clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

‘BTPowerhouse 25’ - No. 19 Seth Towns

BTPowerhouse's staff counts down the best players in the Big Ten heading into the 2020-’21 season.

By Thomas Beindit
NCAA Basketball: Harvard at Kentucky Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

In the months leading up to the 2020-’21 college basketball season, BTPowerhouse will be releasing a new series called the ‘BTPowerhouse 25,’ which features the Top 25 players in the Big Ten as voted by members of the staff. All players set to be on Big Ten rosters for next season were eligible during the staff vote with their top selection receiving 25 points and their 25th and final selection receiving 1 point.

Today's edition will take a brief look at Seth Towns of the Ohio State Buckeyes, who landed at No. 19 in the rankings. The Buckeyes enter this season hoping to build off last year’s 21-10 mark. Towns will be a key part in replacing some of the team’s offseason departures.

'BTPowerhouse 25' - No. 19 Seth Towns:

  • Eligibility: Redshirt Junior
  • Career Totals: 58 games, 1,527 minutes, 825 points, 292 rebounds, 90 assists
  • 2019-’20 Averages: N/A
  • Positional Role: Small Forward

With Andre Wesson and Kaleb Wesson leaving town, Ohio State looked like it was going to have some big questions entering this season. The team had some open slots and needed to find some new contributors. As such, Chris Holtmann went out and added Towns from Harvard. He is expected to contribute significantly this season.

-Player Strengths

Harvard wasn’t great in either of the seasons with Towns on the roster. However, he was really productive offensively and a sniper from deep, hitting 49.3 percent of his three-point attempts in his sophomore season, which led the Ivy League. He also maintained a 113.9 offensive rating during conference play with heavy usage numbers, which is a really encouraging sign about his long-term potential.

It’s also important to stress the diversity of Towns’ contributions in Cambridge. He played multiple spots and contributed with and without the ball in his hands. Towns also ranked as one of the best passers in the Ivy League in his final season with the Crimson and had a really good steal rate.

-Areas for Improvement

Let’s start with the biggest question about Towns entering this season. He missed the entire 2019-’20 season with a left knee injury and is now moving from mid-major competition to the best conference in the country. There would be questions if he was going back to Harvard, but there are even more when you add the transfer in on top of it. There’s a chance he’s just not the same player. Obviously, everyone is hoping he is back to his old self.

From an on-court perspective, Towns’ biggest area to improve is inside the arc. He was a respectable interior player, but finished with an underwhelming 40.5 shooting percentage from two-point range and wasn’t great at drawing fouls outside the Ivy League. Towns will have to elevate in those areas if he’s going to live up to the hype in Columbus.

-Player Projection

There’s little debating Towns projects to be a starter and a quality player for the Buckeyes this season. He’s an ace shooter that can do enough elsewhere to challenge defenses and opposing ball handlers. The biggest questions will be about his recovery from injury and how he fits with Ohio State’s other contributors. Towns dominated possessions with Harvard. That won’t happen with the Buckeyes.

Expect Towns to be an instant starter and a quality contributor for Ohio State. If things go right, he should be in contention for an All-Big Ten spot by season’s end. However, we’ll have to see who fits in alongside him in Ohio State’s lineup. Fans should be excited about what the forward can do this season.

***

'BTPowerhouse 25' Rankings:

More From BT Powerhouse