It was a disappointing end to a promising season for the Ohio State basketball team. Getting to the NCAA Tournament was progress, but losing in the first round was crushing. Jake Diebler was able to get his team to the Big Dance in his second full season as the head coach, but that's not enough.
That's especially true after Dusty May just won a national championship with TTUN. May was the other finalist for the Buckeyes after they fired Chris Holtmann. Shortly after the season ended, forward Devin Royal announced his intention to enter the Transfer Portal.
Royal spent his first three years of his career with the Ohio State Buckeyes and is a Pickerington native. He will now spend his final year at college elsewhere. In fact, he entered the portal with a no-contact tag and is projected to play for one of the national championship participants.
Former Ohio State forward Devin Royal predicted to transfer to UConn
According to 247Sports, Royal is predicted to head to UConn. Since he has a no-contact tag, that means he was likely tampered with and knows exactly where he's headed. If that is UConn, that would be damming for Diebler. Dan Hurley has played for three national titles in four years, winning two of them.
If Hurley wants Royal and thinks he can use him to help win a title, that's an issue for Diebler. That should tell him that Royal is exactly the kind of player he should want to keep. He is one of four players who have already declared for the portal. John Mobley Jr. could leave the program, too.
Right now, the Buckeyes are without an upperclassman leader. Diebler will have to try to find one in the portal. Older players have been the pattern in both college basketball and college football in terms of national championship winners.
Royal is a good player, and the Buckeyes are worse off for having him leave the team.