Even though it is football season, college basketball season is just around the corner with the Buckeyes tipping off on Nov. 3. There were a lot of roster changes for the Buckeyes heading into the 2025-26
season, and over the next couple of months we will be dropping one player preview a week to get you caught up on the current roster.
The Christoph Tilly File
Name: Christoph Tilly
Position: Center
Class: Senior
High School/Former School: Alba Berlin High School/Santa Clara
Hometown: Berlin, Germany
Weight: 240 pounds
Height: 7-foot
Breakdown
Tilly comes to Ohio State after playing three seasons at Santa Clara, where he is an experienced veteran, appearing in 86 games and starting in 59 for the Broncos. For his career so far, he has averaged 9.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game over his three seasons in college basketball.
The center has been very efficient, shooting over 55 percent from the floor in both his sophomore and junior seasons, and has scored in double digits 40 times with seven 20-point games. Tilly’s best season thus far came as last year as a junior, where he started 31 games and averaged 12.5 points and 4.9 rebounds per game in 2024-25.
Tilly also led the WCC in 2024-25 by shooting 55.4 percent from the field.
The Buckeyes have seen Tilly before in the 2023 Emerald Coast Classic. He had 18 points against Oregon in the opening round and then seven points against Ohio State in the championship game — a game the Buckeyes won.
Tilly was born in Germany, but moved to Chile when he was six years old. He played for Alba Berlin and LOK Bernau of the Germany – Pro B North League for two seasons, and also played for the German U18 Team in the 2021 Euro Challengers Tournament.
Expected Role
Tilly’s role with the Buckeyes is very simple. He is the starting center and will look to be the presence inside that the team has been missing since Kaleb Wesson.
Tilly will need to play more than he ever has this season, as he has only averaged 18.6 minutes per game in his career and 22.6 minutes per game last season, which was a career best.
With the status of Josh Ojianwuna unknown and Ivan Njegovan needing to take the next step in his development to be a sure backup, Tilly will be looked at to give the Buckeyes at least 25 minutes a game and likely more at times as long as he is not in foul trouble.
Tilly is a capable inside presence with an offensive game that spreads out the defense. He can shoot from three and is not an elite rebounder, but his seven foot frame allows him to control the glass well enough.
Freshman Amare Bynum will also be able to play center occasionally, but for the most part, this job is Tilly’s. If he can be a solid presence at the five for the Buckeyes, he can help take them into the next tier with the guard play of Bruce Thornton and John Mobley Jr.
Tilly is arguably the most important piece to the puzzle this season for Jake Diebler and his staff.
