Buckeyes land pair of 2018 hoops stars

The Buckeyes landed some big news on the basketball recruiting front on Saturday as a pair of in-state stars gave their pledge to Thad Matta and the Buckeyes. Justin Ahrens and Darius Bazley were on campus on Saturday and made things official with the pair of verbal pledges to the Buckeyes. These are the 2nd and 3rd commits for the class of 2018 joining fellow in-stater Dane Goodwin.

Ahrens is a 6-foot-5 forward out of Versailles (Ohio) who recently picked up an offer from the Buckeyes. He is the younger brother of current Michigan State player Kyle Ahrens. Ahrens is currently not rated by the Buckeyes yet but that should change soon.

"In Ahrens Ohio State is getting a solid all-around player who has toughness and skill," Rivals.com national basketball analyst Eric Bossi said. "Ahrens is a good shooter who already has a solid frame and good athleticism. A dangerous shooter from deep, he's not put the ball on the floor a ton the times that I've seen him play but he's a good decision maker and is one of those guys who seems to keep the ball moving and limits the negative plays."

Bazley is ranked as the No. 79 player in the nation and a four-star by Rivals.com. He held offers from Florida, Purdue, Toledo and St. Louis before committing to the Buckeyes.

"I really like what Bazley brings to the table, long term, as a prospect," Bossi added. "He's probably a natural four man who has the athletic ability, game and instincts to transition into a wing player or at least be a combo forward. Bazley needs to get much stronger but he runs the floor, is very good on the glass, has a knack for getting to the rim and his jumper shows promise. The four-star prospect is a very nice early pickup."

We will have more on this breaking news as the story develops.