Ohio State opening 2026-27 season with neutral-site game against BYU
COLUMBUS — Ohio State is already getting to work building out its 2026-2027 basketball nonconference schedule. The Buckeyes will begin the season with a high-level matchup — one that will challenge Jake Diebler’s program.
The Buckeyes will open the season against BYU in Salt Lake City, according to the Field of 68. The game will take place Monday, November 2, just two days after Ohio State football plays against USC in Southern California.
Ohio State and BYU haven’t played since 1997.
A return game between Ohio State and BYU is expected to be played in Ohio down the road, during a future season yet to be named.
Both the Buckeyes and Cougars lost in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. Following that, Ohio State lost its all-time leading scorer in point guard Bruce Thornton, while the Cougars lost one of the top freshman in the country and future NBA top-five draft selection AJ Dybantsa.
BYU lost its top four scorers from last season. Ohio State, meanwhile, returns guard John Mobley Jr., forward Amare Bynum and other key pieces to go with five-star freshman and McDonald’s All-American selection Anthony Thompson.
Ohio State also added key pieces from the transfer portal. The Buckeyes have added former California star guard Justin Pippen, former Kentucky center Andrija Jelavić, former Duquesne guard Jimmie Williams and former Memphis guard Curtis Givens III to the roster to bolster depth around the core they bring back.
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The Buckeyes lost guard Gabe Cupps, guard Taison Chatman, guard Mathieu Grujicic, forward Devin Royal and forward Colin White to the transfer portal.
That new-look roster for the third year of the Jake Diebler tenure will begin in Salt Lake City in early November. Ohio State will take on fellow NCAA Tournament program BYU on Nov. 2.
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