# 2022–23 Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball team

The 2022–23 Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball team represented The Ohio State University in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Their head coach was Chris Holtmann, who was in his sixth season with the Buckeyes. The Buckeyes played their home games at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio as members of the Big Ten Conference. They finished the season 16–19, 5–15 in Big Ten play to finish in 13th place. They defeated Wisconsin, Iowa, and Michigan State in the Big Ten tournament to advance to the semifinals. There they lost to Purdue.

## Previous season

The Buckeyes finished the 2021–22 season 20–12, 12–8 in Big Ten play to finish a three-way tie for fifth place. As the No. 6 seed in the Big Ten tournament, they lost to Penn State in the quarterfinals. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 7 seed in the South region where they defeated in Loyola in the First Round before losing to Villanova in the Second Round.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Meechie Johnson Jr. | 0 | G | 6'2" | 172 | Sophomore | Cleveland, OH | Transferred to South Carolina |
| Jimmy Sotos | 1 | G | 6'3" | 200 | GS Senior | Elk Grove Village, IL | Graduated |
| Cedric Russell | 2 | G | 6'2" | 190 | Senior | Alexandria, LA | Graduated |
| Justin Ahrens | 10 | F | 6'6" | 195 | Senior | Versailles, OH | Transferred to Loyola Marymount |
| Malaki Branham | 22 | G | 6'5" | 180 | Freshman | Columbus, OH | Declare for 2022 NBA draft |
| Kyle Young | 25 | F | 6'8" | 225 | GS Senior | Canton, OH | Graduated |
| Seth Towns | 31 | F | 6'8" | 230 | GS Senior | Columbus, OH | Left the team for personal reasons |
| E. J. Liddell | 32 | F | 6'7" | 240 | Junior | Belleville, IL | Declare for 2022 NBA draft |
| Harrison Hookfin | 42 | F | 6'6" | 195 | Senior | Cincinnati, OH | Walk-on; left the team for personal reasons |
| Joey Brunk | 50 | C | 6'11' | 255 | GS Senior | Indianapolis, IN | Left the team for personal reasons |
| Jamari Wheeler | 55 | G | 6'1" | 170 | GS Senior | Live Oak, FL | Graduated |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Tanner Holden | 0 | G | 6'6" | 185 | Senior | Wheelersburg, OH | Wright State |
| Sean McNeil | 4 | G | 6'3" | 205 | GS Senior | Union, KY | West Virginia |
| Isaac Likekele | 13 | G | 6'5" | 215 | GS Senior | Arlington, TX | Oklahoma State |
| Owen Spencer | 44 | F | 6'9" | 205 | Junior | Cincinnati, OH | The Citadel |

### Recruiting classes
#### 2022 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Roddy Gayle Jr. SG | Mount Pleasant, UT | Wasatch Academy (UT) | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | Nov 13, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 87 ||||||
| Bowen Hardman SG | Cincinnati, OH | Princeton (OH) | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 160 lb (73 kg) | May 13, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 82 ||||||
| Felix Okpara C | Branson, MO | Link Year Prep (MO) | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Jul 20, 2021 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 85 ||||||
| Brice Sensabaugh SF | Orlando, FL | Lake Highland Prep (FL) | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 240 lb (110 kg) | Sep 29, 2021 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 82 ||||||
| Bruce Thornton PG | Alpharetta, GA | Milton (GA) | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | Nov 26, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 86 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||

#### 2023 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2023) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Scotty Middleton SF | Miami, FL | Sunrise Christian Academy | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | Aug 7, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 91 |||||||
| Devin Royal PF | Pickerington, OH | Pickerington Central High School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | Aug 3, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 85 |||||||
| Scotty Middleton SF | Miami, FL | Sunrise Christian Academy | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Aug 7, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 88 |||||||
| Austin Parks C | Saint Marys, OH | Memorial High School | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | Feb 13, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 81 |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. |||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| November 1, 2022* 7:00 p.m., BTN+ | | Chaminade | W 101–57 | 0–0 | 25 – Holden | 8 – Sensabaugh | 11 – Thornton | Value City Arena (7,884) Columbus, OH |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 7, 2022* 7:00 p.m., BTN+ | | Robert Morris | W 91–53 | 1–0 | 20 – Sueing | 10 – Key | 6 – Likekele | Value City Arena (9,141) Columbus, OH |
| November 10, 2022* 6:30 p.m., BTN | | Charleston Southern | W 82–56 | 2–0 | 17 – Key | 13 – Key | 4 – Likekele | Value City Arena (8,409) Columbus, OH |
| November 16, 2022* 7:00 p.m., BTN | | Eastern Illinois | W 65–43 | 3–0 | 20 – Sensabaugh | 14 – Key | 3 – Gayle | Value City Arena (8,350) Columbus, OH |
| November 21, 2022* 9:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | vs. No. 17 San Diego State Maui Invitational Tournament quarterfinals | L 77–88 | 3–1 | 22 – McNeil | 6 – Sueing | 3 – Thornton | Lahaina Civic Center (2,400) Maui, HI |
| November 22, 2022* 5:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | vs. Cincinnati Maui Invitational Tournament consolation round | W 81–53 | 4–1 | 19 – Key | 8 – Key | 4 – Likekele | Lahaina Civic Center (2,400) Maui, HI |
| November 23, 2022* 2:30 p.m., ESPN2 | | vs. No. 21 Texas Tech Maui Invitational Tournament 5th-place game | W 80–73 | 5–1 | 33 – Sueing | 8 – Sueing | 5 – Sueing | Lahaina Civic Center (2,400) Maui, HI |
| November 30, 2022* 7:15 p.m., ESPN | No. 25 | at No. 17 Duke ACC–Big Ten Challenge | L 72–81 | 5–2 | 21 – Key | 8 – Key | 2 – Thornton | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC |
| December 3, 2022* 12:00 p.m., BTN | No. 25 | Saint Francis (PA) | W 96–59 | 6–2 | 15 – Sensabaugh | 12 – Okpara | 4 – McNeil | Value City Arena (10,398) Columbus, OH |
| December 8, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 25 | Rutgers | W 67–66 | 7–2 (1–0) | 22 – Key | 14 – Key | 5 – Thornton | Value City Arena (14,042) Columbus, OH |
| December 17, 2022* 3:00 p.m., CBS | No. 23 | vs. North Carolina CBS Sports Classic | L 84–89 $^{OT}$ | 7–3 | 22 – Sensabaugh | 9 – Sueing | 5 – Thornton | Madison Square Garden (20,261) New York, NY |
| December 21, 2022* 8:30 p.m., BTN | | Maine | W 95–61 | 8–3 | 19 – Sensabaugh | 7 – Sensabaugh | 7 – Sensabaugh | Value City Arena (10,641) Columbus, OH |
| December 29, 2022* 3:00 p.m., BTN | | Alabama A&M | W 90–59 | 9–3 | 21 – Sensabaugh | 10 – Key | 5 – Tied | Value City Arena (14,521) Columbus, OH |
| January 1, 2023 7:30 p.m., BTN | | at Northwestern | W 73–57 | 10–3 (2–0) | 18 – Sensabaugh | 11 – Key | 6 – Thornton | Welsh–Ryan Arena (4,372) Evanston, IL |
| January 5, 2023 7:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 24 | No. 1 Purdue | L 69–71 | 10–4 (2–1) | 21 – Sensabaugh | 5 – Tied | 3 – Thornton | Value City Arena (17,227) Columbus, OH |
| January 8, 2023 1:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 24 | at Maryland | L 73–80 | 10–5 (2–2) | 22 – Sensabaugh | 7 – Sensabaugh | 4 – Likekele | Xfinity Center (12,497) College Park, MD |
| January 12, 2023 6:30 p.m., FS1 | | Minnesota | L 67–70 | 10–6 (2–3) | 18 – Sensabaugh | 10 – Sensabaugh | 2 – Tied | Value City Arena (11,202) Columbus, OH |
| January 15, 2023 2:15 p.m., BTN | | at Rutgers | L 64–68 $^{OT}$ | 10–7 (2–4) | 20 – Sensabaugh | 11 – Sensabaugh | 2 – Sueing | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ |
| January 18, 2023 7:00 p.m., BTN | | at Nebraska | L 60–63 | 10–8 (2–5) | 18 – Sensabaugh | 10 – Tied | 4 – Sueing | Pinnacle Bank Arena (12,918) Lincoln, NE |
| January 21, 2023 2:00 p.m., FOX | | Iowa | W 93–77 | 11–8 (3–5) | 27 – Sensabaugh | 10 – Likekele | 7 – Likekele | Value City Arena (13,630) Columbus, OH |
| January 24, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN | | at Illinois | L 60–69 | 11–9 (3–6) | 14 – Sensabaugh | 5 – Tied | 3 – McNeil | State Farm Center (15,544) Champaign, IL |
| January 28, 2023 8:00 p.m., FOX | | at Indiana | L 70–86 | 11–10 (3–7) | 23 – Sensabaugh | 6 – Sensabaugh | 3 – Tied | Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (17,222) Bloomington, IN |
| February 2, 2023 7:00 p.m., FS1 | | Wisconsin | L 60–65 | 11–11 (3–8) | 13 – Sensabaugh | 11 – Sueing | 4 – Likekele | Value City Arena (11,918) Columbus, OH |
| February 5, 2023 1:00 p.m., CBS | | at Michigan Rivalry | L 69–77 | 11–12 (3–9) | 22 – Thornton | 9 – Sensabaugh | 2 – Tied | Crisler Center (12,707) Ann Arbor, MI |
| February 9, 2023 8:00 p.m., FS1 | | Northwestern | L 63–69 | 11–13 (3–10) | 19 – Sueing | 10 – Key | 3 – Thornton | Value City Arena (12,305) Columbus, OH |
| February 12, 2023 1:00 p.m., CBS | | Michigan State | L 41–62 | 11–14 (3–11) | 10 – McNeil | 8 – Key | 2 – Tied | Value City Arena (15,110) Columbus, OH |
| February 16, 2023 9:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at Iowa | L 75–92 | 11–15 (3–12) | 20 – McNeil | 4 – Sueing | 4 – Likekele | Carver–Hawkeye Arena (13,257) Iowa City, IA |
| February 19, 2023 1:00 p.m., CBS | | at No. 3 Purdue | L 55–82 | 11–16 (3–13) | 20 – Sensabaugh | 5 – Sensabaugh | 2 – Sensabaugh | Mackey Arena (14,876) West Lafayette, IN |
| February 23, 2023 6:30 p.m., FS1 | | Penn State | L 71–75 | 11–17 (3–14) | 20 – Sensabaugh | 10 – Sueing | 4 – Tied | Value City Arena (11,996) Columbus, OH |
| February 26, 2023 12:00 p.m., CBS | | Illinois | W 72–60 | 12–17 (4–14) | 14 – Tied | 11 – Sueing | 2 – Tied | Value City Arena (14,212) Columbus, OH |
| March 1, 2023 7:00 p.m., BTN | | No. 21 Maryland | W 73–62 | 13–17 (5–14) | 15 – Sueing | 12 – Okpara | 4 – Likekele | Value City Arena (11,799) Columbus, OH |
| March 4, 2023 12:00 p.m., ESPN | | at Michigan State | L 78–84 | 13–18 (5–15) | 21 – Sensabaugh | 9 – Sueing | 7 – Sueing | Breslin Center (14,797) East Lansing, MI |
| Big Ten tournament |||||||||
| March 8, 2023 6:30 p.m., BTN | (13) | vs. (12) Wisconsin First round | W 65–57 | 14–18 | 17 – McNeil | 11 – Sensabaugh | 3 – Gayle | United Center (15,405) Chicago, IL |
| March 9, 2023 2:30 p.m., BTN | (13) | vs. (5) Iowa Second round | W 73–69 | 15–18 | 17 – Thornton | 5 – Tied | 6 – Thornton | United Center (15,537) Chicago, IL |
| March 10, 2023 2:30 p.m., BTN | (13) | vs. (4) Michigan State Quarterfinals | W 68–58 | 16–18 | 21 – Thornton | 8 – Okpara | 6 – Thornton | United Center (16,738) Chicago, IL |
| March 11, 2023 12:00 p.m., CBS | (13) | vs. (1) No. 5 Purdue Semifinals | L 66–80 | 16–19 | 20 – Gayle Jr. | 6 – Brown III | 5 – Likekele | United Center Chicago, IL |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
Source

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Final |
| AP | RV | RV | RV | 25 | 25 | 23 | RV | RV | 24 | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Not released |
| Coaches | RV | RV | RV | 25 | 23 | 21 | RV | RV | 23 | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings.