On Tuesday, the Ohio State men's basketball program released its non-conference schedule for the 2018-19.
And as it turns out, the Buckeyes won't only host Cleveland State later this year, but they'll do so in one of the more highly anticipated games on their upcoming schedule.
For the first time since 2010, the Ohio State men's program will host a game at St. John Arena, which served as the home of the Buckeyes from 1956-1998. In doing so, OSU will face the CSU Vikings on Nov. 23, in a game that will be a part of the week-long Buckeye Basketball Classic.
Cleveland State is coming off a 12-23 campaign in what was the debut season for head coach Dennis Felton. Guard Tyree Appleby serves as the Vikings' top returning scorer after averaging 11.8 points and 4.0 assists in his freshman season.
The Buckeyes, meanwhile, compiled a 25-9 record and NCAA Tournament appearance in what was head coach Chris Holtmann's first season in Columbus. Ohio State, however, could be headed for a transitional year following the departures of key players Keita Bates-Diop and Jae'Sean Tate.
The last time Cleveland State took on Ohio State came in 2009, when the Buckeyes beat the Vikings 72-59 in Columbus.
In addition to the Vikings, Ohio State is slated to face the likes of Cincinnati, Syracuse, Youngstown State and UCLA in its upcoming out-of-conference schedule. A tip-off time for the Buckeyes' matchup with CSU has yet to be announced yet.
