Matta has no plan to leave Ohio State

The Buckeyes coach was rumored to be a candidate for the Indiana job.
COLUMBUS (AP) -- Ohio State coach Thad Matta said Friday that if it is up to him he will return as the Buckeyes coach next season.
In the most pointed response Matta has made about rumors he is a candidate for the Indiana coaching job, he said he has no intention of leaving Ohio State.
Asked if he would be back next season with the Buckeyes, Matta said, "I hope so. Honestly, I hope like heck I'm going to be here."
He said he cannot foresee a situation that would cause him to leave.
When asked if he would like to quiet the speculation about the Indiana job, Matta said, "Yeah. I've said this before, I'm as happy as I've ever been, at Ohio State. Our goal coming in here was to build this program into a top-20 program and we're on the verge of doing that."
Ohio State (20-4) is ahead of schedule. In only his second year with the Buckeyes, his team is ranked No. 13 and is tied with Iowa for the Big Ten lead with three games left. Ohio State.
Great recruiting class
In addition, Matta has lured one of the top recruiting classes in the nation to Ohio State next season.
The linchpin of the class is an Indiana native, Greg Oden, a 7-foot center from Indianapolis Lawrence North High School. He was selected as the national player of the year as a junior by several publications.
Indiana coach Mike Davis announced last week that he would resign effective at the end of the season. Davis, who coached the Hoosiers for six seasons, succeeded Ohio State alumnus Bob Knight as head coach in 2000.
Matta, 38, grew up in Hoopeston, Ill., as a fan of Indiana basketball, and he has spent several years of his coaching career in Indiana as an administrative assistant, an assistant coach and then the head coach at Butler.
Matta is in the second year of an eight-year contract that will pay him $11 million if he remains at Ohio State for the entire term of the agreement.
Matta said a portion of his contract precludes him from discussing any other jobs, collegiate or NBA, except between the final day of the regular season and April 15.
"I don't have the liberty to talk about other jobs," he said
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