Why Ohio State will make the NCAA Tournament
Ohio State basketball team primed for a good season?
After a very disappointing season in 2015-16, Buckeye hoops looks to turn things around in 2016-17. With a final record of 21-14, there were many people calling for Ohio State head coach Thad Matta’s job. As a Buckeyes basketball fan, there are many reasons to be optimistic about the future.
Last year’s Ohio State team hit possibly the lowest point in recent memory after the season. Matta’s 2015 recruiting class was undoubtedly the future of the program, and then all but one player from the class decided to transfer.
Austin Grandstaff, Mickey Mitchell, Daniel Giddens, and AJ Harris all left the program. Jaquan Lyle is now the last man standing from the 2015 class. Most OSU fans were extremely worrisome about this news, but others found the good in it.
Something that may be more important than talent and skill, is team chemistry. It was evident that last year’s team didn’t have much of it.
Some guys just looked like they didn’t want to be a part of the team, and sure enough they transferred. The Buckeyes are sure to have much, much more of that incredibly important chemistry in 2016.
Leadership. That is another trait that the team lacked last year. I blame this one on injury. Jae’sean Tate is the team’s leader on both offense and defense.
The Pickerington, Ohio product may not have the most skill in the world, but he just has a motor that never stops. Tate has the “it” factor that all successful teams need. Losing him to injury was a devastating blow to the Buckeyes and having him back in 2016 will be HUGE.
The best six players on the team are all returning. Despite losing 4 players to transfer, none of these players were really vital to Ohio State’s success.
Jaquan Lyle, Kam Williams, Keita Bates-Diop, Marc Loving, Jae’sean Tate and Trevor Thompson will all be wearing the Scarlet & Gray in 2016. All of these players have reportedly made huge strides in the off-season as well as big man David Bell who looks to see an increased role in 2016.
Matta & co. added 4 players in the 2016 recruiting class that will be on the roster this season. Derek Funderburk, Micah Potter and Andre Wesson will be all be freshmen this year. CJ Jackson is the fourth player that Matta added in 2016.
Jackson is a sophomore Guard that transferred from Eastern Florida State, a junior college. There are many reasons to be optimistic about the 6’1 Charlotte, NC native. He averaged just under 17 PPG last season as a Titan and has made tremendous strides in his game.
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Last year the Buckeyes got off to a very rocky start losing 4 of their first 6. After losing back-to-back games to inferior opponents Louisiana Tech and UT-Arlington, many questioned what was going on with the program.
That will not be the case this year, because altogether Ohio State is miles ahead as a team. The Bucks will be tested early in the season with home games vs Providence and UConn, a road test at Virginia and a neutral site game in Las Vegas against UCLA.
Do I expect Ohio State to go undefeated and win the National Championship? No. But I do expect Tate and the Ohio State Buckeyes to win a lot of games this year and make an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
How far will they make it? Well, it is March Madness so it’s impossible to say. But anything is possible…
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