COLUMBUS, Ohio — After missing the NCAA Tournament for the past two seasons, Ohio State is looking for a resurgence in the first full season for coach Jake Diebler.
He was named interim coach after Chris Holtmann was fired with 11 games left and secured the permanent job after leading the Buckeyes to an 8-3 finish.
Diebler is welcoming back a few strong players and believes he landed some great contributors from the transfer portal. His best player, guard Bruce Thornton, returns. Guard Meechie Johnson Jr. returns to Ohio State after playing the past two seasons at South Carolina. Diebler has also increased his depth at forward from the transfer portal, including 7-foot-1 Kentucky transfer Aaron Bradshaw.
Players to watch
The Buckeyes return their best player in Bruce Thornton, a 6-foot-2 guard who last season averaged 15.7 points, 4.8 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 33.6 minutes per game.
Guard Meechie Johnson Jr. returns to Ohio State for his last year of eligibility. He played two seasons for Ohio State and two at South Carolina before returning to Columbus for a fifth season.
Forward Evan Mahaffey enters his second year at Ohio State after playing a year at Penn State.
Departures and arrivals
The Buckeyes lost F Jamison Battle and G Dale Bonner to graduation.
The transfer portal took G Roddy Gayle Jr. (Michigan), F Scotty Middleton (Seton Hall), F Zed Key (Dayton) and F Felix Okpara (Tennessee).
Coming out of the portal were F Micah Parrish (San Diego State), F Sean Stewart (Duke), F Aaron Bradshaw (Kentucky) and G Ques Glover (Kansas State). Juni Mobley and Colin White join the Buckeyes as freshmen.
Top games
The Buckeyes open at No. 19 Texas on Nov. 4. They're at No. 15 Texas A&M on Nov. 15, host No. 25 Rutgers on Dec. 4, host No. 11 Auburn on Dec. 14, and play No. 23 Kentucky on Dec. 21.
Facts and figures
- The Buckeyes will feature a full complement of 13 scholarship players, the most in school history.
- The annual media poll picked Ohio State to finish eighth in the Big Ten.
- The Buckeyes aim to return to the NCAA Tournament after missing out the past two seasons, despite finishing 22-14 last season.
- Ohio State will finally have a 7-footer to lock down the paint in Kentucky transfer Bradshaw (7-foot-1, 215 pounds), who averaged 4.9 points and 3.3 rebounds in limited playing time as a freshman last season.
- Diebler was assistant under Holtmann from 2019 until he took over for the fired head coach with 11 games remaining last year.
