Ohio State Buckeyes Men's Basketball Preview: Can Chris Holtmann Replace Brice Sensabaugh?

With a revamped, young squad, the Ohio State Buckeyes look primed to finish among the top in the conference.

After a long season in 2022, Ohio State’s men’s basketball team will look to turn things around, starting in November.

Head coach Chris Holtmann and his squad finished 16-19 and 13th in the Big Ten. With six returning players and the No. 8 recruiting class in the country, the Buckeyes are eyeing a better finish on the horizon.

Ohio State looks solid on offense, led by sophomore guards Bruce Thornton and Roddy Gayle Jr. and fifth-year senior forward transfer Jamison Battle, though they lost leading scorer Brice Senabaugh to the Utah Jazz.

Thornton will likely assume duties as the team’s leader on that end — he finished the last eight games with 16.4 points on 50.2 percent from the field and looks to continue his hot streak.

Battle brings his 3-point shooting and up-and-down volume scoring. The transfer from Minnesota, who Holtmann called a “nightmare” to guard, averaged 12.4 points on 37-31-78 shooting last season and should expect to see a similar role this year.

On the other side of the ball, defensive-minded guard Isaac Likekele is gone, meaning Thornton could also take over No. 1 perimeter defender duties. Inside the arc, sophomore center Felix Okpara seeks to continue protecting the paint — he averaged 1.3 blocks per game last season, good for fifth in the conference.

Ohio State is also returning senior forward Zed Key, who had a season-ending shoulder injury. The Buckeyes will look to his paint presence and maturity as a leader for the young team.

The Buckeyes brought in freshmen Scotty Middleton, Taison Chatman, Austin Parks and Devin Royal. With Chatman and Parks expected to miss time, Holtmann said Middleton is the freshman who will likely make an “impact early.”

Ohio State will face five preseason top 25 teams this season, including conference opponents in No. 3 Purdue, No. 4 Michigan State and No. 25 Illinois. If the refurbished Buckeyes can pick up good wins early on, they should find themselves in a position to make a push for an NCAA Tournament bid.