Ohio State Basketball Tasked With Road Bout Against Texas A&M Aggies

Jake Diebler's and the Buckeyes will travel to Texas A&M for the team's second ranked matchup of the season on Friday.

Nov 11, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes guard Bruce Thornton (2) defends during the second half against the Youngstown State Penguins at Value City Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images / Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

The No. 21 Ohio State Buckeyes are gearing up for a ranked matchup with No. 23 Texas A&M in the second bout of the program's home-and-home series on Friday. After a tough 73-66 loss to the Aggies more than a year ago, the Buckeyes will bring a completely different rotation to College Station.

The Buckeyes, now sitting at 2-0 with a ranked win over former No. 19 Texas, first-year head coach Jake Diebler said the team is prepared to go up against one of the top “offensive rebounding teams in the country” the last two years. Through the first week-and-a-half of this season, the Aggies are top five in offensive rebounds per game amongst Power 5 schools.

“We could play bigger at times.… We have a great versatility where we don't have to just shoot a bunch of threes, or we don’t have to just play through the paint,” said Diebler during Thursday’s press conference.

A large part of why Texas A&M has been impressive on the glass this season is due to the return of Andersson Garcia, who led the Southeastern Conference in rebounds per game, and Henry Coleman III; a player who dominated in last season's contest with 20 points and 11 rebounds. The Aggies also acquired six-foot-nine junior Pharrel Payne from Minnesota in the portal, adding even more size down low.

However, the biggest scoring threat for Texas A&M comes in the form of a small, shifty 3-point shooter in Wade Taylor IV. Despite the slew of core players head coach Buzz Williams has managed to track in, his team suffered an unranked loss to Central Florida to begin the season. This dropped the Aggies 10 spots in the latest edition of the Associated Press rankings.

Nov 4, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes forward Sean Stewart (13) shoots against the Texas Longhorns during the second half at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

On the other side, the Buckeyes have a completely new arsenal, highlighted by a frontcourt that consists of transfers in Kentucky’s Aaron Bradshaw and Duke’s Sean Stewart. Along with the new additions, Ohio State's roster includes two returners in Devin Royal and Evan Mahaffey. During Monday's contest against Youngstown State, the bigs played well in on both sides of the ball, limiting the Penguins to just 47 points.

“Aaron, Sean, Devin, those guys have all played in big-time games in big-time road environments,” said Diebler.

Diebler also told reporters that the team will have to rely on the backcourt's experience on Friday.

“Relying on the experience of our guards is going to be important."

The Buckeyes have multiple guards with experience, as junior Bruce Thornton and the senior-transfer duo of Meechie Johnson Jr. and Micah Parrish will certainly have to step up on Friday. Diebler also mentioned that freshman John Mobley Jr. does not lack confidence when on the court.

“We have to play with confidence collectively,” Diebler said. “I want our guys, individually, to play with confidence. [Mobley] doesn’t have much of an issue with that.”

Through the first two games, Mobley is shooting seven-for-eight from beyond the arc. The tandem of Thornton and Mobley has worked well thus far, combining for 31 points and a 2.75 assist-to-turnover ratio this season.

Ohio State seems to have the pieces to shock the college basketball world yet again on Friday. The Buckeyes look to be the first team to record two ranked victories this season. Despite having two road games in a span of 12 day, Diebler is excited for the challenge.

“This team has consistently prepared well,” Diebler said. We’re excited to go on the road.”

The Buckeyes and Aggies will tip off on Friday at 9 p.m. EST on SEC Network.