Big Ten releases full schedules for Ohio State men's and women's basketball
![Fans cheer during Ohio State's men's basketball game against Michigan State on Jan. 5 in Value City Arena. [Tyler Schank]](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/2019/08/23/NBUX/ghows-OH-90cd63e9-0482-469b-e053-0100007fa1d8-9e2d6a96.jpeg?width=660&height=507&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
Ohio State will open the men’s basketball season at home against Cincinnati on Nov. 6 in a game that has been on the books for more than a year.
Now we also know that the regular season will end at Michigan State on March 8, bookending what figures to be one of the most challenging Ohio State men’s basketball schedules in recent years. The Big Ten announced dates for all conference games Friday afternoon, giving Ohio State its complete 2019-20 schedule.
For a third straight year, the Big Ten will play two conference games in December before resuming league play in the new year. For the Buckeyes, that means a Big Ten opener at home against Penn State on Dec. 7 followed by final exams and then a road game against Minnesota on the 15th. It marks a second consecutive season in which one of Ohio State’s December conference games has included the Golden Gophers.
The game against the Spartans, who are a preseason favorite to be the top-ranked team in the nation, is the only meeting between the schools this year. With a 20-game conference schedule, each team plays a home-and-home series with seven teams, has three teams it plays only at home and three others solely on the road.
The Buckeyes will Minnesota, Indiana, Michigan, Penn State, Maryland, Wisconsin and Nebraska twice. Iowa, Michigan State and Northwestern will host the Buckeyes but not come to Value City Arena while Ohio State will host but not travel to face Illinois, Purdue and Rutgers.
Oddly enough, that means the Buckeyes will close the regular season with consecutive games against teams they face just once: senior night at home against Illinois on March 5 and then at Michigan State three days later.
The Big Ten also announced dates for all women's basketball conference games Friday. The Ohio State women's 18-game Big Ten schedule begins and ends with Purdue. The Buckeyes open conference play at home against the Boilermakers on Dec. 28 and end it Feb. 29 in West Lafayette, Indiana.
Here are the men's and women's schedule. Game times and television broadcast information will be announced at a later date.
MEN
October
30 – Cedarville (exhibition)
November
6 – Cincinnati
10 – UMass Lowell
13 – Villanova (Gavitt Games)
18 – Stetson
22 – Purdue Fort Wayne
25 – Kent State (at St. John Arena)
29 – Morgan State
December
4 – at North Carolina (ACC-Big Ten Challenge)
7 – Penn State
15 – at Minnesota
17 – Southeast Missouri State
21 – vs. Kentucky (CBSSports Classic, Las Vegas)
29 – vs. West Virginia (at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, Cleveland)
January
3 – Wisconsin
7 – at Maryland
11 – at Indiana
14 – Nebraska
18 – at Penn State
23 – Minnesota
26 – at Northwestern
February
1 – Indiana
4 – at Michigan
9 – at Wisconsin
12 – Rutgers
15 – Purdue
20 – at Iowa
23 – Maryland
27 – at Nebraska
March
1 – Michigan
5 – Illinois
8 – at Michigan State
WOMEN
November
3 – Urbana (exhibition)
10 – Valparaiso (Ohio Hall of Fame Challenge at Wittenberg)
13 – Cincinnati
17 – Ohio
21 – at Kent State
24 – Connecticut
29 – South Dakota (South Point Shootout, Las Vegas)
30 – Northern Iowa (South Point Shootout, Las Vegas)
December
5 – Louisville (ACC-Big Ten Challenge)
8 – Radford
15 – at Stanford
17 – at Sacramento State
28 – Purdue
31 – at Minnesota
January
6 – at Maryland
9 – Michigan
12 – Penn State
16 – at Michigan State
19 – Illinois
23 – at Iowa
30 – Maryland
February
2 – at Nebraska
6 – at Illinois
9 – Wisconsin
13 – Minnesota
16 – at Indiana
19 – Nebraska
22 – at Rutgers
25 – Northwestern
29 – at Purdue
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@AdamJardy