The Ohio State basketball team took care of business in an exhibition against Butler inside Value City Arena on Saturday afternoon, winning by a score of 82-73. It was the last exhibition before the season gets underway for the 2026-27 season.
OSU forward Amare Bynum led the way for the Buckeyes by scoring 23 points. Guard John Mobley Jr. chipped in 17, and LJ Smith came off the bench to pour in 12 for Ohio State. Butler's Jalen Jackson led all scorers by tallying 27 points.
The Buckeyes started slow on the offensive end, notching just one basket on a layup by Bynum at the 17:09 mark of the first half and heading to the first television timeout down by a 7-2 score. Ohio State finally reeled in the Bulldogs and took the lead halfway through the first half,
thanks in large part to made baskets from beyond the arc, but highlighted by a thunderous dunk by Bynum.
AMARE BYNUM HAVE MERCY WHAT A DUNK ‼️ pic.twitter.com/cO1PC06SAi
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) October 25, 2026
The game would remain nip and tuck until Ohio State went on a 9-0 run to head into the half up 45-38.
The second half continued to show that this would be a game of runs. Butler came out and shaved the OSU lead to just 51-49 within the first six minutes of the second half, and it looked like it was game on. But Ohio State clamped down on defense the rest of the way and made enough plays and shots to fend off the Bulldog comeback, winning rather comfortably despite being just a couple of buckets up within the last two minutes of the game.
Ohio State had fewer possessions than Butler because of being outrebounded 42 to 33, including 19 to 5 on the offensive end. But the Buckeyes were able to make up that deficit by shooting better from the floor (26-of-52 (50%)) to (27-of-71 (38%)), including from three-point range (9-of-22 (40.9%) to (11-of-38 (28.9%)). OSU also won the free-throw battle (21-of-24 to 8-of-12). Both teams were sloppy with the ball, each tallying 16 turnovers for the game.
Five-star forward Anthony Thompson continues to be used somewhat sparingly, notching just 15 minutes and scoring just five points on 2-of-5 shooting. It'll be interesting to see how he continues to develop as a potential NBA lottery pick.
Ohio State will open the season in Salt Lake City against a ranked BYU squad on November 2.
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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Ohio State basketball beats Butler in last exhibition before season
