Ohio State Basketball 2026–27 Nonconference Schedule Breakdown: BYU Opener, UConn Road Test and Kansas Showdown Await the Buckeyes

Ohio State’s 2026–27 men’s basketball nonconference schedule gives the Buckeyes several opportunities to establish themselves before the heart of Big Ten play. With games against BYU, UConn, Vanderbilt, Notre Dame and Kansas, the schedule demands more than simply collecting wins at home.

The Buckeyes return starters John Mobley Jr. and Amare Bynum while welcoming eight newcomers, making the early season an important period for developing chemistry. A challenging opener and two significant road assignments should quickly reveal where Ohio State is ready—and where it needs improvement.

Ohio State has 12 regular-season nonconference games: eight at home, two on the road and two at neutral sites.

The Nonconference Schedule

Date Opponent Site Time

November 2 BYU Neutral — Salt Lake City, Utah 9 p.m.

November 6 Youngstown State Schottenstein Center 6:30 p.m.

November 9 Marshall Schottenstein Center 6 p.m.

November 13 UConn Away — Storrs, Connecticut 7:30 p.m.

November 16 Prairie View A&M Schottenstein Center 6:30 p.m.

November 19 UMBC Schottenstein Center 7 p.m.

November 24 Vanderbilt Schottenstein Center 7 p.m.

November 29 Lipscomb Schottenstein Center 5:30 p.m.

December 12 Notre Dame Away — South Bend, Indiana TBA

December 15 Stony Brook Schottenstein Center 6 p.m.

December 19 Kansas Neutral — Madison Square Garden Noon

December 22 Mississippi Valley State Schottenstein Center4 p.m.

All times Eastern. Dates and times reflect Ohio State’s current published schedule and are subject to change.

Exhibition Games: Early Lessons Before a Demanding Opener

Ohio State began its exhibition schedule with a 79–68 loss to Cincinnati at the CareSource Invitational in Mason on October 7. The Buckeyes will also host Butler on October 25 at 2 p.m.

The Cincinnati result gives Ohio State a starting point for evaluation. Exhibition games allow coaches to test combinations, identify communication problems and determine which players can handle expanded responsibilities.

Butler provides another opportunity to make those adjustments before the results count. With BYU waiting immediately, the Buckeyes have reason to approach that exhibition as a meaningful preparation date.

The priority should be establishing dependable possessions at both ends: generating good shots, avoiding unnecessary turnovers and finishing defensive stops with rebounds.

BYU: An Immediate Test Away From Home

Opening against BYU in Salt Lake City gives Ohio State a significant challenge from the first night. It will be the programs’ first meeting since 1997.

Although officially a neutral-site game, its Utah location makes it reasonable to anticipate substantial BYU support. Ohio State must be prepared to communicate and execute in an environment that could feel different from a balanced neutral crowd.

The opener should provide an early look at how the Buckeyes respond when their preferred offensive options are disrupted. Can they create a quality second opportunity within a possession? Can they avoid allowing one mistake to become a scoring run?

A victory would provide immediate momentum. A competitive, organized performance would also offer useful evidence of how quickly the roster is coming together.

Youngstown State and Marshall: Turning Lessons Into Progress

The first two home games give Ohio State an opportunity to apply what it learns from the opener.

Against Youngstown State and Marshall, the Buckeyes should aim to establish control through execution and sustained effort. These are opportunities to develop the rotation, but that development should come with clear expectations for defensive positioning, rebounding and ball movement.

For Mobley, the challenge will include helping the offense function when opponents make his shooting a priority. Ohio State needs multiple reliable ways to score so that difficult shooting stretches do not derail entire games.

UConn: The Most Revealing Early Road Assignment

The visit to UConn begins a home-and-home series, with the Huskies scheduled to return to Columbus the following season.

This matchup should be one of the clearest early examinations of Ohio State’s composure. Road games against prominent programs place pressure on the details: defensive communication, shot selection, transition coverage and execution after timeouts.

The Buckeyes cannot depend on difficult jump shots to solve every possession. They will need purposeful movement, strong decisions and enough interior production to keep the offense balanced.

For the coaching staff, this game should help identify which combinations remain dependable under pressure.

The November Homestand: Vanderbilt Leads a Four-Game Stretch

Prairie View A&M, UMBC, Vanderbilt and Lipscomb give Ohio State four consecutive home opportunities after the UConn trip.

Vanderbilt is the most prominent matchup in that group. The game also starts a home-and-home arrangement, with Ohio State scheduled to visit Nashville next season.

The Vanderbilt contest offers a chance to earn a meaningful home victory, but the surrounding games deserve equal preparation. Prairie View A&M and UMBC provide opportunities to correct weaknesses exposed on the road. Lipscomb then tests whether the Buckeyes can maintain their concentration following the Vanderbilt matchup.

The value of this stretch lies in repetition. Ohio State should have enough practice and game evidence by then to sharpen its rotation and establish more consistent responsibilities.

December: Conference Play Arrives Before the Nonconference Finish

Ohio State opens Big Ten play at Nebraska on December 2 and hosts Maryland on December 6 before returning to its remaining nonconference games.

That ordering gives the December nonconference schedule added value. The Buckeyes can use those games to address problems exposed by their first two league opponents.

Notre Dame supplies another true road examination. By that point, Ohio State should be better equipped to handle an opposing crowd and execute through difficult stretches than it was in November.

Stony Brook falls between Notre Dame and Kansas, making focus especially important. The Buckeyes need a productive performance without looking ahead to New York.

Kansas at Madison Square Garden: A National Showcase

Ohio State faces Kansas at noon on December 19 in the CBS Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden.

This is the nonconference schedule’s most prominent December showcase. It gives the Buckeyes an opportunity to demonstrate how much they have improved since the BYU opener.

The key will be maintaining offensive and defensive discipline throughout the game. Ohio State needs to limit empty possessions, compete on the glass and prevent mistakes from becoming easy points.

A strong performance would carry weight beyond the immediate result, offering evidence that the Buckeyes can execute against a major opponent on a national stage.

What Would Make This Schedule a Success?

My assessment is that 9–3 would represent a strong nonconference target, with the quality of those victories determining how impressive that record ultimately looks. That is a schedule benchmark, rather than a game-by-game forecast.

Ohio State should aim to protect its home court while earning meaningful wins from the BYU, UConn, Vanderbilt, Notre Dame and Kansas group. The schedule provides opportunities to build a postseason résumé without leaving every important result to Big Ten play.

Just as important is the team’s development. By the final nonconference game, Ohio State should have a settled rotation, dependable support around its returning starters and a clearer response to defensive pressure. Those qualities would give the Buckeyes a stronger foundation for the conference season.