Greg Oden`s much-anticipated college basketball debut will have to wait.

The highly touted, 7-foot freshman will watch from the bench as he recovers from a wrist injury when fourth-ranked Ohio State opens its season against VMI on Friday in the Black Coaches Association Classic. Oddsmakers have yet to release a line for this game.

A two-time national high school player of the year who was the nation’s top recruit, Greg Oden might be sidelined until the calendar turns to 2007 due to a torn ligament in his right wrist suffered in February. Greg Oden underwent surgery and is limited in practice, but is expected back for Ohio State’s Big Ten opener against Indiana on Jan. 2.

Greg Oden, who scored 1,873 points and grabbed 1,058 rebounds during his high school career, might have been the No. 1 pick in last summer’s NBA draft if it weren’t for the rule change requiring players to spend at least one year in college before going pro. Greg Oden, however, is eager to play his first collegiate game and has enjoyed life on campus.

``He wants to experience the college environment, and he still hasn’t got to experience that yet, `` said Mike Conley Jr., one of Ohio State’s five heralded newcomers and a teammate of Greg Oden at Indianapolis` Lawrence North High School.

``He still thinks he needs to get better. ``

Greg Oden’s teammates don’t believe he will be rusty when he finally makes his college debut.

``From what he’s shown in practice, I’m sure he’ll have NO trouble adjusting, `` said Matt Terwilliger, who will play some center until Greg Oden returns. ``Everything within seven feet of the basket is an easy dunk for him, with how he gets up for rebounds and things.

``He’s so much more advanced (mentally) than most freshmen. Just the way he goes through drills, thinking about positioning and how quickly he picks things up. The mental aspect won’t be a factor with him. ``

The Buckeyes will have plenty of able bodies to overcome the absence of Greg Oden, who was selected to the preseason All-Big Ten team.

Ohio State returns five letter winners from last year’s team that finished 26-6 - 12-4 in the conference - and won its first outright Big Ten title since 1992. The Buckeyes earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament, but lost to Georgetown in the second round.

Others in Ohio State’s talented freshman class include Conley and fellow guard Aqua Cook, who like Greg Oden were McDonald’s All-Americans. Forward David Lighty was an all-state first-teamer in Ohio last season, and 6-9 junior college transfer Othello Hunter is expected to contribute right away.

All four of those newcomers were in the starting lineup for Ohio State in its 87-62 exhibition win over Walsh University last Sunday.

Top returning scorer Ron Lewis (11.2 ppg) and point guard Jamar Butler, who was fourth in the Big Ten in 3-point accuracy (41.4 percent) in 2005-06, played well last season for the Buckeyes. Ivan Harris, who started 32 games in 2004-05, joins Lewis as the only seniors on the roster.

Ohio State coach Thad Matta, who is 46-18 in two seasons at Ohio State, likes the way the freshmen have fit in with his veterans.

``I think the respect for the upperclassmen from the freshmen is there, and they deserve it, `` said Matta, who agreed to a new contract that runs through 2014-15. ``All of our veteran players have done a tremendous job of welcoming the new guys in. They are a very close group, and that is exciting for me to see. ``

Ohio State, which is 31-3 at home under Matta, averaged 73.8 points per game last season to rank second in the Big Ten behind Michigan State (74.1).

VMI will take a 12-game losing streak into its first meeting with Ohio State. The Keydets finished 7-20 last season and 2-14 in the Big South Conference.

Second-team All-Big South pick Reggie Williams, who led VMI in scoring with 19.0 points per game, returns for a team picked to finish last in the conference for the second straight year despite returning four starters and 10 letterwinners.

``With our top five players back, we feel like the future is bright for VMI basketball,`` said coach Duggar Baucom, whose Keydets have not had a winning season since going 18-10 in 1995-96.

VMI has lost its last nine games against Top 25 teams.

 

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