Not unlike many other programs, Ohio State has had some significant roster turnover on its men’s basketball squad. Despite being fully entrenched in the offseason prematurely when the sporting world shut down in mid-March because of the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s been transfers leaving, transfers coming in, prospects declaring for the NBA draft, and more.
It all has resulted in rosters looking much different than what we thought they would, and it has had a direct impact on what the media circus believes each team in college basketball will do in 2020-2021.
Because of that, ESPN continues to revise its way-too-early college basketball top 25 for the upcoming 2020-2021 season. During its first release (should have been called way-way-way-too-early), ESPN’s Jeff Borzello had the Buckeyes pretty high up at No. 13. Since then, he dropped Ohio State down to 17, and now — he has them falling all the way down to No. 22.
But why? Well, the roster turnover is the key. Here’s what Borzello says about Ohio State basketball entering next season.
Next … The rationale for dropping Ohio State
What Borzello says about No. 22 Ohio State
“I might have been overly aggressive with the Buckeyes in the first edition of the rankings, when they were No. 13. Since then, though, they lost Luther Muhammad to Arizona State, D.J. Carton to Marquette and are expecting Kaleb Wesson to keep his name in the NBA draft. That’s a lot of talent, minutes and production heading out the door earlier than scheduled. So where does Chris Holtmann turn? He still brings back the starting backcourt of CJ Walker and Duane Washington, while transfers Seth Towns (Harvard) and Justice Sueing (California) should provide a lot of offense from the wing. Size and consistency up front will be the big key. Kyle Young showed flashes last season, especially on the offensive glass, while rising sophomore E.J. Liddell could be a future matchup problem. One name to watch is incoming four-star freshman Zed Key, an underrated recruit who should be ready for an immediate impact. Holtmann has won at least 20 games in each of his past seven seasons as a head coach; another one is likely on the way.”
Borzello’s projected starting lineup:
CJ Walker (8.7 PPG, 3.5 APG)
Duane Washington (11.5 PPG)
Seth Towns (16.0 PPG, 6.7 RPG at Harvard)
E.J. Liddell (6.7 PPG, 3.8 RPG)
Kyle Young (7.5 PPG, 5.8 RPG)
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