The Ohio State basketball program is in need of a roster reset. After another year that saw them miss the NCAA Tournament, Jake Diebler has tried to turn the page. He made some poor decisions in the transfer portal a year ago and is trying to right that wrong this year.
Ohio State has seen a handful of players leave in the transfer portal already this offseason. None of those guys were particularly impactful, so they aren't big losses. The Buckeyes have already gotten a guard from the portal, and now they finally have a capable big man.
After not having a big man who could consistently put the ball in the hoop and grab rebounds, they are hoping they have found him. Santa Clara center Christoph Tilly has committed to the Ohio State Buckeyes from the transfer portal, giving them a presence down low.
Christoph Tilly commits to the Ohio State basketball program
Tilly is a big guy, coming in at 7 feet tall and 240 pounds. He was Second Team All-WCC this past season for Santa Clara, putting up 12.5 points and 4.9 rebounds per game for the Broncos. Now, he moves up to a much harder level of competition in the Big Ten.
Tilly certainly had some good moments last season, including a 17-point performance against Gonzaga during the regular season. Still, his lack of rebounding is concerning for how big he is. He only grabbed double-digit rebounds just twice this past season.
Ohio State still needs more from the portal to be a better team than they have in each of the past three seasons. Tilly is not a big man that the Buckeyes can rely on consistently, but he's a nice piece. They still need some better guys to compete next year.
This is a big year for Deibler. He still has some work to do in the transfer portal before fans get excited about what this team's prospects are next season.