Thad Matta

Thad Matta has done what he is used to doing as a head coach during his first three years in Columbus - WIN. The 13th head coach in Ohio State history guided his first edition of Buckeye basketball to a 20-12 campaign in 2004-05 and followed that effort with a 26-6 record and an outright Big Ten regular-season championship in 2006. The 2007 season was even better with both an outright Big Ten regular-season title and the league tournament crown as well. Ohio State advanced to the NCAA title game and finished the season with a school record 35 wins against just four losses. In seven years as a collegiate head coach, Matta has produced 20 or more victories each year, which includes three years at Xavier (78-23) and one at Butler (24-8). His average record as a head coach after three seasons (81-22) in Columbus is 26-7.

In three years as a Buckeye, Matta has more wins than any previous Ohio State head coach after three seasons on the job with an 81-22 record to date.

Matta is one of just two coaches nationally to post 20 or more wins in each of his first seven seasons as a head coach. The 2006 and 2007 Big Ten Conference and 2006 USBWA District V coach of the year, Matta tied an Ohio State record for wins by a rookie coach (20) in 2004-05. Gary Williams, currently the head coach at Maryland, posted a 20-13 record in 1986-87. Matta (2005 and ‘06) and Williams (1987 and ‘88) are the only two Ohio State coaches to record 20 or more wins in each of their first two seasons in Columbus and Matta is the only Buckeye mentor with three 20-win campaigns at the start of his tenure.