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 N/A N/A
Pace N/A
Effective FG% 56.24 (19) 50.28 (117)
Turnover % 13.62 (106) 13.68 (238)
Off Reb % 30.32 (187) 30.01 (160)
FTA/FGA 37.23 (122) 34.75 (171)
3P% 35.73 (72) 31.77 (53)
2P% 58.01 (20) 52.06 (197)
FT% 77.75 (21) 74.08 (270)
3PA/FGA 40.06 (170) 40.43 (220)
Totals
Per Game
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Ohio State
Big Ten
Rankings
AP Poll: #35 Coaches Poll: #33 NET: #30 RPI: #42
Record
Overall: (21-13) Conference: (12-8) Quad 1: (4-12) Quad 2: (5-1) Quad 3: (6-0) Quad 4: (6-0)
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Ohio State Depth Chart
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Ohio State Starting Lineup - Last 5 Games
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