Ohio State Buckeyes
2023-2024 Result: 22-14 record (9-11 Big 10), NIT appearance
Key Additions
Meechie Johnson Jr. (South Carolina)
Micah Parrish (San Diego State)
Sean Stewart (Duke)
Aaron Bradshaw (Kentucky)
Ques Glover (Kansas State)
Juni Mobley (4-star recruit)
Key Losses
Felix Okpara
Zed Key
Roddy Gayle Jr.
Scotty Middleton
Dale Bonner
Jamison Battle
Projected Starting Lineup
Head Coach: Jake Diebler (1st season)
Guard: Bruce Thornton (JR)
Guard: Meechie Johnson Jr. (SR)
Guard: Micah Parrish (5th year)
Forward: Sean Stewart (SO)
Center: Aaron Bradshaw (SO)
Ohio State’s season turned around last season after firing Chris Holtmann, so they hired interim head coach Jake Diebler full-time. The portal season was very busy in Columbus. They reunited with Meechie Johnson, who was a 1st team player in the SEC last year. The Buckeyes also got Micah Parrish, high-potential big men in Sean Stewart and Aaron Bradshaw, Ques Glover, and 4-star recruit Juni Mobley. They did lose some players, like Felix Oxpara, Jamison Battle, Zed Key, and Roddy Gayle Jr., but this Buckeyes team is quite intriguing.
Ohio State’s rim protection is a question mark. The sample size is not really there from last season, but the potential certainly is. Sean Stewart and Aaron Bradshaw were both highly touted recruits at Duke and Kentucky, respectively, and find themselves in a position to play huge roles for the Buckeyes this season. They both averaged at least half a block last year and neither of them played over 14 minutes a night, so the potential to be a force on the defensive end is glaring. In the backcourt, first-year head coach Jake Diebler has put together guys that will compete and come from good systems at their previous schools. Micah Parrish transferred in from San Diego State where defense has always been something that they fall back on. Parrish was a big part of the Final Four run two years ago, so he knows what it takes to compete at the highest level. Bruce Thornton is the only returning starter, but he is like a football player on the defensive end relying on his stature to bother opposing guards. It may take some time for the Buckeyes defense to come together, but the potential is there for this group, particularly the starting lineup, to be a good unit.
Shooting and floor spacing. Those are the themes, or the lack thereof, in the Ohio State offense. The highest three-point percentage of any projected starter is Bruce Thornton at 33.3%, and outside of that, it is Ques Glover off the bench at 37.8%. With both big men starting in Stewart and Bradshaw, and three guards who cannot really shoot it, the floor spacing could be a challenge and eliminate what the guards on their roster do really well, especially Thornton and Meechie Johnson, which is getting to the hoop. Losing 15.4 points per game and over 43% from three with the departure of Jamison Battle will prove to be costly. Deibler might learn very quickly that he needs to split the minutes of the big men and bring one of them off the bench to get the nearly 15 points per game in just 25 minutes from Kansas State transfer Ques Glover. While Glover did not play at Kansas State, his stats from two seasons ago at Samford show that he has the ability to be a valuable asset on the offensive end for the Buckeyes. The offense in Columbus will not be its calling card unless they find lineups that can shoot the ball at a higher rate and space the floor.
Ohio State finished last season very strong and nearly snuck into the NCAA Tournament. With some roster turnover, the Buckeyes look very different now with Thornton, Evan Mahaffey, and Devin Royal being the only real contributors back on the team. The growth of the big men will determine how far this team can go because Bruce Thornton and Meechie Johnson will be steadying players for Ohio State. With that, I expect Ohio State to get back to the tournament this March.