Ohio State coach Jim O'Brien thought his team might be headed for a rebuilding year last season. Then the Buckeyes went 20-11 and earned a third straight NCAA Tournament berth.

        Only one contributing player is gone, but that's Ken Johnson, a 6-foot-11 center who averaged 12.5 points, a team-high 7.3 rebounds and 4.0 blocks a game.

        What does that mean?

        It means OSU goes back to being perimeter-oriented, as it was with Scoonie Penn and Michael Redd in 1998-99 and 1999-2000.

        Who replaces Johnson?

        Senior Will Dudley (6-8, 230) or 7-0 sophomore Velimir Radinovic will probably start, but O'Brien is counting on both to contribute. O'Brien also said the two may play together at times. Both got playing time during a 16-day summer trip to Italy, Switzerland, France, Belgium and The Netherlands as Ohio State went 6-0.

        How did the trip help?

        It gave the big men experience against older, physical players. Sophomore Zach Williams, who started every game last season, played “tough, smart, very aggres sive” and had double-doubles in the last two games, O'Brien said. Williams has gotten stronger and plays hard all the time. More than any thing, the trip gave Ohio State extra practice time to adjust to a perimeter-oriented offense. Last season, the goal was to throw the ball into Johnson down low.

        How about the perimeter?

        OSU has seniors Brian Brown and Boban Savovic — both started all 31 games last season — and juniors Brent Darby (16 starts) and Sean Connolly (15). Those four combined to average 40.6 points, 13.7 rebounds and 11.9 assists, and they will be the primary offensive weapons.

        How can they improve?

        They all have to get better defensively. They won't have the luxury of a 6-11 shot blocker around the basket if someone drives past them, so guarding opponents on the perimeter will be a key.

        How does Moeller grad Matt Sylvester, a 6-7 freshman small forward, fit in?

        “He figures in a lot,” O'Brien said. “The one thing he gives us that we don't have is a little bit more size at that position. As a (small forward), he has the ability to be an offensive rebounding finisher. He has the ability to get rebound dunks. I won't be surprised if he gets an opportunity to play (power forward) at times out of necessity. But that's not the position we recruited him for.”

        What are the expectations for this team?

        Ohio State could be a middle-of-the-pack team in the Big Ten, which should translate into another NCAA bid. And with talented, experienced scorers, anything goes in the postseason.