Thad Matta has built a powerhouse basketball program at Ohio State in part by fostering a family environment.

“Thad Matta coaches the whole kid,” Satch Sullinger, father of Matta’s current star post player, Jared, said. “When Jim O’Brien was fired, he wrote out a map for the guys to come to his house to give them the news. They’d never been there before. Thad Matta wasn’t in that position (at Ohio State) for two weeks before he had his whole team over to his house. It’s family. He coaches family. He doesn’t coach a basketball team.”

The ever-upbeat Matta does not countenance prima donnas or selfish players, either.

“He brings in a lot of guys with great character,” said Jon Diebler, Ohio’s leading schoolboy scorer who has developed into the Big Ten’s leading all-time leader 3-pointers. “He wants people who want to win. That’s the most important thing, guys who can kind of put their egos aside and do what’s best for the team.”

Hang around off the court and you become a cohesive unit off it: That’s the Matta Plan.

“Thad’s got them playing at a high level, and he’s got them playing together,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said earlier this season. “That’s why they’re ranked No. 1 in the country.”