University of Arizona President says Ohio State can hire Sean Miller “over my dead body”

As the search for the next men’s basketball coach at Ohio State takes off, University of Arizona President Robert Robbins has taken a stance to ensure that it’s not their coach that leaves for the Buckeyes.

Originally reported by the Arizona Republic, Robbins talked about the speculation of Miller making the move to Ohio State, and had this to say:

[Ohio State] will have to come over me to get him, as the saying goes, over my dead body.

Robbins, who was recently hired as UA President, has taken a strong stance on keeping his basketball coach. Additionally, Robbins added that Miller is a “tremendous individual who has had great success on the court.”

Miller took over at Arizona after the retirement of Hall of Fame coach Lute Olson, and has coached the Wildcats since the 2009-10 season. Since then, Miller has brought UA to three Elite 8 appearances in the NCAA Tournament and won four regular season conference titles.

Ohio State is in the position of looking for a new head basketball coach after parting ways with Thad Matta on June 5. Matta spent 13 years at OSU, and took the Buckeyes to two Final Fours.

Hopefully, they won’t have to kill anybody to find a replacement.