The highly-unpredictable 2023-24 college basketball season produced yet another shocking upset Sunday when Ohio State, less than a week removed from firing coach Chris Holtmann, toppled Big Ten-leading Purdue in a 73-69 stunner in the debut of interim coach Jake Diebler. The Boilermakers entered the day as the NCAA Tournament selection committee’s No. 1 overall seed but fell flat on the road, as highly-ranked teams have become accustomed to doing throughout this unpredictable campaign.
Whether the Buckeyes’ victory was the result of a brief lift in the wake of a coaching change or a more substantial shift in their fortunes remains to be seen, but regardless, only one team in this matchup was playing with tournament implications on the line. The loss is unlikely to cost Purdue a spot on the one-seed line, but with UConn and Houston vying for the top overall spot in the bracket, every defeat is damaging.
Diebler notched his first career victory, leading the Buckeyes to a triumph that reverberated throughout the college basketball world. He is 1-0 in his new temporary post atop the program.
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Here is the national reaction to Ohio State’s upset of Purdue:
