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Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Jake Diebler speaks to Amare Bynum during practice in the practice gym at the Schottenstein Center on July 21, 2026 in Columbus, Ohio. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co
As the Ohio State men’s basketball team flies over the Atlantic Ocean on their way to Puerto Rico for the next week, we are flying right over the month of July and into August — one month closer to the 2026-27 season beginning.
It’s been nearly four months since the season ended, which means we’re roughly two months away from preseason practices, and three months away from real, meaningful games being played. Over 50% there — we can do it.
The biggest bite of Ohio State hoops-related news from the past week was the announcement that the Buckeyes will host Butler in a pre-season exhibition game at the Schottenstein Center on October 25.
This game will bring former Buckeye Jon Diebler, now an assistant coach for the Bulldogs, back to the Schott for the first time since his playing days, and will pit him against his brother who happens to be the head coach of the Buckeyes.
Buckeyes vs. Bulldogs
Exhibition
️ October 25
Columbus, OH
https://t.co/3u2rRzCAPe#GoBucks | #FightToTheEndpic.twitter.com/It5wHoMFeg
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) July 30, 2026
In addition to the game against Butler, Ohio State will face Cincinnati in the CareSource Invitational on October 7 and will play one closed-door, “secret” scrimmage against someone else before the regular season kicks off against BYU on November 2 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Last week, Connor and Justin both suggested one team they’d love to see Ohio State schedule as a “buy” game to fill out the home schedule.
Connor picked Grand Canyon — a competitive mid-major that Jake Diebler is very familiar with because of his old friendship with Bryce Drew. Justin — a Kent State alum — picked the Flashes because they would probably give Ohio State an actual fight, unlike most MAC schools.
This week, the guys are predicting where Ohio State will finish in the Big Ten standings this season. Last year, the Buckeyes finished eighth in the conference. They haven’t finished in the top four of the Big Ten since the 2021-22 season.
This week’s question: Where will Ohio State men’s basketball finish in the Big Ten this season?
Connor: 7th
I think Ohio State has the opportunity to move up from last season’s 8th-place finish in the conference, but there’s still enough questions about this team that I’m not super confident that they will do that.
Who starts at center, and how effective will they be at that spot? Can Justin Pippen improve his career field goal percentage of 36% as a heavy minutes type of guy?
Will Anthony Thompson jump right in and dominate like he’s expected to, or will it take some time for the freshman to adjust to the speed and physicality of college basketball? How much of a step will Amare Bynum take as a sophomore — are we looking at a potential All-Big Ten type of guy, or an 11-point, five-rebound per game guy (so a marginal uptick from last season)?
If all of those things pan out in Ohio State’s favor, you’re looking at a Buckeyes team that could absolutely finish in the top four of the Big Ten and compete for both a triple-bye in the Big Ten Tournament and a higher seed in the NCAA Tournament than they got last year.
Also, there are several teams that I think are more trustworthy/have fewer questions surrounding them than Ohio State.
Right off the top, Illinois, Michigan State, and Nebraska all feel like safer bets than Ohio State. Michigan and USC both have very talented rosters, although I think (for different reasons) I trust them less than the top three.
On paper, Purdue’s roster is nowhere close to as good as it has been over the past decade or so, but Matt Painter always seems to take a group of guys and make the sum greater than its parts.
Illinois, Michigan State, Nebraska, Michigan, USC, Purdue….. and then Ohio State.
Justin: 6th
I pretty much just turned this question into a “Will Ohio State finish in the top six of the Big Ten?” and my answer is yes.
As of right now, Illinois, Michigan State, and Michigan are the top three teams in the conference. UCLA, USC, Maryland, Indiana, Purdue, and Ohio State are all in the second tier to me, and the Buckeyes can fall anywhere from fourth to ninth, depending on what the other teams do.
USC and Indiana have great teams on paper, but they will have to gel and find team chemistry they didn’t find last year. Purdue has the question mark of replacing Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer, and Trey Kaufman-Renn. The Boilermakers have not played without that trio in four years and, even though they are talented, will have to learn to play without Smith, Loyer, and Kaufman-Renn.
Obviously, the Buckeyes have questions too, as Mobley and Bynum have to take the next steps, the bench has to be wildly better, and the Buckeyes are relying heavily on a freshman to be one of their best players.
But I love the transfers and the addition of the freshmen, and I think this is a top six team in the conference.
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