Ohio State basketball: Buckeyes conference schedule is set

Buckeye basketball fans can mark their calendars as the full Ohio State basketball schedule has officially been set. The Big Ten announced the conference schedule this afternoon. Let’s take a dive into what the Big Ten put together for the Buckeyes’ Big Ten conference schedule.

As it’s been for the past several years, the Big Ten will be one of the toughest conferences in all of college basketball. There really is no “push-over” of an opponent in conference play once again.

The Ohio State basketball team begins their Big Ten schedule in early December with a pair of games. They start by hosting Minnesota on December 3rd, then they hit the road to face a new-look Penn State team on December 9th.

After they take a break to finish up non-conference play, the Buckeyes jump back into conference on January 3rd when Rutgers comes to Columbus. The Scarlet Knights will have the memory of Tanner Holden’s buzzer-beater just inside half-court from last year’s trip to the Schott on their mind heading into that one.

We all know the Buckeyes have not been great in the month of January under Chris Holtmann, so naturally that part of the schedule is pretty tough. They get four home games in January against Rutgers, Wisconsin, Penn State, and Illinois, along with four games on the road traveling to Indiana, Michigan, Nebraska, and Northwestern.

A few other notable match-ups are against the projected top two teams in the conference. Purdue visits Value City Arena in the middle of February, and the Buckeyes travel to Michigan State at the end of that month.

The Buckeyes will host Michigan at home for Senior Day, and travel to Rutgers on March 10 to finish the regular season.

Each night in the Big Ten will be a test for the Ohio State basketball team. With an elevated level of opponent in non-conference, they should be prepared for the gauntlet that is the Big Ten.

The start of the college basketball season is less than 50 days away. Buckeye basketball will be here before we know it!