Radford @ Ohio St. preview

Keita Bates-Diop suffered through an injury-plagued 2016-17 season and looks to put two strong performances together to start the new campaign when Ohio State hosts Radford on Sunday afternoon. The junior forward, who missed all but nine games last season with a stress fracture in his left leg, recorded his seventh career double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds as the Buckeyes opened with a 95-64 win over Robert Morris on Friday.

“That’s what I’m looking for (every night),” Bates-Diop told reporters after draining 9-of-12 from the field and blocking two shots Friday. “I’m healthy, I’m feeling great. Obviously, it was a good game for everybody, but that type of energy and production is what I’m looking for.” First-year Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann, who replaced Thad Matta, won his debut as the Buckeyes placed four players in double figures scoring and shot almost 60 percent from the field. “You want to perform well for your home fans in your first opportunity to be in front of them,” Holtmann told reporters. “Getting that under our belt is good.” Radford, which upset Georgetown early in the 2015-16 season, trailed by two at halftime before rallying for a 72-63 victory over Georgia Southwestern State on Friday in its season opener as freshman Carlik Jones came off the bench to lead the way with 15 points.

TV: 2:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network Plus

ABOUT RADFORD (1-0): Six players scored at least eight points in the opener for the Highlanders, who shot 42.2 percent from the field and allowed Georgia Southwestern to drain 11-of-22 from 3-point range. Ed Polite Jr., a 6-5 junior forward, notched the 21st double-double of his career with 12 points and 11 rebounds while 6-8 senior center Randy Phillips came up just short by scoring eight and hauling in nine boards. Radford had with a big rebounding advantage (45-28) in its opener and sophomore guard Donald Hicks finished with six boards to go along with nine points.

ABOUT OHIO STATE (1-0): The Buckeyes won their opener without a strong performance from senior forward Jae’Sean Tate (14.3 points per game last season), who finished with seven points and had six of his team’s 19 turnovers. Two freshmen came off the bench quickly as 2016-2017 Ohio Mr. Basketball Kaleb Wesson scored 13 and grabbed seven rebounds while Musa Jallow finished with 11 points in their debuts. Senior Kam Williams, who averaged 9.4 points last season, can also be a factor after scoring 16 and connecting on two 3-pointers versus Robert Morris.

TIP-INS

1. Buckeyes sophomore F Andre Wesson, Kaleb’s older brother, scored nine points in the season opener after averaging 2.3 in 29 games in 2016-17.

2. Radford, which lost 96-80 in its last visit to Columbus in 2002, won 14 games in 2016-17 but went 5-3 down the stretch.

3. Holtmann was 70-31 and took Butler to the NCAA Tournament in three straight seasons before being hired at Ohio State.

PREDICTION: Ohio State 90, Radford 68