BIG TEN TEAM PREVIEW #10 OHIO STATE BUCKEYES

Ohio State enters this season having missed three consecutive NCAA tournaments. Last season, Jake Diebler took over as the full-time head coach after Chris Holtmann was fired midway through the 2023-24 season. Dieber was the interim head coach after Holtmann was fired two seasons ago. It wasn't a terrible first season for him. Ohio State went 17-15 and finished 10th in the conference. This season, they retain quite a few players from last season's squad.

Projected Lineup:

G Bruce Thornton

G John Mobley Jr.

F Devin Royal

F Brandon Noel (Wright State transfer)

C Christoph Tilly (Santa Clara transfer)

Ohio State arguably retains more talent than any other Big Ten team. 6-foot-2 point guard Bruce Thornton was their best player last year, and he's back. Thornton averaged 17.7 points and 4.6 assists per game last season, earning all-conference honors. He should be one of the best guards in the country next season. 6-foot-1 combo guard John Mobley Jr is back after he had a very nice freshman season. Mobley started in 22 of 32 games last season, averaging 13 points and 2.2 assists. He was one of the top freshman scorers in the Big Ten last season. 6-foot-6 Devin Royal was the best player in Ohio State's frontcourt last season. Royal was second on the team in scoring with 13.7 points and first on the team in rebounding with 6.9 rebounds per game.

Ohio State also brought in four transfers through the portal this offseason. 7-foot Santa Clara transfer Christoph Tilly was one of the top true centers available. Tilly averaged 12.5 points and 4.9 rebounds last season, which earned him all-conference honors in the WCC. 6-foot-8 Wright State transfer Brandon Noel is another transfer that should be in the starting lineup. Noel is a sixth-year senior who was at Wright State for five seasons, redshirting in his first two years there. He was one of the best forwards at the mid-major level last season, averaging 19 points and 7.7 rebounds per game, earning first-team all-conference honors. Another heavily recruited transfer forward that Ohio State brought in was Baylor transfer Josh Ojianwuna. Ojianwuna had been at Baylor for the last three seasons. He took on a starting role for the first time there last season and averaged 7.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. Ohio State's frontcourt gets even deeper with the addition of incoming freshman Amare Bynum. The 6-foot-8 center is the #44 player in the 2025 class by 247 Sports. Ohio State isn't quite as deep in the backcourt. Indiana transfer guard Gabe Cupps and four-star international recruit Mathieu Grujicic will be their primary guards off the bench.

Ohio State has a ton of talent coming back from last year's squad, plus they added some really nice transfers. I think what could stop them from being an elite Big Ten team is the lack of depth in the backcourt, which I mentioned earlier. I'm also not super confident in Jake Diebler; there were times last year when he showed his inexperience as a head coach. But I think with the amount of talented players they have, especially Bruce Thornton, Ohio State should be a pretty good team next year. If they aren't able to snap their NCAA tournament drought, I'd be surprised.