Buckeyes Announce 2018-19 Non-Conference Schedule

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State announced on Monday its impressive non-conference slate for the 2018-19 season.

Three of the teams made NCAA Tournament appearances last season and two more played in the WNIT, including Virginia Tech which advanced to the finals.

A new NCAA rule allows for an earlier start to the season and the Buckeyes are taking advantage by playing on the first allowable day, Tuesday, Nov. 6 vs. USF.

In addition to the non-conference opponents, the Big Ten schedule has been expanded to 18 games this season, which is a two-game increase over the last two seasons. That schedule will be announced later this summer.

Game times and TV designations for all games will be announced at a later date.

    vs.   
November 6, 2018
Value City Arena, Columbus Ohio

• Season opener on the earlier start date for the 2018-19 season
• This will just be the third meeting all-time between the two programs
• OSU won in Tampa in 1982 and the Bulls won last year’s meeting which was also in Tampa
• USF went 26-8 last season and received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament

    vs.  

November 9, 2018
Value City Arena, Columbus Ohio

• This be the seventh meeting all time between Ohio State and Detroit Mercy and the first since 1995
• The series is tied 3-3
• Detroit won the first three meetings when each school was a member of the MAIAW
• OSU has won the three most recent meetings with the last time coming in Columbus
• Detroit is the alma mater of Ohio State assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Carrie Banks

    at   
November 11, 2018
Storrs, Conn.

• The Buckeyes and Huskies continue a series that started three years ago in Columbus
• The series was briefly interrupted as the matchups for the Countdown to Columbus event were shifted due to TV and travel considerations
• UConn has won all four previous meetings including the last meeting in Connecticut 82-63 on Dec. 19, 2016 in Hartford
• The Huskies advanced to the national semifinals last season where they fell in overtime to eventual champion Notre Dame

    at  
November 16, 2018
Sacramento, Calif.

• Despite more than 2,000 miles between campuses, Ohio State and Sacramento State have met once before. It was on Dec. 9, 1994 at the Kona Classic in Kona, Hawaii which is nearly 4,500 miles from Columbus
• Ohio State won the previous meeting 93-71 behind 31 points, six rebounds and five assists from Katie Smith
• The Hornets were 7-23 last season which included a win over Idaho who the Buckeyes also defeated last year
• Sacramento is the hometown of Buckeye grad transfer Najah Queenland

    at  
November 18, 2018
Palo Alto, Calif.

• The second half of the California swing will be a trip to Stanford to face the Cardinal
• After having met just twice before the start of last year, the teams squared off two times in the first two weeks of last season with the Buckeyes winning both contests.
• OSU blitzed the Cardinal in the season opener for both teams 85-64 at St. John Arena. They then met in the championship game of the Play4Kay Showcase in Las Vegas just 15 days later and that time was a 94-82 overtime victory for Ohio State.
• The Buckeyes lead the all-time series 3-1 with this will be the first meeting in Palo Alto
• Despite the two losses to the Buckeyes, Stanford had a great season a year ago, finishing 24-11 and making an appearance in the Sweet 16.

    vs.   
November 29, 2018
Value City Arena, Columbus Ohio

• This will be the 12^th year of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge and the Buckeyes have participated in the event every year
• OSU is looking to reverse the trend as it is 2-9 in the challenge and has lost the last six games.
• Last year, the Buckeyes fell 69-60 at Duke
• This will be the ninth meeting all-time between Ohio State and North Carolina including the third meeting as part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge
• The Buckeyes won the first three meetings in 1976, 1977 and 1978 and the Tar Heels have won the last five since
• UNC won both meetings in the Challenge, winning 72-63 in 2008 in Columbus and 57-54 in 2012 in Chapel Hill
• The most recent meeting between the two schools came in the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament where North Carolina’s Jamie Cherry hit a running buzzer-beater to give the Tar Heels an 86-84 victory
• The Tar Heels were 15-16 last season and 4-12 in the ACC

    vs.
December 2, 2018
Value City Arena, Columbus, Ohio

• This year’s matchup will be the 24^th meeting all-time between the two in-state rivals
• OSU leads the series 19-4 and has won six out of the last seven meetings
• This was close to an annual series from 1976 to 1988 but the teams have met just seven times since 1994
• Last year, the Buckeyes won 87-76 at Cincinnati in early December
• The Bearcats won 19 games last season and appeared in the WNIT
• Cincinnati is under new leadership this season as it hired former Western Kentucky head coach Michelle Clark-Heard

    at  
December 5, 2018
Seattle, Wash.

• This is a return trip from the team’s meeting last year in Columbus. The Buckeyes defeated Washington in that game 85-76 on Nov. 19
• Ohio State has won all three meetings in the series as the Buckeyes also took both ends of a home and home series in 2006 and 2007
• OSU head coach Kevin McGuff coached two seasons at Washington in 2011-12 and 2012-13 before taking the job at Ohio State. This will be his first trip back to Seattle since his two seasons with the Huskies.
• Washington was just 7-22 last season and 1-17 in Pac 12

    vs.   
December 16, 2018
St. John Arena, Columbus, Ohio

• This is another return matchup as the teams also met last season in Gainesville which resulted in a 103-77 victory on Dec. 6, 2017.
• The teams have only met twice previously and split those contests. The Gators won in the opening round of the 2012 NCAA Tournament in a game played in Bowling Green, Ohio. The Buckeyes then got the best of the host Gators last season.
• Florida finished last season 11-19 overall and 3-13 in the loaded SEC
• Ohio State is 267-66 all time in St. John Arena for an .801 winning percentage.
• The Buckeyes were 2-1 in SJA last season including a an 85-64 win over No. 10 Stanford in the season opener

    vs. 
December 20, 2018
Palm Beach Challenge, Palm Beach, Fla.

• Ohio State opens play at the Palm Beach Challenge against a Virginia Tech team that made a run to the finals of the WNIT last season
• The Hokies were 23-14 last season and 6-10 in the ACC
• This will be the first meeting all-time between the Hokies and Buckeyes

    vs.  
December 21, 2018
Palm Beach Challenge, Palm Beach, Fla.

• Ohio State wraps-up non-conference play when it plays Butler on the second day of the Palm Beach Challenge
• This will be just the second all-time meeting between the two teams. The Buckeyes knocked-off Butler 75-56 in the 2008 season-opener for both teams
• The Bulldogs were 15-17 overall last season which included a win over Virginia Tech
• Butler’s leading scorer last year was Iowa transfer point guard Whitney Jennings