Ohio State basketball: 2021 team can still do damage

The Ohio State basketball season starts later this month when they have a few scrimmages. Media day was just a few days ago, and this team is working towards having a more successful season than last year when they were bounced in a first-round upset in the NCAA Tournament.

That loss to Oral Roberts submarined what had been a really good season for Chris Holtmann’s Buckeyes. They finished 21-10 in the regular season and made a run to the Big Ten Tournament Championship Game as well. They nearly almost won that game too, losing in overtime.

This was after a nasty slide to end the regular season which saw them lose four straight games against four tough Big Ten teams. Still, they did enough to earn a 2-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Now, they are trying to be even better this season despite some departures.

Ohio State no longer has Duane Washington to help create scoring. Washington now plays for the Indiana Pacers and made his preseason debut last night. He did play well in Summer league though. They will miss his shot creation off the dribble.

The Buckeyes do keep E.J. Liddell, who was their best player a year ago. He will be the key to how far this team goes this season. Kyle Young returns for his final year as well after missing the last two games due to a concussion. If he stays healthy, his progression of an outside shot makes him a much more capable offensive player.

The backcourt will be completely new this season. Cedric Russell will likely start in one of the guard positions. The transfer from Louisiana will look to fill the scoring void left by Washington. At the other guard position will either be Meechie Johnson or Jamari Wheeler, transfer from Penn State.

One thing that is in the Buckeyes’ favor is a deep bench. Joey Brunk will give good minutes at center off the bench. Malaki Branham will too, as will Seth Towns when he finally gets a little healthier. Zed Key is the stud off the bench and will be even better this year. They have a lot of guys that have played good minutes.

We’ll have to see how far this team goes, but there’s no reason this Ohio State basketball team can’t be a three or four-seed in the NCAA Tournament this year. But it’s time for Holtmann to show that his team can have some postseason success. They need to at least make a Sweet 16 this year.

I can’t wait to see just how good this team is once the season starts!