Ohio State Basketball

Bryce James, the youngest son of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, has received his second official offer to play college basketball.

James posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he received an offer from Ohio State on Saturday after taking a visit to the university this weekend.

James was also in attendance for Ohio State football's 37-17 win over Maryland on Saturday.

James is following in the footsteps of his brother, Bronny James, who received an offer to play for the Buckeyes last year. He had Ohio State in his top three but ultimately committed to the USC Trojans.

Ohio State was James' first known official college visit. However, he has also received an offer from Duquesne.

James began his high school basketball career at Sierra Canyon, where Bronny also played high school ball, before he transferred to Campbell Hall, where he played in the spring. He's currently a junior at Notre Dame in Sherman Oaks, California.

The 6-foot-4 shooting guard is a three-star prospect in the class of 2025, per 247Sports. Cameron Boozer, the son of former NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer, is the No. 1 ranked prospect in the class.

James still has a long way to go in his recruitment, and it's possible many more offers will be put out to the son of one of the greatest basketball players of all time.

It's unclear if James has any preference for where he plays college basketball, but his recruitment will surely be kept under wraps, similar to how Bronny's recruitment was kept relatively quiet until the final stages.

Bryce James is following in his brother's footsteps.

James, the youngest son of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, was in attendance for Saturday's Ohio State-Maryland football matchup during his recruiting visit with the Buckeyes' basketball program.

Bronny James, the eldest son of LeBron, also attended an Ohio State football game in September 2022 while the Buckeyes basketball program was trying to recruit him. He had OSU in his top three but ultimately committed to the USC Trojans, staying close to home.

Ohio State is Bryce's first known college visit. He's a junior at Notre Dame in Sherman Oaks, California, after transferring from Campbell Hall, where he played in the spring.

Bryce began his high school career at Sierra Canyon. The 6-foot-4 shooting guard is currently a three-star prospect, per 247Sports, and he already has an offer from Duquesne.

Bryce James, son of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, is planning to make an unofficial visit to Ohio State, according to On3's Joe Tipton and the Columbus Dispatch's Adam Jardy.

James is a 3-star shooting guard and the No. 129 overall player in 247Sports' composite rankings for the 2025 class. He so far has a scholarship offer from Duquesne.

The Dukes are coached by Keith Dambrot, who coached LeBron in high school at St. Vincent–St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio.

The James family also has close ties to Ohio State. LeBron has been a longtime fan of the Buckeyes and once said he feels at times "like an honorary alum." OSU was among the final contenders to sign Bronny James before he chose USC.

Given his dad's status within the game, James was on the radar of college and pro scouts before he logged a single minute at the high school level. Now, those talent evaluators are following him more closely than ever.

Yahoo Sports' Krysten Peek reported in July that multiple NBA teams "made James a priority" when he took part in the Nike Peach Jam.

The 16-year-old will have another opportunity to showcase his skills at USA basketball's minicamp for the junior national team, which runs from Friday through Sunday.

The colleges pursuing James will also weigh the benefits he can bring through his large following off the court. On3 estimates him to have the highest NIL valuation ($1.2 million) of any high school basketball player.

For now, there's little in the way of tangible interest in James to point to where he might land. That's bound to change over time.

For the first time since 2007, the UConn women's basketball team will not be going to the Final Four after the Ohio State Buckeyes crushed the Huskies 73-61 in the Sweet 16 on Saturday in Seattle.

OSU's relentless press amid a tremendous defensive effort helped lead to 25 UConn turnovers, including 18 in the first half alone. Ohio State went on a`16-0 first-half run en route to a 36-26 halftime edge.

First-year forward Cotie McMahon scored 18 first-half points en route to a team-high 23. Senior guard Jacy Sheldon made all 10 of her free throws along the way to 17 points. Five of the seven Buckeye players had two or more steals, led by Taylor Thierry's four.

UConn had openings late in the third quarter and midway through the fourth to get back into this game, but Ohio State responded each time.

McMahon hit the bench late in the third after committing her fourth personal foul with OSU up 50-41. However, Rikki Harris went on a personal 8-0 run early in the fourth to put OSU up 64-46 with 7:19 remaining.

UConn responded with a 9-0 run to cut the deficit in half, but McMahon returned to put home a back-breaking three-point play for a 67-55 lead with 4:01 remaining. OSU never led by fewer than nine points for the rest of the game.

Senior forwards Lou Lopez Sénéchal (25 points on 9-of-13 shooting) and Dorka Juhasz (13 points, 10 rebounds, three steals, two blocks) paced UConn.

The No. 3 seed Buckeyes entered this game as a heavy underdog against the No. 2 Huskies, but OSU was in full control of this game from the second quarter onward. The Buckeyes played great defense, hit clutch shots and frankly were the much better team on this day.

It was a remarkable win for a well-deserving Ohio State team and a stunning loss for the historically great Huskies, who will be going home far earlier than usual.

This win marks the first time that Ohio State will be going to the Elite Eight since 1993, when the Buckeyes reached the national championship game before falling to Sheryl Swoopes' Texas Tech squad.

Watch March Madness Live to stream every tournament game through the Final Four.

The No. 25 Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the unranked Rutgers Scarlet Knights 67-66 on Thursday night on a three-point buzzer-beater by Tanner Holden.

However, the Big Ten announced Friday that Holden's three-pointer shouldn't have counted, per NCAA.com's Andy Katz.

The Big Ten said in a statement:

"During regulation play, an OSU student-athlete passed the ball to a teammate who had drifted out of bounds and returned to the court to complete the game-winning shot. The action of stepping out of bounds and being the first player to touch the ball after returning inbounds constituted a violation of NCAA Rule 9, Section 3, Article 1. The play should have been stopped, and the ball ruled dead.

"The officiating crew that was on the court is one of the best in the country, but unfortunately missed the call. The Big Ten Conference takes officiating very seriously and has addressed the matter with both member institutions and the officiating crew. Additionally, the conference will be providing added education and rule reinforcement to our basketball officials."

Almost immediately after Holden hit the game-winning shot, Rutgers coaches and players were telling officials that the shot shouldn't count because Holden was out of bounds just before catching the ball.

"I thought it was (out of bounds) because it was right in front of me," Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell said after the game, per NJ.com's Brian Fonseca. "... Again, I'm not sure about the sideline thing. I thought he clearly was, but again, I didn't see anything."

Considering Rutgers was up by two points when Holden caught the ball, a turnover would likely have resulted in a Buckeyes loss at Schottenstein Center.

Instead, Ohio State moved to 7-2 on the season, while Rutgers dropped to 6-3. Though it's early in the season, Rutgers could have used the conference victory.

The Buckeyes have had a solid season thus far, but they have lost each of their two games against ranked opponents, falling to No. 22 San Diego State on Nov. 21 and No. 15 Duke on Nov. 30.

Ohio State is back in action on Saturday against North Carolina, and they have a pretty tough January on tap with matchups against No. 4 Purdue, No. 13 Maryland, No. 17 Illinois and No. 14 Indiana.

The Buckeyes and Scarlet Knights will meet again on Jan. 15, and Rutgers will have revenge on its mind.

Bronny James was in attendance for Ohio State's football victory over Notre Dame on Saturday.

If men's basketball head coach Chris Holtmann gets his way, LeBron James' son will be on campus much more often in the future.

According to Joe Tipton of On3 Sports, the younger James "has long held a 'standing offer' from Ohio State" that was "reconfirmed by the coaching staff in August." Tipton also noted James was there on an unofficial visit Saturday.

The combo guard is a 4-star prospect and the No. 45 overall player in the 2023 recruiting class, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

Ohio State has the No. 9 overall class in 2023 with a group that includes 4-star small forward Scotty Middleton and 4-star power forward Devin Royal. There is an opening for a ball-handling playmaker in the backcourt, and James would certainly fit the bill if he decided to join the class.

Holtmann also brought in the No. 8 class in 2022 and is starting to build a strong foundation for the future as the program looks to return to the form it showed under previous head coach Thad Matta when it went to the national title game, two Final Fours, three Elite Eights and five Sweet 16s while winning the Big Ten regular-season crown five times and tournament crown four times.

Landing James would propel the team that is often overshadowed by the powerhouse football program into the national spotlight, and the highly regarded prospect provided a hint at what he would look like in Buckeyes threads:

While James goes to high school in California, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him end up in Columbus, Ohio.

After all, his famous father previously said he would have gone to Ohio State had he attended college. LeBron is also never hesitant to shout out the Buckeyes on social media and has been in attendance for a number of football games over the years.

Throw in the fact LeBron and Bronny were each born in Ohio and the former's status as a Cleveland legend from his time on the Cavaliers, and there is no shortage of connections in place as the younger James makes his college decision.

If he chooses the Scarlet and Gray, there is a scholarship waiting.

Bronny James offered a possible glimpse of the future when he shared photos from his recent visit to Ohio State.

James shared photos of himself a Buckeyes uniform on Instagram and wrote "buckeye nation? #notcommitted" in the caption:

According to the Columbus Dispatch's Adam Jardy, OSU welcomed James on Saturday. He was on campus for around four hours in the afternoon and returned to watch the football team earn a 21-10 victory over Notre Dame.

The Buckeyes figure to be a strong contender for the 17-year-old.

Although his father didn't attend college before making the jump to the NBA, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has been closely associated with the Ohio State athletic program for years. In August, ESPN's Paul Biancardi also listed OSU among the schools targeting the Sierra Canyon star, who could also opt for the G League Ignite route to the pros.

James is the No. 41 overall player and No. 10 combo guard in 247Sports' composite rankings for the 2023 recruiting class.

LeBron James may have been an Ohio State Buckeye if the one-and-done NBA draft rule was in place when he went straight from high school to the sport's highest level.

Perhaps his son Bronny will be the one to don Scarlet and Gray.

According to Joe Tipton of On3, the younger James is "looking to visit Ohio State" and will "likely" make such a trip Sept. 3, when the football program plays Notre Dame in a highly anticipated primetime showdown.

Tipton reported LeBron also hopes to be in attendance.

The Buckeyes are far from the only ones recruiting Bronny, as Tipton listed USC, Memphis and Oregon as interested. LeBron was quick to shut down rumors that the Ducks were the favorites:

LeBron is from Akron, Ohio, and is a longtime advocate of the Buckeyes. He has attended football games in the past, consistently shouts the team out on social media and has provided apparel for the men's basketball team.

"If I would have had one year of college, I would have ended up down here in Columbus at Ohio State," James previously said (h/t Tipton). "No matter where I go in the world, I will always rock Ohio State colors."

He will certainly be rocking those colors if his son joins the team.

While the men's basketball program is often overshadowed by the powerhouse football team, head coach Chris Holtmann brought in the No. 8 class in the 2022 recruiting cycle and has the No. 4 group in 2023, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

Landing James, a 4-star prospect and the No. 40 player in the 2023 class, would only strengthen what is already a bright future.

And it surely wouldn't hurt the Buckeyes' chances if he were on campus to experience the environment at Ohio Stadium when the football team hosts Notre Dame.

Ohio State junior forward E.J. Liddell has declared for the 2022 NBA draft following the Buckeyes' second-round elimination from the NCAA tournament in a 71-61 loss to Villanova, he announced Friday. 

Liddell's decision to declare for the NBA draft comes as little surprise after Buckeyes head coach Chris Holtmann told Paul Keels and Ron Stokes on 97.1 FM (h/t Land-Grant Holy Land's Connor Lemons) that "all indications" were that the 2021-22 season would be his last at Ohio State. 

Holtmann said in a statement Friday:

“I’m really excited for EJ as he begins his NBA career. He has developed and grown significantly as a player every single year as a Buckeye, and that will continue to be the case as an NBA player. E.J. has represented our program at the highest level with his excellent play, leadership and of course, his trademark smile. E.J. will always be a Buckeye. We love you, my man.”

Liddell spent his entire college career with the Buckeyes, enjoying a breakout 2021-22 campaign in which he averaged 19.4 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists while shooting 49 percent from the floor and 37.4 percent from deep.

The 21-year-old was also a two-time first-team All-Big Ten honoree and a consensus All-American this year. 

While Liddell is a talented player, he's not expected to be a top-10 pick. Bleacher Report NBA draft analyst Jonathan Wasserman has him going to the Chicago Bulls as the 22nd overall pick in this year's draft. 

"Liddell's improved shooting and defensive coverage/playmaking have helped convince scouts not to worry as much about a 6'7", 240-pound, post-up-heavy big," Wasserman wrote.

Auburn's Jabari Smith, Gonzaga's Chet Holmgren, Duke's Paolo Banchero and Purdue's Jaden Ivey are expected to be the top picks in this year's draft.