Ohio State Basketball: Why you shouldn’t underestimate the Buckeyes

Ohio State basketball lost a fair amount of talent this offseason but it is not time to count them out yet. Here’s why you shouldn’t underestimate the Buckeyes.

Ohio State basketball vastly exceeded expectations in Year 1 under head coach Chris Holtmann. I do not think that anyone would dispute that. The new coach brought out the best in Keita Bates-Diop and pushed the rest of the roster to new heights as well. In the preseason, many expected 2017-18 to be a rebuilding year for the Buckeyes. However, the team finished second in the Big Ten and received a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Heading into this season, you would have thought that people learned their lesson. Yet, there are still people predicting that the Buckeyes will finish in the bottom five of the Big Ten (aka 10th or worse). Even though the league is expected to be stronger this season than it was a year ago, this still seems like underestimating the returning roster, the coaching staff, and the incoming recruits. Barring any major injuries, Ohio State has enough talent and coaching to still finish in the top half of the Big Ten with a strong year.

While making the NCAA Tournament will be far from a sure thing, tOSU should definitely compete for a bid. It is also important to remember that, regardless of coach, Ohio State has only finished with a below .500 record in the Big Ten play on one occasion in the last 14 years. So, to all of the people who have jumped on the doubt train early, here is why you should not count out the Buckeyes just yet. (Note: I am not an Ohio State fan.)