Last night, Ohio State's football team fell to Iowa in a blowout. To help turn the page, there's another event happening in Columbus on Sunday afternoon that may have slipped your mind.
The Ohio State men's basketball team kinda-sorta opens their season this afternoon at the Schottenstein Center as the Buckeyes take on Wooster in the lone exhibition this season.
| WHO | WHERE | WHEN | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walsh | Schottenstein Center | 4:00pm | BTN Plus |
With the Buckeyes coming off a season that featured yet another NCAA tournament miss—the second in a row—and the departure of Thad Matta, as well as several notable players, expectations certainly aren't high.
Ohio State did not receive a single vote in the preseason AP Poll, but that certainly hasn't changed the Buckeyes mentality towards competing this season.
"I think the reality is, people say we are underdogs right now. We're going to have to make them say something different," new head coach Chris Holtmann said on Friday.
Ohio State features a young team once again, as several departures have left the program in a very precarious spot.
Center Trevor Thompson decided to forgo his final year of eligibility in pursuit of a professional career, while guard JaQuan Lyle left the program and is now at New Mexico. Forward Derek Funderburk was dismissed from the program and guard Braxton Beverley was granted his release to transfer after Thad Matta's departure. Center David Bell also left the program, transferring to Jacksonville University.
The Buckeyes have three true freshman—center Kaleb Wesson, forward Kyle Young, and guard Musa Jallow—while also adding graduate transfer Andrew Dakich from Michigan. All told, the Buckeyes only currently have nine scholarship players.
Another major factor, however, will be the return of junior forward Keita Bates-Diop, who suffered a stress fracture in January and was ruled out for the remainder of the season.
"I feel great. Physically I haven't felt this good in a long time. I'm just ready to get out there," Bates-Diop said Friday.
The Buckeyes return just six players: Bates-Diop, senior forward Jae'Sean Tate, sophomores Micah Potter and Andre Wesson, senior guard Kam Williams, and junior guard C.J. Jackson. Nonetheless, Ohio State believes they can shock some people this season.
As for Ohio State's opponent, Wooster is a Division-III school who competes in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC). The Fighting Scots finished 23-8 a year ago, winning their conference tournament before falling in the first round of the Division-III Big Dance.
"We're really excited about playing a well-coached Wooster team and I've had tremendous respect from what I've observed," Holtmann said on Friday.
The game won't tell us much about what we will see this season, but for a team full of unknowns, it will at least give us some kind of insight.
