The Ohio State basketball program is gearing up for what will be a critical season for Jake Diebler. It will be his second full season as a head coach, and he has to figure out how to get his team into the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2021-22 season.
Diebler has tried to improve the roster the best that he can. He still has his best player in Bruce Thornton, but he still has to have some help. The Buckeyes will find out just how good they are in mid-October, because they will be hosting an in-state opponent in an exhibition.
The Ohio State Buckeyes will host the Ohio Bobcats on October 15th for an exhibition that will be free for fans to attend. It's a good move for both programs so that fans can get to see another in-state team. It's something that the Buckeyes should try to do more often.
The Ohio State basketball team set to host Ohio in free exhibition
Ohio isn't supposed to be that great, but they will be better than some of the non-conference teams that the Buckeyes have on their schedule. They feel that this will be a good test that won't count for or against their record. It's a good test for both teams before the year starts.
Once again, there is a lot of roster turnover for Ohio State. All of the transfers from last year are gone, so the Buckeyes had to replace those players. Only Micah Parrish was a positive for them after transferring in, but the other players were a complete and utter disaster.
The Buckeyes would feel a lot better heading into the season if they end up taking down the Bobcats. That would give them a lot of confidence, especially with as young a team as they have.