The Ohio State Men’s basketball team will officially tip off their 2023-24 campaign this evening.

Game time against the Oakland Golden Grizzlies, of the Horizon League, is 7:00 pm ET. The opener will take place at Value City Arena with TV coverage on B1G+ (Big Ten Plus).

THE GOLDEN GRIZZLIES:

Like the Buckeyes, they finished under .500 last season with a record of 13-19. They finished 5th in their conference after going 11-9 respectively.

Projected Lineup:

Jack Gohlke – G

Blake Lampman – G

Rocket Watts – G

Trey Townsend – F

Chris Conway – F

Three of these five are returning starters: Lampman, Townsend, and Watts. However, the Grizzlies did lose their leading scorer from last season, Jalen Moore.

But, that just means that guys like Townsend and Lampman must step up. Both of these guys averaged double figures in points, last season, at 16.5 for Townsend and 10 for Lampman. Townsend also led the team in rebounds and blocks per game, even at just 6’6”.

Oakland should be a great opening test, as they look to get back to a winning season. This is something their coach Greg Kampe is very hopeful of as he enters his 34th season at the helm. He is 675-525 all-time earning immense respect across the country.

THE BUCKEYES:

The 2022-23 campaign certainly didn’t go as planned for the Buckeyes. Some ugly play early in 2023 led to a record of 16-19 overall. However, the Buckeyes were able to generate some momentum and show promise with a nice run in the Big Ten tourney.

The biggest challenge facing this group will be the loss of their 2-leading scorers, Brice Sensabaugh and Justice Sueing. Chris Holtmann’s plan to counter-act those losses was to add Jamison Battle, Evan Mahaffey, and Dale Bonner via the transfer portal.

We got our first peek at this team when they played Dayton in a televised exhibition a few weeks ago. They won 78-70 against a Dayton group that is predicted to win their conference and should make the big dance.

Projected starters:

Roddy Gayle Jr. – G

Bruce Thornton – G

Jamison Battle – F

Evan Mahaffey – F

Felix Okpara – C

The leap that the freshmen take from year 1 to year 2 will determine the trajectory of this team. However, guys like Zed Key and Jamison Battle who have immense experience in this conference will also be vital.

Injuries:

Taison Chatman- knee surgery, return unknown

Austin Parks- back, return unknown

PREDICTION:

The Buckeyes should handle business, even against a well-coached group in the Grizzlies. The current line sits at 18.5 in favor of the home team, the Buckeyes. I could see this being a close game early as things unfold, and then the Buckeyes use their talent to pull away.

Final: 90-67