Ohio State men’s basketball will begin its 2026-7 season with an exhibition on Wednesday, October 7, 2026. The Buckeyes are looking good this season. They have a new 5-star player, the son of a very famous player, and they have gotten much taller and better. This may be a good season for the Buckeyes, when they will not be on the NCAA tournament bubble.
As the 2026-7 season begins for Ohio State, optimism abounds. This is thanks to a strong recruiting class, key transfers, and some much taller players. Fans wonder whether the historical problems that have plagued the program in the past will rise to prominence. How many games do you think the Buckeyes will win this season?
Ohio State Men’s Basketball 2026-7 Season Preview
Ohio State begins its 2026-2027 Men’s basketball season on Wednesday, Oct. 7 with an exhibation against in-state rival Cincinnati. As the sesason begins, there us some reason for optimism for the Buckeyes. They have several new players, including great recruits and needed transfers. The team has gotten significantly taller, which is a key predictor of success for college basketball teams. We should start with the new roster, because there has been a great deal of turnover.
New Players on the Buckeye Basketball Roster
There are a few important returning players in Columbus, there are also several great new players. Here is the roster of the team, withwhere they came from, because there is so much turnover in college basketball.
Forward Josh Ojianwuna (formerly of Baylor)
Guard John Mobley Jr.
Guard Justin Pippen (formerly of Michigan, California, son of Scottie Pippen)
Guard Curtis Givens III (formerly of LSU, Memphis)
Guard Jimmie Williams (formerly of South Florida, Duquesne)
Center Ivan Njegovan
Guard Braylen Nash (redshirt)
Forward Amare Bynum
Center Andrija Jelavić (formerly of Kentucky)
Guard Myles Herro (redshirt)
Forward Anthony Thompson (5 Star recruit)
Forward Alex Smith
Center Vuk Lazarevic
Big Ten Basketball 2026-7 Picks
Here are the results from the Media Poll. Ohio State is picked eight in what is probably the best men’s basketball conference in the nation. It will almost certainly get eigth teams into the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. There were eight teams selected for the tournament for the conference last season.
Illinois – 498 pts (18 first‑place votes)
Michigan State – 483 pts (9 first‑place votes)
Michigan – 436 pts (1 first‑place vote)
UCLA – 375 pts
Nebraska – 369 pts
Purdue – 347 pts
USC – 340 pts
Ohio State – 324 pts
Indiana – 292 pts
Iowa – 264 pts
Wisconsin – 240 pts
Maryland – 203 pts
Minnesota – 168 pts
Oregon – 147 pts
Washington – 116 pts
Northwestern – 88 pts
Rutgers – 68 pts
Penn State – 35 pts
It is always possible team’s either outperform or underpreform these expectation. What this means for the Buckeyes is that they can likely finish as high as sixth or as low as tenth. The higher option is more likely, because of a key statistic. You cannot teach height. Last season, Ohio State had an average height of 77.8 inches, which ranked 101st in the country, according to KenPom.
For perspective, Illinois was tops in the NCAA with an average height of 80 inches, and national champion Michigan (78.7 inches) was the 27th-tallest team in the country. The average height of the Final Four teams in April was 79.1 inches. This season, Ohio State’s 15-man roster averages 79.1 inches per player, which would have been the sixth-tallest team in the country in 2025-26.
Conclusion: Will the Buckeyes Make the NCAA Tournament
Last season the Ohio State Men’s basketball team snuck into the tournament. It was the first time in four years that the team made the tournament, The rmotionsl run capped the career of all-time program leading scorer Bruce Thornton, who graduated. After several seasons being on the bubble the team should be in a much stronger position this year. That may win 30 games and finish in the top 6 in the Big Ten conference.
