The Ohio State basketball program has been taking part in one of the best in-season matchups for over a decade. The CBS Sports Classic started back in 2014, and the Buckeyes have played in that event every year. It's a tournament that showcases four of the best programs in the country.
From the start, the Classic involved the Ohio State Buckeyes, UCLA, Kentucky, and North Carolina. Then, UCLA joined the Big Ten, making the potential rotation with the Buckeyes and the Bruins a conference matchup. That's something that they wanted to avoid.
Now, the CBS Sports Classic will no longer feature the Bruins. Surprisingly, they have left instead of Ohio State. There is now a Big 12 team included in the CBS Sports Classic, as Kansas will now join the rotation. That means every P4 conference is represented now.
The Ohio State basketball team will face Kansas in CBS Sports Classic
The Jayhawks will take on the Buckeyes in next year's version of the CBS Sports Classic. Ohio State will then take on Kentucky in 2027 and UCLA in 2028. Kansas will face the Buckeyes again in 2029. Next year's version of the Classic will take place in Madison Square Garden in New York.
Ohio State is clearly the odd man out in this Classic. They are not a blue-blood basketball program, while all of the other programs are. It would make much more sense if Michigan State, Purdue, or Indiana were to take part in this event. In any case, this is good for the Buckeyes.
Despite not being a true blue-blood, Ohio State is 6-5 in the Classic. There was one cancellation, as the 2020 version of the game was canceled due to COVID. Ohio State has done a good job of competing against the best basketball programs in the country.