Forward Amare Bynum (1) throws down a dunk in Ohio State’s exhibition win in the Arroyo Puerto Rico Classic. Credit: Ohio State Athletics
A season ago, bench scoring plagued the Buckeyes.
Ohio State ranked 355th out of 361 Division I teams in points per game from its bench last season, making depth a clear weakness heading into the offseason.?
Yet in two exhibition games in Puerto Rico, the Buckeyes have shown signs of a different story, with a well-balanced offensive attack.?
Ohio State cruised to two exhibition victories in the Arroyo Puerto Rico Classic against select Puerto Rican teams, with a 117-75 win over Los Boris 1 on Sunday and a 111-73 win over Los Boris 2 on Monday.?
The two teams the Buckeyes played against were made up of 10-player rosters, which included 17 players from the Baloncesto Superior Nacional league in Puerto Rico and 10 former NCAA Division I players.?
Although Ohio State’s starting lineups varied, the Buckeyes scored 127 points off the bench in the two games combined.?
With eight new players joining Ohio State in the offseason, the Buckeyes’ newfound depth was on display as 11 players averaged at least six points during the two-game span, including five in double figures — returning guard John Mobley Jr. and forward Amare Bynum, transfer guards Jimmie Williams and Justin Pippen and freshman forward Anthony Thompson.?
Head coach Jake Diebler said after Monday’s game that the team’s depth has become a strength and figuring out playing rotations has become a good issue to have.?
“I haven’t had the luxury of this problem as a head coach yet, where you look there and say ‘ok, how we do really distribute minutes in a way that takes us closer and closer and closer to reaching our potential as the season progresses because we want to be playing our best ball at the end of this year,’” Diebler said.
Diebler said that with the team’s ability to play a variety of players, sacrifice will be crucial for the team to win.
“We talk about winning over everything, but I think when you have depth, it tests your willingness to sacrifice and that’s a task for us as a program, is to build that into the fabric of who we are,” Diebler said. “It’s nice to be on this side, versus the other side.”?
In both games, all 14 Buckeyes logged minutes and the team tallied more than 30 assists.?
Ohio State also outscored their two opponents 56-17 in fast-break points across the two games. Diebler said that the team’s balanced attack allowed for the Buckeyes to recognize the importance of playing with pace.?
“Our guys got to see and feel the value of playing with pace and the importance of everybody’s impact on that,” Diebler said. “The good thing coming out of here is I think our buy-in to that [idea] is going to be high and our guys know when you’re out there you give it all, we’ve got another guy ready, the level stays high and then you get ready to recover and you do it again.”
Ohio State has two exhibition games scheduled before its 2026-27 season tips off, with a matchup against Cincinnati on Oct. 7 at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio as part of the CareSource Invitational and Xavier on Oct. 25 in the Schottenstein Center.
