Ohio State's guard Bruce Thornton led the Buckeyes to wins (Photo by Ohio State Athletics)
It’s time for basketball in the Buckeye State! Like I’ve done in football and baseball in 2025, I’m going to track the Division I teams for the great state of Ohio in college basketball. Ohio tipped off the 2025-2026 season for its 13 DI teams this past week. Big-time programs like Ohio State, Cincinnati, Xavier, and Dayton all started the year 2-0! Here’s how things went in old Ohio in the first week of a new season of college basketball.
Ohio State 2-0 (0-0 in the Big Ten)
The Buckeyes began the season with a pair of offensive explosions. They scored over 90 in both of their wins over Horizon League foes. They beat IU-Indianapolis 118-102, and Purdue-Ft. Wayne 94-68. Senior guard Bruce Thornton led the way in both games, scoring 26 against IUI and 38 against PFW. Center Christoph Tilly made his Buckeye debut, scoring 26 and 15, respectively. The Bucks play Appalachian State on Tuesday, and then have a big game against Notre Dame on Sunday.
Cincinnati 2-0 (0-0 in the Big 12)
UC left opening week undefeated after victories over Western Carolina on opening night and Georgia State on Friday. They beat WCU 94-63 and GSU 74-64. Against WCU, Shon Abaey, Baba Miller, and Moustapha Thiam each scored 18 points. Miller and Thiam would reach double-digits again against Georgia State, with Miller knocking down eight field goals and seven free throws for 24 points. Cincinnati hosts Mount St. Mary’s on Sunday, but has a low-key rivalry game against Dayton on Tuesday in the Queen City. Does the winner get Middletown?
Xavier 2-0 (0-0 in the Big East)
The X-Men got the Richard Pitino Era off to a solid start with two wins. They had a pair of close battles, beating Marist 66-62 and Le Moyne 74-69. The Muskies were led by Malik Moore, who had 16 points against Marist and 17 points against Le Moyne. The competition takes a step up this week when they play the West Coast Conference’s Santa Clara tonight, and then hit the road to play the Big Ten’s Iowa Hawkeyes on Friday.
Miami (Ohio) 2-0 (0-0 in the MAC)
The RedHawks beat Old Dominion, 87-72 in their season opener and then destroyed Trinity Christian, 129-49. Brant Byers led the scoring against ODU with 18 points, and Kyle Waltz scored 23 off the bench against Trinity Christian. The Redhawks have one game this week, on the road against Air Force on Saturday.
Ohio 1-1 (0-0 in the MAC)
Ohio lost to Arkansas State, 89-85, but bounced back with a win over Illinois State, 72-68. Jackson Paveletzke had 16 points against Arkansas State and 19 points against Illinois State. The Bobcats play at the West Coast Conference’s St. Mary’s on Tuesday and at Louisville on Saturday.
Bowling Green 3-0 (0-0 in the MAC)
BGSU got off to a hot and decisive start. They beat Texas State 83-48, Bethany 120-65, and Le Moyne 83-60. Javontae Campbell was the star for the Falcons, scoring 15, 24, and 23 in their three victories. They’ve got only one game this week, and it’s Saturday at Davidson.
Toledo 0-2 (0-0 in the MAC)
The Rockets had a rough week, losing to South Alabama 76-74 and then to Marshall 85-73. They’ll try to get their first win this week, either against Wright State on Tuesday or Detroit Mercy on Saturday.
Akron 2-0 (0-0 in the MAC)
The Zips beat James Madison, 85-71, for their first win this season, and defeated Princeton 104-69 for their second. Senior all-MAC guard Tavari Johnson had 14 points against JMU and 21 points against Princeton. Akron will play Penn State-Shenango on Wednesday before hitting the road to play at #1 Purdue on Sunday.
Kent State 1-1 (0-0 in the MAC)
Kent State dropped their first game to Troy, in overtime, 103-97. They bounced back with a good win against Cornell, 110-102. The Golden Flashes have a scorer in Morgan Safford, who had 21 points against Troy and 38 points against Cornell. Safford was named MAC Player of the Week for his success. They have a busy week ahead as they play UNC-Wilmington tonight, Cleveland State on Saturday, and Wright State on Sunday.
Dayton 2-0 (0-0 in the Atlantic 10)
Dayton got their season off to a good start with two wins. On opening night, they beat Canisius, 88-48, behind 20 points from senior guard Javon Bennett. On Friday, they had a tougher test from UMBC. Dayton won 77-71, and Bennett again led the Flyers’ scoring with 16 points. All five starters got double-digit points for Dayton against UMBC. Dayton plays Bethune-Cookman at home this Saturday, but their big game is on Tuesday in Cincinnati. The Flyers and the Bearcats clash in the Battle of 513 vs. 937!
Youngstown State 1-1 (0-0 in the Horizon League)
YSU opened their season with a 74-59 loss at Pittsburgh, but then got a 90-81 win on the road at Grand Canyon. Cris Carroll had 18 points in the loss to Pitt, while Imanuel Zorgvol scored 18 points off the bench in the win over GCU. The Penguins have their home opener tonight against Penn State-Shenango, and are right back on the road on Saturday at St. Bonaventure.
Wright State 1-1 (0-0 in the Horizon League)
The Raiders won their home opener against Franklin, 86-37. They then had to hit the road to play Cal. They lost to the Bears, 77-67. Michael Cooper had 10 points against Franklin and 17 points against Cal. This week they play Toledo on Tuesday, Radford on Saturday, and Kent State on Sunday.
Cleveland State 1-1 (0-0 in the Horizon League)
The Vikings opened with a couple of close games. They lost to Loyola (Illinois) by three, 91-88, but eked out a win against Capital, 71-70. Guard Tre Beard had 13 points in both games. Cleveland State has three games this week: they play Northwestern tonight, Kent State on Saturday, and Radford on Sunday.
Jerry Lucas-Oscar Robertson Player of the Week
Ohio State’s Bruce Thornton gets the inaugural award thanks to his 64 points in two games for the Buckeyes. Thornton has been a solid, consistent player for Ohio State during some turbulent seasons of the program. Ohio State will need more of these kinds of games from him this season to have success as a team.
Ohio Power Rankings
1. Bowling Green (3-0)
1. Cincinnati (2-0)
1. Ohio State (2-0)
1. Xavier (2-0)
1. Dayton (2-0)
1. Miami (Ohio) (2-0)
1. Akron (2-0)
2. Cleveland State (1-1)
2. Wright State (1-1)
2. Youngstown State (1-1)
2. Kent State (1-1)
2. Ohio (1-1)
3. Toledo (0-2)
Mostly, the Power Rankings will track who’s having the best year with the most wins and who’s having the best year as a program regarding their expectations.
