Pair of Buckeyes make college hoops expert’s preseason Big Ten honors

COLUMBUS — Ohio State just keeps generating mid-summer buzz around the college basketball landscape. Just days after CBS Sports named the Buckeyes as their mid-summer No. 25 team in the country, CBS Sports college basketball expert Jon Rothstein released his preseason first-team All-Big Ten team. And it has third-year star shooting guard John Mobley Jr. on the list. Yes, Rothstein sees Mobley Jr. as one of the very best players in the Big Ten for the upcoming season, along with Michigan State guard Jeremy Fears, Michigan guard Elliot Cadeau, Nebraska forward Pryce Sandfort and Illinois forward David Mirkovic. Mobley averaged 15.7 points per game, 2.4 rebounds per game and 2.8 assists per game, making his name as a sharpshooter who shot 41.1 percent from beyond the 3-point arc this past season. He was one of the best 3-point shooters in college basketball, and that helped the Buckeyes reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2022, when they lost in the Round of 32. He tested the NBA waters but chose to return to Ohio State for a third year in college hoops. Rothstein also listed his five breakout picks for the Big Ten for the upcoming hoops season, and another Buckeyes star has made that list: sophomore forward Amare Bynum. Bynum got better and better throughout his freshman season last year, averaging 9.7 points per game and 4.9 rebounds per game across 34 games played. By the end of the year, he was comfortable in the system and thriving as a stretch forward who is athletic enough to do everything from shoot 3s to drive in and deliver punishing dunks. And he’ll be a key piece after announcing his return to Ohio State. He joins Michigan guard Trey McKenney, Michigan State guard Jordan Scott, Purdue forward Omer Mayer and Iowa forward Tate Sage. With those two leading the way and key additions — including five-star forward Anthony Thompson — expectations keep growing for Ohio State in 2026.