Ohio State basketball drops to No. 22 in ESPN’s updated way-too-early 2020-2021 top 25

Jeff Borzello of ESPN has dropped Ohio State in his latest way-too-early college basketball top 25. But why?

What Borzello says about No. 22 Ohio State

“I might have been overly aggressive with the Buckeyes in the first edition of the rankings, when they were No. 13. Since then, though, they lost Luther Muhammad to Arizona State, D.J. Carton to Marquette and are expecting Kaleb Wesson to keep his name in the NBA draft. That’s a lot of talent, minutes and production heading out the door earlier than scheduled. So where does Chris Holtmann turn? He still brings back the starting backcourt of CJ Walker and Duane Washington, while transfers Seth Towns (Harvard) and Justice Sueing (California) should provide a lot of offense from the wing. Size and consistency up front will be the big key. Kyle Young showed flashes last season, especially on the offensive glass, while rising sophomore E.J. Liddell could be a future matchup problem. One name to watch is incoming four-star freshman Zed Key, an underrated recruit who should be ready for an immediate impact. Holtmann has won at least 20 games in each of his past seven seasons as a head coach; another one is likely on the way.”

Borzello’s projected starting lineup:

CJ Walker (8.7 PPG, 3.5 APG)
Duane Washington (11.5 PPG)
Seth Towns (16.0 PPG, 6.7 RPG at Harvard)
E.J. Liddell (6.7 PPG, 3.8 RPG)
Kyle Young (7.5 PPG, 5.8 RPG)

 

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