Devin Royal and Amare Bynum posted double-doubles, 11 different Buckeyes scored and Ohio State (5-0) throttled visiting Western Michigan 91-58 at Value City Arena.
The only question as the second half progressed was whether or not the Buckeyes would hit triple digits for the first time since putting up 118 points in the opener against IU Indy. Ohio State led Western Michigan (2-4) by as many as 43 points and never trailed.
Royal finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Bynum had 12 and 10 for his first career double-double.
Christoph Tilly finished with 17 points, John Mobley Jr. had 15 and Bruce Thornton had 11 as walk-on guard Braylen Nash subbed in with 1:18 to play.
The Buckeyes will conclude their season-opening homestand with a Nov. 25 game against Mount St. Mary’s.
Follow along with all the action at our Dispatch live game blog below.
Devin Royal with a double-double
Ohio State’s junior wing scored on a floater in the paint to give him 10 points and 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. It’s the fourth double-double of his career.
Gabe Cupps hits his second 3-pointer of the season
Cupps entered the game 1 for 6 from deep, but he hit this shot to make it a 73-30 lead for the Buckeyes.
Ohio State leads Western Michigan 76-37 now with 7:40 to play
Ohio State’s lead up to 40 points before midpoint of second half
The Buckeyes are on a 20-5 run during the last 7:14 and have pushed their lead to 73-33 with 10:52 left against the Broncos. Freshman Amare Bynum is closing in on his first career double-double with 9 points and eight rebounds.
Ohio State enjoying biggest lead of the season
The Buckeyes took a 49-24 lead into halftime and have built upon it in the early moments of the second half. A 9-0 run capped by a Bruce Thornton 3-pointer made it 62-28 with 15:32 left in the game, and for all intents and purposes this game is over.
The 34-point lead is Ohio State’s biggest of the season.
Ohio State leads big at halftime versus Western Michigan
Each team got a 3-point attempt in the final 10 seconds. Christoph Tilly missed his for Ohio State, but Brady Swartz sunk his at the buzzer to send both teams into the locker room with the Buckeyes ahead 49-24.
Ohio State led by a game-high 30 points on a Bruce Thornton 3-pointer with about a minute left before the Broncos got two free throws and the 3-pointer.
Ten different Buckeyes have between 2-10 points, led by Mobley as the lone player in double figures. He did sit for the final 2:42, though, after quickly hoisting a transition 3-pointer that coach Jake Diebler didn’t seem to like.
Ohio State is 17 for 32 (53.1%) from the floor and 7 for 18 (38.9%) from 3, while Western Michigan is 8 for 30 (26.7%) and 3 for 12 (25.0%), respectively.
Watch Amare Bynum’s alley-oop dunk
Ohio State blows game open with open gym-type sequence
In an up-and-down affair that has almost entirely been to Ohio State’s benefit, the Buckeyes hold a 41-14 lead with 2:42 to play in the half. There’s been some ugly, like Devin Royal being stripped on a drive to the bucket and quick 3-point misses from John Mobley Jr. and Gabe Cupps, but the Buckeyes are on a 23-2 run since the 9:51 mark of the half.
Ohio State scored on nine of 10 possessions, putting up 21 points in 4:51 of game time to blow this game wide open. The Broncos are 6 for 27 (22.2%) from the floor and 1 for 10 from 3-point range.
John Mobley Jr. with a quick 10 points
After scoring only 9 points against Notre Dame, Ohio State’s sophomore guard already has 10 on 4-of-5 shooting against the Broncos just past the midpoint of the first half.
Two fouls for Gabe Cupps
Ohio State’s redshirt sophomore reserve guard picked up two fouls on the same defensive possession, trying to take a charge on Brady Swartz and then wrapping up Jayden Brewer near the basket on the extended possession.
Ohio State leads 18-12 at the midpoint of the half.
Balanced scoring keeping Ohio State ahead of Western Michigan
The Buckeyes scored on four straight possessions and five of six to build an 18-6 lead. Five different Ohio State players have at least one of the team’s seven made field goals.
A highlight: Amare Bynum took the ball on a handoff near the top of the circle, squared up and fired a pass to a cutting Colin White, who took it in on the right block and quickly laid it in.
Ohio State takes early lead on Western Michigan
Christoph Tilly drew a foul on Ohio State’s first possession and hit both free throws only 10 seconds into the game, and the Buckeyes have led ever since. It’s a 7-4 lead at the first media timeout with 15:58 to play in the first half.
Ohio State was just called for a shot clock violation after Ivan Njegovan was trapped along the baseline and couldn’t get a look at the rim as the seconds ticked off. The Buckeyes are 2 for 6 from the floor and the Broncos are 2 for 7.
Starting lineups posted for Ohio State and Western Michigan
Here are tonight’s starters.
Ohio State: Bruce Thornton, John Mobley Jr., Devin Royal, Brandon Noel, Christoph Tilly
Western Michigan: Jayden Brewer, Max Burton, Hudson Ward, EJ Ryans, Jalen Griffith
Video: Pregame Ohio State report from Value City Arena
No surprises on Ohio State’s injury report
The Buckeyes will have a healthy roster for the Western Michigan game. Josh Ojianwuna remains out as he recovers from a torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered last season at Baylor and Myles Herro is redshirting, but otherwise Ohio State is at full strength.
Devin Royal was questionable for the Notre Dame game with a hip injury.
Ohio State vs Western Michigan score updates
This section will be updated when the game begins.
Ohio State vs. Western Michigan time today
The Ohio State vs Western Michigan game starts at 8 p.m. from Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
What channel is Ohio State vs. Western Michigan on today?
Ohio State vs Western Michigan will stream nationally on the Big Ten Network in the fifth game of the 2025-26 men’s college basketball season for the Buckeyes. Jack Kizer and Jordan Taylor will call the game from Value City Arena. Streaming options for the game include Fubo, which offers a free trial to new subscribers.
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Ohio State vs Western Michigan predictions, picks, odds
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Wednesday, Nov. 19
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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 throttles Western Michigan, stays unbeaten with win: Replay
Reporting by Adam Jardy, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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