No. 22 – Ohio State
What Borzello says
“E.J. Liddell could be the biggest key for Ohio State next season, given the various personnel losses and departures this offseason for the Buckeyes. C.J. Walker is back at the point guard spot, and Duane Washington Jr. brings shooting to the wing. Harvard graduate transfer Seth Towns and California transfer Justice Sueing are both proven scorers, and Kyle Young brings energy and rebounding down low. But it’s Liddell who could be the X factor. Of the three ESPN 100 prospects who signed with Ohio State in the 2019 class, only Liddell remains after D.J. Carton and Alonzo Gaffney both left. Liddell is a powerful forward who creates matchup problems with his strength and ability to score in a variety of ways inside the arc. Liddell showed flashes down the stretch when he had an expanded role, going for 17 points and 11 rebounds against Illinois and following that with 12 points and four boards at Michigan State.”
Borzello’s Projected starting lineup:
C.J. Walker (8.7 PPG, 3.5 APG)
Duane Washington Jr. (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)
In some ways, I feel like Ohio State might surprise people as long as everyone is healthy. Justice Sueing and Seth Towns should add some additional scoring and experience that could be huge additions to a roster that’s already pretty solid. At the same time, there’s so much turnover that you just don’t know how all the new puzzle pieces are going to fit together.
But hey, that’s what’s fun about all the speculation.
To see the complete way-too-early top 25 from ESPN, keep on going.