2021–22 Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball team

American college basketball season

2021–22 Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball

NCAA tournament, Second Round
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Record	20–12 (12–8 Big Ten)
Head coach	Chris Holtmann (5th season)
Assistant coaches	Ryan Pedon (5th season) Jake Diebler (3rd season) Tony Skinn (1st season)
Home arena	Value City Arena
Seasons ← 2020–21 2022–23 →

2021–22 Big Ten Conference
men's basketball standings
	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
No. 19 Illinois	15	–	5	.750	23	–	10	.697
No. 14 Wisconsin	15	–	5	.750	25	–	8	.758
No. 10 Purdue	14	–	6	.700	29	–	8	.784
Rutgers	12	–	8	.600	18	–	14	.563
No. 16 Iowa †	12	–	8	.600	26	–	10	.722
Ohio State	12	–	8	.600	20	–	12	.625
Michigan State	11	–	9	.550	23	–	13	.639
Michigan	11	–	9	.550	19	–	15	.559
Indiana	9	–	11	.450	21	–	14	.600
Maryland	7	–	13	.350	15	–	17	.469
Penn State	7	–	13	.350	14	–	17	.452
Northwestern	7	–	13	.350	15	–	16	.484
Nebraska	4	–	16	.200	10	–	22	.313
Minnesota	4	–	16	.200	13	–	17	.433

† Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP poll

The 2021–22 Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball team represented Ohio State University in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Their head coach was Chris Holtmann, in his fifth season with the Buckeyes. The Buckeyes played their home games at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio as members of the Big Ten Conference. They finished the season 20–12, 12–8 in Big Ten play to finish a three-way tie for fifth place. As the No. 6 seed in the Big Ten tournament, they lost to Penn State in the quarterfinals. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 7 seed in the South region where they defeated Loyola in the First Round before losing to Villanova in the Second Round.

Previous season

In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Buckeyes finished the 2020–21 season 21–10, 12–8 in Big Ten play to finish in fifth place.^[1] They defeated Minnesota, Purdue, and Michigan before losing to Illinois in overtime in the championship game of the Big Ten tournament. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 2 seed in the South region. However, they were upset in the First Round by No. 15-seeded Oral Roberts, ending their season.

Offseason

On October 14, 2020, the NCAA announced that all student-athletes in winter sports during the 2020–21 school year, including men's and women's basketball, would receive an extra year of athletic eligibility.^[2] Seniors CJ Walker and Kyle Young were eligible to use the extra year. Walker chose to forgo the extra year while Young remained with the team.^[3]^[4]

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Reason for departure
Musa Jallow	2	G	6'5"	210	RS Junior	Bloomington, IN	Transferred to Charlotte
Duane Washington Jr.	4	G	6'3"	210	Junior	Grand Rapids, MI	Entered the 2021 NBA draft
CJ Walker	13	G	6'1"	195	RS Senior	Indianapolis, IN	Graduated
Ibrahima Diallo	15	C	6'10"	220	Sophomore	Saly, Senegal	Transferred to San Jose State
Jansen Davidson Jr.	40	G	5'11"	190	Senior	Kettering, OH	Graduated

Incoming transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous School
Cedric Russell	2	G	6'2"	190	Graduate Student	Alexandria, LA	Transferred from Louisiana. Will have one year of remaining eligibility.
Joey Brunk	50	C	6'11"	255	Graduate Student	Indianapolis, IN	Transferred from Indiana. Will have one year of remaining eligibility.
Jamari Wheeler	55	G	6'1"	170	Senior	Live Oak, FL	Transferred from Penn State. Will have one year of remaining eligibility.

2021 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Malaki Branham #4 SG	Akron, OH	St. Vincent–St. Mary	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Jul 22, 2020
Malaki Branham #4 SG	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Kalen Etzler #21 PF	Convoy, OH	Crestview	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	May 12, 2019
Kalen Etzler #21 PF	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

2022 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2022 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Roddy Gayle Jr. SG	Mount Pleasant, UT	Wasatch Academy (UT)	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Nov 13, 2020
Roddy Gayle Jr. SG	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 87
Bowen Hardman SG	Cincinnati, OH	Princeton (OH)	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	160 lb (73 kg)	May 13, 2020
Bowen Hardman SG	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 82
Felix Okpara C	Branson, MO	Link Year Prep (MO)	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Jul 20, 2021
Felix Okpara C	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 85
Brice Sensabaugh SF	Orlando, FL	Lake Highland Prep (FL)	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	240 lb (110 kg)	Sep 29, 2021
Brice Sensabaugh SF	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 82
Bruce Thornton PG	Alpharetta, GA	Milton (GA)	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Nov 26, 2020
Bruce Thornton PG	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 86
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Roster

2021–22 Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball team

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Name	Height	Weight	Year	Previous school	Hometown
G	0	Meechie Johnson	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	172 lb (78 kg)	So	Garfield Heights HS	Cleveland, Ohio
G	1	Jimmy Sotos	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	GS	Bucknell	Elk Grove Village, Illinois
G	2	Cedric Russell	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Sr	Louisiana	Alexandria, Louisiana
G	3	Eugene Brown III	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	So	Southwest DeKalb HS	Conyers, Georgia
F	10	Justin Ahrens	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Sr	Versailles HS	Versailles, Ohio
F	14	Justice Sueing	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	RS Sr	California	Honolulu, Hawaii
G	22	Malaki Branham	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Fr	St. Vincent–St. Mary HS	Columbus, Ohio
F	23	Zed Key	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	So	Long Island Lutheran HS	Bay Shore, New York
F	24	Kalen Etzler	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Fr	Crestview HS	Van Wert, Ohio
F	25	Kyle Young	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	GS	Jackson HS	Canton, Ohio
F	31	Seth Towns	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	230 lb (104 kg)	GS	Harvard	Columbus, Ohio
F	32	E. J. Liddell	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	240 lb (109 kg)	Jr	Belleville HS	Belleville, Illinois
F	42	Harrison Hookfin	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Sr	Lebanon HS	Cincinnati, Ohio
C	50	Joey Brunk	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	255 lb (116 kg)	GS	Indiana	Indianapolis, Indiana
G	55	Jamari Wheeler	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	GS	Penn State	Live Oak, Florida

Head coach

Chris Holtmann (Taylor)

Assistant coach(es)

Roster^[5]

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on

Injured
Current redshirt

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
November 1, 2021* 7:00 p.m., BTN+	No. 17	Indianapolis	W 82–46		15 – Brown III	9 – Tied	3 – Tied	Value City Arena (8,302) Columbus, OH
Regular season
November 9, 2021* 6:00 p.m., ESPN2	No. 17	Akron	W 67–66	1–0	25 – Liddell	11 – Liddell	3 – Tied	Value City Arena (11,947) Columbus, OH
November 12, 2021* 7:00 p.m., BTN+	No. 17	Niagara	W 84–74	2–0	29 – Liddell	7 – Tied	6 – Wheeler	Value City Arena (9,749) Columbus, OH
November 15, 2021* 6:30 p.m., BTN	No. 19	Bowling Green Fort Myers Tip-Off campus site-game	W 89–58	3–0	13 – Tied	9 – Key	5 – Wheeler	Value City Arena (9,808) Columbus, OH
November 18, 2021* 6:30 p.m., FS1	No. 19	at Xavier Gavitt Tipoff Games	L 65–71	3–1	17 – Liddell	8 – Brown III	6 – Wheeler	Cintas Center (10,379) Cincinnati, OH
November 22, 2021* 6:00 p.m., FS1		vs. No. 21 Seton Hall Fort Myers Tip-Off Beach Division semifinals	W 79–76	4–1	28 – Liddell	8 – Young	3 – Tied	Suncoast Credit Union Arena (3,500) Fort Myers, FL
November 24, 2021* 8:30 p.m., FS1		vs. No. 23 Florida Fort Myers Tip-Off Beach Division Championship	L 68–71	4–2	23 – Liddell	5 – Young	3 – Ahrens	Suncoast Credit Union Arena (3,500) Fort Myers, FL
November 30, 2021* 9:30 p.m., ESPN		No. 1 Duke ACC-Big Ten Challenge	W 71–67	5–2	20 – Key	14 – Liddell	6 – Liddell	Value City Arena (18,809) Columbus, OH
December 5, 2021 7:30 p.m., BTN		at Penn State	W 76–64	6–2 (1–0)	16 – Young	7 – Young	9 – Wheeler	Bryce Jordan Center (9,128) University Park, PA
December 8, 2021* 9:00 p.m., ESPNU	No. 21	Towson	W 85–74	7–2	18 – Young	9 – Key	5 – Wheeler	Value City Arena (9,472) Columbus, OH
December 11, 2021 12:00 p.m., BTN	No. 21	No. 22 Wisconsin	W 73–55	8–2 (2–0)	28 – Liddell	14 – Young	5 – Wheeler	Value City Arena (13,856) Columbus, OH
December 18, 2021* 5:15 p.m., CBS	No. 15	vs. No. 21 Kentucky CBS Sports Classic	Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols at Ohio State					T-Mobile Arena Las Vegas, Nevada
December 21, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPNU	No. 14	UT Martin	Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols at Ohio State					Value City Arena Columbus, OH
December 28, 2021* 6:30 p.m., BTN	No. 13	New Orleans	Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols at Ohio State					Value City Arena Columbus, OH
January 2, 2022 8:00 p.m., BTN	No. 13	at Nebraska	W 87–79 ^OT	9–2 (3–0)	35 – Branham	14 – Key	5 – Liddell	Pinnacle Bank Arena (14,478) Lincoln, NE
January 6, 2022 7:00 p.m., FS1	No. 13	at Indiana	L 51–67	9–3 (3–1)	13 – Branham	9 – Liddell	6 – Wheeler	Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (14,130) Bloomington, IN
January 9, 2022 5:30 p.m., BTN	No. 13	Northwestern	W 95–87	10–3 (4–1)	34 – Liddell	8 – Wheeler	6 – Wheeler	Value City Arena (10,620) Columbus, OH
January 13, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN2	No. 16	at No. 13 Wisconsin	L 68–78	10–4 (4–2)	18 – Liddell	8 – Key	3 – Wheeler	Kohl Center (15,571) Madison, WI
January 16, 2022 12:00 p.m., BTN	No. 16	Penn State	W 61–56	11–4 (5–2)	19 – Liddell	8 – Liddell	3 – Liddell	Value City Arena (13,565) Columbus, OH
January 18, 2022* 7:00 p.m.^[6], BTN	No. 19	IUPUI	W 83–37	12–4	14 – Brown	10 – Liddell	9 – Sotos	Value City Arena (10,666) Columbus, OH
January 27, 2022 8:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 16	at Minnesota	W 75–64	13–4 (6–2)	23 – Liddell	15 – Liddell	5 – Liddell	Williams Arena (10,179) Minneapolis, MN
January 30, 2022 12:00 p.m., CBS	No. 16	at No. 6 Purdue	L 78–81	13–5 (6–3)	20 – Tied	7 – Branham	3 – Liddell	Mackey Arena (14,804) West Lafayette, IN
February 6, 2022 1:00 p.m., CBS	No. 16	Maryland	W 82–67	14–5 (7–3)	24 – Liddell	11 – Liddell	5 – Liddell	Value City Arena (15,912) Columbus, OH
February 9, 2022 7:00 p.m., BTN	No. 16	at Rutgers	L 64–66	14–6 (7–4)	19 – Branham	12 – Key	4 – Liddell	Rutgers Athletic Center (8,019) Piscataway, NJ
February 12, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 16	at Michigan Rivalry	W 68–57	15–6 (8–4)	28 – Liddell	8 – Brown	2 – Young	Crisler Center (12,707) Ann Arbor, MI
February 15, 2022 8:30 p.m., BTN	No. 18	Minnesota	W 70–45	16–6 (9–4)	16 – Liddell	10 – Liddell	3 – Wheeler	Value City Arena (12,360) Columbus, OH
February 19, 2022 2:30 p.m., FOX	No. 18	Iowa Rescheduled from February 3	L 62–75	16–7 (9–5)	22 – Branham	8 – Tied	3 – Tied	Value City Arena (15,876) Columbus, OH
February 21, 2022 7:00 p.m., FS1	No. 22	Indiana	W 80–69 ^OT	17–7 (10–5)	27 – Branham	7 – Liddell	3 – Branham	Value City Arena (13,744) Columbus, OH
February 24, 2022 9:00 p.m., FS1	No. 22	at No. 15 Illinois	W 86–83	18–7 (11–5)	31 – Branham	6 – Liddell	3 – Wheeler	State Farm Center (15,544) Champaign, IL
February 27, 2022 4:00 p.m., CBS	No. 22	at Maryland	L 60–75	18–8 (11–6)	13 – Branham	6 – Tied	3 – Branham	Xfinity Center (15,842) College Park, MD
March 1, 2022 7:00 p.m., BTN	No. 23	Nebraska Rescheduled from January 22	L 70–78	18–9 (11–7)	27 – Liddell	14 – Liddell	3 – Brown	Value City Arena (12,268) Columbus, OH
March 3, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 23	Michigan State	W 80–69	19–9 (12–7)	22 – Branham	8 – Liddell	4 – Branham	Value City Arena (14,951) Columbus, OH
March 6, 2022 12:30 p.m., FOX	No. 23	Michigan Rivalry	L 69–75	19–10 (12–8)	18 – Branham	13 – Liddell	3 – Wheeler	Value City Arena (18,809) Columbus, OH
Big Ten tournament
March 10, 2022 9:15 p.m., BTN	(6)	vs. (11) Penn State Second Round	L 68–71	19–11	25 – Liddell	8 – Liddell	4 – Branham	Gainbridge Fieldhouse Indianapolis, IN
NCAA tournament
March 18, 2022 12:15 p.m., CBS	(7 S)	vs. (10 S) Loyola–Chicago First Round	W 54–41	20–11	16 – Liddell	10 – Liddell	2 – Branham	PPG Paints Arena Pittsburgh, PA
March 20, 2022 2:50 p.m., CBS	(7 S)	vs. (2 S) No. 6 Villanova Second Round	L 61–71	20–12	23 – Branham	11 – Key	4 – Branham	PPG Paints Arena (18,506) Pittsburgh, PA
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time.

Source^[7]

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
RV = Received votes т = Tied with team above or below
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Final
AP	17	19	RV	RV	21	15	14	13	13	16	19	16	16	16	18	22	23	RV	RV	Not released
Coaches	17т	17т^	RV	RV	22	15	13	12	12	15	18	16	16	16	18	19	23	25	RV

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings
^Coaches did not release a Week 1 poll.

References

^ "Ohio State Buckeyes Schedule 2020–21". ESPN. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
^ "DI Council extends eligibility for winter sport student-athletes" (Press release). NCAA. October 14, 2020. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
^ Lind, Andrew (April 12, 2021). "Ohio State Guard C.J. Walker Declares For NBA Draft". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on April 13, 2021.
^ Dooley, Josh (May 5, 2021). "Kyle Young is coming back to OSU for his basketball PhD, and we're all winners for it". Land-Grant Holy Land.
^ "2021–21 Roster". Ohio State Athletics.
^ "Men's Basketball Adds Game vs. IUPUI". January 10, 2022.
^ "Ohio State Buckeyes Men's Basketball Schedule". Ohio State Athletics.