Head Coach Jake Diebler argues with a referee in Ohio State’s March 1 game against Purdue. Credit: Cassandra D’Angelo | Lantern Photographer.
Two of the Big Ten’s premier programs stood at a crossroads in early 2024.
On Feb. 14, Ohio State fired coach Chris Holtmann. One month later, on March 15, Michigan dismissed Juwan Howard. At the time, Ohio State was 14-11. Michigan was 8-24.
Both programs were underperforming. One was mediocre. The other was among the worst in the conference.
Two years later, their paths could not look more different.
Ohio State remains stuck in the middle, where a first-round NCAA Tournament exit is framed as modest progress. Michigan, despite starting from a worse position and entering the coaching search later, won the national championship three weeks ago.
So what changed?
The answer is not subtle. Programs willing to rebuild, rather than retool, are seeing far greater returns.
Ohio State instead chose continuity.
It promoted Jake Diebler, a member of Holtmann’s staff, signaling belief in the existing foundation. The roster followed that same approach, with NIL resources largely directed toward retaining players such as Bruce Thornton, John Mobley Jr. and Devin Royal.
In practice, that decision shaped how the Buckeyes used the transfer portal. Rather than overhaul the roster, Ohio State looked to supplement it. The goal was to add experience around its core, not replace it.
That approach only works when the additions make a clear impact.
Through two offseasons, that has not happened.
Since taking over, Diebler has brought in Aaron Bradshaw, Ques Glover, Meechie Johnson Jr., Micah Parrish, Sean Stewart, Gabe Cupps, Brandon Noel, Josh Ojianwuna and Christoph Tilly. The expectation was that those players would raise the ceiling without disrupting the core.
Instead, most failed to shift the trajectory of the program.
Bradshaw, Stewart, Johnson Jr. and Cupps each returned to the transfer portal after one season with limited impact. Ojianwuna did not play because of injury. Glover averaged 4.4 points per game. Tilly and Noel each hovered around 10 points per game, but neither consistently influenced winning at a high level.
Parrish stands as the lone clear success.
One out of nine.
Elsewhere, the most successful programs have taken the opposite approach.
Michigan hired Dusty May, who quickly reset the roster. Just four players from the previous 13-man team remained. May added seven transfers in his first season, leading the Wolverines to a Sweet 16 run in 2024-25. The following year, six transfers, five of whom were starters, helped power a national title.
In both seasons, Michigan’s starting lineup was built entirely through the transfer portal. These were not role players. They were the foundation.
Florida followed a similar model under Todd Golden. The Gators added six transfers in 2023-24, forming the core of a 24-12 NCAA Tournament team. A year later, additional portal additions helped produce a 36-4 record and a national championship.
Their reliance on transfers was clear. Florida’s starting lineup was composed of five transfers in 2023-24 and four in its title-winning 2024-25 season.
St. John’s also embraced a full reset under Rick Pitino. He rebuilt the roster almost entirely, adding 10 scholarship transfers. The result was immediate: a 31-5 record, Big East regular-season and tournament titles, and a Sweet 16 appearance the following year.
Like Michigan and Florida, St. John’s built its starting lineup almost entirely through the transfer portal.
The pattern is consistent.
Programs that aggressively replace underperforming rosters accelerate their path to contention. Programs that prioritize continuity are more likely to remain stuck.
In these successful programs, loyalty is earned through performance. Players and coaches keep their roles by producing results, not simply by being part of the system.
Ohio State has not taken that step.
And if the Buckeyes want to move beyond mediocrity, a more aggressive reset may be required. Whether Diebler leads that change or is replaced by it will determine what comes next.
