No. 19 Texas and Ohio State will look to begin their campaigns on the right foot when they square off Monday in Las Vegas as part of the season-opening Hall of Fame Series. Both teams are rebuilding around key players from the transfer portal.
The Longhorns went 21-13 in 2023-24 in coach Rodney Terry’s first full campaign at the helm that included a 9-9 record in their final season in the Big 12. Texas earned a seventh seed in the NCAA Tournament and fell to Tennessee, now a Southeastern Conference rival, in the second round of the Midwest Region.
Terry will be asking for more from his team this season.
“That first year we were really trying to build a culture,” Terry said. “We were trying to instill in our guys how hard you have to work, trust the process, competing at an incredible level, having a physical mindset. Here are the expectations, here are the standards, and this is how we do it.
“In this landscape and all the college athletics, if you’re able to have some form (of) a level of continuity, then you give yourself a chance.”
The Longhorns have two key returning players in reserve guard Chendall Weaver and forward Kadin Shedrick. Texas added guards Jordan Pope as a transfer from Oregon State, Tramon Mark from Arkansas and forward Arthur Kaluma, late of Kansas State; the starting group will be led by sensational 6-foot-6 freshman guard Tre Johnson, ranked as the No. 5 player in the nation in the Class of 2024 by the 247 Sports Composite.
Texas expects contributions from former Indiana State forwards Julian Larry and Jayson Kent as well as returning post Ze’Rik Onyema, who played in a backup role for the Longhorns last season.
The Buckeyes are in their first full season under coach Jake Diebler, who took over after Chris Holtmann was fired in February. Ohio State went 19-12 overall and finished 9-11 in Big Ten play in a three-way tie for ninth place. The Buckeyes were a No. 2 seed in the NIT, winning twice before losing to Georgia in the quarterfinals.
Building some continuity will be a key for early-season success for the Buckeyes, who have talent but lack experience playing together.
“We have a great combination of athleticism and skill in our front court,” Diebler said. “We’re talented, we’re versatile, we have multiple guys who can play different positions, but the inexperience is something we have to answer. I want our guys playing with great freedom, being aggressive and confident. As a coach you have to create space for your players’ talent to shine through.”
Junior guard Bruce Thornton is Ohio State’s only returning starter from last year’s team. He earned all-conference honors by leading the Buckeyes in scoring with 15.7 points while grabbing 3.7 rebounds and dishing out 4.8 assists per contest.
He will be joined by South Carolina transfer Meechie Johnson Jr. as well as Micah Parrish, a San Diego State transfer, at guard. Sean Stewart and Aaron Bradshaw, who played last season at Duke and Kentucky, respectively, will start at the forwards.
Reserves are freshman John Mobley Jr., returners Taison Chatman and Evan Mahaffey, and former Florida and Samford player Ques Glover, who missed all of last season as part of the Kansas State roster with a meniscus injury.
–Field Level Media
