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NCAA Basketball: 10 toughest non-conference schedules for 2019-20 season

By Donovan Darlington

ST LOUIS, MO - MARCH 23: A view of Basketballs lined up during warm ups prior to game between the Stanford Cardinal and the Kansas Jayhawks in the third round of the 2014 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Scottrade Center on March 23, 2014 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
ST LOUIS, MO - MARCH 23: A view of Basketballs lined up during warm ups prior to game between the Stanford Cardinal and the Kansas Jayhawks in the third round of the 2014 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Scottrade Center on March 23, 2014 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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COLUMBUS, OH – FEBRUARY 14: Brutus Buckeyes cheers on his team during a game against the Northwestern Wildcats on February 14, 2013 at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH – FEBRUARY 14: Brutus Buckeyes cheers on his team during a game against the Northwestern Wildcats on February 14, 2013 at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) /

3) Ohio State

While plenty of power conference schools are set to head into conference play with near-perfect records due to not being tested during the non-conference part of the season, Ohio State should be commended for not taking this easy way out. It seems that Ohio State knows better than anyone that how you play against teams from other conferences can have an impact on how you approach games in March. Here is a look at Ohio State’s brutal schedule.

Notable Opponents

Cincinnati (Nov. 6)

Villanova (Nov.13)

@ North Carolina (Dec. 4)

Kentucky (Dec. 21)

West Virginia (Dec. 29)

A season ago, Ohio State was very close to not getting into the NCAA Tournament. Once in, they upset Big 12 Tournament Champion, Iowa State, in the First Round. Perhaps nonconference play is what made this possible for the Buckeyes.

Cincinnati was near the top of the American last season and will be back up there again this year. There has been a lot of offseason buzz around Villanova, and they will certainly have a chance to win the Big East this year.

Kentucky and North Carolina are bringing in strong recruiting classes, once again, and both schools will gain national title hype as the season goes on. West Virginia is more of a mystery because of the fact they did not do so well last season, but any Bob Huggins squad could definitely be a challenge.

Once again, Ohio State’s performance against these tough opponents could be what ultimately determines what the selection committee does with them if they happen to be sitting on the bubble near the end of the season.

If they grab a victory in three of these five games, that would be a huge win for the Buckeyes in 2019-20.

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