Randy Ayers left the Ohio State basketball program in a state of disarray back in 1997.
The Buckeyes went 26-56 across his last three seasons, leading to his firing after the 1996-97 season and the hiring of Jim O'Brien from Boston College. Things got worse in his first year.
Ohio State had to replace the top three scorers from Ayers' final 10-17 squad – Damon Stringer, Jermaine Tate and Shaun Stonebrook – and toppled down to an 8-22 record in O'Brien's first campaign. That included a 1-15 mark in Big Ten play, placing the Buckeyes last in the conference.