Kevin McGuff announcement that he is leaving Ohio state now another significant issue for team……

Ohio State promoted interim basketball coach Jake Diebler to the full-time role, the school announced Sunday.

Diebler, who previously served as the team’s associate head coach, took over in the interim head coaching role on Feb. 14 when Ohio State fired Chris Holtmann in the middle of Holtmann’s seventh season. Holtmann has since been hired by DePaul.

An eight-game sample size was all Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork needed to see to remove the interim tag from Jake Diebler’s title. After leading the Buckeyes to a 6-2 record following Chris Holtmann’s termination, Diebler was named the permanent coach in Columbus.

Ohio State’s performance improved significantly under Diebler. The Buckeyes finished the regular season with a 5-1 record, which included wins over No. 2 Purdue, Michigan State and Nebraska — all NCAA Tournament teams.

Jake Diebler possesses all of the characteristics we were seeking as we conducted a very comprehensive and thorough search for a new head coach,” Bjork said. “Those include coaching ability, passion, energy, program knowledge, character, integrity and ties to Ohio. As an Ohio native, the son of a longtime Ohio high school coach and with deep connections to Ohio State, Jake knows what it takes to lead this program on a championship course.