One preseason metric is rather high on Ohio State's basketball team this season.
Ken Pomeroy, founder and creator of KenPom.com's advanced statistical ratings, has the Buckeyes ranked No. 13 on his preseason list. That's probably a little surprising to some considering Ohio State missed the NCAA tournament a season ago for the first time since 2008.
| RANK | TEAM | CONFERENCE |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Duke | ACC |
| 2 | Villanova | Big East |
| 3 | Kansas | Big 12 |
| 4 | Kentucky | SEC |
| 5 | North Carolina | ACC |
| 6 | Oregon | Pac-12 |
| 7 | Virginia | ACC |
| 8 | Wisconsin | Big 10 |
| 9 | Louisville | ACC |
| 10 | Arizona | Pac-12 |
| 11 | Xavier | Big East |
| 12 | Syracuse | ACC |
| 13 | Ohio State | Big 10 |
| 14 | Michigan State | Big 10 |
| 15 | Purdue | Big 10 |
| 16 | Indiana | Big 10 |
| 17 | Florida | SEC |
| 18 | St. Mary's | WCC |
| 19 | Butler | Big East |
| 20 | West Vrignia | Big 12 |
| 21 | UCLA | Pac-12 |
| 22 | Gonzaga | WCC |
| 23 | Clemson | ACC |
| 24 | Miami (Fla.) | ACC |
| 25 | Baylor | Big 12 |
Pomeroy has a page on his website that explains how his preseason rankings are determined, and here's what he had to say about the Buckeyes:
This is the case with Ohio State, who is ranked higher here than anywhere else. They had a young team last season, and the other indicators in the model are very positive. Furthermore, even though three rotation players transferred, those players were replacement-level quality for the Big Ten.
Ohio State returns its top-six scorers from last year's team in Marc Loving, Jae'Sean Tate, JaQuan Lyle, Keita Bates-Diop, Kam Williams and Trevor Thompson. It's likely returning production factors big-time into Pomeroy's initial ratings.
That, plus a four-man class coming in to replace the four transfers has Pomeroy higher than most on the Buckeyes:
In Ohio State’s case, they have just one top 100 RSCI freshman joining the team, so the computer’s assumptions fail a bit with respect to the Buckeyes. Still, the news of transfers leaving Ohio State was not a bad thing and even without a stellar recruiting class, there’s a good chance the minutes that need replacing will end up being more productive this season than last.
A year ago, the Buckeyes went 21-14 and were 11-7 in the Big Ten. This season, Pomeroy projects Ohio State to finish 23-8 and 11-7 in the league — a record that would likely have the Buckeyes in the NCAA tournament field at the end of the year.
Wisconsin is the only Big Ten team ranked ahead of Ohio State in Pomeroy's preseason rankings. The Badgers come in at No. 8. Michigan State (No. 14), Purdue (No. 15) and Indiana (No. 16) give the conference five schools ranked in the Top 20.
Pomeroy's full list of preseason ratings can be seen here.
The highest-rated teams on the Buckeyes' non-conference schedule, according to Pomeroy, are Virginia (No. 7), UCLA (No. 21) and Connecticut (No. 41).
Ohio State opens its 2016-17 season Friday, Nov. 11 at Navy.
