Ohio State faces its toughest early-season test on Friday night, heading to Hartford to take on No. 4 UConn at PeoplesBank Arena.
Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m., with the game airing nationally on TNT, truTV and HBO Max. Brian Anderson, Grant Hill and Andy Katz will have the call.
The Buckeyes will also have radio coverage through the Ohio State Radio Network from Learfield, with Tyler Danburg and former Buckeye captain Ron Stokes on the broadcast.
This matchup carries some history, too. Ohio State and UConn have met six times, and the Buckeyes hold a 4-2 edge in the series.
The teams last played a home-and-home set in 2015 and 2016, with each side protecting its own floor. In the most recent meeting, Ohio State survived a rough shooting night - just 34 percent from the field - and still pulled out a 64-60 win in Columbus on Dec.
10, 2016. Trevor Thompson powered that victory with 17 points and 17 rebounds, while Jalen Adams led UConn with 19 points.
The Buckeyes also bring a strong track record against the Big East into the game. They are 72-30 all-time against current Big East teams, and their last win over one came in a 69-60 road victory at Creighton on Nov. 15, 2018.
Ohio State arrives in Hartford off an 84-74 win over Marshall on Monday night, a game that featured balance across the lineup. Five Buckeyes reached double figures, led by John Mobley Jr.’s 19 points. Jimmie Williams gave the team a lift off the bench with 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting and five rebounds, while freshman Anthony Thompson added 11 points and matched the game high with six rebounds.
Mobley Jr. has been central to everything Ohio State has done so far. He has led the team in assists in all three games, is averaging 5.0 assists with only five turnovers, and also tops the Buckeyes in scoring at 19.3 points per game. He is 40 points shy of 1,000 for his career.
Andrija Jelavic has made the most of his new role in Columbus, and his production has jumped with it. Through three games, he is averaging 15.0 points and a team-best 7.3 rebounds, and he ranks among the Big Ten’s top five with nearly four offensive rebounds per game.
Thompson’s shooting also showed signs of life against Marshall. After struggling in the first two games, the five-star prospect knocked down his first two three-pointers of the season. He had been one of the team’s best shooters in preseason, and Ohio State will hope that performance gets him rolling.
One more number stands out for the Buckeyes: the free-throw line. Ohio State has attempted nearly 30 free throws per game through three contests and leads the Big Ten by shooting 81.8 percent from the stripe. Mobley and Amare Bynum have combined to hit 31 of 34 attempts, and Jimmie Williams has been perfect at 9-for-9.
UConn, meanwhile, is 3-0 with wins over Gardner-Webb, Michigan and Wagner. Sophomore Braylon Mullins is leading the Huskies at 17.7 points per game, while backcourt partner Silas Demary Jr. is averaging 14.7 points and a team-high 6.3 assists.
In Other News...
Ohio State Suddenly Has A Receiver Problem Before Northwestern
The quarterback situation already had enough attention heading into Ohio States matchup with Northwestern, with both teams set to be without their starters under center because of injuries. But the Buckeyes may be dealing with a wider offensive shortage than expected, since three of their top six wide receivers are listed as questionable, adding another layer of uncertainty to a game that already looked like it would require some adjustment.
Brandon Inniss, Phillip Bell and Brock Boyd are all in question, while running back JaKobi Jackson and tight end Max LeBlanc remain sidelined. Northwestern is also shorthanded, with eight players out including starting quarterback Aidan Chiles and cornerback Josh Fussell, so this could turn into a game defined less by star power than by which side handles the attrition better and finds enough reliable options to function on offense. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio States Week 10 Spiral Says Plenty About This Teams Ceiling
Ohio States Week 10 slide has turned into more than a bad stretch, it has become a clear reminder of how thin the margin is when the offense loses its rhythm. With three losses on the books and the Buckeyes trying to navigate life without quarterback Julian Sayin, the conversation around the program has shifted from weekly fixes to bigger questions about how high this team can actually climb in the Big Ten race.
The latest conference pecking order reflects that uncertainty, with Ohio State sitting eighth after Week 10 while other league contenders continue to build momentum around it. For a program that expects to be in the thick of every major postseason discussion, the current spiral says plenty about the ceiling this version of the Buckeyes can reach unless the pieces start coming together soon. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio States 2027 Running Back Picture Just Got More Interesting
Ohio States 2027 running back board picked up a notable addition when Daylon Gordon, a four-star prospect from Wylie, Texas, committed to the Buckeyes after previously being pledged to Texas State. Gordon arrives with a Power 4 offer sheet and gives Ohio State another talented name to build around as the class starts to take shape.
Even with Gordon on board, the Buckeyes are not treating the position as settled. They are still pursuing more running backs for the 2027 class, which keeps the room competitive and leaves open the possibility that this group could grow into one of the more interesting pieces of the cycle. [Read more 🡒]