Ohio State Buckeyes
2018-2019 Overall Rank: #43
Conference Rank: #7 Big Ten
Coach Chris Holtmann performed well during his first season with Ohio State. The Buckeyes did not have a great team last year, but Coach Holtmann got the best out of them and reached the NCAA Tournament. Keita Bates-Diop had a great season, averaging 19.8 points and 8.7 rebounds, while Jae’Sean Tate added 12.3 points and 6.2 rebounds. This group should have more depth, but replacing Bates-Diop and Tate leaves a couple big holes in the frontcourt.
2017-18 Record: 26-9, 13-4
2017-18 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Chris Holtmann
Coach Record: 26-9 at Ohio State, 139-94 overall
Key Departed Players:
Keita Bates-Diop, Forward, 19.8 ppg
Jae’Sean Tate, Forward, 12.3 ppg
Kam Williams, Guard, 9.0 ppg
Andrew Dakich, Guard, 3.0 ppg
Key Returning Players:
C.J. Jackson, Senior, Guard, 12.6 ppg
Kaleb Wesson, Sophomore, Forward, 10.2 ppg
Micah Potter, Junior, Center, 4.1 ppg
Andre Wesson, Junior, Forward, 2.9 ppg
Musa Jallow, Sophomore, Guard, 2.5 ppg
Kyle Young, Sophomore, Forward, 1.8 ppg
Joey Lane, Senior, Guard, 1.1 ppg
Key New Players:
Justin Ahrens, Freshman, Forward
Danny Hummer, Junior, Guard, Transfer from Air Force
Jaedon LeDee, Freshman, Forward
Luther Muhammad, Freshman, Guard
Duane Washington Jr, Freshman, Guard
Keyshawn Woods, Senior, Guard, Grad Transfer from Wake Forest
CJ Walker, Junior, Guard, Transfer from Florida State, not eligible
Projection:
C.J. Jackson will be the leader of this group after averaging 12.6 points and 3.9 assists last season. Wake Forest transfer Keyshawn Woods can handle the ball too. Two years ago Woods averaged 12.5 points and 3.5 assists before moving off the ball and averaging 11.9 points last season. Musa Jallow showed flashes in limited playing time last year and he will be pushed by freshmen Justin Ahrens, Luther Muhammad and Duane Washington. Muhammad is expected to see quality minutes right away due to his defensive prowess. The frontcourt is where there are bigger concerns, but Kaleb Wesson is ready for a huge sophomore season. As a freshman he managed to averaged 10.2 points and 4.9 rebounds in just over 20 minutes per game. With more of the offense running through the 6-6 forward, Wesson could turn into one of the best players in the Big Ten. Micah Potter, Andre Wesson and Kyle Young all bring something to the frontcourt. Potter averaged 4.1 points per game, while Andre Wesson came on strong at the end of the year. Young spent last season learning from Bates-Diop, but averaged fewer than nine minutes per game. With the freshman rebounding machine, Jaedon LeDee, Ohio State has a lot of young talent on the roster. If Coach Holtmann can get the most out of his team yet again, Ohio State could surprise a few of the more experienced teams in the Big Ten.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 76.2 (98th in nation, 4th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 67.6 (52, 9)
Field-Goal Percentage: 48.0 (29, 3)
Field-Goal Defense: 41.7 (56, 5)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.0 (241, 10)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 35.3 (161, 8)
Free-Throw Percentage: 73.1 (110, 6)
Rebound Margin: 4.9 (43, 3)
Assists Per Game: 14.7 (101, 4)
Turnovers Per Game: 11.7 (71, 8)
Madness 2018 Men’s Basketball Recruit Rankings:
#68 Luther Muhammad
#88 Jaedon LeDee
