BAYAMON, Puerto Rico – The Ohio State men's basketball team had plenty to smile about.
On the floor of Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez, Ohio State’s players held a Puerto Rico flag aloft and posed for photos. They took a group one with their opponents and, before heading to the locker room, another with fans who had made the trip to cheer them on.
While the game didn't officially count and was played against a hodgepodge of players with varying professional experience, Ohio State took care of business with a 115-75 exhibition win against Los Boris 1 as part of the Arroyo Puerto Rico Classic.
They will close the competition with an August 3 game, but already all 14 members of the 2026-27 OSU men’s basketball team have seen action.
The Buckeyes shot roughly
55% from the floor (official statistics and those kept by The Dispatch differ slightly) and led by double digits for all but about four minutes. Eleven different players scored.
“I thought it felt good,” freshman Anthony Thompson said. “It was honestly similar to practice with the energy and physicality. I think that shows how hard we’ve been going in practice and how effective what we’ve been doing has been.”
Here are six standout plays from the game.
Anthony Thompson makes the opening statement
The Buckeyes opened the game with a defensive stop when Josh Ojianwuna deflected a pass to generate a steal. At the other end of the court, freshman Anthony Thompson got the ball on the right wing, saw an opportunity and unofficially opened his Ohio State career with a right-handed slam dunk.
The Buckeyes jumped out to a 17-3 lead, and it started with that slam from the lefty freshman.
“I was just trying to come out aggressive,” he said. “That was the biggest thing. I just saw a lane and decided to go for it. Luckily the guy didn’t jump so I was able to just go get a pretty open dunk to start the game. It was a good way to start the game and put the energy on.”
He finished with 17 points on 7-for-11 shooting and was also credited with seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block in roughly 19 minutes of playing time.
Andrija Jelavic flashes versatility
From a pure production standpoint, the first Ohio State appearance for Kentucky transfer Andrija Jelavic was a little underwhelming. Jelavic had 7 points on 2-of-3 shooting, making one 3-pointer and adding five rebounds to go with three assists, but he did not attempt his second shot until about 5:45 remained in the second quarter.
On the next possession, Jelavic deflected a pass and generated a fast break opportunity with the ball in the hands of the 6-foot-11, 240-pound forward/center. Jelavic pushed the ball up the court, drew in the defense and dished it to Thompson, who finished with a layup.
Jelavic did score on consecutive possessions late in the fourth quarter, cleaning up a Justin Pippen miss at the rim and then sinking a 3-pointer that made it 96-69.
Video! #OhioState takes the court to play Los Boris in Puerto Rico. pic.twitter.com/acsBbGwuRF
— Adam Jardy (@AdamJardy) August 2, 2026
Alex Smith communication results in 3
Ohio State’s lead was 22-10 near the end of the first quarter when Jelavic began a drive into the paint from the left wing. Floating along the 3-point line near the right corner, freshman Alex Smith called out a double team approaching from Jelavic’s blind side and drifted to the corner.
With the defense collapsing on him, Jelavic picked up his dribble before the defender arrived, spotted Smith in the corner and hit him with a pass that generated a wide-open 3 that the freshman buried. Smith finished with 7 points and was 2 for 5 from deep.
Ivan Njegovan’s buzzer-beating 3
This was a personal favorite for Williams. The final outcome had long been decided, and with a 108-72 lead, the Buckeyes had the ball. With the shot clock running out, 7-2, 260-pound center Ivan Njegovan caught the ball at the top of the circle and, without hesitation, heaved a 3-pointer that found the bottom of the net as the horn buzzed.
It set off a celebration on the Ohio State bench. Williams said it was his personal highlight of the afternoon.
“I didn’t expect him to shoot it, but he shoots them,” Williams said. “It was a good shot.”
Jimmie Williams caps run with deep 3
Ohio State was 21 for 43 (48.8%) from 3-point range, so several of the Buckeyes' best moments took place from beyond the arc. Williams in particular had plenty, going 6 for 7 from deep, and the veteran both opened and closed a run late in the second quarter for the Buckeyes.
His lone two-point shot made it 38-25, and four possessions later he sunk a deep 3 that capped a 13-2 Ohio State run, making it 49-28 with about three minutes left before halftime.
LJ Smith offensive rebound snaps cold spell
Ohio State led comfortably throughout the game, scoring on nine of its final 10 possessions to take a 57-39 lead into halftime. The Buckeyes pushed it to 64-42 when Justin Pippen deked a defender and threw a pass to a wide-open Williams for another 3, but Ohio State then endured its only cold stretch of the game.
After three straight empty possessions, the Buckeyes were headed for a fourth when Amare Bynum missed a 3-pointer, only for freshman LJ Smith to climb the ladder and track down an offensive rebound to extend the possession. Ohio State finished it with a Njegovan dunk to make it 66-45.
A 6-4, 180-pound guard, Smith was ticketed for a senior year at high school before graduating early and joining the Buckeyes for 2026-27. In his unofficial debut, he was 3 for 7 from deep and finished with 9 points. He pulled down a team-best four offensive rebounds.
“Last few weeks he’s been aggressive going to the glass,” Diebler said. “I don’t know if he’s ever really been challenged to do that in his career. It’s part of what we want. We want to be aggressive on the offensive glass, and he’s embraced it and rebounded well the last couple of weeks.”
Ohio State men's basketball beat writer Adam Jardy can be reached at ajardy@dispatch.com, on Bluesky at @cdadamjardy.bsky.social or on Twitter at @AdamJardy.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Anthony Thompson's dunk headlines 6 top plays from Ohio State's win
