Sunny, 79 degrees, not a cloud in the sky, and a slight breeze coming out of the southwest. Perfect weather for…. basketball?
The Ohio State men’s basketball team returned to the court on Wednesday for the first time since March, taking on a new-look Cincinnati squad outside at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in the first game of the CareSource Invitational in Mason, Ohio. It was a sunny day, so the sun was in both teams’ eyes at times, and a light wind did carry a few jump shots wide left of the basket on one
end and wide right on the other end.
Even with the great outdoors providing a bit of adversity for both teams, it was a beautiful afternoon for college basketball, despite Cincinnati downing the Buckeyes on Wednesday afternoon, 79-68.
Ohio State’s starting lineup of John Mobley Jr., Curtis Givens, Anthony Thompson, Amare Bynum, and Ivan Njegovan was not necessarily indicative of what Jake Diebler will go with against BYU in the season opener, or even against Butler in a few weeks. Diebler said he wanted to try a handful of different lineups on Wednesday to see what works and what doesn’t, and also to give everyone on the roster an opportunity to play.
That, and because Diebler also has no interest in giving future opponents anything on film regarding Ohio State’s tendencies for the 2026-27 season.
Despite being out-rebounded 27-15 in the first half, Ohio State took a 35-30 lead into the halftime break. Cincinnati couldn’t hit a jumper to save their lives in the first 20 minutes, going 2-for-22 on jump shots. 11 offensive rebounds led to just five second-chance points for Cincinnati, so we can give Ohio State credit for playing rock-solid defense, or we can be honest and admit that the Bearcats looked a bit more rusty on offense than Ohio State did.
The Buckeyes didn’t burn the nets, either, but they did shoot 48% as a team in the first half. John Mobley was the only one in double-digits in the first half, scoring 10 points on 3-for-7 shooting.
Powered by Towson transfer Tyler Tejada, the Bearcats went on a 10-0 run halfway though the first half, taking a 58-56 lead with 8:21 remaining in the game. Despite being in the bonus for almost the entire second half, Ohio State was not taking the ball to the basket and attempting to draw contact. Meanwhile, Tejada was a one-man wrecking crew on the other end for UC.
The two teams watched the lead change hands several times in the closing five minutes, with Cincinnati ripping off a 6-0 run in a span of 64 seconds to take a 68-62 lead with 4:07 remaining in the game.
Ohio State did not punch back, falling to Cincinnati 79-68 on Wednesday afternoon in the first of two pre-season exhibition games scheduled for this month. Ohio State will face Butler at the Schottenstein Center on October 25.
While keeping in mind that much of what we saw, including lineups, minutes distribution, and well….everything…….can be taken with a grain of salt, here are a few noteworthy observations from Wednesday’s preseason bout with the Bearcats.
Ohio State’s bigs really struggled in the first half
At halftime, Ohio State’s trio of Josh Ojianwuna, Andrija Jelavic, and Ivan Njegovan combined for five points on 2-for-3 shooting, while grabbing a combined one rebound between the three of them. All three of them committed three fouls in the fist half, accounting for nine of the Buckeyes’ 11 first-half fouls.
Njegovan also had two turnovers in the first half, one of which looked much more like his freshman self than what the 7-foot-2 big man looked like last season.
While it can’t be pinned solely on Ohio State’s centers, Cincinnati also out-rebounded Ohio State 26-14 in the first half, and grabbed 11 offensive rebounds.
Josh Ojianwuna was the first sub of the day, but the centers rotated constantly
Njegovan started for Ohio State at center on Wednesday, but he only played 2:13 before being subbed out for Ojianwuna. He played for about four minutes before being subbed out again, with Ohio State going with a smaller lineup for a few minutes until Bynum checked in to play small-ball center. Jelavic also played six minutes in the first half.
Ohio State’s rotations on Wednesday showed no indication of who will start at center in a few weeks, but if all of the guys in that group keep picking up fouls at the rapid pace they did against the Bearcats, they will all get an opportunity to play – out of necessity.
Justin Pippen was frustrating Bearcats
Perhaps Ohio State’s biggest and most impactful newcomer, junior guard Justin Pippen came to Ohio State with a reputation for being a physical, in your grill, and borderline annoying on-ball defender. He was just that on Wednesday afternoon, running up and down the court while bumping hips with, chest bumping, and going shoulder-to-shoulder with numerous Cincinnati players.
One example: With Cincinnati up 7-4, less than four minutes into the game, Cincinnati’s Tylen Riley was bringing the ball up the floor, with Pippen clinging to his side the whole way. Pippen was reaching over and swiping at the ball, and in response Riley grabbed Pippen’s arm and shoved it away. Pippen stumbled to the side a bit, and an offensive foul was called on Riley, not Pippen. The ball went back to Ohio State.
Impressively enough, Pippen was not called for a foul until there was 2:28 left in the game.
LJ Smith was the more impressive freshman
One preseason exhibition played outdoors doesn’t change the long-term expectations for Ohio State star freshman Anthony Thompson, but on Wednesday afternoon, it was LJ Smith who was the more impressive and impactful freshman.
Even if at times he took shots that didn’t make a ton of sense, Smith didn’t look hesitant at all, or unsure of himself against the Bearcats. He scored on back-to-back first half possessions where he was able to get into the paint and score off the glass, and even though he only officially recorded two rebounds, Smith was reading shots off the rim and attacking the glass, trying to get offensive rebounds. During a game where the stats mean nothing, Smith’s effort stood out above most other players.
Ohio State did not move the ball at the level they’ll need to if they want to play in the NCAA Tournament again
For the first time in almost half a decade, Ohio State did not have Bruce Thornton in the lineup at point guard. Whether that was happenstance or not, the Buckeyes did not move the ball well against Cincinnati at all. They did not look for that extra pass that could turn an okay shot into a great shot, and also just struggled to make shots in general.
The Buckeyes had 16 turnovers to just seven assists in the game, and only assisted on 31.8% of their made baskets. Again, an outdoor scrimmage with the sun in your eyes is hardly a perfect measuring stick for how things will go, but Ohio State did not look they were anywhere near peak form when it came to shot selection and sharing the rock.
