Can the frontcourt additions help take Ohio State Basketball to the next level?

The area that was given the most attention when constructing the roster for this Ohio State basketball team was in the frontcourt. After one exhibition, the additions to the interior already showed encouraging signs that we will see a major improvement in that area.

The two transfer additions to the frontcourt looked incredible in the exhibition vs Ohio with Brandon Noel leading scorers with 18 points and missing only one shot, while Christoph Tilly added 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists.

They say not to overreact to an exhibition, but we can break down player performances and usage. With that, there's confidence in saying the play in the frontcourt already looks significantly better than last season. There was a better flow to the offense, and a lot of that came with having Tilly play on the perimeter.

Tilly's game brings a new element to this Ohio State basketball team with his passing ability. He was constantly looking for cutters, and he reads the defense extremely well. In the play below, he's on the receiving end of the pick-and-roll action, stays under control to avoid the charge, and dumps it off to Noel for the easy bucket.

Having Tilly in this guard-like role is game-changing because it really opens the floor, allowing for more constant movement. That's where Noel got a lot of his points from. He had strong drives and finishes, but he moved without the ball extremely well, finding opening spots in the defense, and Tilly found him.

There was also the play from A'mare Bynum, and he was really impressive in his debut. He shot the ball well, connecting on three of his five 3's attempted, and his playmaking is an underrated aspect of his game.

Bynum had a strong drive that drew help, and he found Njegovan with a wrap-around pass for a dunk. He helps give the frontcourt more depth and will be a key piece to Ohio State's rotation, so buy stock in him while you can.

Jake Dieber talked a lot this offseason about his approach to the roster construction for this Ohio State basketball team, and looking to add more experience. He got that with the frontcourt additions of Noel and Tilly, and that's showing already.

Diebler knows what he's getting from the backcourt, but their ceiling this season will be determined by the frontcourt. Diebler's expectation for this team is to get back to the NCAA Tournament, and if it looks the way it did in the exhibition, there's a good chance we see the drought come to an end.