# 2023–24 Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball team

The 2023–24 Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball team represented Ohio State University in the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were led by head coach Chris Holtmann for the first 25 games of the season. The Buckeyes played their home games at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio as members of the Big Ten Conference.
They finished the regular season 19–12, 9–11 in Big Ten play to finish in a three-way tie for ninth place. As the No. 10 seed in the Big Ten tournament, they defeated Iowa in the second round before losing to Illinois in the quarterfinals. They received a bid to the National Invitation Tournament as a No. 2 seed.
On February 14, 2024, the school fired head coach Chris Holtmann. Assistant coach Jake Diebler was named interim head coach for the remainder of the season. On March 17, the school named Diebler the team's new head coach.

## Previous season

The Buckeyes 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 before losing to eventual tournament champion Purdue in the semifinals.

## Offseason
### Departures

Ohio State departures :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Tanner Holden | 0 | G | 6'6" | 200 | Senior | Wheelersburg, OH | Transferred to Wright State |
| Eugene Brown III | 3 | G | 6'7" | 195 | Junior | Conyers, GA | Transferred to Georgia Southern |
| Sean McNeil | 4 | G | 6'4" | 205 | GS Senior | Union, KY | Graduated |
| Brice Sensabaugh | 10 | F | 6'6" | 235 | Freshman | Orlando, FL | Declared for 2023 NBA draft |
| Isaac Likekele | 13 | F | 6'5" | 215 | GS Senior | Arlington, TX | Graduated |
| Justice Sueing | 14 | G | 6'6" | 210 | RS Senior | Honolulu, HI | Graduated |

### Incoming transfers

Ohio State incoming transfers :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
| Dale Bonner | 4 | G | 6'2" | 170 | Senior | Shaker Heights, OH | Baylor |
| Jamison Battle | 10 | F | 6'7" | 225 | Junior | Minneapolis, MN | Minnesota |
| Evan Mahaffey | 12 | F | 6'6" | 200 | Freshman | Cincinnati, OH | Penn State |

### Recruiting classes
#### 2023 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Scotty Middleton SF | Miami, Florida | 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 ||||||
| Taison Chatman CG | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Totino-Grace High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Sep 20, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 87 ||||||
| Devin Royal SF | Pickerington, Ohio | Pickerington High School Central | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Aug 3, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 86 ||||||
| Austin Parks C | Saint Marys, Ohio | Memorial High School | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 260 lb (120 kg) | Feb 13, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 81 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 40 247Sports: 12 ESPN: — ||||||
| 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: "Ohio State 2023 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 11, 2024. "2023 Ohio State Buckeyes Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 11, 2024. "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 11, 2024. "Ohio State 2023 Basketball Commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved February 11, 2024. ||||||

#### 2024 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2024) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| John "Juni" Mobley #6 PG | Mount Pleasant, Utah | Wasatch Academy | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 150 lb (68 kg) | Nov 8, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 88 |||||||
| Colin White #25 SF | Ottawa, Ohio | Ottawa-Glandorf High School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Nov 8, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 79 |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 40 247Sports: 41 ESPN: — |||||||
| 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: "Ohio State 2024 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 11, 2024. "2024 Ohio State Buckeyes Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 11, 2024. "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 11, 2024. "Ohio State 2024 Basketball Commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved February 11, 2024. |||||||

## Roster
### Depth chart

| Pos. | Starting 5 | Bench 1 | Bench 2 |
| C | Felix Okpara | Zed Key | Austin Parks |
| PF | Jamison Battle | Devin Royal | Owen Spencer |
| SF | Scotty Middleton | Evan Mahaffey | Kalen Etzler |
| SG | Roddy Gayle Jr. | Taison Chatman | Colby Baumann |
| PG | Bruce Thornton | Dale Bonner | Bowen Hardman |

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 22, 2023* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+/BSOH | | at Dayton | W 78–70 | 0–0 | 21 – Thornton | 5 – Battle | 3 – Bonner | UD Arena (13,407) Dayton, OH |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 6, 2023* 7:00 p.m., BTN Plus | | Oakland | W 79–73 | 1–0 | 17 – Tied | 8 – Tied | 5 – Gayle Jr. | Value City Arena (9,244) Columbus, OH |
| November 10, 2023* 7:00 p.m., Peacock | | No. 15 Texas A&M | L 66–73 | 1–1 | 24 – Thornton | 7 – Tied | 6 – Gayle Jr. | Value City Arena (12,704) Columbus, OH |
| November 15, 2023* 7:00 p.m., BTN | | Merrimack | W 76–52 | 2–1 | 20 – Gayle Jr. | 12 – Key | 6 – Thornton | Value City Arena (7,929) Columbus, OH |
| November 19, 2023* 4:00 p.m., BTN | | Western Michigan Emerald Coast Classic campus site game | W 73–56 | 3–1 | 13 – Tied | 11 – Okpara | 6 – Thornton | Value City Arena (9,505) Columbus, OH |
| November 24, 2023* 7:00 p.m., CBSSN | | vs. No. 17 Alabama Emerald Coast Classic semifinals | W 92–81 | 4–1 | 29 – Thornton | 10 – Okpara | 4 – Thornton | The Arena at NFSC (2,196) Niceville, FL |
| November 25, 2023* 7:00 p.m., CBSSN | | vs. Santa Clara Emerald Coast Classic Championship | W 86–56 | 5–1 | 21 – Battle | 7 – Okpara | 7 – Thornton | The Arena at NFSC (2,196) Niceville, FL |
| November 29, 2023* 7:00 p.m., BTN | | Central Michigan | W 88–61 | 6–1 | 25 – Thornton | 9 – Okpara | 5 – Mahaffey | Value City Arena (8,223) Columbus, OH |
| December 3, 2023 6:30 p.m., BTN | | Minnesota | W 84–74 | 7–1 (1–0) | 26 – Thornton | 7 – Tied | 5 – Thornton | Value City Arena (10,481) Columbus, OH |
| December 6, 2023* 7:00 p.m., BTN Plus | | Miami (OH) | W 84–64 | 8–1 | 15 – Gayle Jr. | 10 – Key | 4 – Key | Value City Arena (9,098) Columbus, OH |
| December 9, 2023 6:00 p.m., BTN | | at Penn State | L 80–83 | 8–2 (1–1) | 17 – Thornton | 11 – Key | 6 – Mahaffey | Bryce Jordan Center (9,732) University Park, PA |
| December 16, 2023* 3:00 p.m., CBS | | vs. UCLA CBS Sports Classic | W 67–60 | 9–2 | 19 – Gayle, Jr. | 7 – Thornton | 4 – Thornton | State Farm Center (17,058) Atlanta, GA |
| December 21, 2023* 6:00 p.m., BTN Plus | | New Orleans | W 78–36 | 10–2 | 17 – Battle | 9 – Battle | 4 – Battle | Value City Arena (11,749) Columbus, OH |
| December 30, 2023* 7:00 p.m., FOX | | vs. West Virginia Legends of Basketball Showcase | W 78–75 $^{OT}$ | 11–2 | 32 – Gayle, Jr. | 9 – Battle | 6 – Gayle, Jr. | Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (12,211) Cleveland, OH |
| January 3, 2024 7:00 p.m., BTN | | Rutgers | W 76–72 | 12–2 (2–1) | 24 – Thornton | 7 – 2 tied | 7 – Thornton | Value City Arena (10,614) Columbus, OH |
| January 6, 2024 8:00 p.m., FOX | | at Indiana | L 65–71 | 12–3 (2–2) | 17 – Battle | 15 – Okpara | 5 – Thornton | Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (16,584) Bloomington, IN |
| January 10, 2024 8:30 p.m., BTN | | No. 15 Wisconsin | L 60–71 | 12–4 (2–3) | 18 – Battle | 8 – Battle | 6 – Thornton | Value City Arena (11,276) Columbus, OH |
| January 15, 2024 12:00 p.m., FOX | | at Michigan Rivalry | L 65–73 | 12–5 (2–4) | 19 – Thornton | 9 – Okpara | 3 – Bonner | Crisler Center (12,202) Ann Arbor, MI |
| January 20, 2024 12:00 p.m., BTN | | Penn State | W 79–67 | 13–5 (3–4) | 16 – Mahaffey | 14 – Okpara | 6 – Thornton | Value City Arena (15,267) Columbus, OH |
| January 23, 2024 7:00 p.m., Peacock | | at Nebraska | L 69–83 | 13–6 (3–5) | 16 – Thornton | 7 – Battle | 6 – Thornton | Pinnacle Bank Arena (14,408) Lincoln, NE |
| January 27, 2024 8:30 p.m., BTN | | at Northwestern | L 58–83 | 13–7 (3–6) | 18 – Thornton | 5 – Okpara | 3 – Gayle, Jr. | Welsh–Ryan Arena (6,218) Evanston, IL |
| January 30, 2024 7:00 p.m., Peacock | | No. 14 Illinois | L 75–87 | 13–8 (3–7) | 21 – Battle | 6 – Battle | 4 – Thornton | Value City Arena (10,285) Columbus, OH |
| February 2, 2024 7:00 p.m., FS1 | | at Iowa | L 77–79 | 13–9 (3–8) | 17 – Battle | 8 – Okpara | 4 – Mahaffey | Carver–Hawkeye Arena (9,986) Iowa City, IA |
| February 6, 2024 7:00 p.m., Peacock | | Indiana | L 73–76 | 13–10 (3–9) | 19 – 2 tied | 6 – Mahaffey | 4 – Gayle, Jr. | Value City Arena (11,157) Columbus, OH |
| February 10, 2024 4:00 p.m., FS1 | | Maryland | W 79–75 $^{2OT}$ | 14–10 (4–9) | 24 – Thornton | 7 – 2 tied | 4 – Thornton | Value City Arena (13,471) Columbus, OH |
| February 13, 2024 9:00 p.m., Peacock | | at No. 20 Wisconsin | L 54–62 | 14–11 (4–10) | 18 – Thornton | 6 – Mahaffey | 5 – Thornton | Kohl Center (14,931) Madison, WI |
| February 18, 2024 1:00 p.m., CBS | | No. 2 Purdue | W 73–69 | 15–11 (5–10) | 22 – Thornton | 4 – 2 tied | 3 – Gayle | Value City Arena (18,353) Columbus, OH |
| February 22, 2024 8:00 p.m., BTN | | at Minnesota | L 79–88 | 15–12 (5–11) | 25 – Thornton | 7 – Mahaffey | 6 – Thornton | Williams Arena (8,558) Minneapolis, MN |
| February 25, 2024 4:00 p.m., CBS | | at Michigan State | W 60–57 | 16–12 (6–11) | 14 – Royal | 8 – Gayle, Jr. | 4 – Thornton | Breslin Center (14,797) East Lansing, MI |
| February 29, 2024 6:30 p.m., FS1 | | Nebraska | W 78–69 | 17–12 (7–11) | 32 – Battle | 10 – Gayle, Jr. | 3 – 2 tied | Value City Arena (13,090) Columbus, OH |
| March 3, 2024 4:00 p.m., CBS | | Michigan Rivalry | W 84–61 | 18–12 (8–11) | 17 – Thornton | 6 – Okpara | 5 – Thornton | Value City Arena (16,606) Columbus, OH |
| March 10, 2024 2:00 p.m., BTN | | at Rutgers | W 73–51 | 19–12 (9–11) | 14 – Gayle, Jr. | 8 – Okpara | 6 – Thornton | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ |
| Big Ten Tournament |||||||||
| March 14, 2024 6:30 p.m., BTN | (10) | vs. (7) Iowa Second Round | W 90–78 | 20–12 | 23 – Battle | 9 – Battle | 9 – Thornton | Target Center (12,338) Minneapolis, MN |
| March 15, 2024 6:30 p.m., BTN | (10) | vs. (2) No. 13 Illinois Quarterfinals | L 74–77 | 20–13 | 21 – Battle | 10 – Okpara | 10 – Thornton | Target Center (12,675) Minneapolis, MN |
| NIT |||||||||
| March 19, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | (2) | Cornell First Round - Wake Forest Bracket | W 88–83 | 21–13 | 17 – Battle | 8 – Battle | 5 – Battle | Value City Arena (4,517) Columbus, OH |
| March 23, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | (2) | (3) Virginia Tech Second Round - Wake Forest Bracket | W 81–73 | 22–13 | 21 – Battle | 10 – Battle | 7 – Thornton | Value City Arena (7,541) Columbus, OH |
| March 26, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN | (2) | (4) Georgia Quarterfinals - Wake Forest Bracket | L 77–79 | 22–14 | 22 – Battle | 8 – Battle | 10 – Thornton | Value City Arena (7,641) Columbus, OH |
| *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 | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | — | — | — | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Coaches | RV | — | — | RV | 25 | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |