The 2023-2024 Ohio State men’s basketball team roster is set, full of talent, and has some new and old faces as the season approaches.

Last season, with Chris Holtmann at the helm, they finished with an underwhelming regular season record of 13-18. They started the year 10-3 with a 2-0 conference record after wins against Rutgers and Northwestern. In that 10-win stretch, they had a nearly 30-point win against Cincinnati, an impressive win against a ranked Texas Tech squad, and lost a high-scoring affair against North Carolina.

On January 5, 20223, they hosted the No.1 ranked team in the country, Purdue Boilermakers, and lost a heartbreaker after failing to get a good look down by two in the closing seconds. This loss propelled a five-game losing streak and an abysmal run, winning just one out of 15 games. The season felt like a loss cause, with one of the worst streaks in recent memory, but the team responded well late.

They won their last two home games against Illinois and a ranked Maryland side, followed by a very close loss at Michigan State in the final regular season game. They had to play in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament but used it as a stepping stone for the future.

They earned an eight-point win over Wisconsin in round one and upset Iowa in the second round 73-69 and followed that with a 10-point win over Michigan State in the third round. They rattled off three wins in the postseason before their season-ending loss to No. 5 Purdue, a very impressive run by the team after a big losing streak and losing record.

Looking at this season, there are some familiar faces from that postseason run and a lot of big shoes to fill. The Buckeyes lost six players who averaged 10 minutes or more last season, including three starters and their top two scorers.

Freshman Brice Sensabaugh led the team with 16.3 points per game and was taken with the 28th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz. Second-leading scorer Justice Sueing, starter Sean McNeil, and transfer Isaac Likekele all graduated and were important pieces last season. Transfer guard Tanner Holden transferred back to where he previously played his college ball with Wright State, and Eugene Brown moved back to his home state, transferring to Georgia State.

So, who is still left after all these departures and an underperforming season for Buckeye basketball? Let’s jump into it:

Starting With the Older Newcomers

This year’s team features two fifth-year transfers, Dale Bonner and Jamison Battle, joining the squad. Bonner transferred from Baylor, where he spent two seasons with the Bears, and averaged 4.4 points, 2.7 assists, and 1.2 rebounds per game last season.

Battle spent two seasons with George Washington, followed by two seasons with conference-foe Minnesota. He started all 56 games for them in his two years and averaged 12.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.7 assists last season. Both should see playing time right away, with Battle being a massive piece in the frontcourt.

Senior Big Men

Senior forward Zed Key is the highest-scoring returnee, as he averaged 10.8 points last season, along with 7.4 rebounds and one block per game. The only other true senior on the roster is forward Owen Spencer, who also played at Citadel and featured in seven games last season for the Buckeyes.

Sophomore Studs

With no juniors on the team, the Sophomore class is by far the most important and has high expectations this season. The team has seven sophomores, led by Bruce Thornton, Roddy Gayle, and Felix Okpara, who all had great games, especially late in the season.

Thornton will lead the attack at point guard and averaged 10.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.6 assists last season. He had games of 15, 17, 21, and nine points in the Big Ten tournament, and had six assists twice.

Roddy Gayle is another talented player who played as the two guard in the tournament. He averaged 16.3 minutes, 4.6 points and 1.6 rebounds last season. In the final two post-season games, he scored 15 and 20 points where he saw a lot more playing time.

Felix Okpara will be battline with Zed Key for the center spot, and showed great flashes as he adjusts to the college game. Okpara averaged 15.5 minutes, 4.0 points, 3.6 rebounds and led the team with 1.3 blocks. 

Against Michigan State in the final win of the season he had eight points, eight rebounds, and five blocks, followed by seven points and four rebounds in the final loss against Purdue. Other sophomores include Bowen Hardman, Colby Baumann, redshirt Kalen Etzler, and Penn State transfer Evan Mahaffey.

The Young New Faces

Last season’s freshmen ranked sixth nationally and were Holtmann’s best class to date, and they showed why when given the chance. This year’s class topped his best ever, finishing fifth nationally behind only Duke, Kentucky, Michigan State, and defending champions UConn.

The group features three four-stars and one three-star, and each player will make an impact. Four-star Devin Royal from Pickerington Central in Columbus is a 6’7 power forward, ranked the best prospect in the state and 49th in the country. He averaged 19.1 points and 8.2 rebounds and will make a difference for his hometown team right away.

Four-star Scotty Middleton from Wichita Sunrise Christian Academy is a 6’6 small forward who was Holtmann’s highest-ever recruit at No. 34 overall when he signed. He put up 7.8 points per game in a nationally-ranked schedule against the best teams in the country.

The final four-star Taison Chatman is a 6’4 combo guard from Minneapolis, is the 10th-best combo guard and 43rd-best prospect in the 2023 class. He averaged 13.5 points per game last season.

Lastly, three-star center Austin Parks is a 6’10 local from St. Mary’s Memorial. Ranked as the 26th center and 169th prospect, he averaged outstanding numbers last year with 19.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3.5 blocks per game.

With four freshmen, three new transfers, three experienced sophomores, and a senior man in the middle, Buckeye fans have a lot to cheer for this season as Ohio State will surely be better than their record showed last season.