Big Ten Daily (Feb. 15): Candidates Emerge to Replace Ohio State Coach Chris Holtmann

Ohio State decided to move on from Chris Holtmann in the middle of his seventh season as the leader of the basketball program. Who will replace him in Columbus? Several names popped up as the next potential coach of the Buckeyes.

Ohio State made the decision to move on from Chris Holtmann on Wednesday, a day after the Buckeyes dropped a 62-54 decision to No. 20 Wisconsin in Madison. Now, the athletic department must begin its search for the next men's basketball coach.

Holtmann was in his seventh season at Ohio State, finishing his tenure with a 137-85 record. He was 67-64 in Big Ten play and led the Buckeyes to four NCAA Tournament appearances.

However, the Buckeyes missed the tournament last season and had almost no chance of sneaking in this season. Ohio State has won just one road game in the last two seasons.  It was 14-11 this season with a 4-10 mark in Big Ten play.

Prior to taking over at Ohio State in 2017, Holtmann coached at Butler for three seasons. He led the Bulldogs to a 70-31 mark and three NCAA Tournament bids.

So, who does Ohio State pursue for the vacancy? College basketball analyst Jeff Goodman indicates that Xavier's Sean Miller and South Carolina's Lamont Paris are two likely candidates to replace Holtmann in Columbus.

Those aren't the only two names that have been tossed out, though. Other candidates for the job could be Nate Oats (Alabama), Dusty May (Florida Atlantic), Greg McDermott (Creighton) and Porter Moser (Oklahoma).

Another name that has popped up? Former Ohio State assistant and current Ohio coach Jeff Boals. 

Yeah, the Buckeyes have options. 

Plus, interim coach Jake Diebler has a chance to make his case with six games remaining on the schedule. In that time, the Buckeyes will play No. 2 Purdue, Minnesota, Michigan State, Nebraska, Michigan and Rutgers. 

If Ohio State performs well, maybe Diebler gets his shot. Wilder things have happened in college basketball.

Michigan AD talks Juwan Howard's future

Things are not looking good on the hardwood in Ann Arbor. On Tuesday, the Wolverines were blown out again, falling 97-68 to No. 14 Illinois.

With Michigan sitting at 8-17 overall and 3-11 in the Big Ten, there are some questions about the job security of Juwan Howard. But athletic director Warde Manuel says that he hasn't thought much about the future of the Michigan basketball coach.

“It would be fair to say that I have not really thought about any changes in our men’s basketball program at this time,” Manuel said, per Wolverine Digest. “It’s one of those things that; I guess I can’t say it any clearer; I want to support Juwan to be successful and have not given any moment or thought of anything about changes at this time. And so my support is of him, of our student-athletes, and our staff.

Michigan has won just one of its last eight games in Big Ten play. All seven losses have come by double-digits, with an average margin of defeat of 19.3 points per game.

Spartans keep rolling

If you looked at the box score and saw that AJ Hoggard and Tyson Walker combined for just 10 points on five-of-17 shooting, you'd probably think Michigan State got steamrolled by Penn State. That wasn't the case.

The Spartans got 29 points and 10 rebounds from Malik Hall and 20 points from Jaden Akins, powering Tom Izzo's squad to an 80-72 road victory over the Nittany Lions. Michigan State also got 18 points off the bench.

After a rocky start to the season, Michigan State has now ripped off wins in seven of its last nine games. The Spartans are now 8-6 in Big Ten play and are just a half-game behind Northwestern for an all-important top-four seed, which secures a double-bye in the Big Ten Tournament.

Have the Spartans finally figured things out?

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