The Ohio State basketball team has not made the NCAA Tournament in the last three years. It has been the worst stretch of basketball from them in the last 20 years. Jake Diebler is hoping to turn that around this year, but the late-season slide was the reason why they didn't make the NCAA Tournament last year.
Despite the poor play from the program in each of the last three seasons, they feel optimistic that they can compete in an expanded Big Ten this season. Bruce Thornton is the best player on the team, and he is capable of carrying them to a few victories on his own.
Other than him, they have some unproven guys, although Juni Mobley and Devin Royal looked good last season in stretches. The oddsmakers must have loved what they saw from them, because the Ohio State Buckeyes somehow have the third-best odds to win the Big Ten.
The Ohio State basketball program has the third-best odds to win the Big Ten Championship
According to Caesars Sportsbook, the Buckeyes have the third-best odds in the Big Ten to win the conference title. They have +575 odds to win the title, which is much higher than fans of the team would have given them based on how they have played in the last few years.
Only Purdue and Michigan have better odds of winning the conference title. These odds are also being put out in July, so they are certainly subject to change, as are all odds. The Buckeyes tried to add some players from the Transfer Portal who can help them, but they might not help a whole lot.
Diebler is confident in his team heading into next season. He thinks that the scars they earned in the last couple of years should help them be a much better basketball team in his second full year as a head coach.