With four of their top six scorers gone and seven newcomers stepping onto the floor, the Ohio State basketball program is facing a rare year of reloading. The Buckeyes were picked to finish seventh in the Big Ten and are enter the season in a strange role; as underdogs. OHIO STATE BUCKEYESLast Season: 6th, 11-7 in Big Ten, 24-11 overallPredicted Big Ten Finish: 7th Projected Depth ChartC: Trevor Thompson (So)/Daniel Giddens (Fr)/David Bell (Fr)F: Jae’Sean Tate (So)/Keita Bates-Diop (So)SF: Marc Loving (Jr)/Mickey Mitchell (Fr)SG: Kameron Williams (Jr)/Austin Grandstaff (Fr)PG: JaQuan Lyle (Fr)/A.J. Harris (Fr) Gone: G-D’Angelo Russell, PG-Shannon Scott, SF-Sam Thompson, C-Amir Williams, F/C-Anthony Lee, C-Trey McDonald Strengths:With all the new faces on the roster, Ohio State will lean heavily on their versatile trio of forwards. Marc Loving is a scoring forward who shot 46% from downtown a year ago. Ja’Sean Tate and Keita Bates-Diop bring more versatility and toughness to the floor. Tate is an undersized forward at 6-5 but plays with incredible intensity on both ends of the floor which helps offsets his lack of height. Bates-Diop is a combo forward who like Loving, can stroke it from downtown but also has some Tate in him thanks to his energy level. Question Marks:Besides the three forwards, Kameron Williams is the only returning Buckeye from a year ago. That leaves a ton of minutes and reserve roles up for grabs. Luckily, Thad Matta adds a deep recruiting class but how instantly ready that group is will be a lingering question. Player to Watch:With Aaron Craft, Shannon Scott, and D’Angelo Russell, the Buckeyes basketball program has been fortunate the past few seasons to have some terrific point guard play. This season, Jaquan Lyle gets handed the keys to the Ohio State offense. At 6-5, the former Louisville and Oregon commit and original class of 2014 prospect possesses a great combination of size, athleticism, and toughness to the point guard position. …
Continue Reading: Ohio State Basketball uncharacteristically underdogs in the Big Ten
