2013-2014 Big Ten Basketball Preview: #3 Ohio State Buckeyes

Last Season: Last year's Ohio State team was one of several that fell victim to the surprising (shocking!) run of the Wichita State Shockers. OSU made it the whole way to the Elite 8 on the heels of DeShaun Thomas and Aaron Craft, before needing a vicious comeback to give themselves a chance against Wichita State. Ultimately, the run fell short, and their season ended without a Final 4 appearance. Laquinton Ross had a remarkable run in the tournament, and will look to take over a lot of the scoring reigns this year as DeShaun Thomas has moved on to the professional ranks.

Departures: Evan Ravenel, DeShaun Thomas

Returning Players: Aaron Craft, Shannon Scott, Lenzelle Smith Jr., LaQuinton Ross, Amir Williams, Sam Thompson

Newcomers: Mark Loving, Kam Williams

What to Expect: This team is one of the most experienced in the country, with only 3 underclassmen on their roster. Aaron Craft will continue to be one of the most decorated players to never average more than 10 PPG and 5 RPG. He is undoubtedly an outstanding defender, likely the best in the Big Ten the last few years, but there are people who believe that he will struggle with the new hand-check rules (including Keith Appling, who cracked up upon hearing that Craft said it would have no effect). As I mentioned earlier, LaQuinton Ross is expected to make a big jump and fill some of the void left by DeShaun Thomas, but players such as Shannon Scott, Lenzelle Smith Jr., and Sam Thompson (remember this) should help fill the void. Scott, another All Big Ten Defensive player, ensures minimal drop off on the defensive end when Craft is not on the floor, and if they're both on the floor on the same time... it won't be fun for the opposing team. As you would expect with a Thad Matta team, Ohio State brought in two more Top 100 recruits in Mark Loving and Kam Williams, but there may not be a lot of time available for them this season.

Storyline to Watch: Amir Williams was a borderline top 50 recruit in 2011 who was coming in on the heels of the Greg Oden, Byron Mullens, Kosta Koufos sequence of years. He's massive, he's athletic, and he moves fairly well, yet all this has translated to limited minutes and limited production. If he can continue to improve and eventually live up to his athletic potential, Ohio State will have another weapon that teams need to worry about, and that could ultimately propel them into the National Championship discussion.

Final Prediction:  24-6 (13-5)
You'd think losing a first team All Big-Ten player like DeShaun Thomas would have a bigger effect, but this team has talent from top to bottom. Whether or not they can hop Michigan or Michigan state remains to be seen.