Welcome back to the most exciting basketball edition of “You’re Nuts’ in several weeks, because we were gifted a ton of basketball news this week.
From a big schedule drop to a commitment that dominated the headlines on Thursday afternoon, there was no shortage of Ohio State basketball news.
On Wednesday night, the Big Ten released the full men’s and women’s basketball schedules. Tip times and broadcast information is not available yet, but we now have Ohio State’s full 32-game schedule.
The Buckeyes will start conference play on Dec. 2 at Nebraska, and will close Big Ten play on March 7 against Michigan. Ohio State will face Penn State, Iowa, and Michigan twice each, and every other team once.
Then, on Thursday afternoon, Ohio State got its first commitment in the 2027 recruiting class, with Canadian forward Deng Ngor committing to Jake Diebler and the Buckeyes. Ngor is a 6-foot-8, 200-pound forward who is currently ranked No. 95 in the 247Sports composite rankings.
Ngor is one of the fastest risers in the country, as he was unranked at the beginning of the summer, and has now ascended to a four-star recruit and a top-100 prospect.
Last week, Connor and Justin each gave one “hot take” about the Ohio State men’s basketball team this season.
Justin said that Justin Pippen will make an All-Big Ten team, citing his elite defense and solid assist numbers. Connor said that the center position is going to be problematic for Ohio State all year long, and broke down why none of the centers on the roster are particularly exciting.
This week, the guys are picking one Big Ten game on the schedule and explaining why it’s the toughest conference game of the season. What do you think will be their toughest Big Ten game?
This week’s question: What is the Ohio State men’s basketball team’s toughest Big Ten game this season?
Connor: At Illinois – Saturday, Jan. 9
This game at Illinois kicks off the toughest stretch of basketball for Ohio State.
The Buckeyes have to roll into the State Farm Center on a Saturday night and find a way to knock off an elite Illinois team that has Final Four and National Championship potential. Illinois is bringing back three starters from a team that made it to the Final Four last season, and added a double-digit scoring, 6-foot-7 guard in Stefan Vaaks and a five-star freshman guard in Quentin Coleman.
Illinois should be a very well-rounded team this season, with talent on the perimeter as well as near the basket. Senior guard Andrej Stojakovic could wind up as one of the best — or simply the best — player in the Big Ten this season, and on top of all that, it’s just really tough to win at Illinois.
This would be a marquee win for Ohio State if they could find a way to pull it off — the Illini will begin the season ranked in the top-10 of the AP Poll and will probably hang out in that range all year long. Beating that caliber of team on their home court in conference play would be a massive boost.
After this game, Ohio State travels to Mackey Arena to play Purdue just three days later. After that, they get Penn State, Michigan State, and Iowa — all at home — over a 9-day stretch. Ohio State would love to win at least three of those games.
Justin: Home against Michigan State – Saturday, Jan. 23
The Buckeyes have a couple of things that stand out when it comes to the schedule, but a stretch of conference games from Jan. 9 to Jan. 30 is the biggest thing. That stretch will likely determine what type of season it will be.
The Michigan State game on Jan. 23 stands out as the most important.
For one, it is at home. Michigan State is going to be a great team next season, and beating them in East Lansing will be almost impossible. The good part is the Buckeyes do not travel to play the Spartans this season, so this will be their one chance to get a win over Michigan State.
It is also in the middle of a home stand against Penn State and Iowa, both teams they will likely be favored against. Penn State definitely, and Iowa likely. So, that is a chance to string together a three-game winning streak in the middle of January, which Ohio State fans know all too well how important that is.
The third reason is that this three-game home stretch is in between three of the toughest road games of the season. Before these three games, the Buckeyes play at Illinois and Purdue, and then after the home stretch plays at Michigan.
So, three wins at home could help that brutal road game stretch. A win over Michigan State will always help the resume.