Ohio State appearing in 'way too early' preseason projections for 2024-25
The roster is far from finished. The same goes for the coaching staff under first-year coach Jake Diebler.
But after an 8-3 close to the 2023-24 season with Diebler at the helm, Ohio State is garnering early nods for next year’s preseason “way too early” national rankings in the immediate aftermath of this season’s national championship game.
CBS’ Gary Parrish compiles a “Top 25 And 1” list that is updated daily throughout the season and as circumstances warrant during the offseason. In his first look at the 2024-25 season, Parrish has the Buckeyes as his “And 1” team.
"The addition of Meechie Johnson (South Carolina) via the transfer portal was a nice early get for an Ohio State program that should be relevant again in Diebler's first full season," Parrish wrote.
Purdue, at No. 9, is the Big Ten’s top team in his rankings, ahead of Wisconsin (21) and Rutgers (23).
That’s two spots lower than CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein, who compiled a preseason top 45 list for Fanduel.com. He has the Buckeyes at No. 24 although Rothstein has listed Dale Bonner as a player returning for 2024-25. Bonner, a graduate transfer guard, played his fifth and final college basketball season for the Buckeyes in 2023-24.
Rothstein projects a starting lineup of Bruce Thornton, Johnson, Devin Royal, Evan Mahaffey and Felix Okpara. Ohio State is third in the Big Ten in his rankings behind Purdue (No. 10) and Wisconsin (20).
ESPN’s Jeff Borzello does not have Ohio State among his top 25, but the Buckeyes are second on a list of teams classified as “next in line.” Borzello has Purdue at No. 6, UCLA at No. 19, Maryland at No. 20, Rutgers at No. 21 and Wisconsin at No. 24. Michigan State is two spots behind the Buckeyes.
The highest preseason nod comes from Isaac Trotter at 247Sports.com. Trotter has the Buckeyes at No. 20, behind Purdue (12) and Wisconsin (18) in the Big Ten.
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“Jake Diebler has a chance to be very good right away,” he wrote. “Bruce Thornton is a monster, and South Carolina transfer Meechie Johnson could be a strong addition to an already-good backcourt. A frontcourt mix of sophomore Devin Royal and junior Felix Okpara is so fun, and Ohio State has room for more game-changers out of the portal. Can Diebler keep the mojo going?”
Two more Big Ten teams are in Trotter’s top 25: Nebraska at No. 21 and Maryland at No. 25.
After firing coach Chris Holtmann on Feb. 14, Ohio State finished the 2023-24 season 22-14 overall and 9-11 in league play. The Buckeyes earned a No. 2 seed in the NIT and advanced to the quarterfinals before falling to Georgia 79-77 on March 26.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State earns inclusion on 'way too early' 2024-25 preseason lists
