Ohio State Men’s Basketball Season Kicks Off Against IU Indianapolis

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio State men’s basketball team begins its season tonight against IU Indianapolis at 6:30 p.m. on BTN-Plus premium streaming.

In preparation for the game, one observer shared insights after watching Ohio State’s exhibition game against Ohio last week. During that match, Devin Royal transitioned from power forward to small forward, while transfer Brandon Noel from Wright State took over at power forward. Noel shone in the game, scoring 18 points in just 19 minutes of play and emerging as the team’s leading scorer.

Royal also performed well, contributing 13 points and 4 rebounds in 23 minutes. Freshman Amare Bynum, a top-50 prospect in the 2025 class, impressed off the bench with 13 points and 5 rebounds in 22 minutes.

The observer remarked, “Noel is a bucket. He needs to play, but he also needs to rebound. He didn’t grab any boards in 19 minutes. We know Royal worked hard to become a three-point threat and he was 2 of 4 on threes against Ohio. But I had no idea Bynum was this good. He was 3 of 5 on threes. I did not see that coming. They need to find some minutes for him, too.”

Addressing Royal’s defensive challenges, the observer mentioned, “The issue with Royal is whether he can guard a wing. He gets lost sometimes on the high screen game and ends up behind the play. He doesn’t go over the screen and he doesn’t go under much, either. He has to get better at blowing those plays up.”

As for minutes play, the observer believes they will fluctuate from game to game. “They can go big with Noel and Bynum or smaller with Royal and either Noel or Bynum. In general, I’d like to see Royal in the 28- to 30-minute range, Noel around 28 minutes, and Bynum in the 22- to 24-minute range. I want Bynum force-fed as many minutes as he can take. He has a high ceiling and just needs game reps at this point.”

With optimism surrounding the team, the observer commented, “I think the NCAA drought is over. They just haven’t played the season yet.”