Ohio State Buckeyes
Ohio State snapped a three-year NCAA Tournament drought this season, going 21-12, including 12-8 in Big Ten play. The Buckeyes, who won’t have 2025-26 leading scorer Bruce Thornton next season, fell to TCU 66-64 in the first round of the NCAA Tourney. However, John Mobley Jr., Amare Bynum, and Devin Royal project to return. Overall, coach Jake Diebler should return six of his top nine players. But will have to replace Thornton’s productivity if they plan to play in the 2027 Tourney.
Diebler has signed two high 2026 high school forwards — five-star Anthony Thompson and four-star Alex Smith.
Indiana Hoosiers
Indiana missed the NCAA Tournament for the third straight time, finishing at 18-14, including 9-11 in Big Ten play, under Darian Devries‘ first year as head coach. The Hoosiers have now compiled five straight winning campaigns.
Devries has a lot of work ahead of him, as he has to replace six of his top seven players, including his entire starting backcourt. Devries has signed a pair of four-star recruits in Vaughn Karvala and 6-4 combo guard Prince Alexander Moody, and a hard commit from another four-star recruit, 6-8 forward Trevor Manhertz.
