Oct. 22, 2024 06:14 AM EST

Ohio State Looking For A Resurgence In The First Full Season Under Coach Jake Diebler

By The Associated Press
FILE - Ohio State interim coach Jake Diebler reacts toward a referee during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Illinois in the quarterfinal round of the Big Ten Conference tournament, March 15, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr, File) Abbie Parr, ASSOCIATED PRESS
FILE - Ohio State interim coach Jake Diebler reacts toward a referee during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Illinois in the quarterfinal round of the Big Ten Conference tournament, March 15, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr, File)
FILE - Ohio State guard Bruce Thornton, right, works toward the basket as Illinois forward Coleman Hawkins (33) defends during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the quarterfinal round of the Big Ten Conference tournament, March 15, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr, File)
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Ohio State (22-14, 9-11 Big Ten)

Coach Chris Holtmann was fired late last season, and Jake Diebler took over as interim. After finishing out the season 8-3, Diebler locked up the job. Diebler welcomes back a few strong players and believes he landed some great contributors from the transfer portal.

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. ... G 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. ... F 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.

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