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Ohio State adding Harvard grad transfer Seth Towns makes Buckeyes a legit Final Four threat

By Patrick Schmidt

PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 24: Seth Towns #31 of the Harvard Crimson is introduced before the game against the Pennsylvania Quakers at The Palestra on February 24, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Penn defeated Harvard 74-71. (Photo by Corey Perrine/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 24: Seth Towns #31 of the Harvard Crimson is introduced before the game against the Pennsylvania Quakers at The Palestra on February 24, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Penn defeated Harvard 74-71. (Photo by Corey Perrine/Getty Images) /
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Ohio State basketball added Harvard grad transfer Seth Towns which makes the Buckeyes a legit contender to make the Final Four next year.

Who says you can’t go home again?

Columbus native and Northland High School product Seth Towns will play his final two seasons of college basketball at Ohio State.

The Harvard grad transfer picked the Buckeyes over Duke and also considered Kansas, Virginia, Michigan, Maryland and Syracuse after announcing his intentions to leave the Ivy League after this season.

Towns missed the last two seasons due to injury but in his last full season was the Ivy League Player of the Year when he averaged 16 points and nearly six rebounds per game. Towns is a lights-out shooter from 3-point range, shooting 44.1 percent that season.

“I’m coming home,” Towns said during his announcement on Saturday night. “From a basketball standpoint, it makes sense for me. Obviously, there’s no place like home. Coach [Chris] Holtmann and I have developed a really good relationship; I trust him wholly. It’s great. It’s been my childhood dream. I have a painting of me in an Ohio State jersey on my childhood bedroom wall, even still. I got that when I was 2 years old.”

This makes for a great story on a sentimental level, but Buckeyes fans want to know about the basketball aspect of this story.

The biggest question surrounding Towns is the state of his health and whether he can recapture the form he displayed in the 2017-2018 season. Two years on the shelf with injury is a long time so he’ll have a lot of rust to knock off as he prepares for the rigors of the season and physical play the Big Ten is known for.

Towns is confident in his knee and the team of doctors who are helping him get back to the type of player he was at this peak.

If he can recapture the form he showed in the Ivy League two years ago, it makes for a fantastic and intriguing addition to Ohio State and their aspirations of winning the Big Ten title.

Forget about just a Big Ten title, however, because Towns is setting his sights higher and looking at a Final Four and winning a National Championship.

“I’m expecting nothing less than a Final Four run and a national championship,” Towns said. “I’m a winner first and a basketball player second. We’re going for it all.”

Ohio State checks in at No. 12 in the FanSided way-too-early Top 25 but could have legit Final Four dreams if center Kaleb Wesson bypasses the NBA Draft and returns to Columbus for another year.

Way-too-early Top 25 for 2020-2021. dark. Next

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