Jon Diebler reacts to Ohio State's buzzer-beating road win against Michigan State

The Ohio State Buckeyes led by interim head coach Jon Diebler showed freon coursing through their veins when it mattered most on Sunday, in the closing seconds of their road matchup against the Michigan State Spartans. Dale Bonner delivered a dagger with 0.2 seconds remaining, lifting the Buckeyes to a 60-57 victory that won’t be soon forgotten by their fan base.

Following the game, Diebler spoke with the CBS Sports broadcast crew on the court in East Lansing.

More than anything Diebler was impressed with the way his team responded in a very tough road environment.

“Give all glory to God. Hall of Fame coach. Veteran team. The way our guys responded throughout the course of this game was so impressive,” Diebler began. “They were going on runs. They hit big shots. They kept it right around 8-10 for a while. And we kept responding. We cut it to six. They’d push it back up. We’d cut it again. I’m so proud of the way our guys responded this game.”

“Again, this is now a couple of games where they’ve revealed the character they have on the inside,” Diebler continued. “And I’m so happy for them. It was impressive. 6.4 seconds.”

What type of play was he trying to setup in as a play in the final 6.4 seconds?

“We were trying to get the ball to Thornton on the run. They doubled him. Caused everybody to lift up. The poise from freshman Devin Royal taking the ball out of bounds was incredible. He got it to Bruce somehow. Bruce had his clock awareness. Found Dale. Dale’s clock awareness. I mean listen, it’s players making plays and players stepping up. I’m so happy for those guys and the unbelievable poise they showed down the stretch,” the Ohio State interim head coach said.

Dale Bonner only scored six points but all six of them came from beyond-the-arc. None of them were bigger than the devastating dagger he delivered from the corner.

What did Diebler have to say to his team after snapping a road losing streak that spanned over 400 days?

“I’m gonna go tell them how proud of them I am. And them and our staff. Again, I think the togetherness we have right now is something really special,” Diebler said. “They took advantage of this opportunity that was in front of them today. We have some more opportunities, but we’re gonna enjoy this on the way home because they deserve that.”

Ohio State (16-12, 6-11 Big Ten Conference) now has three more games remaining on their schedule: Nebraska (Feb. 29th), Michigan (Mar. 3), and Rutgers (Mar. 10).