No. 19 Texas State and Ohio State will look to get off to a good start when they meet Monday in Las Vegas as part of the season-opening Hall of Fame Series. Both teams are rebuilding around key players in the transfer portal. The Longhorns went 21-13 in coach Rodney Terry’s first full season at the helm in 2023-24 and 9-9 in his final season in the Big 12. Texas earned the No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but lost to Tennessee. They are currently competing in the Southeastern Conference in the second round of the Midwest Division. Terry will demand more from his team this season. “The first year, we were really trying to build a culture,” Terry said. “We were trying to instill in our players how hard you have to work, trust the process, compete at an incredible level and have a physical mind. Here’s the standard, here’s how we do it.”If we can somehow maintain some level of continuity in this landscape and in all college athletics, we give ourselves a chance.” The Longhorns have two key returning players in reserve guard Chendal Weaver and forward Kadin Shedrick. Texas added guard Jordan Pope, a transfer from Oregon State, Tramon Mark of Arkansas State, and forward Arthur Calma of Kansas State, a sensational 6-foot-6 transfer ranked No. Freshman guard Tre Johnson will lead the starting group. The nation’s No. 5 player in 2024, according to the 247Sports Composite, is looking to get contributions from former Indiana State forwards Julian Lally and Jason Kent, as well as returning post Zelik Onyema, who played as a backup for the Longhorns last season. There is. The Buckeyes are in their first full season under Jake Diebler, who took over as coach after Chris Holtmann was fired in February. Ohio State is tied for ninth place with a three-way record of 19-12 overall and 9-11 in Big Ten play. The Buckeyes were the No. 2 seed in the NIT and won two games before losing to Georgia in the quarterfinals. Building continuity will be key to early season success for the Buckeyes, who have talent but lack experience playing together. “We have a great mix of athleticism and skill in our frontcourt,” Diebler said. “We have multiple players who are talented and versatile and can play in different positions, but inexperience is something we have to answer for. I want our players to have a lot of freedom and be aggressive. I want them to play with confidence.As a coach, you should be like this.”To create a space where the players’ talents can shine. ” Junior guard Bruce Thornton is Ohio State’s only returning starter from last year’s team. He led the Buckeyes with 15.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.8 assists, earning all-conference honors. They will be joined at guard by Meechie Johnson Jr., a transfer from South Carolina, and Micah Parrish, a transfer from San Diego State. Sean Stewart and Aaron Bradshaw, who played last season at Duke and Kentucky, respectively, will start at forward. The reserves include freshman John Mobley Jr., returners Tyson Chatman and Evan Mahaffey, and a former University of Florida and Samford University player who missed last season with a torn meniscus as a member of Kansas State. We have Ques Glover, who is out. –Field level media
