The Ohio State basketball program is looking to finally get back to being competitive in the 2025-26 season. They have missed the NCAA Tournament in each of the last three seasons. The Buckeyes finished just 17-15 after a late-season collapse kept them from making the Big Dance.
Gone are all of the transfers that the Ohio State Buckeyes brought in last year. Only one of them, Micah Parrish, really helped the team in any way. Jake Diebler was very careful with who he brought in from the transfer portal in his second full year as a head coach.
While football season is right around the corner, the Buckeyes will be playing basketball sooner than you think. They have released their full non-conference schedule for the upcoming season, and it doesn't look like it's too taxing a schedule to get through.
The Ohio State basketball team doesn't have a tough non-conference schedule
The Buckeyes released their entire non-conference schedule on their website and also put it out on social media.
The Non-Conference schedule release means the season is near, mark your calendars 🗓️🌰#GoBucks | #FightToTheEnd pic.twitter.com/NdJiJOwIDk
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) August 13, 2025
The Buckeyes play some brand-name teams in the non-conference, but they aren't as scary as they seem. North Carolina is their opponent in the CBS Sports Classic this year, and that will be the toughest team they play outside of the Big Ten. They play West Virginia in Cleveland once again in a neutral-site game.
The game against Virginia is another neutral-site game in Nashville, and that one will be easier for them to win. Virginia isn't the same kind of team they were under Tony Bennett, as he retired following last season. Pitt is the only opponent that they truly play on the road.
Jake Diebler will have an enormous amount of pressure on him this season, even though it's only his second full year leading the program. Fans are already split on whether or not he was the right hire, and last season's collapse didn't earn him any extra brownie points with the fan base.
Making the NCAA Tournament this year is a must. Diebler was able to bring back Bruce Thornton, Devin Royal, and Juni Mobley from last year's squad. Those three players should be better next year and will be the focal point of the team, especially on the offensive end.
Other than those three guys, questions remain about who is going to step up. A soft non-conference schedule should help them build their resume for the NCAA Tournament.