Jake Diebler enters his second full season as head coach with an experienced roster. The Buckeyes return three of their top four scorers from last season, including an experienced backcourt, as they look to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2022. Ohio State has struggled in Big Ten play the last three seasons, going 23-37.
Senior point guard Bruce Thornton averaged 17.7 points per game last season and led the conference with a 3.15 assist-to-turnover ratio (148 assists, 47 turnovers). He also shot 50% from the floor, including 42.4% on 3-pointers. ... Sophomore John Mobley Jr. is also in the backcourt and a threat from the perimeter after making 77 3-pointers last season and averaging 13 points per game. ... Junior Brandon Royal, who averaged 13.7 points per game, can play either forward spot and was the team's leading rebounder last season at 6.9 boards per game.
Brandon Noel could land the other forward spot. The fifth-year player was on the All-Horizon League, second-team the past two seasons and averaged 19 points and 7.7 rebounds at Wright State last season. ... Seven-footer Christoph Tilly transfers in from Santa Clara and is a consistent double-figure scorer. ... There a couple freshmen who could emerge this season. Guard Mathieu Grujicic averaged 24.6 points for Germany in the FIBA U18 Eurobasket tournament this past summer and A’mare Bynum also has versatility at either forward spot.
The Buckeyes open on Nov. 3 against IU Indy. Notable non-conference games are Notre Dame on Nov. 16, at Pitt on Nov. 28, a Dec. 13 meeting against West Virginia in Cleveland before facing North Carolina in the CBS Sports Classic on Dec. 20 in Atlanta. Ohio State also takes on Virginia on Feb. 14 in Nashville. The Buckeyes open Big Ten play on Dec. 6 at Northwestern and host top-ranked Purdue on March 1.
Senior center Josh Ojianwuna transferred from Baylor but is still rehabbing from a knee injury. ... One area that needs to improve this season is assist rate. The Buckeyes were near the bottom of the nation last season, ranking 282nd in Division I with an assist rate of 47.9%. ... The last time Ohio State didn't make the NCAA Tournament for four straight years was a six-season drought from 1993-98.
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
Murder for Two Read moreMurder For Two
Kicks or Treats: Dance for Free Week at CY Danceworks! Read moreKicks or Treats Dance for Free Week at CY Danceworks
Brian Wright said:
Dirk van Ulden said:
Dirk van Ulden said:
DavidKristofferson said:
Dirk van Ulden said:
Mick - are you quoting Michelle Obama? Duplicity is her middle name. Digging in our respective heels is not solving anything.
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.