The future of Thad Matta as Ohio State basketball coach has been a popular topic around Columbus these days. Barring a run to the Big Ten Tournament championship, the Buckeyes will fail to make the NCAA tournament for a second year in a row. That--plus the lowest basketball attendance numbers in the history of Value City Arena has some of the natives restless.
In following this team and this program as closely as I do, I can tell you that people at Ohio State that I know don't believe Matta--Ohio State's winningest coach--is in any danger--but what exactly Director of Athletics Gene Smith is thinking, is anyone's guess.
Pat Forde--a well respected reporter--working for Yahoo Sports reported Monday night that Matta is indeed safe.
In Forde's article (link here) he quotes a "well connected industry insider" who says the Ohio State job "is not going to open." Forde's article in fact, deals more with the possibility of Matta leaving due to health reasons, as opposed to the Buckeyes on-court performance.
Ohio State (17-14, 7-11 Big 10) open Big Ten Tournament play Wednesday against Rutgers. Matta enters the tourney needing a run to keep an impressive streak alive. He is one of only two Division I coaches nationally (Mark Few, Gonzaga is the other) to post 20 win seasons in every year as a head coach.