Ohio State is projected to finish in the middle of the Big Ten but return to the NCAA men’s basketball tournament after a three-year absence, according to Lindy’s Sports’ preseason college basketball magazine.

In its 2025-26 season preview that features Ohio State’s John Mobley Jr. on the cover alongside Cincinnati’s Day Day Thomas, Xavier coach Richard Pitino and Dayton’s Javon Bennett, the Buckeyes begin the year No. 38 in the magazine’s top 40 with a one-line summary of what’s at stake this year.

“(Coach) Jake Diebler feeling some pressure if NCAA tourney dry spell hits fourth year,” it says.

That is not what Lindy’s forecasts for the Buckeyes in Diebler’s second season. Ohio State is picked to finish ninth in a Big Ten projected to place 11 teams in the NCAA Tournament. Although the magazine does not publish a bracket projection, Ohio State is listed as a team that will go one-and-done in March Madness.

The Buckeyes have not played in the NCAA Tournament since the 2021-22 season.

“To complement pure scorers Bruce Thornton, Devin Royal and John Mobley Jr., the Bucks added senior bigs Christoph Tilly, Brandon Noel and Josh Ojianwuna,” it says. “The Bucks dropped a lot of tight games last year; how do they reverse that trend?

“If close-game results revert to the mean, they should unlock first NCAA Tournament bid in four years.”

Senior guard Bruce Thornton is listed as the No. 30 player in the nation and described as a player who “has the ability to run (the) show or pile up points.”

He is the only Ohio State player included on a list of the top 150 players in the nation, and the Buckeyes did not place anyone among the magazine’s superlatives. Ohio State is not judged to have one of the nation’s top 10 backcourts or frontcourts, although Thornton is a second-team preseason all-conference pick.

The magazine highlights Ohio State’s retention from last season, noting that the Buckeyes bring back 49.5% of their minutes from the 2024-25 season, second-most in the Big Ten behind just Purdue. The Boilermakers are projected to finish as national runners-up, while Michigan is also projected to reach the Final Four.

Thornton is listed as a potential first-team all-Big Ten pick while Devin Royal, Mobley and Tilly are projected as potential all-league players. Tilly, a 7-foot, 240-pound transfer from Santa Clara, is named Ohio State’s top newcomer.

“His skills will maximize Ohio State’s desire to play five-out and improve its assist numbers,” it says.

The Buckeyes will play a public exhibition game against Ohio on Oct. 26 at Value City Arena before opening the regular season with a Nov. 3 game against IU Indy.

Ohio State men’s basketball beat writer Adam Jardy can be reached at ajardy@dispatch.com, on Bluesky at @cdadamjardy.bsky.social or on Twitter at @AdamJardy.