2026 Tournament PreviewA mid-February bubble team, coach Jake Diebler rallied the Buckeyes to late-season wins against Wisconsin, Purdue and Indiana before downing Iowa in the Big Ten tournament and taking regular-season champ Michigan to the wire. Ohio State played a top-25 schedule and 11 of its 12 losses came in Quad 1, earning its first NCAA Tournament bid since 2022. The school's all-time scoring leader, senior guard Bruce Thornton (20.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 3.9 apg) runs the show, shooting 40.0 percent from three-point range. Sophomore John Mobley (15.6 ppg) is slightly better from distance with a conference-leading 41.8 percent. The result is an offense that ranks 17th nationally in efficiency, per KenPom. In the frontcourt, 6-8 Brandon Noel (7.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg) returned for the conference tournament after missing 18 games with a foot injury, bolstering the depth behind 7-0 Christoph Tilly (11.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg). The Buckeyes are healthy and hot, and nobody will be excited to see them in the tournament.
Scouting Report Offense Defense
Efficiency 1.24 19 1.02 91
Pace 68.0 (248)
Effective FG% 56.51 (18) 50.37 (123)
Turnover % 13.72 (120) 13.80 (238)
Off Reb % 30.69 (176) 29.96 (156)
FTA/FGA 37.78 (110) 35.11 (178)
3P% 36.03 (58) 31.55 (50)
2P% 58.16 (19) 52.44 (217)
FT% 77.54 (21) 74.29 (282)
3PA/FGA 40.05 (169) 40.50 (222)
Totals
Per Game
Loading Team Stats...
Loading Team Stats
Ohio State
Big Ten
Rankings
AP Poll: #35 Coaches Poll: #33 NET: #29 RPI: #42 RW: #27
Record
Overall: (21-12) Conference: (12-8) Quad 1: (5-11) Quad 2: (4-1) Quad 3: (6-0) Quad 4: (6-0)
Loading Schedule...
Loading Post Schedule...
Ohio State Depth Chart
Our full team depth charts are reserved for RotoWire subscribers.
Subscribe Now
Ohio State Starting Lineup - Last 5 Games
Loading Last 5 Lineups...
Ohio State Roster
Loading Roster...
News Display Mode
Compact
Expanded