THE No. 21 Ohio State Buckeyes prepare for a ranked match with No. 23 Texas A&M in the second fight of the program’s home-and-away series on Friday. After a tough 73-66 loss to the Aggies over a year ago, the Buckeyes will bring a completely different rotation to College Station.

The Buckeyes, now 2-0 with a ranked win over former #19 Texasfirst-year head coach Jake Diebler said the team was ready to take on one of the best “offensive rebounding teams in the country” over the past two years. Through the first week and a half of this season, the Aggies rank in the top five in offensive rebounds per game among Power 5 schools.

“We could play bigger sometimes… We have a lot of versatility where we can’t just shoot multiple threes, or just play through the paint,” Diebler said during the team’s press conference. THURSDAY.

A big part of why Texas A&M has been impressive on the glass this season is due to the return of Andersson Garcia, who led the Southeastern Conference in rebounds per game, and Henry Coleman III; a player who dominated last season’s competition with 20 points and 11 rebounds. The Aggies also acquired Pharrel Payne, a six-foot-nine junior from Minnesota, in the portal, adding even more size down low.

However, the biggest scoring threat for Texas A&M comes in the form of a sneaky little 3-point shooter in Wade Taylor IV. Despite the large number of key players that head coach Buzz Williams was able to integrate, his team suffered an unranked loss to Central Florida to start the season. This caused the Aggies to lose 10 places in the last edition of the Associated Press rankings.

On the other side, the Buckeyes have a whole new arsenal, highlighted by a frontcourt composed of transfers in Kentucky’s Aaron Bradshaw and Duke’s Sean Stewart. Besides the new additions, Ohio State’s roster includes two returning players, Devin Royal and Evan Mahaffey. In Monday’s game against Youngstown State, the bigs played well on both sides of the ball, limiting the Penguins to just 47 points.

“Aaron, Sean, Devin, those guys all played in big games in big road environments,” Diebler said.

Diebler also told reporters that the team will need to rely on backcourt experience on Friday.

“Building on the experience of our guards is going to be important.”

The Buckeyes have several experienced guards, such as junior Bruce Thornton and the senior transfer duo of Meechie Johnson Jr. and Micah Parrish will certainly need to step up their efforts on Friday. Diebler also mentioned that freshman John Mobley Jr. doesn’t lack confidence when he’s on the court.

“We have to play with confidence collectively,” Diebler said. “I want our guys, individually, to play with confidence. (Mobley) doesn’t really have a problem with that.

Through the first two games, Mobley is shooting seven of eight from beyond the arc. The Thornton and Mobley tandem has worked well so far, combining for 31 points and a 2.75 assist-to-turnover ratio this season.

Ohio State appears to have what it takes to shock the college basketball world once again on Friday. The Buckeyes appear to be the first team to record two ranked wins this season. Despite two road games in 12 days, Diebler is excited about the challenge.

“This team has always prepared well,” Diebler said. We’re excited to hit the road.

The Buckeyes and Aggies will tip off Friday at 9 p.m. EST on the SEC Network.