2020–21 Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball team
{{short description|American college basketball season}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox college sports team season
|year = 2020–21
|team = Ohio State Buckeyes
|sport = Basketball
|image = Ohio State Buckeyes logo.svg
|conference = Big Ten Conference
|short_conf = Big Ten
|CoachRank = 15
|APRank = 7
|record = 21–10
|conf_record = 12–8
|head_coach = Chris Holtmann
|hc_year = 4th
|asst_coach1 = Ryan Pedon
|ac1_year = 4th
|asst_coach2 = Terry Johnson
|ac2_year = 4th
|asst_coach3 = Jake Diebler
|ac3_year = 2nd
|stadium = Value City Arena
|champion =
|tourney = NCAA tournament
|tourney_result = First Round
}}
{{2020–21 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings}}
The 2020–21 Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball team represented Ohio State University in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Their head coach was Chris Holtmann, in his fourth season with the Buckeyes. The Buckeyes played their home games at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio as members of the Big Ten Conference.
They finished the season 21–10, 12–8 in Big Ten play to finish in fifth place. They defeated Minnesota, Purdue, and Michigan before losing to Illinois in overtime in the championship game of the Big Ten tournament. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 2 seed in the South region. However, they were upset in the First Round by No. 15-seeded Oral Roberts.
Previous season
The Buckeyes finished the 2019–20 season 21–10, 11–9 in Big Ten play to finish in a tie for fifth place.{{cite news |url=http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/team/stats/_/id/275 |work=ESPN |accessdate=8 October 2020 |title=Ohio State Buckeyes Stats 2019–20 |df=mdy-all}} The 2020 Big Ten men's basketball tournament and 2020 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Offseason
=Departures=
class="wikitable sortable" border="1"
! Name !! Number !! Pos. !! Height !! Weight !! Year !! Hometown !! class="unsortable" | Reason for departure | |||||||
Alonzo Gaffney | 0 | F | 6'9" | 198 | {{Sort|1|Freshman}} | Cleveland, OH | Transferred to Northwest Florida (JUCO) |
Luther Muhammad | 1 | G | 6'3" | 185 | {{Sort|4|Sophomore}} | Jersey City, NJ | Transferred to Arizona State |
D. J. Carton | 3 | G | 6'1" | 190 | {{Sort|4|Freshman}} | Bettendorf, IA | Transferred to Marquette |
Andre Wesson | 24 | F | 6'6" | 220 | {{Sort|5|Senior}} | Westerville, OH | Graduated |
Kaleb Wesson | 34 | F | 6'9" | 270 | {{Sort|5|Junior}} | Westerville, OH | Declared for 2020 NBA draft |
Daniel Hummer | 40 | G | 6'0" | 175 | {{Sort|5|RS Senior}} | Upper Arlington, OH | Walk-on; graduated |
=Incoming transfers=
class="wikitable sortable" border="1"
! Name !! Number !! Pos. !! Height !! Weight !! Year !! Hometown !! class="unsortable" | Previous School | |||||||
Jimmy Sotos | 1 | G | 6'3" | 200 | Senior | Elk Grove Village, IL | Transferred from Bucknell. Will have two years of remaining eligibility. |
Seth Towns | 31 | F | 6'8" | 230 | Graduate Student | Columbus, OH | Transferred from Harvard. Will have two years of remaining eligibility. |
=2020 recruiting class=
{{College Athlete Recruit Start|collapse=no|year=2020}}
{{College Athlete Recruit Entry
| recruit = Meechie Johnson Jr.
| position = PG
| hometown = Cleveland, OH
| highschool = Garfield Heights (OH)
| feet = 6
| inches = 1
| weight = 185
| 40 =
| commitdate = August 13, 2019
| scout stars =
| rivals stars = 3
| 247 stars = 4
| espn stars = 4
| espn grade = 80
}}
{{College Athlete Recruit Entry
| recruit = Eugene Brown III
| position = SG
| hometown = Conyers, GA
| highschool = Southwest DeKalb (GA)
| feet = 6
| inches = 6
| weight = 185
| 40 =
| commitdate = September 16, 2019
| scout stars =
| rivals stars = 4
| 247 stars = 4
| espn stars = 4
| espn grade = 80
}}
{{College Athlete Recruit Entry
| recruit = Zed Key
| position = PF
| hometown = Bay Shore, NY
| highschool = Long Island Lutheran (NY)
| feet = 6
| inches = 7
| weight = 215
| 40 =
| commitdate = September 22, 2019
| scout stars =
| rivals stars = 4
| 247 stars = 3
| espn stars = 4
| espn grade = 80
}}
{{College Athlete Recruit End
| 40 =
| year = 2020
| rivals ref title = Ohio State 2020 Basketball Commitments
| scout ref title = 2020 Ohio State Basketball Commits
| espn ref title = Ohio State Buckeyes 2020 Player Commits
| rivals school =
| scout s =
| espn schoolid =
| accessdate =
| bball = yes
}}
=2021 Recruiting class=
{{College Athlete Recruit Start|collapse=yes|year=2021}}
{{College Athlete Recruit Entry
| recruit = Malaki Branham
| position = #4 SG
| hometown = Akron, OH
| highschool = St. Vincent-St. Mary
| feet = 6
| inches = 4
| weight = 175
| 40 =
| commitdate = 07/22/2020
| scout stars = 4
| rivals stars = 4
| 247 stars = 4
| espn stars = 4
}}
{{College Athlete Recruit Entry
| recruit = Kalen Etzler
| position = #21 PF
| hometown = Convoy, OH
| highschool = Crestview
| feet = 6
| inches = 8
| weight = 195
| 40 =
| commitdate = 05/12/2019
| scout stars = 4
| rivals stars = 3
| 247 stars = 4
| espn stars = 4
}}
{{College Athlete Recruit End
| 40 =
| year = 2021
| rivals ref title = Ohio State 2021 Basketball Commitments
| scout ref title = 2021 Ohio State Basketball Commits
| espn ref title = Ohio State Buckeyes 2021 Player Commits
| rivals school =
| scout s =
| espn schoolid =
| accessdate =
| bball = yes
}}
Roster
{{CBB roster/Header|year=2020|team=Ohio State Buckeyes|teamcolors=y|high_school=yes}}
{{CBB roster/Player|first=Meechie|last=Johnson|link=y|num=0|pos=G|ft=6|in=2|lbs=172|class=fr|rs=|home=Cleveland, Ohio|high_school=Garfield Heights HS}}
{{CBB roster/Player|first=Jimmy|last=Sotos|num=1|pos=G|ft=6|in=3|lbs=200|class=sr|rs=|home=Elk Grove Village, Illinois|high_school=Bucknell}}
{{CBB roster/Player|first=Musa|last=Jallow|num=2|pos=G|ft=6|in=5|lbs=210|class=jr|rs=y|home=Bloomington, Indiana|high_school=Bloomington HS North}}
{{CBB roster/Player|first=Eugene|last=Brown III|num=3|pos=G|ft=6|in=6|lbs=195|class=fr|rs=|home=Conyers, Georgia|high_school=Southwest DeKalb HS}}
{{CBB roster/Player|first=Duane|last=Washington Jr.|link=y|num=4|pos=G|ft=6|in=3|lbs=210|class=jr|rs=|home=Grand Rapids, Michigan|high_school=Sierra Canyon School}}
{{CBB roster/Player|first=Justin|last=Ahrens|num=10|pos=F|ft=6|in=6|lbs=195|class=jr|rs=|home=Versailles, Ohio|high_school=Versailles HS}}
{{CBB roster/Player|first=CJ|last=Walker|link=y|dab=basketball|num=13|ft=6|in=1|pos=G|lbs=195|class=sr|rs=y|home=Indianapolis, Indiana|high_school=Florida State}}
{{CBB roster/Player|first=Justice|last=Sueing|link=y|num=14|pos=F|ft=6|in=7|lbs=215|class=jr|rs=y|home=Honolulu, Hawaii|high_school=California}}
{{CBB roster/Player|first=Ibrahima|last=Diallo|num=15|pos=C|ft=6|in=10|lbs=220|class=so|rs=|home=Saly, Senegal|high_school=Prolific Prep}}
{{CBB roster/Player|first=Zed|last=Key|link=y|num=23|pos=F|ft=6|in=8|lbs=245|class=fr|rs=|home=Bay Shore, New York|high_school=Long Island Lutheran HS}}
{{CBB roster/Player|first=Kyle|last=Young|link=y|num=25|pos=F|ft=6|in=8|lbs=225|class=sr|rs=|home=Canton, Ohio|high_school=Jackson HS}}
{{CBB roster/Player|first=Seth|last=Towns|link=y|num=31|pos=F|ft=6|in=8|lbs=230|class=GS|rs=y|home=Columbus, Ohio|high_school=Harvard}}
{{CBB roster/Player|first=E. J.|last=Liddell|link=y|num=32|pos=F|ft=6|in=7|lbs=240|class=so|rs=|home=Belleville, Illinois|high_school=Belleville HS}}
{{CBB roster/Player|first=Jansen|last=Davidson Jr.|num=40|pos=G|ft=5|in=11|lbs=190|class=sr|rs=|home=Kettering, Ohio|high_school=Fairmont HS|note=W}}
{{CBB roster/Player|first=Harrison|last=Hookfin|num=42|pos=F|ft=6|in=6|lbs=195|class=jr|rs=|home=Cincinnati, Ohio|high_school=Lebanon HS|note=W}}
{{CBB roster/Footer
|head_coach=
- Chris Holtmann ({{college|Taylor}})
|asst_coach=
- Ryan Pedon (Wooster)
- Terry Johnson ({{college|IPFW}})
- Jake Diebler ({{college|Valparaiso}})
|roster_url=https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/m-baskbl/roster/season/2020-21/
|accessdate=
}}
Schedule and results
Ohio State canceled its game against Alabama A&M due to COVID-19 issues at Alabama A&M.{{cite web|url=https://www.buckeyextra.com/story/mens-basketball/2020/12/04/ohio-states-basketball-game-against-alabama-a-m-has-been-canceled/3832904001/|first=Adam|last=Jardy|title=Ohio State's basketball game against Alabama A&M has been canceled|website=BuckeyeExtra}} They also postponed their game against Penn State,{{cite web|url=https://buckeyeswire.usatoday.com/2021/01/05/ohio-state-basketball-game-against-penn-state-postponed-coronavirus-covid19/|first=Phil|last=Harrison|title=Ohio State basketball game against Penn State postponed|website=Buckeyes Wire}} rescheduling the game to January 27, 2021.{{cite web|url=https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-basketball/2021/01/120813/ohio-state-basketball-will-host-penn-state-on-wednesday-in-rescheduled-game|first=Colin|last=Hass-Hill|title=Ohio State Basketball will host Penn State on Wednesday in rescheduled game|website=Eleven Warriors}}
{{CBB schedule start|gamehighs=yes|attend=yes}}
|-
!colspan=9 style={{NCAA color cell|Ohio State Buckeyes}}| Regular season
{{CBB schedule entry
| date = November 25, 2020
| time = 2:00 pm
| nonconf = yes
| rank = 23
| opponent = Illinois State
| site_stadium = Value City Arena
| site_cityst = Columbus, OH
| tv = ESPN
| score = 94–67
| highscorer = Sueing
| points = 19
| highrebounder = Tied
| rebounds = 8
| highassister = Walker
| assists = 6
| record = 1–0
| attend = 0
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date = November 29
| time = 12:00 pm
| nonconf = yes
| rank = 23
| opponent = UMass Lowell
| site_stadium = Covelli Center
| site_cityst = Columbus, OH
| tv = BTN
| score = 74–64
| highscorer = Washington Jr.
| points = 21
| highrebounder = Tied
| rebounds = 8
| highassister = Walker
| assists = 5
| record = 2–0
| attend = 0
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date = December 2
| time = 5:00 pm
| nonconf = yes
| rank = 23
| opponent = Morehead State
| site_stadium = Covelli Center
| site_cityst = Columbus, OH
| tv = BTN
| score = 77–44
| highscorer = Liddell
| points = 16
| highrebounder = Young
| rebounds = 9
| highassister = Tied
| assists = 4
| record = 3–0
| attend = 0
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date = December 5
| time = Canceled
| nonconf = yes
| away =
| neutral =
| rank=23
| opponent = Alabama A&M
| opprank =
| site_stadium = Value City Arena
| site_cityst = Columbus, OH
| result_details= Canceled due to COVID-19 issues at Alabama A&M
| gamename =
| tv =
| score = Canceled
| status = c
| overtime =
| highscorer =
| points =
| highrebounder =
| rebounds =
| highassister =
| assists =
| record =
| attend =
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date = December 8
| time = 7:30 pm
| nonconf = yes
| away = yes
| rank = 22
| opponent = Notre Dame
| site_stadium = Edmund P. Joyce Center
| site_cityst = Notre Dame, IN
| gamename = ACC–Big Ten Challenge
| tv = ESPN2
| score = 90–85
| highscorer = Liddell
| points = 19
| highrebounder = Liddell
| rebounds = 12
| highassister = Tied
| assists = 4
| record = 4–0
| attend = 156
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date = December 13
| time = 4:00 pm
| nonconf = yes
| rank = 22
| opponent = Cleveland State
| site_stadium = Value City Arena
| site_cityst = Columbus, OH
| tv = BTN
| score = 67–61
| highscorer = Washington Jr.
| points = 17
| highrebounder = Key
| rebounds = 10
| highassister = Walker
| assists = 3
| record = 5–0
| attend = 0
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date = December 16
| time = 7:00 pm
| away = yes
| rank = 20
| opponent = Purdue
| site_stadium = Mackey Arena
| site_cityst = West Lafayette, IN
| tv = BTN
| score = 60–67
| highscorer = Sueing
| points = 14
| highrebounder = Young
| rebounds = 8
| highassister = Walker
| assists = 7
| record = 5–1
| conference = 0–1
| attend = 250
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date = December 19
| time = 4:15 pm
| nonconf = yes
| neutral = yes
| rank = 20
| opponent = UCLA
| site_stadium = Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
| site_cityst = Cleveland, OH
| gamename = CBS Sports Classic
| tv = CBS
| score = 77–70
| highscorer = Washington Jr.
| points = 14
| highrebounder = Key
| rebounds = 6
| highassister = Walker
| assists = 4
| record = 6–1
| attend = 0
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date = December 23
| time = 4:30 pm
| rank = 23
| opponent = Rutgers
| opprank = 11
| site_stadium = Value City Arena
| site_cityst = Columbus, OH
| tv = BTN
| score = 80–68
| highscorer = Washington Jr.
| points = 22
| highrebounder = Young
| rebounds = 12
| highassister = Walker
| assists = 5
| record = 7–1
| conference = 1–1
| attend = 0
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date = December 26
| time = 2:00 pm
| away = yes
| rank = 23
| opponent = Northwestern
| site_stadium = Welsh–Ryan Arena
| site_cityst = Evanston, IL
| tv = FS1
| score = 70–71
| highscorer = Liddell
| points = 15
| highrebounder = Tied
| rebounds = 8
| highassister = Walker
| assists = 5
| record = 7–2
| conference = 1–2
| attend = 0
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date = December 30
| time = 6:30 pm
| rank = 25
| opponent = Nebraska
| site_stadium = Value City Arena
| site_cityst = Columbus, OH
| tv = BTN
| score = 90–54
| highscorer = Ahrens
| points = 18
| highrebounder = Tied
| rebounds = 6
| highassister = Tied
| assists = 3
| record = 8–2
| conference = 2–2
| attend = 0
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date = January 3, 2021
| time = 5:30 pm
| away = yes
| rank = 25
| opponent = Minnesota
| opprank = 21
| site_stadium = Williams Arena
| site_cityst = Minneapolis, MN
| gamename =
| tv = BTN
| score = 60–77
| overtime =
| highscorer = Washington Jr.
| points = 21
| highrebounder = Tied
| rebounds = 7
| highassister = Sueing
| assists = 3
| record = 8–3
| conference = 2–3
| attend = 0
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date = January 9
| time = 12:00 pm
| nonconf =
| away = yes
| neutral =
| opponent = Rutgers
| opprank = 15
| site_stadium = Rutgers Athletic Center
| site_cityst = Piscataway, NJ
| gamename =
| tv = BTN
| score = 79–68
| overtime =
| highscorer = Washington Jr.
| points = 17
| highrebounder = Sueing
| rebounds = 10
| highassister = Sueing
| assists = 5
| record = 9–3
| conference = 3–3
| attend = 0
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date = January 13
| time = 7:00 pm
| nonconf =
| away =
| neutral =
| rank = 21
| opponent = Northwestern
| opprank =
| site_stadium = Value City Arena
| site_cityst = Columbus, OH
| gamename =
| tv = BTN
| score = 81–71
| overtime =
| highscorer = Washington Jr.
| points = 23
| highrebounder = Liddell
| rebounds = 10
| highassister = Washington Jr.
| assists = 6
| record = 10–3
| conference = 4–3
| attend = 0
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date = January 16
| time = 12:00 pm
| nonconf =
| away = yes
| neutral =
| rank = 21
| opponent = Illinois
| opprank = 14
| site_stadium = State Farm Center
| site_cityst = Champaign, IL
| gamename =
| tv = FOX
| score = 87–81
| overtime =
| highscorer = Liddell
| points = 26
| highrebounder = Tied
| rebounds = 7
| highassister = Sueing
| assists = 4
| record = 11–3
| conference=5–3
| attend = 175
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date = January 19
| time = 6:30 pm
| nonconf =
| away =
| neutral =
| rank = 15
| opponent = Purdue
| site_stadium = Value City Arena
| site_cityst = Columbus, OH
| gamename =
| tv = BTN
| score = 65–67
| overtime =
| highscorer = Washington Jr.
| points = 21
| highrebounder = Liddell
| rebounds = 7
| highassister = Washington Jr.
| assists = 6
| record = 11–4
| conference=5–4
| attend = 0
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date = January 23
| time = 4:00 pm
| nonconf =
| away = yes
| neutral =
| rank = 15
| opponent = Wisconsin
| opprank = 10
| site_stadium = Kohl Center
| site_cityst = Madison, WI
| gamename =
| tv = CBS
| score = 74–62
| overtime =
| highscorer = Liddell
| points = 20
| highrebounder = Liddell
| rebounds = 7
| highassister = Washington Jr.
| assists = 4
| record = 12–4
| conference = 6–4
| attend = 0
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date = January 27
| time = 7:00 pm
| nonconf =
| neutral =
| rank = 13
| opponent = Penn State
| opprank =
| site_stadium = Value City Arena
| site_cityst = Columbus, OH
| gamename =
| tv = BTN
| score = 83–79
| overtime =
| highscorer = Liddell
| points = 22
| highrebounder = Sueing
| rebounds = 10
| highassister = Washington Jr.
| assists = 6
| record = 13–4
| conference = 7–4
| attend = 0
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date = January 31
| time = 1:00 pm
| nonconf =
| neutral =
| rank = 13
| opponent = Michigan State
| opprank =
| site_stadium = Value City Arena
| site_cityst = Columbus, OH
| gamename =
| tv = CBS
| score = 79–62
| overtime =
| highscorer = Liddell
| points = 20
| highrebounder = Liddell
| rebounds = 8
| highassister = Washington Jr.
| assists = 3
| record = 14–4
| conference = 8–4
| attend = 0
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date = February 4
| time = 7:00 pm
| nonconf =
| away = yes
| neutral =
| rank = 7
| opponent = Iowa
| opprank = 8
| site_stadium = Carver–Hawkeye Arena
| site_cityst = Iowa City, IA
| gamename =
| tv = ESPN
| score = 89–85
| overtime =
| highscorer = Tied
| points = 16
| highrebounder = Sueing
| rebounds = 11
| highassister = Walker
| assists = 9
| record = 15–4
| conference = 9–4
| attend = 503
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date = February 8
| time = 9:00 pm
| nonconf =
| away = yes
| neutral =
| rank = 4
| opponent = Maryland
| opprank =
| site_stadium = Xfinity Center
| site_cityst = College Park, MD
| gamename =
| tv = FS1
| score = 73–65
| overtime =
| highscorer = Tied
| points = 18
| highrebounder = Liddell
| rebounds = 6
| highassister = Washington Jr.
| assists = 4
| record = 16–4
| conference = 10–4
| attend = 0
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date = February 13
| time = 12:00 pm
| nonconf =
| neutral =
| rank = 4
| opponent = Indiana
| opprank =
| site_stadium = Value City Arena
| site_cityst = Columbus, OH
| gamename =
| tv = ESPN
| score = 78–59
| overtime =
| highscorer = Liddell
| points = 19
| highrebounder = Sueing
| rebounds = 10
| highassister = Walker
| assists = 4
| record = 17–4
| conference = 11–4
| attend = 0
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date = February 18
| time = 8:00 pm
| nonconf =
| away = yes
| neutral =
| rank = 4
| opponent = Penn State
| opprank =
| site_stadium = Bryce Jordan Center
| site_cityst = University Park, PA
| gamename =
| tv = BTN
| score = 92–82
| overtime =
| highscorer = Liddell
| points = 23
| highrebounder = Sueing
| rebounds = 6
| highassister = Walker
| assists = 7
| record = 18–4
| conference = 12–4
| attend = 244
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date = February 21
| time = 1:00 pm
| nonconf =
| away =
| neutral =
| rank = 4
| opponent = Michigan
| opprank = 3
| site_stadium = Value City Arena
| site_cityst = Columbus, OH
| gamename = Rivalry
| tv = CBS
| score = 87–92
| overtime =
| highscorer = Washington Jr.
| points = 30
| highrebounder = Liddell
| rebounds = 10
| highassister = Tied
| assists = 3
| record = 18–5
| conference = 12–5
| attend = 0
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date = February 25
| time = 9:00 pm
| nonconf =
| away = yes
| neutral =
| rank = 4
| opponent = Michigan State
| opprank =
| site_stadium = Breslin Center
| site_cityst = East Lansing, MI
| gamename =
| tv = ESPN
| score = 67–71
| overtime =
| highscorer = Liddell
| points = 18
| highrebounder = Liddell
| rebounds = 8
| highassister = Walker
| assists = 5
| record = 18–6
| conference = 12–6
| attend = 0
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date = February 28
| time = 4:00 pm
| nonconf =
| away =
| neutral =
| rank = 4
| opponent = Iowa
| opprank = 9
| site_stadium = Value City Arena
| site_cityst = Columbus, OH
| gamename =
| tv = CBS
| score = 57–73
| overtime =
| highscorer = Liddell
| points = 15
| highrebounder = Tied
| rebounds = 5
| highassister = Walker
| assists = 4
| record = 18–7
| conference = 12–7
| attend = 0
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date = March 6
| time = 4:00 pm
| nonconf =
| away =
| neutral =
| rank = 7
| opponent = Illinois
| opprank = 4
| site_stadium = Value City Arena
| site_cityst = Columbus, OH
| gamename =
| tv = ESPN
| score = 68–73
| overtime =
| highscorer = Liddell
| points = 19
| highrebounder = Sueing
| rebounds = 8
| highassister = Washington Jr.
| assists = 6
| record = 18–8
| conference = 12–8
| attend = 0
}}
|-
!colspan=9 style={{NCAA color cell|Ohio State Buckeyes}}|2021 Big Ten Conference men's basketball tournament
{{CBB schedule entry
| date = March 11, 2021
| time = 2:00 pm
| neutral = yes
| rank = 9
| seed = 5
| opponent = Minnesota
| oppseed = 13
| site_stadium = Lucas Oil Stadium
| site_cityst = Indianapolis, IN
| gamename = Second Round
| tv = BTN
| score = 79–75
| highscorer = Tied
| points = 16
| highrebounder= Sueing
| rebounds = 7
| highassister = Walker
| assists = 6
| attend = 6,206
| record = 19–8
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date = March 12, 2021
| time = 2:00 pm
| neutral = yes
| rank = 9
| seed = 5
| opponent = Purdue
| oppseed = 4
| opprank = 20
| site_stadium = Lucas Oil Stadium
| site_cityst = Indianapolis, IN
| gamename = Quarterfinals
| tv = BTN
| score = 87–78
| overtime = OT
| highscorer = Washington Jr.
| points = 20
| highrebounder= Sueing
| rebounds = 10
| highassister = Walker
| assists = 7
| attend = 7,634
| record = 20–8
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date = March 13, 2021
| time = 1:00 pm
| neutral = yes
| rank = 9
| seed = 5
| opponent = Michigan
| oppseed = 1
| opprank = 4
| site_stadium = Lucas Oil Stadium
| site_cityst = Indianapolis, IN
| gamename = Semifinals/Rivalry
| tv = CBS
| score = 68–67
| highscorer = Washington Jr.
| points = 24
| highrebounder= Washington Jr.
| rebounds = 6
| highassister = Tied
| assists = 4
| attend = 8,000
| record = 21–8
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date = March 14, 2021
| time = 3:30 pm
| neutral = yes
| rank = 9
| seed = 5
| opponent = Illinois
| oppseed = 2
| opprank = 3
| site_stadium = Lucas Oil Stadium
| site_cityst = Indianapolis, IN
| gamename = Championship
| tv = CBS
| score = 88–91
| overtime = OT
| highscorer = Washington Jr.
| points = 32
| highrebounder= Washington Jr.
| rebounds = 8
| highassister = Walker
| assists = 4
| attend = 8,000
| record = 21–9
}}
|-
!colspan=9 style={{NCAA color cell|Ohio State Buckeyes}}|2021 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
{{CBB schedule entry
| date = March 19, 2021
| time = 3:00 pm
| neutral = yes
| seed = 2 S
| rank = 7
| opponent = Oral Roberts
| oppseed = 15 S
| site_stadium = Mackey Arena
| site_cityst = West Lafayette, IN
| tv = CBS
| gamename = First Round
| score =72{{ndash}}75
| overtime = OT
| highscorer = Liddell
| points = 23
| highrebounder = Liddell
| rebounds = 12
| highassister = Liddell
| assists = 5
| attend =
| record = 21{{ndash}}10
}}
{{CBB schedule end
| rank =
| poll = AP Poll
| timezone = Eastern Time
| region =
| regionname =
}}
Rankings
{{See also|2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings}}
{{Ranking movements
| poll1title = AP
| poll1firstweek = 0
| poll1lastweek = 16
| poll1_0= 23
| poll1_1= 23
| poll1_2= 22
| poll1_3= 20
| poll1_4= 23
| poll1_5= 25
| poll1_6= RV
| poll1_7= 21
| poll1_8= 15
| poll1_9= 13
| poll1_10= 7
| poll1_11= 4
| poll1_12= 4
| poll1_13= 4
| poll1_14= 7
| poll1_15= 9
| poll1_16= 7
| poll1_17=
| poll1_18=
| poll1_19=
| poll1_20=
| poll2title = Coaches
| poll2firstweek = 0
| poll2lastweek = 17
| poll2_0= 24
| poll2_1= 24^
| poll2_2= 20
| poll2_3= 19
| poll2_4= 20
| poll2_5= 20т
| poll2_6= RV
| poll2_7= RV
| poll2_8= 18
| poll2_9= 15
| poll2_10= 9
| poll2_11= 5
| poll2_12= 4
| poll2_13= 5
| poll2_14= 10
| poll2_15=10
| poll2_16= 7
| poll2_17= 15
| poll2_18=
| poll2_19=
| poll2_20=
}}
^Coaches did not release a Week 1 poll.
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball navbox}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:2020-21 Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball team}}
Category:Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball seasons