The Ohio State Buckeyes have missed the NCAA Tournament each of the last two seasons. But that may change after bringing in a big-name player through the transfer portal on Tuesday.
South Carolina guard Meechie Johnson played a big role in helping the Gamecocks reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time in seven years, leading the team in scoring with 14.1 points per game.
Johnson and South Carolina didn’t have the NCAA Tournament they would have hoped, getting bounced in the opening round of the tournament in a loss to Oregon.
After the loss, Johnson decided to enter the transfer portal to seek other opportunities. And it appears that he has finally landed on a decision to come to Columbus, Ohio. According to 247 Sports, Johnson has officially committed to Ohio State.
BREAKING: South Carolina transfer SG Meechie Johnson has committed to THE Ohio State University. 🌰
MORE: https://t.co/JHB1VKvCFf pic.twitter.com/5NtrChpH7Q
— 247Sports (@247Sports) April 2, 2024
It’s a familiar landing spot for Johnson, as he actually started his collegiate career at Ohio State, playing the first two years of his career there in the 2020-21 season and the 2021-22 season.
The big difference is that the Meechie Johnson coming back to Ohio State does not appear to be the same player who once left the program. Now, he has shown that he can lead a program to the NCAA Tournament.
Ohio State showed flashes of their excellence this year, with wins over Alabama and Purdue, two of the four teams in the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament.
Bringing in a player like Meechie Johnson should only build on those flashes and potentially build a very competitive team in Columbus for the 2024-25 season.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.