COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State's search for a new basketball coach began and ended with Butler's Chris Holtmann.

Holtmann was offered the job by Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith one day after Thad Matta's firing was announced, but didn't accept until two days later after Smith agreed to bump the contract from seven years to eight, at about $3 million per year.

“It was clear,” Smith said at a news conference introducing Holtmann, who took Butler to the NCAA Tournament in each of his three seasons. “He was my target. He was my target from the very beginning.”

Expectations for the 45-year-old Holtmann are lofty: Return the Buckeyes to the national prominence enjoyed for years under Matta, and win recruiting battles for prep players who can be potential game-changers, starting in Ohio.

“One of the reasons you come to a place like this is because you understand that expectations come with it,” Holtmann said. “We're certainly not going to shy away from that.”

Holtmann said he began calling recruits on Saturday and vowed that in-state players would be his priority.

“We're going to work extremely hard as a staff to close the border and dominate the state of Ohio in recruiting,” he said.