The Buckeyes got their season off to a good start with a hard fought win over Oakland. Despite a sluggish performance for the first 30 minutes, the Ohio State defense and super-sophomores were able to come alive, propelling the team to victory. However, a test now arrives quickly as the Buckeyes welcome the 15th ranked Texas A&M Aggies to town. Tip-off is set for 7:00 pm ET from Value City Arena, with live coverage on Peacock.

PREVIEWING TEXAS A&M:

The Aggies are 1-0 after defeating Texas A&M- Commerce in their opener. The group has high hopes after getting bounced in the first round of the NCAA tournament last year. Ironically enough, this upset came to a fellow Big Ten foe, Penn State. It would be fair to say that the expectations for these two teams are at different levels.

Projected Starters:

Tyrece Radford (G)

Wade Taylor (G)

Hayden Hefner (G)

Wildens Leveque (F)

Henry Coleman (F)

The focal point of the offense for A&M is their backcourt. Radford and Taylor were the leading scorers last season and Hefner got himself off to a quick start in their opener. The Buckeyes are very young at this position, so to play such an experienced group early on will be fun to watch and a good test. Defending these three and their offensive aggression will be tough, but the Ohio State backcourt also cannot  fall asleep against savvy vets when on offense either.

The Texas A&M front court also cannot be slept on. With a 245-pound Forward in Coleman and a near seven-footer in Leveque, although they may not score a ton their presence will be felt. Whether it is on the glass or defensively.

This is a hungry Texas A&M team ready to make some noise in the SEC and avoid an early non-conference loss.

THE BUCKEYES:

It is no secret that Ohio State has been in a rebuild stage of late. With some talented players hitting the draft and gritty bets graduating, development is the focus. We saw that Gayle, Thornton struggled early but finished strong. Whereas Okpara fell victim to fouls and couldn’t muster 15 minutes on the court. It will be essential for these sophomores to make the most of every outing, constant learning and growth is key.

The biggest positives from the opener, were the plat of Key and Middleton. Zed Key is one of the vets on this team, with his better physique the coaching staff hopes he can be a force. The Buckeyes could certainly use a 1, 2 punch at the big man position. Middleton dropping 13 is delightful as well, he’s a natural scorer and the more options the better for any offense.

I’d certainly like to see more from transfers Jamison Battle and Dale Bonner. Nobody needs them to be heroes, but Battle is a proven scorer at the Big Ten level who can easily give you 15 PPG, but has struggled from distance. With Bonner, you just need to see more valuable minutes. He can’t play 16 minutes and only give you 3 boards and 2 assists.

Overall, the win against Oakland should be a good confidence boost as the Buckeyes prepare for a big test tonight.

Projected Starters:

Bruce Thornton (G)

Roddy Gayle (G)

Evan Mahaffey (G)

Jamison Battle (F)

Felix Okpara (C)

PREDICTION:

The Buckeyes are a 1.5 point favorite, essentially getting the edge from home court advantage. I do think the Buckeyes have what it takes to win, but limiting turnovers and making outside shots will be the final deciding factor. I think that Texas A&M’s offensive rebounding and guard play will just be too much in the early going.

Final: Texas A&M 81, Ohio State 75

featured image: Adam Cairns, USA Today Network