Ohio State got back to March; now comes the harder part: staying there.
The Buckeyes’ return to the NCAA Tournament was fueled by late-season growth, improved balance, and a clearer identity. At the center of that shift was a player who, just a few months earlier, looked like a long-term project. By March, he looked like something much more important.
Amare Bynum didn’t just emerge. He changed the equation. And that is exactly why keeping him in Columbus is now one of the most important priorities for Jake Diebler and this program heading into next season.
The breakout that reshaped the roster
On paper, Bynum’s freshman numbers are solid. He averaged 9.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game while shooting 51 percent from the field and 31 percent from three.
But that stat line undersells what actually happened. Bynum’s role and impact grew as the season progressed. After entering the starting lineup in December, he began to show flashes of what Ohio State hoped he could become. By March, those flashes turned into production. He averaged over 12 points and six rebounds during the final stretch of the season while playing major minutes.
More importantly, his best performances came in the biggest moments. Double-digit scoring against tournament-level teams. Efficient finishing. Clutch stretches late in games. This was not empty production; it was translatable, winning basketball. And it filled a gap Ohio State had all season.
Why Bynum matters more than the numbers
Ohio State’s identity this year was clear: a guard-driven offense built around Bruce Thornton and John Mobley Jr. That formula worked, but it had limitations.
When the Buckeyes struggled, it usually looked the same. Too perimeter-heavy. Too reliant on outside shot-making, and not enough interior presence to stabilize possessions when things tightened.
That is where Bynum changed everything. His emergence gave Ohio State something it did not consistently have before. Interior scoring, physical rebounding, and defensive versatility. A 6-foot-8 forward who could finish through contact, stretch the floor just enough, and defend multiple positions.
That balance matters in March. It matters in the Big Ten, and it matters even more when projecting forward. Because without Bynum, Ohio State risks reverting back to a one-dimensional offense. With him, the ceiling changes.
The invaluable developmental process
There are two types of production in college basketball: the kind you can replace, and the kind you cannot.
Bynum falls into the second category. He is not just productive. He is ascending. A former top-50 recruit, Bynum arrived with tools. Length, mobility, vertical pop, touch, and defensive versatility. What he lacked early was experience and consistency. Over the course of the season, those gaps started to close.
That kind of trajectory is exactly what programs bet on. It is also exactly what is hardest to replicate in the transfer portal. You can find a veteran big. You can find production. But finding a player who already understands your system, has already grown within your program, and is trending upward into a potential star is far more difficult.
That is what makes retaining Bynum different than simply “bringing back a starter.”
The decision that could define Diebler’s tenure
Jake Diebler did the hard part this season. He stabilized the program and got Ohio State back to the NCAA Tournament. Now comes the next challenge. Turning that into something sustainable.
Retaining Amare Bynum is central to that. Because this is not just about one player, it is about continuity. Development. Identity. The difference between building something and just resetting again.
Ohio State does not need to start over; it needs to build forward. And if Bynum returns, the Buckeyes are not just a tournament team again. They are a team with a real chance to take the next step.
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