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Ohio State Basketball: 2024-25 season preview for the Buckeyes

By Joey Loose

Feb 6, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes guard Bruce Thornton (2) reacts to hitting a three pointer during the first half of the men’s basketball game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Value City Arena.
Feb 6, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes guard Bruce Thornton (2) reacts to hitting a three pointer during the first half of the men’s basketball game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Value City Arena. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
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Schedule Outlook

A highly-anticipated season doesn’t begin in Columbus, as the Buckeyes open the season against Texas in Las Vegas, playing as part of the Hall of Fame Series. The home opener comes a week later against Youngstown State, though a challenging game looms just a few days later with a trip to College Station. That November 15th contest will be Ohio State’s first true road test against a strong Texas A&M squad.

Many prominent programs have holiday tournaments, but the Buckeyes stay home for the rest of the month, hosting four straight games, with three mid-major foes and an interesting ACC test against Pittsburgh on November 29th. The Buckeyes then get their brief look at Big Ten play, including a trip to Maryland, before the final run of nonconference games.

Two of those games are very winnable home dates against MVC teams, but the other two are significant SEC challenges. On December 14th, Ohio State heads to Atlanta for a tough test against Auburn. Exactly one week later, they’ll play their yearly contest in the CBS Sports Classic, facing off against a new-look Kentucky program in New York City.

They’ll jump right back into Big Ten play in earnest after New Year’s, getting their only look at Michigan State to kick things off. With four new teams in the Big Ten, the Buckeyes will now face just three of their league opponents both home and on the road. Namely, they’ll get two cracks at Indiana, Maryland, and Nebraska.

Unenviably, the Buckeyes have quite a treacherous road schedule during league play. Their own contests against Wisconsin, Purdue, and Illinois all come away from home during a three-week span in late January and early February. Ohio State also heads to Los Angeles, facing UCLA on February 23rd and USC a few days later. The regular season ends in Bloomington, with the home finale a few days earlier against the Cornhuskers.

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