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Replay: Christoph Tilly, Brandon Noel lead Ohio State past Ohio in exhibition
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- Replay: Christoph Tilly, Brandon Noel lead Ohio State past Ohio in exhibition
Christoph Tilly flirted with a triple-double, seven Ohio State men's basketball players scored in double figures and the Buckeyes put a bow on their preseason with a 103-74 home exhibition win against Ohio.
The Buckeyes were able to empty their bench, but not before the Bobcats made them sweat. Ohio took a 24-21 lead at the exact midpoint of the first half before Ohio State steadily pulled away from there.
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Brandon Noel led the Buckeyes with 18 points while Tilly, a Santa Clara transfer, finished with 14 points, seven assists and five rebounds in 23 minutes. Devin Royal and Amare Bynum each had 13 points, John Mobley Jr. had 12, Bruce Thornton added 11 and Ivan Njegovan had 10.
The Buckeyes hit the 100-point mark on a Njegovan dunk with 2:18 to play.
The Buckeyes will now prepare to face IU Indy on Nov. 3 in the official season opener.
Follow along with all the game action with our Dispatch live blog.
Amare Bynum hits another 3-pointer
Ohio State's freshman forward is now 3 for 4 from 3-point range and up to 13 points, three rebounds and two assists as Ohio State leads 91-67 with 4:20 to play.
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Watch Bruce Thornton find Brandon Noel on the break
Ohio State now leads Ohio 82-59 with 8:14 to play.
Starters re-enter for Ohio State as Bobcats cut into lead
With 10:32 left and Ohio State's 20-point lead down to 74-59, coach Jake Diebler subbed in his starting lineup after a difficult sequence for the second unit featured multiple turnovers and a flagrant foul on Ivan Njegovan.
It's now 76-59 with 9:41 to play.
Amare Bynum 3-pointer pushes Ohio State lead to 20
With 12:10 to play, Ohio State's freshman swished a 3-pointer from the right wing, leading to an Ohio timeout with the Buckeyes lead up to 72-52.
Eight different Buckeyes have scored and four have hit 3-pointers. Brandon Noel leads the Buckeyes with 16 points. Ohio State has assisted on 18 of its 25 made field goals.
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Christoph Tilly approaching triple-double status
He's got three second-half assists already, and the Ohio State center is up to 10 points, five rebounds and six assists as the Buckeyes lead 60-47 with 15:40 left. Tilly also does not have a turnover.
New rule: six fouls allowed
Before the start of the second half, the in-arena announcer informed fans that players will be allowed to have six fouls, not five, since it's an exhibition game.
Watch Christoph Tilly's and-one putback against Ohio
First-half minutes breakdown for Ohio State
Bruce Thornton and John Mobley Jr. saw the most first-half playing time against Ohio, each appearing for 16 minutes.
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Christoph Tilly (15 minutes), Devin Royal (14) and Brandon Noel (11) were all in double digits. From there, it went Amare Bynum (nine), Gabe Cupps (eight), Ivan Njegovan (five), Colin White (three) Taison Chatman (two) and Mathieu Grujicic (one). Braylen Nash also threw the final inbounds pass with 1.8 seconds left.
Ohio State takes 15-point lead into halftime against Ohio
The Bobcats held a 24-21 lead at the exact midpoint of the first half, but the Buckeyes then outscored the visitors 31-13 in the next 10 minutes to take a 52-37 lead into the break.
Fourteen of Ohio's first 18 points came off of Ohio State turnovers but only two more the rest of the way.
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Ohio State shot 69.2% (18 for 26) from the floor and assisted on 13 of those makes but turned it over nine times. John Mobley Jr. had three turnovers and Bruce Thornton had two.
Brandon Noel leads the Buckeyes with 12 points while Christoph Tilly has 10, Thornton has 9 and Mobley has 8.
Devin Royal picks up a third first-half foul
Ohio State has spent the offseason focusing on helping Devin Royal grow as a perimeter player in order to provide more size in its lineup. Offensively, the transition has gone well, but defensively the junior has been whistled for three fouls with 3:42 left in the first half, all of which have come around the 3-point line while playing defense.
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The Buckeyes are pulling away, though, and a Brandon Noel dunk with 3:09 left in the half gave them their first double-digit lead at 43-32. Ohio State is on a 10-0 run.
Ohio State Buckeyes forward Brandon Noel (14) shoots past Ohio Bobcats forward Javan Simmons (1) during the NCAA preseason exhibition game at Value City Arena in Columbus on Oct. 26, 2025.
Bruce Thornton hits a 3 as Ohio State leads Ohio at under-4 timeout
Ohio State's senior captain capped a nifty sequence of perimeter passing with a no-doubt-about-it 3-pointer from just left of straight-on to give Ohio State a 38-32 lead entering the final media timeout of the half.
The Buckeyes are 14 for 20 (70.0%) from the floor. The Bobcats are 11 for 28 (39.3%) and only 3 for 15 (20.0%) from 3-point range but still only trail by six. Many of Ohio's 3-point attempts have been of the wide-open variety.
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Ohio State back ahead, but mental mistakes continue
The Buckeyes are on an 8-0 run and lead 29-24, but play will resume after the under-8 timeout with three Ohio free-throws after Devin Royal was late on a closeout against Aidan Hadaway in the left corner. It's the second time the Buckeyes have been called for a foul on a 3-point attempt.
Fourteen of Ohio's first 18 points came via turnovers. Ohio State is shooting 62.5% (10 for 16) from the floor and has assisted on seven of those shots, but the Bobcats have taken nine more shots and only turned it over four times.
Ohio takes lead after sloppy stretch by Ohio State
The Buckeyes held a 12-4 lead at the first media timeout with 15:54 left in the first half, but Ohio State turned it over on three of its next four possessions as Ohio pulled even with an 8-0 run.
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More giveaways were coming, and after the Buckeyes turned it over on consecutive possessions Ohio took an 18-16 lead on a layup from Dublin Coffman product Ajay Sheldon. The Bobcats lead 20-19 with 11:18 left and are on a 16-7 run.
Ohio State is 8 for 10 (80.0%) from the floor but has seven turnovers.
Ohio State has already played 10 guys
Taison Chatman checked in with 13:24 left in the first half, making him the tenth Buckeye to see action. Amare Bynum was the first sub off the bench, followed by Ivan Njegovan, Gabe Cupps and Colin White.
Ohio State opens up early lead
The Buckeyes scored on six of their first seven possessions before a John Mobley turnover sent the game into the first media timeout with Ohio State ahead 12-4.
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Mobley has been Ohio State's primary ball handler in the early going with Devin Royal providing assistance. The Buckeyes have hit all five of their field goals so far, two of which were dunks, and are yet to attempt a 3-pointer.
Starters for Ohio State-Ohio game
Here's who will start for both teams in today's exhibition game.
Ohio State: Bruce Thornton, John Mobley Jr., Devin Royal, Brandon Noel, Christoph Tilly
Ohio: Ajay Sheldon, Javan Simmons, Elijah Elliott, Aiden Hadaway, Jackson Paveletzke
No injury surprises for Ohio State
Regular-season games require an official availability report to be published leading up to the opening tip, but those stipulations do not apply for an exhibition game. However, Ohio State is only expected to be missing center Josh Ojianwuna, who is recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered in February. His status remains uncertain for this season.
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Your pregame video report from Value City Arena
Former Ohio State assistant coach Jeff Boals returning to campus
He spent seven years as an assistant coach on Thad Matta's staff, and now Jeff Boals will coach his alma mater against his former team. Boals is beginning his seventh season as head coach at Ohio, where he was a two-time captain as a player.
Diebler has described Boals, who was on staff when he was hired as a video coordinator at Ohio State, as a mentor.
Ohio State Buckeyes mascot Brutus cheers during the second half of the NCAA men's basketball game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Value City Arena on Jan. 27, 2025. Ohio State won 82-65.
Ohio State Buckeyes vs Ohio Bobcats start time
Date:Sunday, Oct. 26
Time:2 p.m. ET
Location:Value City Arena (Columbus)
What channel is the Ohio State Buckeyes vs Ohio Bobcats game on today?
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TV channel:none
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Streaming:B1G+
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Radio:97.1 FM
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Ohio State vs. Ohio will be streamed nationally on B1G+. Luke Williams and Gabe Eaker will call the game from the court at Value City Arena. The only streaming options for the game is B1G+, the Big Ten's streaming service.
Ohio State Buckeyes vs Ohio Bobcats records
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Records:Ohio State 0-0; Ohio 0-0. Although this is an unofficial game, Ohio State leads the all-time series 14-8. The two teams most recently met last season, playing each other in a closed, "secret" scrimmage in Columbus .
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Healthy Ohio State gives Buckeyes students a look at 2025-26 team as start of season looms
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Ohio State's Bruce Thornton talking trash , playing freer and ready for his senior year
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Ohio State Buckeyes 2025-26 schedule, record
Here's a look at the Buckeyes' schedule, along with start times, television, and radio information of upcoming games:
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Monday, Nov. 3:Ohio State vs IU Indy | 6:30 p.m. | B1G+| 97.1 FM
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Friday, Nov. 7: Ohio State vs Purdue Fort Wayne | 6:30 p.m. | BTN | 97.1 FM
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Tuesday, Nov. 11: Ohio State at Appalachian State | 6:30 p.m. | B1G+ | 97.1 FM
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Sunday, Nov. 16: Ohio State vs Notre Dame | 12:30 p.m. | FS1 | 97.1 FM
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Thursday, Nov. 20: Ohio State vs Western Michigan | 8 p.m. | BTN | 97.1 FM
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Tuesday, Nov. 25: Ohio State vs Mount St. Mary's | 6:30 p.m. | BTN | 97.1 FM
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Friday, Nov. 28: Ohio State at Pittsburgh | 7 p.m. | ESPN/ESPN2 | 97.1 FM
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November Record:0-0
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Replay: Christoph Tilly, Brandon Noel lead Ohio State past Ohio
