Ohio State Basketball: Buckeyes Reveal Non-Conference Schedule
By Willie Lutz
In a relatively standard-practice move yesterday, the Ohio State Men’s Basketball team revealed their non-conference schedule. The toughest on slate appear to be two match-ups with last year’s title fighters.
Head coach Chris Holtmann‘s job at Ohio State began a little over a month ago, but now he’ll know the teams he must face to get early wins. In 120 days, the team will kick off their 2017-2018 season in the Schottenstein Center against Robert Morris (11/10). On paper, this should be the debut win for the new brain trust.
Check out our non-conference match-ups for this upcoming season. Who's ready for this season? 🏀 #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/SOQbaheom9
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) July 12, 2017
After home games against Radford (11/12), Texas Southern (11/16) and Northeastern (11/19), the schedule gets significantly more difficult.
On Thanksgiving, the Buckeyes will head west to take part in the Phil Knight Invitational Tournament. Housed in Portland, OR, Ohio State will see the 2017 National Championship runner-up Gonzaga Bulldogs. They’ll then play winner or loser Stanford and Florida, depending on the outcome of each match-up.
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Following the tournament, it’ll be a Big 10-ACC Challenge game against the Clemson Tigers (11/29). Fans will more-than-likely be treated to a better effort than a 31-0 loss (too soon, even for me).
Staying on their home court for their next three games, the Buckeyes will essentially be working for tune-ups. Pairings against William & Mary (12/9), Appalachian State (12/16) and the Citadel lead the Buckeyes to their biggest match-up of non-conference play.
As of this moment, the biggest game of the regular season comes on December 23rd in Chapel Hill, NC. The Buckeyes must travel to face the defending National Champion North Carolina Tar Heels. Chris Holtmann, who coached his Butler Bulldogs in a 92-80 loss in the NCAA Tournament, will get a rematch.
Wrapping up the non-conference slate will be a home match-up against the Miami (OH) Red Hawks (12/30). The in-state opponent looks to be nothing more than an easy transition opponent into Big 10 conference play.
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Going off of on-paper expectations, the Buckeyes at their worst should come out of non-conference play with three or less marks in the loss column. Anything worse likely dooms the season. Anything better, however, is a great sign of what’s to come under Holtmann.