Is Indiana Men’s Basketball Better Than Ohio State?

In this series, Hoosiers On SI examines where Indiana basketball stands against its Big Ten foes. Today, we look at how the Hoosiers stack up against the Buckeyes.

Ohio State Buckeyes guard Bruce Thornton (2) dribbles the ball past Maryland Terrapins forward Donta Scott (24) during the second half at Value City Arena. / Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – This story is part of a series that will continue through October. Is Indiana better than each of its Big Ten opponents?

Nine categories were chosen. There will be no ties in individual categories. Think of it like you would the Supreme Court.

The categories: Point guard play, free throw shooting, inside scoring, perimeter shooting, rebounding, perimeter defense, rim protection, how much proven Power Five talent is on the roster, and intangibles.

The daily series will cover both the men’s and women’s basketball teams, and it will alternate between the teams.

Ohio State is next in the rotation. The Buckeyes had a long, strange trip in 2024. They seemed to put their 2023 doldrums behind them with a 12-2 start under Chris Holtmann. However, resumption of Big Ten play began a free-fall for the Buckeyes. Ohio State lost eight of nine, including a 76-73 home loss to Indiana in which the Buckeyes blew an 18-point lead.

Two games later, Holtmann was let go and Jake Diebler took over. He proceeded to win eight of his final 11 games. He salvaged a 22-14 season, a NIT bid, and managed to get the permanent job against heavy odds.

Like so many teams, the Buckeyes revamped their roster through the transfer portal, though Diebler did retain point guard Bruce Thornton, a foundation stone for a rebuilt team.

Here’s how the battle between the Hoosiers and Buckeyes shakes out.

• Point guard play – Thornton is rock solid at point guard for the Buckeyes. A member of the preseason All-Big Ten team, he can score (15.7 ppg), he can dish (4.8 apg), he’s disruptive (1.2 steals) and he’s a decent defender.

He’s joined in the backcourt by ex-South Carolina guard Meechie Johnson Jr. (14.1 ppg, 2.9 apg). If the name sounds familiar, that’s because Johnson had a previous stint with the Buckeyes from 2020-22.

How Johnson and Thornton mix together is intriguing. Thornton has the skill-set to play off of Johnson. If one or the other gets in foul trouble, Ohio State is covered.

Indiana has a gifted point guard trio in Myles Rice, Trey Galloway and Gabe Cupps. But I think the edge goes to the Buckeyes as Thornton and Johnson are multi-year veterans and they’ll play more together. Edge: Ohio State.

• Free throw shooting – A category that Indiana struggles in, and this matchup is no exception. Thornton (85%), Kansas State transfer Ques Glover (84.7% at Samford in 2023, Glover never played at K-State due to a knee injury), Johnson (78.8%), San Diego State transfer Micah Parrish (73.7%) and Devin Royal (70.8%) all top the 70%, a claim only two Hoosiers (Mgbako 82.2%, Rice 81.1%) could claim in 2024. Edge: Ohio State.

Kentucky Wildcats forward Aaron Bradshaw (2) celebrates his three pointer during their game against the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday, March 2, 2024 at Rupp Arena. / Clare Grant/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

• Inside scoring – Ohio State won’t look the same here with the departures of Zed Key and Felix Okpara, two burly big men.

There’s potential for Ohio State, but not a lot of proven performers. Parrish (9.3 ppg) produced at a solid clip at San Diego State, but he’s more of a stretch forward. Seven-footer Aaron Bradshaw (4.9 ppg) was brought in from Kentucky and 6-9 forward Sean Stewart (2.6 ppg) comes from Duke, but neither played regularly. In comparison to Oumar Ballo and Malik Reneau, the Buckeyes are inexperienced and unproven. Edge: Indiana.

• Perimeter shooting – Like Indiana, Ohio State was not a great 3-point shooting team in 2024 and its best two 3-point shooters – Jamison Battle and Scotty Middleton – are both gone. Thornton only converts at a 33.3% clip and Johnson at 32.1%, but Glover (37.8%) will help if he’s healthy.

Indiana improved its shooting. With the addition of Luke Goode from Illinois (38.9%), Kanaan Carlyle from Stanford (32%) to go with MgBako (32.7%), it’s a super close call. We’ll give the Hoosiers the benefit of the doubt that Galloway (26% in 2024, but 46.2% in 2023) will find a middle ground in his shooting. Edge: Indiana.

• Rebounding – There’s not a lot of proven rebounding ability on the Buckeyes, but lots of potential. Stewart rebounded at a solid 22.4% clip in limited time at Duke. Evan Mahaffey (4.2 rpg) doesn’t have an impressive-looking average, but he played 22 minutes per game, so he was productive when he played. None compares to Ballo (10.1 rpg) and Reneau (6 rpg) in proven board production. Edge: Indiana.

Yale Bulldogs forward Danny Wolf (1) plays the ball defended by San Diego State Aztecs guard Micah Parrish (3) in the second half at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena. Parrish is now at Ohio State and Wolf is at Michigan. / James Snook-Imagn Images

• Perimeter defense – Ohio State wasn’t a bad defensive team in 2024, but one area in which the Buckeyes struggled was 3-point defense as they finished 11th in the Big Ten at 37.6%. Parrish can guard on the perimeter, and that will help, but Thornton and Johnson are average defenders. Indiana isn’t blessed with lockdown defenders either. But Indiana only allowed 32.6% from beyond the arc in 2024, and much of that crew returns. Edge: Indiana.

• Defense at the rim – Ohio State runs into the same problem of inexperience here as it did with the other big man categories. Underlying numbers are good for Stewart and Bradshaw, but the minutes aren’t there. Ballo (1.2 bpg) and Reneau (0.6 bpg) have proven themselves. Edge: Indiana.

• Proven Power 5 ability on roster – The standard here is whether a player averaged 25 minutes or more at the Power Five level at their current or former school.

Power Five experience is thin on the ground for the Buckeyes. Thornton and Johnson are the only Ohio State players who have played 25 minutes per game at the Power Five level. Indiana counters with Ballo, Carlyle, Galloway, Mgbako, Reneau and Rice. Edge: Indiana.

Jul 9, 2024; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Jake Diebler uses pads to defend forward Aaron Bradshaw during a summer workout in the practice gym at the Schottenstein Center. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

• Intangibles – Ohio State can be pretty good if young players like Bradshaw, Stewart and freshman John “Juni” Mobley Jr. play to maximum potential, but that’s a lot to ask. There’s also the matter of how Diebler’s coaching works over a long season instead of a circle-the-wagons period to salvage a season. By comparison, Indiana’s questions aren’t as vexing. Edge: Indiana.

• Verdict – Hoosiers take this one 7-2. This scoring system punishes inexperience, and that’s where the Buckeyes fell short in many categories. If Diebler can bring his young contributors along, the Buckeyes should be pretty decent. Ohio State is one of the three Big Ten teams Indiana plays twice, so Hoosiers fans will get to see their development up close.

Previous Is Indiana Better Than Men's Basketball Results

Oregon – Indiana 7-2.

Rutgers – Indiana 7-2.

Maryland – Indiana 6-3.

USC – Indiana 6-3.

Penn State - Indiana 5-4.

Minnesota - Indiana 6-3.

Michigan - Indiana 6-3.

UCLA - UCLA 5-4.

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