Ohio State is getting its backup big man back for the 2026-27 season, with center Ivan Njegovan officially returning for his junior year with the team.
Last season, Njegovan backed up senior center Christoph Tilly and was able to earn a bigger role throughout the season. He played in 30 games with the Buckeyes and averaged 2.6 points and 3.0 rebounds in over 11 minutes per contest.
Two times, Njegovan was able to start a game with Tilly out. He scored eight points against Penn State but ended up fouling out in the win in his first start. Then, against Iowa, in what ended up being a big loss, Njegovan played 23 minutes and scored five points with three rebounds.
As a freshman during the 2024-25 season, Njegovan had 1.6 points and 1.5 rebounds per game in nearly six minutes per contest in 21 games.
Now, with Njegovan back for next season, the Buckeyes seem to be looking at a three-man rotation at center, with Josh Ojianwuna returning from his ACL tear and junior Kentucky transfer Andrija Jelavic joining Ohio State out of the portal.
