As the calendar gets ready to flip from April to May, the Ohio State men’s basketball roster is starting to fill out. With Thursday’s addition of former Memphis guard Curtis Givens, the men’s basketball team now has 12 players.
It’s possible that the Buckeyes could add another player between now and June when the team officially reports to campus. It’s also possible that all players will be given a fifth year of eligibility this summer, which would open the floodgates for hundreds of graduated seniors
suddenly being reinstated and either going back to their same program or transferring elsewhere. Because that situation still has a chance (unlikely, but impossible) of happening, Ohio State probably won’t add any more players until that issue is settled. Even if it does happen, this may be your 2026-27 roster.
Last week, Connor and Justin discussed their expectations for Ohio State’s two incoming freshmen, Anthony Thompson and Alex Smith. Both guys were pretty excited about Thompson — Connor expects him to be a calming presence on offense, who will settle things down when needed, and average at least 15 points per game. Justin went even further, saying that Thompson will be the best player on the team next season and will become Ohio State’s go-to scorer by the time the season ends.
The guys were more split on Smith, the former Upper Arlington Golden Bear. Connor thought that Smith may be able to carve out a minor role off the bench as a freshman — potentially 10 minutes per game or so. Justin was more skeptical, saying that it might make more sense for the four-star recruit to redshirt his freshman season.
Back to this season, half of Ohio State’s roster right now are returners, and the other half are fresh faces. As of Thursday night, the Buckeyes had added four transfers to the team — Justin Pippen, Jimmie Williams, Andrija Jelavic, and Curtis Givens. Pippen looks headed for a starting spot, and the other three will likely be bench options.
The Buckeyes had one of the worst benches in the country last season, ranking near the very bottom of the NCAA in both bench minutes and bench points per game. That has (hopefully) been addressed this spring with some of the transfer additions Diebler and his staff have made.
You’re Nuts: Which Ohio State men’s basketball transfer will be most impactful next season?
Connor: Justin Pippen
For the first time in four years, Ohio State actually had to figure out the point guard position. They addressed the need by adding Pippen — a former four-star recruit who played a year at Michigan and a year at Cal. Last season at Cal, Pippen averaged 14.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game while shooting 37% overall.
With John Mobley and Amare Bynum back, plus McDonald’s All-American Anthony Thompson joining the squad, Ohio State didn’t need a point guard who would replicate Bruce Thornton’s volume. They didn’t need a guard who was going to take 15 shots per game — they really just needed someone who could effectively and efficiently get the ball to Ohio State’s “big three.”
Pippen can score too, but he was not efficient last season (37% overall, 32.7% on three-pointers) and will need to be coached up on when to take certain types of shots and when to pull it back and look for a better shot. But generally speaking, Pippen should be a good piece to have to make sure everyone is touching the ball.
Where I think Pippen really excels and will change the game is defensively. He’s one of the better defensive guards in the country, and averaged 1.9 thefts per game last season. On the year he had a steal percentage of 3.5%, which puts him in the top 100 players in the nation. That’s an elite number, especially for an Ohio State team that was 347th in the country in steal percentage last season (7%).
The Buckeyes just didn’t force any turnovers last season. That makes it tougher on the defense, because you’re not taking any possessions away from the opposing offense, nor are you creating quick fast-break opportunities that steals often lead to.
Pippen held opponents to .769 points per possession last season when he was the primary defender, which grades out as “excellent” in Synergy and is in the top 16% of all defenders nationwide. Pippen may end up being Ohio State’s fourth or fifth-leading scorer, but he will impact things on the other end at a very high level.
Justin: Jimmie Williams
Justin Pippen is the new starting point guard and will have a huge role, but the bench will be the reason that Ohio State takes the next step or not. And Jimmie Williams is the best player on the bench.
The main issue with the Buckeyes last year was the bench depth and production. Brandon Noel was hurt for half of the season, and Gabe Cupps, Taison Chatman, Ivan Njegovan, Colin White, and Puff Johnson all struggled to provide consistent production when the starters were off the floor.
Williams averaged 15.1 points per game, 4.5 rebounds per game, and 2.6 assists per game with 33 games played and started. He shot 46.3% from the field, 33.9% from three-point range, and 75.7% from the free throw line.
He played over 29 minutes a game at Duquesne and obviously, will not play that much at Ohio State, so his numbers will inevitably take a dip. However, he is currently the sixth man and will play 15-20 minutes a game, so if he can give them 10-12 points per game, that is already more than the entire bench averaged per game as a unit last season.
He can be the X factor for this team this season.
