CBB Rank 2025: No. 28, Ohio State Basketball

Led by star guard Bruce Thornton, Ohio State basketball looks to get back to the winning days in year two under Jake Diebler.

The tradition continues! It’s another year of our countdown of the top 100 preseason teams in college basketball until the start of the season. Each day, we will reveal the next team until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up next: Ohio State basketball.

After winning the college football championship, Ohio State fans weren’t met with the same joy from their basketball team, which finished just above .500 overall and two games under .500 in conference play.

There was some heavy debate on whether Diebler should get the job after going 8-3 and 5-1 in conference play as interim coach after Chris Holtmann was let go mid-season. Last year wasn’t a positive affirmation; it was the right decision, but now he’s back with an extremely talented roster looking to prove the critics wrong.

Bruce Thornton returns to Ohio State for his fourth season. He’s started over 100 games for the program, is currently top 10 in Ohio State basketball history in career assists, and will finish his career top 10 in points. While this hasn’t translated to winning, it’s safe to say this isn’t because of him.

He’s not the only key returner; they also bring back Devin Royal and John Mobley Jr. Royal averaged 14 and 7 last year, while Mobley showed off his potential as a freshman, scoring 13 a game. If Mobley is hitting his threes, then he’s a first-round pick.

The key newcomer is Brandon Noel, who put up monster numbers at Wright State last year. Obviously, the Big Ten and Horizon are very different leagues, but he’s got the physical tools to be successful. They also bulk up at center, adding 6-10 Josh Ojianwuna and 7-0 Christoph Tilly. Center was definitely a weak spot for this team last year, so adding three big men to pair with the talented guards is great.

The non-conference is pretty weak, with the only real resume builders being UNC, Virginia, and maybe West Virginia. The good news is, they’ll have plenty of opportunities in the Big Ten. While this is definitely a football school, this basketball team gives Ohio State basketball fans plenty to be excited about.

Head coach: Jake Diebler (2nd season overall, both at Ohio State)

2024-25 record: 17-15 (9-11)

2025 postseason finish: No postseason

Notable departures: 

• Micah Parrish (13.3 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 1.5 APG)
• Meechie Johnson (9.1 PPG, 2.7 APG, 2.5 RPG)
• Aaron Bradshaw (6.0 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 0.2 APG)
• Sean Stewart (5.7 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 0.6 APG)

Notable non-conference games: 

• vs. Notre Dame (Nov. 16)
• at Pittsburgh (Nov. 28)
• vs. West Virginia (Dec. 13) – Cleveland, OH
• vs. UNC (Dec. 20) – Atlanta, GA
• vs. Virginia (Feb. 14) – Nashville, TN

Projected Rotation

PG: Bruce Thornton (6-2, 215, Sr.)

2024-25 stats: 17.7 PPG, 4.6 APG, 3.4 RPG, 1.1 SPG, 50.1 FG%, 42.4 3P%, 85.3 FT%

SG: John Mobley Jr. (6-2, 185, So.)

2024-25 stats: 13.0 PPG, 2.2 APG, 1.5 RPG, 0.7 SPG, 38.9 FG%, 38.5 3P%, 88.2 FT%

SF: Devin Royal (6-6, 230, Jr.)

2024-25 stats: 13.7 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.9 SPG, 52.5 FG%, 27.6 3P%, 77.2 FT%

PF: Brandon Noel (6-8, 240, Gr.-Sr.)

2024-25 stats: 19.0 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 1.7 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.9 BPG, 55.2 FG%, 35.8 3P%, 75.3 FT% (Wright State)

C: Christoph Tilly (7-0, 240, Sr.)

2024-25 stats: 12.5 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.8 BPG, 55.4 FG%, 31.5 3P%, 77.1 FT% (Santa Clara)

6: Josh Ojianwuna (6-10, 270, Sr.)

2024-25 stats: 7.4 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 0.6 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.8 BPG, 77.4 FG%, 64.5 FT% (Baylor)

7: Taison Chatman (6-4, 190, So.)

2023-24 stats: 1.0 PPG, 0.5 RPG, 0.4 APG, 33.3 FG%, 50.0 FT%

*Redshirted last season

8: Amare Bynum (6-8, 240, Fr.)

247Sports Composite #61-ranked recruit

9: Gabe Cupps (6-2, 180, So.)

2023-24 stats: 2.6 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.7 SPG, 36.4 FG%, 35.9 3P%, 61.5 FT%

*Only played in four games in 2024-25

10: Mathieu Grujicic (6-7, 210, Fr.)

247Sports Composite #182-ranked recruit

Ohio State Basketball team MVP: Bruce Thornton

EvanMiya, an analytical tool you probably know by now if you read the CBB Ranks, has Bruce Thornton rated as the 6th best player in the country. Even better, he’s ranked as the second-best offensive player in the entire country. Thornton averaged over 17 a game last year, and did it on extremely impressive shooting splits of 50-42-85. He’s taken a step up in efficiency every year, and playing with two other guys with whom he shared a lot of minutes last year will only help that.

What really stood out at the end of the year, though, was his playmaking. In two of the last three games of the season, Thornton recorded nine assists and had an 18:5 assists/turnover ratio during those games. If he can continue to improve as a playmaker, it adds a whole other level to his game. Thornton will be a first-team All-Big Ten player, but let’s see if he can parlay that with an All-American nod as well.

Ohio State Basketball make-or-break player: Josh Ojianwuna

They say the best ability is availability, and for this Ohio State basketball team, that absolutely applies to Josh. Last year at Baylor, the team was 15-8 before Ojianwuna suffered a season-ending injury. In the games after that, they went 4-6. Baylor wasn’t built for an injury to a big man, and Omier couldn’t play those extended minutes.

We saw the same thing happen with Ohio State last year. Aaron Bradshaw left the team for a month, leaving the team with Sean Stewart and a prayer. The guards were solid all season, but the lack of depth at the center position, even when Bradshaw returned, was felt. They have three bigs this year in Noel, Tilly, and Ojianwuna, but having him as a glass cleaner and shot blocker will be essential.

Coming off a season-ending injury, we see guys get hurt or not get back to 100% all the time. Hopefully, that’s not the case for him, and Ohio State will have solid depth at the position.

Key analytic: Personal fouls per game

This Ohio State team could not stay out of foul trouble, allowing 19.6 a game, 12th most in the country. It was the most of any Power 5 team, and opponents scored 23.6% of their points from the line, also the 12th most in the country. They did get to the line at a high rate as well, but it definitely hurt, especially with that lack of depth discussed earlier.

If they can win the foul battle and not allow their opponent to get to the line at such a high rate, that could be the difference between a loss and a win several times next season. They’re usually middle of the pack in that category, so last year was a bit of an outlier, but they’re hoping that’s actually the case and not a repeat of last season.

Ohio State Basketball 2025-26 projections

Projected conference finish: 8th in the Big Ten

Projected postseason ceiling: NCAA Tournament Elite 8 exit