Ohio State 2025-2026 Basketball Season
A free throw during the Ohio State vs Oregon game in the 2024-2025 season (Photo: Ohio State Athletics).
Ohio State Basketball has not been in the best place over the past couple of years. Without a NCAA tournament appearance since 2022, the Buckeyes will strive this season to reach the promised land of March Madness. Now in his second full season of being head coach, Jake Deibler and co. has built a strong team with a mix of strong returners and a few key transfers.
Bruce Thornton is a senior and likely 4 time captain and probably the best player on this team. Thornton has stayed loyal to the Buckeyes over the past couple of years, likely passing up on attractive transfer offers. He and his extremely good assist to turnover ratio will lead Ohio State this season as their point guard. Bruce can quietly go off for 35 points any night.
John Mobley Jr. can pull up from anywhere and is one of the best 3 point shooters in the big ten. After a fiery start but a slow finish to his freshman season, Mobley will look to have a larger and more important role this season.
Local star and forward Devin Royal will also assume a huge role this season. He has made a huge impact on each game after rising at the end of his freshman season. He has improved his 3 point shooting over the offseason and will be a vital piece to this team. Bruce, John, and Devin are the three big returners for this season.
The Buckeye's team huddle before a home game in the 2024-2025 season (Photo: Ohio State Athletics).
Transfers are a very important part of modern day college athletics. Jake Deibler brought in 4 transfers this offseason, and Christoph Tilly and Brandon Noel are expected to start. Christoph Tilly is a senior center who transferred in from Santa Clara. He will give the Buckeyes the type of center that they have been missing over the past couple of seasons. Tilly can also stretch the floor and hit a three if needed, too. Brandon Noel is a Wright State transfer who plays forward and is in his fifth year of college. After averaging almost 20 points last season, he will look to do the same against far stiffer Big Ten competition.
The other two transfers are guard Gabe Cupps and forward Ethan Ojianwuna. Gabe Cupps, who transferred in after two years at Indiana, brings great defense and will likely be the first guard off the bench and will play significant minutes this season. Baylor transfer Ethan Ojianwuna on the other hand is coming off of a brutal ACL tear and likely won’t play until after the holidays, if at all. He could bring a huge and much needed presence in the paint when/if he returns. Transfers are very important and have recently been key in some deep final four runs, like Walter Clayton Jr. for Florida and Tristen Newton for UConn.
Overall, the future is bright and the ceiling is high for the 2025-2026 Ohio State basketball team. With key returners and exciting transfers, the goal of making and advancing in the NCAA March Madness tournament seems very obtainable right now.