Busting Brackets
Fansided

Ohio State Basketball: 2023-24 season preview for the Buckeyes

By Joey Loose

Feb 9, 2023; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes guard Bruce Thornton (2) talks to forward Zed Key (23) during the second half of the NCAA men’s basketball game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Value City Arena. Ohio State lost 69-63. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-The Columbus DispatchBasketball Ceb Mbk Northwestern Northwestern At Ohio State
Feb 9, 2023; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes guard Bruce Thornton (2) talks to forward Zed Key (23) during the second half of the NCAA men’s basketball game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Value City Arena. Ohio State lost 69-63. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-The Columbus DispatchBasketball Ceb Mbk Northwestern Northwestern At Ohio State /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 5
Next
Sep 25, 2023; Columbus, OH, USA; The Ohio State University men’s basketball team hangs out after media day.
Sep 25, 2023; Columbus, OH, USA; The Ohio State University men’s basketball team hangs out after media day. /

Season Outlook

Each of the last two preseasons have seen Ohio State bringing in a recruiting class ranked in the Top 10 in the nation. With the current chaos created by the Transfer Portal, it’s not unusual to see power conference teams raiding other programs to fill gaps in their roster, but Holtmann has clearly been even busier on the recruiting trail.

The loss of Sensabaugh, their best freshman from last year’s class, certainly hurts but there’s still plenty of talent assembled in Columbus. The combination of Battle, Key, and Okpara creates a frontcourt with a lot of possibility and potential and it should have Buckeyes’ fans excited. With solid shooters like Gayle and Booner, the backcourt also gives reason for raised expectations.

With the exception of those transfers, the principle pieces off the bench are all freshman, meaning there’s a lack of experience deep in this rotation. Obviously, this isn’t all a bad thing, as these players will continue to develop as the season goes along, but Holtmann will be leaning heavily on his starters for their veteran leadership. Just three of the 11 players mentioned today are considered upperclassmen.

The Buckeyes’ offense has been among the most efficient in recent years, and these new shooters will certainly help maintain that mark, but much of their success will come down to the defensive end. We lauded those pieces in the frontcourt, but how will they compare to some of the other bigs in the Big Ten? Can young players like Thornton, Gayle, and those new freshmen make strides on the defensive end?

Next. Preseason Big Ten power rankings for 2023-24. dark

With what Ohio State has assembled talent-wise on this roster, they look to be in a similar spot to last year, and we don’t mean that in a bad way. Few expected Ohio State’s downturn late in the season, but this year’s squad looks like they can finish much closer to the top of the league standings and contend for another trip to the Big Dance. Things could be even sweeter if those star sophomores develop even further. After all, anything can happen in the Big Ten; can these Buckeyes make waves in March?

Home/Ohio State Buckeyes