Roddy Gayle Jr. (1) jumping up for a shot in the post last season. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Lantern File
Chris Holtmann looks to take a young team with new faces back to the NCAA tournament after an underwhelming 2022-23 season.
This year’s Ohio State roster features 11 underclassmen, including four freshmen and three transfers.
Holtmann said this year is going to be exceptionally challenging because of the Buckeyes’ tough schedule as they take on five Associated Press Preseason Top-25 opponents.
“I’m really excited about getting this year started,” Holtmann said. “I think it’s the best schedule we’ve had and our home games are very strong.”
Schedule Overview
The season begins with an exhibition at Dayton Sunday, followed by the true season opener at home against Oakland Nov. 6.
Ohio State gets its first test when No.15 Texas A&M comes to Columbus just four days later, Nov. 10.
In the field for the Emerald Coast Classic, the Buckeyes are matched up against Western Michigan and the No. 24 Alabama Crimson Tide as part of the tournament during the week of Thanksgiving.
Big Ten play opens at home on Dec. 3 against the Minnesota Golden Gophers, Jameson Battle’s former team.
Assistant coach Jack Owens’ former team, Miami University of Ohio, will play Ohio State at home Dec. 6.
In another return, Ohio State travels to Pennsylvania to take on Penn State, where Evan Mahaffey transferred from last year.
In the CBS Sports Classic on Dec. 16, Ohio State challenges the UCLA Bruins on a neutral site in Atlanta. The Buckeyes then travel to Cleveland Dec. 30 to take on West Virginia in another neutral site battle.
Ohio State begins a jam-packed January with Rutgers at home on Jan. 3, 2024, at Indiana Jan. 6 and at home versus Wisconsin Jan. 10.
On Jan. 15, Ohio State will make the journey to Ann Arbor, Michigan, to face the Wolverines in this season’s first rendition of the rivalry.
The Buckeyes return to Columbus to face the Nittany Lions for a second time Jan. 20, followed by two away games at Nebraska on Jan. 23 and Northwestern on Jan. 27. A Buckeye home game against No. 25 Illinois Jan. 30 precedes a trip to Iowa City, Iowa, to take on Iowa Feb. 2.
Ohio State then has back-to-back home games against Indiana and Maryland Feb. 6 and 10 respectively.
The Buckeyes will travel to Madison, Wisconsin, in their second season matchup against Wisconsin Feb. 13.
In a highly anticipated matchup, Zach Edey and No. 3 Purdue come to Columbus to take on Ohio State Feb. 18.
Ohio State ventures to Minnesota for a rematch Feb. 22, then to East Lansing, Michigan, to face No. 4 Michigan State Feb. 25.
The Buckeyes host Nebraska Feb. 29 followed by a matchup against Michigan in a second rivalry game for the home finale March 3.
Ohio State will close the season against Rutgers in Piscataway, New Jersey, March 10.
The roster
Sophomore guard Bruce Thorton and senior forward Zed Key headline the 2023-24 Buckeye basketball team.
Returning sophomore guard Roddy Gayle Jr. and center Felix Okpara are also expected to see significant time on the floor this season.
Fifth-year guard transfers Jamison Battle and Dale Bonner add experience to the roster and will provide a scoring punch and strong defensive presence at their position.
Freshman forwards Devin Royal and Scotty Middleton are still fairly raw talents, although the top recruits should play a major role down the line for the Buckeyes.
Evan Mahaffey, a sophomore forward transfer from Penn State, provides another physical wing presence with experience in Big Ten play.
The team also includes two more freshmen in guard Taison Chatman, the top-rated prospect out of Minnesota, and center Austin Parks, a physical post player and Ohio native.
The rest of the 15-man roster fills out with sophomore guard Bowen Hardman, redshirt-sophomore forward Kalen Etzler, sophomore guard Colby Bauman and senior forward Owen Spencer.
Assistant coach Mike Netti said this is one of the most dynamic rosters he’s had as a coach and that this year’s team plays with a chip on their shoulder.
“I think this is a unique group that we have,” Netti said. “They have an edge to them, especially the returners, and I believe this group has a real fight that they are ready to show.”
Season outlook
This Buckeye basketball squad had a tough season last year, going 16-19, but saw improvement from a strong class of freshmen struggling with growing pains, led by Thorton.
The loss of three of the five leading scorers from last year — Brice Sensabaugh, Sean McNeil and Justice Sueing — will have the offense taking a hit.
Battle, a proven scorer in the Big Ten who averaged 14.4 points and 5.4 rebounds a game in two years at Minnesota, will take on a larger role and look to be a key overall offensive piece for the Buckeyes.
A question that remains to be answered is whether or not the sophomores can weather the loss of the team’s past scorers and take on larger roles.
Thornton, Gayle and Okpara all started and played significant minutes down the stretch for Ohio State last season, and the team hopes to build off the momentum of last year’s Big Ten tournament run, where the Buckeyes advanced to the semifinals but fell to then-No. 5 Purdue 80-66.
Netti said the coaching staff will work to find and play to the strengths of the Buckeyes’ roster.
“We evolve year to year based on our personnel,” Netti said. “We’re going to have a style of play where we share the ball, play aggressive with physicality and get touches playing inside out.”
