NCAA Season Preview: Ohio State Buckeyes
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NCAA Basketball Season Preview: Ohio State (Big Ten Conference)
Ohio St. Odds to Win National Title from Sportsbook.com: +1,200
It’s hard to imagine a team losing the Naismith Player of the Year and being even better than they were with him, but that is what many people are predicting for Ohio State this year. Evan Turner did everything for this team, and they will miss him tremendously, but the freshman class coming in is stacked with talent. The Buckeyes return everyone except Turner, and they plug in all kinds of talent from the newcomers. Expectations are high for this Ohio State team.
Thad Matta has proven to be one of the best recruiters in the country, and he may have gotten his deepest class yet this time around. Purdue was thought to be the Big Ten’s best, but that was before Hummel went down with another injury. Most in the conference now believe that Michigan State is the team to beat, with Ohio State right behind.
Additions
The Buckeyes have a huge list of newcomers that will be terrific players for the program. Jared Sullinger is the headliner, and he is a beast down low. Sullinger was the second ranked prospect coming out of high school, and he should be the rebounding machine the Buckeyes have been wanting for quite some time. Deshaun Thomas is a 6’6 small forward who can score from all over the court, and he will see significant minutes right off the bat. Aaron Craft, Lenzelle Smith, J.D. Weatherspoon, and Jordan Sibert will make this team much deeper than they were last season.
Subtractions
Ohio State has only one subtraction, but it is a massive one. Evan Turner was the heart and soul of this team, and he will be extremely difficult to replace. The biggest issue for Ohio State will be replacing Turner’s ability to handle the basketball at all times. 
Key Players
William Buford- Buford has a ton of ability, and it wouldn’t be a shock to see him end up as the Big Ten Player of the Year. He is easily the player who can create his own shot the best on this team. Buford will be instant offense this season.
David Lighty- Lighty came in at the same time as Greg Oden and Mike Conley, and he is a now a fifth year senior. He will be the vocal leader of this team. Expect Lighty to guard the opposition’s best player if the Buckeyes are in a man to man defense.
Jared Sullinger- Sullinger is just a freshman, but he has the most potential of anyone on this team. If he can consistently provide offense in the post and average double figures in rebounding this team could be very dangerous.
Jon Diebler- Diebler is easily the best shooter on the team, and he can carry the team at times. Having guys like Thomas and Sullinger at the forward spots should help him get more open looks from outside, so Ohio State needs him to consistently knock them down.
Interesting Fact- Terrelle Pryor from the Ohio State football team recently mentioned on Twitter that he was interested in playing basketball again. Pryor was a star on the hardwood in high school, but it’s doubtful he’ll end up on the team.
Strengths
The Buckeyes may not have been deep last year, but they have tremendous depth this season. The shooting guard, small forward, and power forward positions are looking terrific for Ohio State. I expect them to have multiple scoring options at all times.
Weakness
The glaring weakness is that Ohio State doesn’t have a proven point guard. They’ll likely use several different players at the position, but it could be a problem come tournament time.
Postseason
Ohio State should win a lot of games this year, and I think they’ll end up with at least a #2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Youth will likely keep them from going all the way in March, but they could upset a top team along the way.
Ohio State Projected Win Total: 30 Wins
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