Ohio State Basketball has long been a staple of the Big Ten, but they have struggled to stay near the league’s top for nearly a decade. They have had promising seasons go wrong, while also having seasons where they have outdone expectations. That was the story in 2023-24. The Buckeyes decided 25 games into the season that it was time to make a coaching change. So Chris Holtmann who had been at the helm for seven seasons was let go. His run included four NCAA tournament births during his tenure.
Two straight down years put the end of Holtmann quickly. He had Ohio State at 14-11 when he was fired. Insert Jake Diebler, and the Buckeyes put on quite a show to end the 2023-24 season. They finished the season with a 22-14 record and grabbed a NIT bid. Now looking forward to 2024-25 the Diebler era appears to be off to a good start for the Buckeyes.
Ohio State Big Ten Basketball Preview 2024-25: Jake Diebler Era is Here
There are plenty of changes in Columbus, besides a new head coach. Ohio State had eight-player departures. Many via graduation, but a lot of the roster turnover was to the Transfer Portal, which is understandable because of the change of leadership for the team.
Jamison Battle was a welcomed addition in 2023-24 from Minnesota, and he had plenty of memorable performances for the Buckeyes. Battle was one of the top scorers for Ohio State averaging 15 points per game. The biggest losses for the Buckeyes would’ve been big contributors this season, as four players hit the portal that could have been starters in 2024-25.
Those players include Scotty Middleton (Seton Hall), Roddy Gayle Jr (Michigan), Zed Key (Dayton), and a huge loss in the post in Felix Okpara (Tennessee) who was coming along nicely. Now before completely writing off the Buckeyes, they still have a lot of nice pieces in place including their top scorer is back in Bruce Thornton.
The Buckeye Roster Isn’t a Complete Bust
Thornton has long shown why he can be a big scorer in the Big Ten, and that was clear in 2023-24 as he averaged nearly 16 points per game. Pair that with a rising sophomore Devin Royal a heavily recruited player elsewhere in the Big Ten when he came out of high school. They also added four impactful transfers.
Two of their four transfers come from two of the ‘Biggest Brands’ in College Basketball. Aaron Bradshaw a seven-footer joins Ohio State from Kentucky. That is a monster steal as Bradshaw is a former top 10 overall recruit from the 2023 class. The other big-time player comes from Duke. That player would be Sean Stewart.
Evan, Aaron, & Coach were on the mic today talking to the media 🎙️@bradshawaaron25 on why he chose Ohio State 🗣️
“It was mainly a family thing with me. Coach Jake has built a family around this program in the short time he’s been here.” #GoBucks | #DevelopedHere pic.twitter.com/hqXMQ6UfWC
— Ohio State Hoops 🌰 (@OhioStateHoops) July 10, 2024
They aren’t alone as Coach Diebler was also able to grab a couple of experienced players Micah Parrish and Meechie Johnson Jr. Parrish arrived from San Diego State, where he was a major contributor on their Final Four team two seasons ago. As for Johnson, he comes home to Ohio from the South Carolina Gamecocks.
The Buckeyes also bagged a quiet freshman class with just two players. John Mobley Jr and Colin White will be trying to contribute in any way they can. Mobley can be seen making players already in a video from practice posted on the Buckeyes X page.
4-point play for the freshman @jmobleyjr !#Team126 | #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/IRpmoeNmEW
— Ohio State Hoops 🌰 (@OhioStateHoops) July 16, 2024
Schedules Are Never Easy In The Big Ten
Ohio State is about to embark on quite a tough schedule in Coach Diebler’s first full-time season. The non-conference has three major foes alone with games against Texas, Texas A&M, and a showdown with Kentucky before Christmas. That will be a good test for the Buckeyes.
It doesn’t get any easier after that once the Big Ten starts. They will have to travel to the likes of Illinois, Minnesota, Penn State, Purdue (yikes), Wisconsin, and a west coast trip to both USC and UCLA. That seems to be the case for most of the more historic programs in the Big Ten.
The home slate is nice with rival Michigan coming to Columbus, as well as Michigan State. The home slate is rounded out by Iowa, Northwestern, Rutgers, and conference newcomers Oregon and Washington. That game with the Ducks should be fun since it’s a rematch of the first-ever NCAA Tournament Championship Game.
As for who the Buckeyes have to play twice apiece, Indiana, Maryland and Nebraska are the lucky teams in that regard. A closer look at the Big Ten Schedule for Ohio State was shared via social media.
👀 Where we're going and who we're hosting in 2024-25
👇 2024-25 Big Ten Conference opponents pic.twitter.com/garoGWe5rE
— Ohio State Hoops 🌰 (@OhioStateHoops) May 1, 2024
Tread Lightly, Buckeyes Mean Business
There isn’t a single team in the Big Ten to take lightly, especially now with 18 teams. The Ohio State Buckeyes for one have a roster that is set up for them to succeed. If they can win two of those three non-conference games against SEC foes, coach Diebler has himself a contender. Road games at both Purdue and Illinois could tell the story for the Buckeyes in 2024-25. They have talent and a coach who has proven he can go out and compete with the best the league has to offer.
