The timeline for how Ohio State would compete against New Orleans was solidified just a few hours before the opening tip.

The timeline that led to the 78-36 win against the Privateers on Thursday night was put into place long before then. After the Buckeyes went through shootaround around midday Thursday, coach Chris Holtmann told the team that he wouldn’t be able to coach as he battles the flu. Holtmann had been wearing a mask around the team to try and prevent further spread around the roster, but he wasn’t the only Buckeye unavailable for the game: sophomore center Felix Okpara was also too sick to participate.

That forced a quick pivot to associate head coach Jake Diebler stepping into the role of acting head coach for the final pre-Christmas tune-up. The lineup and rotations would have to change without Okpara, sixth on the team in minutes played, and some coaching responsibilities would have to be juggled as well.

Then there was the matter of the calendar. Get through this game and four days of freedom loomed just ahead as players were allowed to return home for the final extended stretch of family time before practice resumes Dec. 26.

It was a little clunky early. New Orleans’ defense found some early success against Ohio State, and the Privateers scratched out a 15-14 lead with 5:49 left in the first half before the Buckeyes steadied themselves and blew the game wide open. For the final 25:25, Ohio State outscored New Orleans 64-21 to send everyone into the holiday with visions of sugarplums and antibiotics dancing in their heads.

An overmatched opponent certainly played a role, but the Buckeyes cited one word for their ability to handle the adversity of the day.

“Beginning of the game, we talked about the word culture,” freshman Devin Royal said. “(The coaches) talked about that, standing by what we go through every day. Keep doing the same things. Showing out for them and doing what we do is what we’re here for.”

For Diebler, this wasn’t the first time he was thrust into the head coach’s chair. With both Holtmann and associate head coach Ryan Pedon (now the head coach at Illinois State) both sidelined by COVID-19, Diebler was acting head coach for a Jan. 9, 2022 home game with Northwestern.

The Buckeyes won that one, 95-87, as E.J. Liddell poured in 34 points. This time, Jamison Battle led Ohio State with 17 points and Zed Key added 16 in what was a historically stingy defensive performance for the Buckeyes.

“I don’t mean for this to say cliché, but in situations like this, your program’s culture, they come forward,” Diebler said. “I thought guys stepped up. Our togetherness, specifically on the defensive side, was high-level. We played with physicality. We played with toughness. Those are things we talk about being about on a daily basis. To see that come to fruition for really consistency throughout the course of the game was really encouraging.”

As the primary offensive coach, Diebler said he relied on fellow assistant Mike Netti to help coach the team at that end of the court while assistants Jack Owens and Brandon Bailey handled the defense. Substitutions and rotations were a collective effort, Diebler said.

Key said it was occasionally strange to see Diebler doing things Holtmann would normally do but that otherwise it was business as usual for the players.

“It felt the same,” he said. “Everyone was still doing their job. We definitely missed coach Holtmann, but it’s next man up for the coaching staff; players (too). Diebler stepped in and did his job well.”

Diebler joked that the last time he had to fill in, he had a little bit more time for preparation than he did Thursday. He was able to connect with his father, Keith, who is a longtime high school basketball coach in Ohio, for a quick conversation shortly before the game got underway. As the Buckeyes took the court for their final layups before the national anthem and the introduction of starting lineups, he was the final coach to emerge from the locker room.

Diebler hugged each of the starters, as he does before each game, and walked down the bench fist-bumping each coach, player, manager and staff member before the game got underway.

“We tried to keep things mostly the same,” he said. “People probably couldn’t notice it a great deal, but there’s real chemistry within our staff. For me, that gave me great comfort. I felt like things flowed really well. We tried to be really organized in timeouts and I felt like, and I think our guys felt like, it was kind of seamless.”

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By the end, Diebler was able to empty the bench as a crowd of 11,749 – Ohio State’s biggest for a buy game four days or closer to Christmas since 15,018 attended a Dec. 22, 2014 game against Miami (Ohio) – enjoyed a comfortable win. With students home for winter break, the alumni band played “Carmen Ohio” in place of the usual pep band and the players sung along.

The whole experience was why Royal, a Pickerington Central product who picked the Buckeyes after Michigan State and others aggressively recruited him, said he picked the Buckeyes.

“We have set things we talk about and go through every day that makes us have a great culture here,” he said. “That’s one of the reasons I came here, for the great culture. Keep going through the culture, the main things we talk about. Being aggressive, always playing hard, getting back on defense. Things you need to keep doing every day.”

They’ll get back to it in a few days. First, it's time for a break.

ajardy@dispatch.com

@AdamJardy

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Buckeyes credit culture for handling adversity in New Orleans win