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Ohio State basketball: 2019-20 season review and 2020-2021 first-look preview

By Brendon Kleen

COLUMBUS, OHIO - FEBRUARY 23: Kaleb Wesson #34 of the Ohio State Buckeyes in action in the game against the Maryland Terrapins at Value City Arena on February 23, 2020 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OHIO - FEBRUARY 23: Kaleb Wesson #34 of the Ohio State Buckeyes in action in the game against the Maryland Terrapins at Value City Arena on February 23, 2020 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /
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COLUMBUS, OHIO – JANUARY 03: D.J. Carton #3 of the Ohio State Buckeyes in action in the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Value City Arena on January 03, 2020 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /

Can the program keep building without the Wessons or D.J. Carton?

Now that Carton has let the program know he’s transferring, they can’t count on him any longer. Wesson could be a top-40 pick in the draft, meaning he very well may lean toward entering the draft rather than continuing to build at Ohio State. After all, a chaotic 2020 draft figures to only get crazier as NBA teams get, now, less time to scout players in March.

The crown jewel of Ohio State’s 2020 recruiting class is Eugene Brown III, a four-star wing out of Georgia. However, 247 Sports has the Buckeyes ranked eighth in the Big Ten in terms of recruiting. The school’s only other hard commit thus far is Zed Key, a three-star forward out of New York. The Buckeyes will count on the relative youth of the roster and continued development under Chris Holtmann to compete in 2020-21.

The best-case scenario from a roster perspective is that Kaleb Wesson remains in Columbus and the program gets even more out of young wings like Duane Washington Jr. and Luther Muhammad. With Andre Wesson graduating, the Buckeyes will certainly need those younger scorers on the wing to step up. Without D.J. Carton, though, the point guard position is suddenly in flux behind will-be senior C.J. Walker.

The Senegalese three-star center Ibrahima Diallo, a 6-10 athlete who rarely played as a freshman during the 2019-20 season, could be an interesting player to monitor as he enters his second season in the program. Without Wesson and with no true centers incoming, Diallo could get a long look from Holtmann.

Lastly, Ohio State has been linked with very few prospective transfers thus far, besides scoring forward and Harvard grad Seth Towns, who will reportedly choose between OSU and Duke. It would be great to see the Buckeyes land a solid play-maker from the transfer portal as well to tie up their rotation and build off the success in 2019-20. The roster figures to be significantly thinner next season, with no obvious superstars waiting in the wings. Can the magic of Holtmann continue in Columbus?

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