Ohio State basketball prepares for preseason exhibition against in-state program

The Ohio State Buckeyes are just days away from playing the team's first preseason exhibition of the 2025-26 season.

This will be the team's one and only game that won't count against their record leading up to the regular season opener on Nov. 3. A chance for the Buckeyes to get a bit of confidence underneath themselves is important, as the team was picked to finish in the middle of the pack in various Big Ten conference preseason polls.

However, they have gained a bit of extra recognition from the national voters, coming just outside the Top 25 in the USA Today preseason rankings, being placed at the No. 29 spot.

The Buckeyes are coming off a 17-15 overall record from last season. Due to some mid-year struggles, the team narrowly missed out on an NCAA Tournament appearance

The 2025-26 stint is expected to be an exciting one for a team that is trending in the right direction. Led by head coach Jake Diebler, the program was able to make a few key additions from the portal. One that stands out is senior forward Brandon Noel from Wright State, who posted 19.0 points and 7.7 rebounds per game last season.

Noel will be a great piece to play alongside senior guard Bruce Thornton, who is a two-time All-Big Ten honoree. Thornton was named to the preseason All-Big Ten Team this year after being one of the most electric players in the conference the past few seasons.

He has led the Big Ten in assist-to-turnover ratio the last two campaigns.

Early in the preseason, Thornton gave high praise to the team heading into the upcoming season, specifically hoping to see the guys take down the Michigan Wolverines later in the year.

These two players will be relied upon heavily in the Buckeyes' preseason opener to get some momentum rolling early.

Entering Sunday, the Bobcats have already gotten an exhibition outing under their belt.

They opened up with a loss on the road, 63-57, against Wright State at the CareSource Invitational at UD Arena.

In the 2024-25 campaign, they finished with an overall record of 16-16 while going 10-8 in the MAC. Unfortunately, they were taken down in their conference tournament, 90-85, in a game that ended in overtime.

Just like Ohio State, they return some major pieces that helped the team find success, including seniors Ajay Sheldon, Aidan Hadaway and Jackson Paveletzke. Both Hadaway and Paveletzke finished with 10+ points per game on the year.

In a homecoming of sorts, former Ohio State assistant coach Jeff Boals will take on his former team for the first time, now being the head coach of the Bobcats.

Ohio State and Ohio have took on one another 22 times when it actually matters, in the regular season, with the most recent occurance coming back in 2013. The Buckeyes do lead the all-time series, 14-8.

The Buckeyes and Bobcats will clash from Value City Arena on Sunday, Oct. 26, at 2:00 p.m.