Story by
BTN analyst Raphael Davis says Ohio State will earn double bye in conference tournament
- Story by
- BTN analyst Raphael Davis says Ohio State will earn double bye in conference tournament
ROSEMONT, Ill. – It was the kind of viral-type question perfect for the drudgery of the offseason. In early August, former Michigan men's basketball player and college basketball content creator Anthony Wright posed a thought to his 87,000 followers on Twitter: Can we get some Big Ten basketball hot takes?
Among the hundreds of replies was one from Raphael Davis, former Purdue Boilermaker, the 2014-15 Big Ten defensive player of the year and a college basketball analyst for the Big Ten Network. His hot take was that Ohio State would earn a double bye in the 2026 Big Ten Tournament.
Advertisement
While on site for Big Ten men's basketball media day Oct. 9 inside the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Davis said that Ohio State's "big three" of Bruce Thornton, John Mobley and Devin Royal give him that confidence in the Buckeyes .
"I think Bruce is one of the best guards in the country," Davis said. "You start there. I think John Mobley Jr., that freshman to sophomore jump that players take is the biggest of their career. To be a real competitor in this conference, you need to have three. You add in Devin Royal, he's another guy who can be an all-conference guy."
Ohio State coach Jake Diebler has repeatedly said throughout the offseason that player retention was a top priority when it came to building the roster for 2025-26 . In keeping Thornton, Mobley and Royal, the Buckeyes bring back their three top scorers with remaining eligibility. They accounted for a combined 55.8% of Ohio State's points a season ago.
Advertisement
Thornton was named a second-team all-conference player in the preseason media poll conducted jointly by The Dispatch and The Indianapolis Star as he enters his senior season. Royal finished second in scoring (13.7 points per game) and first in rebounding (6.9 per game), while Mobley moved into a starter's role after 10 games and averaged 13.0 points while shooting 38.5% (77 for 200) from 3.
They are complemented by Santa Clara transfer center Christoph Tilly, a player Davis said should fit nicely with the three.
"When you have those four, you just need guys like Taison (Chatman) to make shots," he said. "You just need the other guys to play hard, guard, accept their role and thrive in it and I think they'll be really good."
Earning a double bye in the conference tournament has historically meant a top-four finish in the regular-season standings. The league has not yet unveiled its 2026 tournament bracket as the event expands to 18 teams, but it stands to reason that the same will hold true this year.
Advertisement
In the last 10 Big Ten Tournaments, Ohio State has had a top-four seed just once: The 2017-18 Buckeyes were the No. 2 seed but lost their first game to No. 7 seed Penn State . The Buckeyes were picked to finish ninth in the preseason media poll and will open the season ranked outside of the top 25 in the Associated Press poll but receiving votes.
Ohio State coach Jake Diebler led the Buckeyes to a 17-15 record last season.
The Buckeyes went 17-15 last season. Davis said second-year coach Jake Diebler will have them in the NCAA Tournament this season.
"I think Diebler's done a great job getting the players' trust and getting the players to buy in, but as a coach you get the brunt of it because you did recruit certain guys," Davis said. "But Aaron Bradshaw didn't come to play last year. That's not on coach Diebler. Sean Stewart wasn't who he was supposed to be last year. That's not on coach Diebler. When you see guys transfer three times, it's less on the coach and more on the players."
Advertisement
To Davis, it all adds up to a breakthrough year for the Buckeyes.
"I don't think it's a hot take," he said. "You hear people, they talk about Bruce like he's not one of the best players in the country. Maybe people haven't paid attention. You look at Ohio State, you look at Michigan State, I'd rather have Ohio State's core. Ohio State, where they are right now is really, really encouraging."
Ohio State men's basketball beat writer Adam Jardy can be reached at ajardy@dispatch.com, on Bluesky at @ cdadamjardy.bsky.social or on Twitter at @ AdamJardy .
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State primed for breakthrough, BTN analyst Raphael Davis says
