Media
