Marc Loving vs. Purdue

Marc Loving (right) averaged 4.4 points, 1.7 rebounds and was a 25.9 percent 3-point shooter as a freshman. With LaQuinton Ross leaving, he'll be asked to do much more as a sophomore.

(Associated Press)

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Marc Loving needs to have a heck of an offseason.

We already looked at next year once. But now that Amedeo Della Valle and LaQuinton Ross have decided to join seniors Aaron Craft and Lenzelle Smith in leaving Ohio State, let's take a second look at the shrinking basketball roster.

And let’s absorb the notion that Loving, after averaging 4.4 points and 10.9 minutes as a freshman, must have a big sophomore season. He has work to do – Loving scored a total of 26 points in the last 16 games of the season, going scoreless in eight of them.

That's where this Ross move is different for Ohio State than the decision Deshaun Thomas made last year to leave after his junior season. The Buckeyes' had a ready replacement at his position and in his role as the leading scorer in Ross. It won't be so obvious in 2014-215. Expect freshman guard D'Angelo Russell to lead Ohio State in scoring, but the Buckeyes have no choice but for Loving to make a big leap.

For next season, right now, it’s four players out and four players in. That’s why you have to imagine that the Buckeyes will add either a junior college player or a player who has graduated from another school and has a year of eligibility, meaning he can play right away.

Former 6-foot-9 Temple big man Anthony Lee could be an ideal fit for the Buckeyes.



The loss of Della Valle isn’t that big for Ohio State. He wasn’t a dead-eye shooter and he had trouble guarding most Big Ten-level players.

Ross is a loss, though not unexpected. Certainly, the coaches weren’t blind-sided by it. Here’s what the roster will look like next year as it stands now.

Seniors – Sam Thompson, Shannon Scott, Amir Williams, Trey McDonald

Juniors – None

Sophomore – Marc Loving

Redshirt freshman – Kam Williams

Freshmen – D'Angelo Russell, Keita Bates-Diop, Jae'Sean Tate, David Bell

Matta once said the ideal roster would have three guys in each class, giving balance to the 13-man roster. But the Buckeyes have been off-kilter for years. The 2010 class that just graduated started with six players, while the 2011 class that will be seniors next season had five. But the 2012 had just one (Della Valle) and the 2013 class had two.

So the Buckeyes once again will fall short of the limit of 13 scholarship players. Even with adding one another player, they would only be at 11.

Here’s what the rotation should look like next season. The most likely type of player to be added would be a power forward or center like Lee.

PG – Shannon Scott, D'Angelo Russell

SG – D'Angelo Russell, Kam Williams

SF – Sam Thompson, Keita Bates-Diop, Jae'Sean Tate

PF – Marc Loving, Keita Bates-Diop, David Bell

C- Amir Williams, Trey McDonald, David Bell