Ohio State Basketball will be back in just a few weeks, and this team is primed to be a force in the Big Ten. They will arguably have their best team in five or six years if everything can all come together.
The program was able to retain standout big man Kaleb Wesson while also bringing in three four-star recruits to help lace the court with talent around him. That’s why Ohio State was preseason ranked No. 18 in the first release of the AP Poll.
However, while its record will ultimately be determined by how OSU plays, factoring in the opponent and preseason rank is both intriguing and important in the grand scheme of things.
It all works together.
That said, Ohio State is slated to play five preseason top-25 ranked teams this season. Every other opponent, including Michigan, Wisconsin and the rest of the Big Ten, is not ranked to start the the year.
No. 23 Purdue
No. 9 UNC
No. 7 Maryland (2x)
No. 2 Kentucky
No. 1 Michigan State
This is a solid, top-heavy schedule with numerous difficult games. For Ohio State, that’s excellent — as long as it can make some hay in at least a few of those games. If the Buckeyes collect a few losses, winning one or two of these games could make them a lock for the NCAA Tournament.
Don’t look now, but the last game of the season is against the nation’s preseason No. 1 team according to the AP Poll, Michigan State. Most of the others, especially the non-conference games against Kentucky and UNC, come earlier in the season.
