College basketball doesn’t begin and end with the start and finish of the basketball season any longer. With a slew of potential one-and-done players and early entries into the NBA draft, transfer portal moves and NIL temptations, rosters can be shaped and formed in drastic ways through the offseason.
We’ve seen that so far under Chris Holtmann who has seen his fair share of players leave the program, but who has also enticed many to back the U-Haul up to the banks of the Olentangy as transfers. And with a couple of portal additions this offseason, that trend has continued.
The Big Ten Network’s Andy Katz recently took to Twitter to name the top five stock risers in the Big Ten after the spring and singled out Ohio State as his No. 1 team.
“Ohio State had great momentum because of their play in the Big Ten Tournament,” Katz said. “What did they do this spring? Well, they went within the Big Ten to add two key pieces. Jamison Battle from Minnesota — who is going to be a big-time scorer for the Buckeyes — and Evan Mahaffey from Penn State — certainly will be a major factor in the rotation.”
Which @B1GMBBall programs have boosted their stock most since the start of the spring? 🏀@TheAndyKatz lists his Top 5: pic.twitter.com/gVk6LiUchp
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) May 25, 2023
Behind the Buckeyes, Katz singled out Northwestern (2), Indiana (3), Wisconsin (5) and Penn State (5) as rounding out the top five teams that helped themselves in the spring from the conference.
There’s no doubt that Ohio State has some returning talent to work with, an influx of talented freshmen, and a couple of pieces through the transfer portal that should be a good mix. What remains to be seen is if all the pieces fit together to form the border of a fantastic turnaround this winter.
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