BYU vs Ohio State Preview: Keys, What to Watch, Prediction

After a 3-0 exhibition/scrimmage slate, BYU has one of the best season openers on the college basketball calendar when they take on Ohio State Monday night at 7pm MT in Salt Lake City. The game is on FS1. We’ll get a matchup of two potential top 10 picks in next year’s draft when 5-star BYU freshman goes up against fellow Ohio State 5-Star freshman Anthony Thompson.

BYU and Ohio State by the Numbers

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BYU KenPom: 33

EvanMiya: 25

AP Rank: 25

Ohio State KenPom: 18

EvanMiya: 33

AP: Not ranked, 29 overall

KenPom Prediction: Ohio State 82, BYU 81 — BYU 50% win probability

Point Spread: BYU -3.5 (BYU favorite); this opened as BYU -1.5 and has had recent movement towards the Cougs

Point Total: 160.5

Ohio State Overview

The Buckeyes have many similarities to BYU. They are an offensive-powered team led by their backcourt. Ohio State lost their top player in 4-year starter Bruce Thornton, but return other top players and had a nice offseason in player acquisition. The Buckeyes have some backcourt questions, but they have firepower in their backcourt and wings.

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Players to Watch

John Mobley Jr, Guard — The main player to watch is guard John Mobley Jr. The 6-foot-2 junior guard was second for the Buckeyes last year in scoring at 15.7 ppg. He shot 41% from three on 7 attempts per game. 66% of his field goal attempts were from three. Mobley is one of the top guards in the Big Ten and one of the best shooters in the country. Monitoring him will be the top thing on the scouting report for the Cougs.

Justin Pippen, Guard — The son of Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen, Pippen was Ohio State’s top portal acquisition and teams with Mobley in the backcourt. Listed at 6-foot-4, the Cal transfer averaged 14.2 points, 4.6 assists, and 2 steals for the Golden Bears last season. Pippen wasn’t particularly efficient — shooting 37% from the field and 32% from three — but he got to the line 5 times per game and has the ability to heat up. His steal rate and assist rate were both top 100…

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Publish date : 2026-11-01 23:42:00

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