Men's basketball: Ohio State gets another tough nonconference opponent in Villanova
![Villanova, Cincinnati, West Virginia and Kentucky are among the nonconference opponents for Ohio State and coach Chris Holtmann. [Samantha Madar]](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/2019/05/29/NBUX/ghows-OH-8a0c067d-9885-7d26-e053-0100007ff312-369d9fe8.jpeg?width=660&height=440&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
The latest marquee nonconference game for the 2019-20 Ohio State men’s basketball schedule has been announced.
The Buckeyes will host Villanova, which won the 2016 and 2018 national championships, as part of the Gavitt Tipoff Games. The matchup for the game, which will be played Nov. 13 at Value City Arena, was announced Wednesday.
The game against the Wildcats, who went 26-10 last season and like Ohio State advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, will be days after the Buckeyes open the season at home against Cincinnati on the first day of the season. The exact date has not been announced.
The full nonconference schedule for the Buckeyes has not been released, but the games already known are against formidable teams. In addition to Villanova and Cincinnati, the Buckeyes will play West Virginia in Cleveland on Dec. 29, Kentucky in Las Vegas for the CBS Sports Classic on Dec. 21 and at an as-yet unannounced ACC team as part of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.
Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann and Villanova coach Jay Wright are friends and coached against each other when Holtmann was in the Big East with Butler from 2015-17. The Wildcats beat the Bulldogs in both meetings during Holtmann’s two seasons, but Butler swept the season series in 2017.
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