Ohio State basketball: Buckeyes know Maui Invitational opponents

Yes, you read that correctly, the Ohio State basketball team is heading to the beautiful state of Hawaii for the Maui Invitational this November. The Buckeyes help headline a field that is being considered one of the most loaded fields ever to play in the Maui Invitational. The bracket for the invitational was released today, let’s take a look at it.

The Buckeyes open up their run at a Maui Invitational championship against the San Diego State Aztecs at 9:00 Eastern Time on ESPNU. After that, they get the opportunity to play against the winner or loser of the Arizona Wildcats and in-state foe, the Cincinnati Bearcats.

This is the fourth appearance the Ohio State basketball program has made at the Maui Invitational, and their first time since 2003. A trip back to the island of Maui for the Buckeye basketball team has been long overdue.

The names in this field at the Maui Invitational aren’t the “blue-bloods” you would expect to make it loaded. However, according to pre-season rankings, these teams are expected to be really talented.

Arizona lost a lot from last season, but they are still one of the favorites in the Pac-12. Arkansas and Creighton are both teams that are going to be ranked inside the top 10 next season, maybe even top 5. Much like Ohio State, Arkansas has a tremendous recruiting class coming in next season. While Creighton is returning nearly everyone from last season’s team and bringing in one of the top transfers from the transfer portal.

The Buckeyes aren’t going to have a pushover of an opponent in their first-round game either. San Diego State is coming off a 23-9 season and a third-place finish in the Mountain West Conference last season. The Aztecs made the tournament last year as an 8-seed and they are returning most of their team from last year, including one of the best guards in the country in Matt Bradley. It will be a tough test for the Buckeyes in the first game in Maui since 2003.

The Ohio State basketball team continues to beef up their non-conference schedule by playing in this loaded Maui Invitational. This will be the first time the Maui Invitational is being played in Maui since 2019, and it most certainly will be an epic one.

Like always, this Maui Invitational will be a part of ESPN’s “Feast Week” during Thanksgiving. It would be huge if Holtmann and the team can make a run at winning it all in Hawaii.