Story by
Ohio State takes care of business against Western Michigan: Takeaways
- Story by
- Ohio State takes care of business against Western Michigan: Takeaways
This is what Ohio State was supposed to do against Western Michigan .
On Nov. 20, the Buckeyes welcomed the Broncos into Value City Arena for the fourth "buy" game of the season. Ohio State had already dispatched IU Indy, Purdue Fort Wayne and Appalachian State in double-digit wins, but each result left something to be desired. Aside from the points bonanza in the opener, the Buckeyes looked like a team with some defensive questions in the second game and then couldn't buy a bucket for much of the first half and trailed Appalachian State for 15:57 before pulling away after halftime.
Advertisement
The final margins weren't fully indicative of how Ohio State wants to play. Now against another mid-major opponent after a one-point nailbiter against Notre Dame, the Buckeyes did what they set out to do against Western Michigan.
They won comfortably and largely played well on both sides of the floor. Offensively, Ohio State averaged 125.5 points per 100 possessions, the third-best mark of the season according to KenPom.com. Defensively, it held Western Michigan to an adjusted defensive efficiency rating of 80.0, the best mark of the year and third-best in the last two years.
Those sentiments were what took up the most space in coach Jake Diebler's mind after the 91-58 win .
"We haven't played at a high level on both ends for significant stretches of multiple games," he said. "I thought we did that tonight. I thought we played at a high level on both sides of the ball for the majority of the game. That was good."
Advertisement
The Buckeyes (5-0) never trailed in this game and led by as many as 43 points. Eleven different players scored, eight of whom made multiple field goals. In the span of 4:41 during the first half, Ohio State poured in 21 points and scored on nine of 10 possessions but just as importantly only allowed the Broncos one two-point shot from Jayden Brewer.
That 21-2 run turned an 18-12 lead into a 39-14 advantage and essentially rendered the rest of the game academic.
"The main goal is to not let the foot off the gas," sophomore guard John Mobley Jr. said. "Like (Diebler) said in the huddle, he's going to coach to the end of the horn so we're going to play to the end of the horn. That mindset."
Ohio State Buckeyes forward Devin Royal (21) drives the ball down the court in the first half of the NCAA basketball game at Value City Arena on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025 in Columbus, Ohio.
Based on this game alone, Ohio State climbed from No. 67 nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency to No. 56 while remaining at No. 28 in adjusted offensive efficiency. Ahead 84-41 with 5:53 left after a Brandon Noel dunk, Diebler started subbing out his starters a moment later. With mostly reserves in the game, Western Michigan did close on a 17-7 run in the final 5:45 to set the final deficit at 33 points.
Advertisement
Five of Ohio State's 12 turnovers came during that stretch, helping keep the Buckeyes from hitting 100 points.
"Keep our foot on their neck the whole game," freshman Amare Bynum said when asked of the team's approach to the game. "Play to the end of the whistle every time. Every game's a big game to us. Just having that mindset and when it's gametime you have to flick it and it's time to work."
Here are four other takeaways from the win.
Ohio State Buckeyes forward Amare Bynum (1) shoots the ball in the second half of the NCAA basketball game at Value City Arena on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025 in Columbus, Ohio.
Devin Royal, Amare Bynum both post double-doubles
Five Buckeyes finished in double figures but only two backed that up with double-digit rebounding efforts. Bynum scored 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for his first career double-double while Royal had 10 of each for his fourth.
Advertisement
Bynum subbed back into the game with 3:54 to play and was just one rebound shy of the double-double. He scored in the paint to move to 12 points, then secured a defensive rebound with 58 seconds left to push him over the threshold. In the moment, Bynum said he had no idea he needed one more rebound when he reentered the game.
"It feels great to have a (first) career double-double here," he said. "I've been putting in the work every day with coaches and having my team believe in me. It feels great."
More: Ottawa-Glandorf community, family celebrate Colin White's first start at Ohio State
His double-double came in only 18:49 off the bench. Royal, meanwhile, logged 22:14 and watched the final 4:58 from the bench with the rest of the starters. It was his first double-double of the season and also his first while primarily playing small forward following a position shift during the offseason.
Advertisement
Diebler said that Royal's overall production will improve as he strings together more practice availability. He sat out the Appalachian State game with a hip injury and is averaging 11.3 points and a team-high 6.8 rebounds while playing 24.0 minutes per game. He's also 5 for 12 (41.7%) from 3-point range and has taken 48.0% of his field-goal attempts from deep compared to 20.7% a season ago.
"I've been really happy with the transition," Diebler said. "More than anything there's been a choppiness. It's been hard for him to get a flow, even in practice. Been really happy with where he's been. Defensively he's been really good as well."
Christoph Tilly's passing continues to impress as shooting lags
Not only did Ohio State's starting center put up a team-high 17 points on 5-of-11 shooting in only 23:52, but the senior transfer from Santa Clara dished out a career-high seven assists and did not commit a turnover.
Ohio State Buckeyes center Christoph Tilly (13) goes in for a layup in the first half of the NCAA basketball game at Value City Arena on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025 in Columbus, Ohio.
"It's not just the assist numbers but his low turnover number is really impressive," Diebler said. "His basketball IQ is really, really high complemented with his size and skill. It allows you to be creative offensively."
Advertisement
Tilly has 19 assists this season, tied with Mobley for most on the roster. He also hit a 3-pointer with 6:18 left in the first half after having missed his previous 14 shots from deep, finishing 1 for 4 against Western Michigan and moving him to 3 for 20 (15.0%) this season. Last year at Santa Clara, Tilly shot a career-best 31.5% (17 for 54) from 3.
"I'm not worried at all about his shooting," Diebler said. "He's got to continue to shoot them. People are welcome to dare him. He's going to make someone pay in a big way here real soon is what I believe."
Emptying the bench was a priority for Ohio State
For the Buckeyes to get where they want to be this year, Diebler is going to need more from his bench than what he's gotten thus far. The game against the Broncos allowed him to rotate players more frequently to give his starters some extra rest and allow his reserves to work through some things.
Advertisement
"It's going to be really hard to play an 11-man rotation," he said. "We're evaluating who we can trust out there and what they can provide. We see it in practice and we can anticipate what that looks like in a game but you've got to get some live minutes. Guys have to be able to play through some stuff."
Bynum's double-double was a highlight. Sophomore center Ivan Njegovan tied a career high with six rebounds in 16:08 while sophomore wing Colin White set a new career high with five. Freshman Mathieu Grujicic made his first career free throws and grabbed his first three rebounds.
"Amare's been a really bright spot for us," Diebler said. "He continues as the season goes on to show more consistency with what he's capable of, so getting a double-double tonight was great in just under 19 minutes. That's why we've got to continue to grow and develop that."
Another small crowd on hand to see Ohio State
Ohio State announced a crowd of 8,294 fans for the Western Michigan game, which tipped off at 8 p.m. on a Thursday. Setting aside NIT games, which are ticketed differently, this was the sixth-smallest crowd in Value City Arena history and the 19th time fewer than 10,000 fans have taken in a regular-season game. Sixteen of those 19 games have taken place in November.
Advertisement
Nine regular-season games have seen fewer than 9,000 fans in the arena including all four games against mid-major teams this year. Ohio State drew 7,938 fans against Appalachian State (second-smallest regular-season crowd ever), 8,141 fans for the IU Indy opener (fourth-smallest) and 8,926 fans for Purdue Fort Wayne (ninth-smallest).
The four smallest crowds in arena history are all NIT games.
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 takes care of business against Western Michigan: Takeaways
