What the Ohio State basketball team now does after missing on top transfer target

The Ohio State basketball team's top transfer target, Trey Townsend, passed on the Buckeyes and will play for a different program in the 2024-25 college basketball season.

According to Joe Tipton of On3 Sport, the Oakland transfer decided on Wednesday that he will be playing his college basketball next season in Tucson for the Arizona Wildcats. Townsend was targeted by Jake Diebler and the Ohio State basketball team to come in and fill Jamison Battle's role as the scoring threat on the wing.

During his time at Oakland, Townsend increased his points per game averages each season. In his final season with the Golden Grizzlies, he was named the Horizon League Player of the Year averaging 17.3 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game. He shot an efficient 45.5% from the field and 37.5% from three this past season as well.

Townsend was a top target for the Buckeyes because he's a high-level scorer who can score from anywhere on the floor. He scored at least 30 points in two of his last three games with the Golden Grizzlies. He had a 38-point performance against Milwaukee en route to winning the Horizon League Tournament Championship and had another 30-point performance against NC State in the Round of 32 of the NCAA Tournament.

The Oakland transfer was highly sought after in the portal as a mid-major transfer. Townsend was deciding between Arizona and Ohio State, while also taking an official visit to Michigan. TTUN however did not make the cut for his top two.

Now Jake Diebler and the Ohio State basketball team will have to move on from Townsend to their next target in the transfer portal. They now have two spots to fill after Felix Okpara decided to enter the transfer portal. Look for the Buckeyes to add a shooting threat and depth in the post with those remaining spots.

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