Ohio State Men’s Basketball 2026 NCAA Tournament Capsule
March 7, 2026 · CSM Staff
Ohio State Buckeyes
Big Ten (21-12, 12-8)
Big Wins: 2/17 Wisconsin (86-69), 3/1 Purdue (82-74)
Bad Losses: 11/28 at Pittsburgh (66-67), 1/11 at Washington (74-81)
Coach: Jake Diebler
Probable Starters:
Amare Bynum, Freshman, Forward, 9.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.1 apg
Devin Royal, Junior, Forward, 13.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.7 apg
Christoph Tilly, Senior, Center, 11.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 2.1 apg
Bruce Thornton, Senior, Guard, 20.2 ppg, 3.9 apg, 5.1 rpg
John Mobley Jr., Sophomore, Guard, 15.7 ppg, 2.7 apg, 2.4 rpg
Key Role Players:
Ivan Njegovan, Sophomore, Center, 2.7 ppg, 3.1 rpg
Gabe Cupps, Sophomore, Guard, 1.6 ppg, 1.1 apg, 1.2 rpg
Brandon Noel, Senior, Forward, 7.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 80.5 (78th in nation, 5th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 73.0 (148, 11)
Field-Goal Percentage: 49.5 (21, 3)
Field-Goal Defense: 43.7 (146, 9)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 8.2 (148, 9)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 36.3 (51, 4)
Free-Throw Percentage: 77.5 (21, 5)
Rebound Margin: 2.4 (124, 6)
Assists Per Game: 14.4 (142, 13)
Turnovers Per Game: 10.5 (78, 11)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
| 2024 | NIT | First Round win over Cornell |
| 2024 | NIT | Second Round win over Virginia Tech |
| 2024 | NIT | Quarterfinal loss to Georgia |
| 2022 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Loyola Chicago |
| 2022 | NCAA | Round of 32 loss to Villanova |
| 2021 | NCAA | Round of 64 loss to Oral Roberts |
| 2019 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Iowa State |
| 2019 | NCAA | Round of 32 loss to Houston |
| 2018 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over South Dakota State |
| 2018 | NCAA | Round of 32 loss to Gonzaga |
| 2016 | NIT | First Round win over Akron |
| 2016 | NIT | Second Round loss to Florida |
| 2015 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over VCU |
| 2015 | NCAA | Round of 32 loss to Arizona |
| 2014 | NCAA | Round of 64 loss to Dayton |
| 2013 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Iona |
| 2013 | NCAA | Round of 32 win over Iowa State |
| 2013 | NCAA | Regional Semifinal win over Arizona |
| 2013 | NCAA | Regional Final loss to Wichita State |
| 2012 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Loyola Maryland |
| 2012 | NCAA | Round of 32 win over Gonzaga |
| 2012 | NCAA | Regional Semifinal win over Cincinnati |
| 2012 | NCAA | Regional Final win over Syracuse |
| 2012 | NCAA | National Semifinal loss to Kansas |
| 2011 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Texas-San Antonio |
| 2011 | NCAA | Round of 32 win over George Mason |
| 2011 | NCAA | Regional Semifinal loss to Kentucky |
| 2010 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over UC-Santa Barbara |
| 2010 | NCAA | Round of 32 win over Georgia Tech |
| 2010 | NCAA | Regional Semifinal loss to Tennessee |
| 2009 | NCAA | Round of 64 loss to Siena |
| 2008 | NIT | First Round win over UNC-Asheville |
| 2008 | NIT | Second Round win over California |
| 2008 | NIT | Quarterfinal win over Dayton |
| 2008 | NIT | Semifinal win over Mississippi |
| 2008 | NIT | Final win over Massachusetts |
| 2007 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Central Connecticut State |
| 2007 | NCAA | Round of 32 win over Xavier |
| 2007 | NCAA | Regional Semifinal win over Tennessee |
| 2007 | NCAA | Regional Final win over Memphis |
| 2007 | NCAA | National Semifinal win over Georgetown |
| 2007 | NCAA | National Final loss to Florida |
*all team stats through 3/8
