Three bold predictions for the 2022-23 Ohio State basketball team
By Ryan Stano
2. The Ohio State basketball team finishes in the top 5 in the Big Ten and makes the NCAA Tournament.
Even though the non-conference portion of the schedule is tough, this is the weakest the Big Ten has been in some time. Ohio State will get a bit of a breather once conference play starts. The best team right now is Indiana. It’s anyone’s guess who is the second-best team in my opinion.
That wide-openness will help the Buckeyes. I see them finishing in the top five in the league and sneaking into the NCAA Tournament. I think the Big Ten is only a six or seven-bid league this year, so finishing in that top five is going to be crucial for their NCAA Tourney hopes.
December/early January is usually when the team has a big swoon. Expect that to happen again before the Buckeyes right the ship and play well down the stretch. With the talent that’s on this roster, there’s no reason they can’t win 20+ games yet again.
Tanner Holden is a really good offensive player and has some good size to him. I actually think the transfer from Wright State will lead this team in scoring. That’s how much I think of his scoring abilities. I think he eventually becomes the number-one scoring option once Big Ten play starts.
Ohio State should be seeded in the 7-9 range for the Tourney, just like they were last year. Anything better than that is gravy in my opinion. Unless we have another Malaki Branham situation where one of the freshmen pops, they will be an above-average team. Bruce Thornton certainly has that capability though.
My last bold prediction has to deal with how the team will ultimately finish the season.