The Ohio State basketball program has had a tough time in the last three years. They haven't made the NCAA Tournament in any of those seasons. Jake Diebler will now be approaching his second full season as head coach, and he is hoping to learn a lot from last season.
The Buckeyes looked like they were well on their way to making the NCAA Tournament, but a late-season collapse prevented them from having the resume necessary to do so. Instead, they missed out and decided not to play in The Crown or the NIT.
Diebler thinks that the Ohio State Buckeyes are better off playing good competition in non-conference games, so he likes his team to play a few tough games. The Buckeyes have now decided to schedule a home-and-home with a prominent ACC program.
The Ohio State basketball program schedules a home-and-home with Notre Dame
Ohio State now has a couple of games against Notre Dame on the schedule. They will face Notre Dame on November 16th this upcoming season before taking on Notre Dame in South Bend on December 12th, 2026. It's a home-and-home that each team has agreed on.
Now that the Big Ten/ACC Challenge no longer gets played because of the TV contracts, this is likely the only way that the Buckeyes will play Notre Dame. It's a nice game for each of them to schedule, because both programs are on the fringes of being an NCAA Tournament team.
Ohio State would certainly love to win both of those games in each of those seasons, but Diebler needs to have his team play better in Big Ten play. That is what will make or break their chances of making the NCAA Tournament, just as it did last season.
The Buckeyes are still trying to land a couple of guys from the transfer portal. If they are able to get them, they might have a shot at making the Big Dance next season.