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Welcome to “Good Morning, Illini Nation,” your daily dose of college basketball news from Illini beat writer and AP Top 25 voter Scott Richey. He’ll offer up insights every morning on Brad Underwood’s team and college basketball at large:
Ohio State
Last year’s finish: 17-15, 9-11 Big Ten (10th)
Notable losses: Micah Parrish; Sean Stewart; Aaron Bradshaw; Evan Mahaffey; Ques Glover; Meechie Johnson
Returning players: John Mobley Jr., So., G; Bruce Thornton, Sr., G; Taison Chatman, R-So., G; Ivan Njegovan, So., C; Devin Royal, Jr., F; Braylen Nash, So., G; Colin White, So., F
Key additions: A’mare Bynum, Fr., F; Gabe Cupps, R-So., G; Mathieu Grujicic, Fr., G; Christoph Tilly, Sr., C; Brandon Noel, Sr., F; Josh Ojianwuna, Sr., F
One extended thought: The Buckeyes should probably rank higher given they return three legitimate Big Ten players in Thornton, Royal and Mobley. Thornton is one of the best guards in the conference, Royal had a breakout season in 2024-25 and Mobley is among the next wave of standout young guards. That’s a trio most teams would be thrilled to have. Tilly and Noel are productive transfers up from the mid-major level, and Grujicic could be one of the best young players Germany has to offer.
The sticking point? I think it’s safe to say there are questions about coach Jake Diebler. He righted the ship in 2023-24 when he replaced Chris Holtmann during the season, but last year (his first full season at the helm) was kind of a disappointment — particularly down the stretch when the Buckeyes lost seven of their final 11 games. Diebler took big swings on former five-star prospects in Stewart and Bradshaw, and neither panned out. There’s obviously some time to turn it around, and not wasting the entirety of Thornton’s college career would be a good place to start. He’s one mediocre-to-average season away from the Malcolm Hill experience as a no doubt Big Ten standout with zero NCAA tournament appearances.