After one of the most entertaining season openers in recent years, the Ohio State men’s basketball team returns to action with a Nov. 7 home game against Purdue Fort Wayne.
Both teams opened their seasons Nov. 3. The Buckeyes took care of IU Indy in the second-fastest game in the KenPom.com era, which dates back to the 1996-97 season, with a 118-102 final score. The Mastodons lost 90-71 at Grand Canyon.
Follow along with all the action at our Dispatch live game blog below.
Ohio State on pace to top 100 points again
With 11:53 left in the first half, the Buckeyes lead Purdue Fort Wayne 24-9.
Ohio State out to big lead on Purdue Fort Wayne
There hasn’t been much drama in the early going. Ohio State hit its first seven shots from the field and holds a 22-7 lead at the under-16 timeout, which didn’t arrive until 12:57 remaining in the first half.
An example of this offense looking different than in the past: Devin Royal stole the ball from Mastodons guard DeAndre Craig Jr., fed it to center Christoph Tilly who dribbled to the top of the circle, drove past his defender and scored.
John Mobley Jr. has eight points and Bruce Thornton and Tilly each have seven, accounting for all of Ohio State’s early points.
Buckeyes come out hot against Mastodons
Purdue Fort Wayne has already used a timeout with 17:37 left in the first half as Ohio State is perfect on five shots from the floor and leads 13-2. Christoph Tilly and Bruce Thornton each have five points.
Starters for Ohio State-Purdue Fort Wayne
Here are tonight’s starters:
Ohio State – Bruce Thornton, John Mobley Jr., Devin Royal, Brandon Noel, Christoph Tilly
Purdue Fort Wayne – DeAndre Craig, Corey Hadnot II, Mikale Stevenson, Maximus Nelson, Darius Duffy
Key matchup to watch in Ohio State-Purdue Fort Wayne
In their season opener, the Mastodons started three guards: Mikale Stevenson, DeAndre Craig Jr. and Corey Hadnott II. Stevenson (6-foot-2, 190 pounds), Craig (6-foot-0, 180 pounds) and Hadnott (6-foot-3, 190 pounds) combined for 49 of Purdue Fort Wayne’s 71 points.
“They have dynamic guard play, and that’s where it starts,” Ohio State coach Jake Diebler said. “Coach (Jon Coffman) has done a really good job there. Every year you expect them to be one of the best teams in that league. He’s got a really good team led by his guards.”
Video: Ohio State-Purdue Fort Wayne pregame thoughts
No surprises on injury report
Only two Buckeyes are unavailable for the game and neither was expected to participate. Ohio State will redshirt freshman guard Myles Herro, who is listed as out for the season on the official injury report, and Baylor transfer Josh Ojianwuna is still out as he recovers from a torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered in February.
Ohio State vs Purdue Fort Wayne score updates
This section will be updated when the game begins.
Ohio State vs. Purdue Fort Wayne time today
What channel is Ohio State vs. Purdue Fort Wayne on today?
Ohio State vs Purdue Fort Wayne will air nationally on the Big Ten Network in the second game of the 2025-26 men’s college basketball season for the Buckeyes. Jason Rose and former Buckeyes captain Joey Lane will call the game from Value City Arena. The game will be streaming on Fubo, which offers a free trial to new subscribers.
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Ohio State vs Purdue Fort Wayne predictions, picks, odds
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Thursday, Nov. 6
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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.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State vs Purdue Fort Wayne live score updates, highlights, how to watch game
Reporting by Adam Jardy, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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