Ohio State Info
Head Coach: Jake Diebler
Location: Columbus, OH
Conference: B1G
Nickname: Buckeyes
Mascot: Brutus Buckeye
Last time out: Beat Maryland
Point Spread: Nebraska by 1.5
Typical Rotation Depth: 8+
Nota bene:
- Jake Diebler parlayed his strong finish as interim coach at the end of last season into the full time job at OSU
- OSU played one of the harder non-cons in the B1G, beating Kentucky and Texas while losing to Texas A&M, Pitt, and Auburn
- While Ohio St is 17-5 vs Nebraska as members of the B1G, Nebraska has won 3 of the last 4 and the last two in Lincoln
- Combo guard Meechie Johnson played his first two years at Ohio St, transferred to South Carolina for two years, and is back in Columbus for his 5th year. However, he has stepped away for "personal reasons" and hasn't played since December.
Player to watch: Bruce Thorton, Jr
The Ohio St PG came into this season as a member of the all-conference pre-season team and has added a consistent 3pt shot to his impressive arsenal, shooting 46.1% from 3 while leading the team in scoring and assists. Thorton is a true 3 level scorer and shoots at a high percentage from anywhere, even shooting 49.1% from mid-range. Bruce Thorton Sr was a NFL cornerback
Player to watch: John Mobley
The freshman combo guard has become a bucket for the Buckeyes and has jumped into the startling lineup with Meechie Johnson out of the picture. Mobley leads the team in 3pt attempts, currently hitting on 39% of them for the season, and is the type of player where you need to pick him up once he crosses half court. Inside the arc is a different story as he converts at an anemic 30.2% from mid-range and shocking 47.7% at the rim
Player to watch: Devin Royal
The bouncy forward leads the team in rebounding and lives at the rim where he converts at a high rate and draws contact. If you can get him to pull up anywhere past the rim you'll live with the results.
Ohio State 's Roster
| Player | # | Class | Pos | Height | Weight | Summary |
| Bruce Thornton | 2 | JR | G | 6-2 | 215 | 17.7 Pts 3.4 Reb 4.2 Ast |
| Devin Royal | 21 | SO | F | 6-6 | 210 | 14.3 Pts 7.5 Reb 1.2 Ast |
| John Mobley | 0 | FR | G | 6-1 | 175 | 12.7 Pts 1.7 Reb 2.3 Ast |
| Micah Parrish | 8 | SR | F | 6-6 | 180 | 11.3 Pts 4.6 Reb 1.5 Ast |
| Sean Stewart | 13 | SO | F | 6-9 | 227 | 5.9 Pts 5.9 Reb 0.6 Ast |
| Aaron Bradshaw | 4 | SO | F | 7-0 | 226 | 6.8 Pts 2.9 Reb 0.1 Ast |
| Evan Mahaffey | 12 | JR | F | 6-6 | 200 | 4.2 Pts 3.4 Reb 0.9 Ast |
| Meechie Johnson | 1 | SR | G | 6-2 | 172 | 9.1 Pts 2.5 Reb 2.7 Ast |
| Ques Glover | 6 | SR | G | 5-11 | 182 | 5.1 Pts 1.7 Reb 1.4 Ast |
| Ivan Njegovan | 17 | FR | C | 7-1 | 250 | 2.1 Pts 1.7 Reb 0.1 Ast |
Other Players
San Diego St transfer forward Micah Parrish has regained his 3pt stroke, hitting 35.1% on the year; is turnover prone. Thorton, Mobley, Royal, and Parrish log most of the minutes at the 1-4. Duke transfer Sean Stewart typically starts at center where he's a shot blocker/rebounder but is very foul prone. Kentucky transfer Aaron Bradshaw is more of the same though can take a 3. Croatian freshman Ivan Njegovan is more of the same. Samford transfer guard Ques Glover is depth at guard. Forward Evan Mahaffey is a glue guy.
UNL Game Notes
Roster/infirmary report
Possible starters for Nebraska
3 Guard Brice Williams 6-7 214 lbs Senior
1 Guard Sam Hoiberg 6-0 185 lbs Junior
4 Forward Juwan Gary 6-6 226 lbs Senior
9 Forward Berke Büyüktuncel 6-10 244 lbs
24 Guard Rollie Worster 6-5 210 lbs Senior
Bench
34 Center Braxton Meah 7-1 264 lbs Senior
0 Guard Connor Essegian 6-4 190 lbs Junior
2 Guard Ahron Ulis 6-3 190 lbs Senior
23 Forward Andrew Morgan 6-10 242 lbs Senior
31 Guard Cale Jacobsen 6-4 195 lbs Sophomore
12 Guard Gavin Griffiths 6-7 193 lbs Sophomore
5 Forward Braden Frager 6-7 220 lbs Freshman
8 Guard Jeffrey Grace III 6-3 200 lbs Junior
20 Forward Justin Bolis 6-8 225 lbs Sophomore
25 Guard Nick Janowski 6-4 208 lbs Freshman
35 Forward Henry Burt 6-7 222 lbs Sophomore
Out for year
51 Forward Rienk Mast 6-10 260 lbs Senior
Hoiberg/Worster presser
The Skinny:
Is Jake Diebler a good coach? Diebler took over last season for Chris Holtmann and impressed enough to where he was hired on full time. This season the Buckeyes have played a challenging non-conference and have some big wins. With their roster and resources they seems like perhaps they should be better. Time will tell if they made the right decision hiring a guy who got hot for a month.
The Buckeyes aren't a team that shoots a ton of 3s but they are a team with shooters capable of burning Nebraska if given the chance. Their offense in conference has relative had trouble shooting and handling the ball as compared to the non-con. While they don't tend to shoot a ton of 3s, it was heavy 3pt attack vs Purdue that lead to OSU snapping the Boilermaker's home winning streak. This Ohio St team is plenty capable of doing the same thing in Lincoln today.
With their athleticism up front and size in the back, Ohio St is one of the better defenses in the country. However, the Buckeyes are extremely foul prone, especially at the center position. Expect the Huskers to continuously attack downhill in order to capitalize. It would help if Nebraska's post players could hit some FTs today.
Ohio St has been hot as of late, winning 4 of their last 5 including two on the road. Nebraska also seems hot with two consecutive road wins of their own. Assuming that both teams can handle the earlier start time, this should be a high level game.
Prediction: Nebraska 76 - Ohio St 72
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