It’s time for Ohio State to regroup and ensure they never play in the NIT again after losing in the quarterfinals.
Before losing to Georgia 79-77 this week in the NIT quarterfinals, these tough Buckeyes had a season that lasted almost into April, longer than we had anticipated. It appeared as though Jake Diebler was assigned to perform an emergency landing on February 14. Could he just get them to the finish line, maybe earn a couple of victories along the way, and have some dignity left at the end of the season? With 22 victories at the end of the season, Diebler, the staff, and this team obviously accomplished much more than that.
Now that Diebler is officially the head coach, Connor and Justin argued last week over which recruits Diebler should speak with first over the phone. Darryn Peterson was Justin’s choice, and 57% of respondents agreed. 43% of the readers disagreed with Connor’s selection of Niko Bundalo. Ohio State is still in the running for both of the top 2025 recruits, as far as we know.
After 145 weeks:
Connor- 72
Justin- 54
Other- 15
Most likely, Ohio State won’t suffer a lot of losses this off-season. Guard Bowen Hardman, who is rarely used, is the only player who has transferred as of Thursday night. Both Jamison Battle and Dale Bonner are no longer eligible, and although Ohio State has the candidates on staff to take up Bonner’s position, it does not currently have anyone who can match Battle’s output. They’ll have to search somewhere else for that.
But this game is a business. Sometimes, players in favourable circumstances are offered a… better… financial situation. You never know. It appears like the Buckeyes will keep a sizable portion of this team.
This week’s query: What is the top priority for Ohio State men’s basketball during the off-season?
Connor: The Columbus Dispatch, replacing Jamison Battle Syndication
Adam Cairns, USA TODAY NETWORK/Columbus Dispatch
It may be a bit presumptuous of me, but for the purposes of this exercise, let’s assume that Ohio State keeps Bruce Thornton, Felix Okpara, and Roddy Gayle around because it would be a huge letdown if they didn’t return. Ohio State needed to play in the NIT, and those three sophomores—now juniors—were the main voices in the locker room advocating for this. After the season’s heartbreaking conclusion, I sincerely hope that those three would remain friends.
Replacing Battle will be the biggest challenge, assuming they manage to keep that core intact and he is the only significant player to leave. Last season, Ohio State players who weren’t named Jamison Battle combined for a 30.4% three-point shooting percentage. In his absence, the Buckeyes would have finished third in the Big Ten in terms of three-point shooting. At 15.3 points per game, Battle ranked second on the team. In the last ten games, he averaged almost 20 points per game.
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The aforementioned trio will contribute some of the point production as they improve and score more. Thornton increased his scoring by more than five points per game and Gayle by more than nine points per game between their freshman and sophomore seasons. Although Okpara’s per-game numbers did not increase as much as those of the other two, it is encouraging that he ended the year with double-digits in three straight games for the first time in his career.
But I don’t believe that anyone on the squad right now could take up Battle’s three-point shooting and bulk at the three or four position. Devin Royal is expected to start after averaging 8.4 points and 3.6 rebounds per game in the season’s final nine games. However, Evan Mahaffey cannot continue to eat up starters’ minutes if the Buckeyes are serious about winning the Big Ten next season, as they should be. Sadly, no other player on the team possesses the size and scoring combination necessary to take Battle’s place and even remotely replace him. There will be no other way to make this addition.
This team missed the NCAA Tournament even with Battle. Diebler and the staff will need to put in a lot of effort to find a starting player with a size and scoring combination comparable to Battle’s if they decide to run it back with the same core. To help stretch defences, he doesn’t have to shoot 44% from three, but he must shoot above average. It is essential.
Justin: Hold onto The Columbus Dispatch, the current main syndicatation.
Adam Cairns, USA TODAY NETWORK/Columbus Dispatch
Though I’m sure a lot of people will disagree, I think there’s still a lot of untapped potential for this core group of guys.
Bruce Thornton, Roddy Gayle, Felix Okpara, Scotty Middleton, Devin Royal, Taison Chatman, and Austin Park make up the core group of guys I am talking about.
Thornton is a player who can compete on any team in the nation, Gayle advanced to the junior season after making significant progress from the freshman to the sophomore years, and Okpara is a superb rim protector and defender who gradually developed his offensive skills throughout the season.
The most important thing is that Gayle and Okpara can now take advantage of another offseason to strengthen themselves and be prepared to return to the starting positions after having completed a full season of starting.
I always want to see a sophomore transitioning into a freshman. For young guys, the second offseason is critical to development because they have already spent time on campus and do not need to adjust. Additionally, since we haven’t watched Park play, I’m not ready to write him off just yet.
As of the time this was posted, Bowen Hardman was the only official Buckeye on the transfer portal. It’s likely that one or two more players will depart, giving head coach Jake Diebler two or three openings to fill via the portal.
However, those seven players, along with two or three impact transfers, Juni Mobley, and Colin White, make up a pretty strong team, so I really hope those seven return. Still no seniors.
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