Jake Diebler has gotten what he wanted.
Diebler, who is entering his second full season as head coach of the Ohio State men’s basketball team, consistently pointed out last season that the league’s schedule makers had not given the Buckeyes a desirable slate of home conference games and dates.
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Eight of the 10 league games at Value City Arena were played on a weeknight. The exceptions were a Big Ten home opener against Rutgers on Saturday, Dec. 7, and a showdown with Michigan on Sunday, Feb. 16. The Buckeyes failed to top more than 11,000 fans in half of their home games and, for the first time, sold fewer than 10,000 tickets for a conference game.
Only 9,987 fans were on hand for a Feb. 12 game against cellar-dweller Washington, a game that tipped at 8:30 p.m. on a Wednesday. The Buckeyes won, 93-69.
Coaches covet weekend home games for all the obvious reasons. Even in a conference that annually leads the nation in attendance, having a full home arena can make a difference, and that is most likely to happen on a weekend.
Ohio State played four weekend Big Ten road games last year and lost them all. This season, Ohio State will again play four weekend Big Ten road games. However, the Buckeyes will also host four, three of which will be among the final nine games of the year, and each comes against historical Big Ten rivals.
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That stretch starts when Michigan comes to Value City Arena on Sunday, Feb. 8. Then, two of Ohio State’s final three league games will be weekend home games. After Purdue plays at Value City Arena on Sunday, March 1, Indiana will make the same trip for a Saturday, March 7 game.
The other home weekend game will see UCLA make its first trip to Ohio State’s campus since Dec. 6, 1968. The Buckeyes will host the Bruins on Saturday, Jan. 17.
Here are four other takeaways from Ohio State’s full 2025-26 schedule.
January is going to be a grind
Ohio State will enjoy its longest break of the season around the holidays. After hosting Grambling State on Dec. 23, the Buckeyes won’t play again until they face Rutgers on Jan. 2. That will mark the first of nine conference games Ohio State plays during the first month of the year, a run that ends Sunday, Jan. 31, at Wisconsin.
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The Buckeyes have started the year like this before. Most recently, the 2022-23 season featured nine games in January, and that did not go particularly well: Ohio State won at Northwestern on New Year’s Day, then went 1-7 to close the month, which helped submarine the season.
While playing nine games in one month isn’t unique, this year’s circumstances will make it more challenging. The Buckeyes will play their two West Coast games in January, which will make managing that fatigue all the more critical.
Ohio State guard Bruce Thornton reacts after making a three point shot against Oregon on Jan. 9.
Bruce Thornton will get a special senior day
The final home game of the season used to mean more. Celebrations of lengthy tenures are the exception to the norm in the era of the transfer portal. Some players wind up celebrating senior day multiple times at different schools.
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That won’t be the case for Bruce Thornton. A four-time captain, Thornton has spent his entire collegiate career with the Buckeyes and is in position to put his name at or near the top of multiple career statistical categories in the program’s record book. Ohio State fans will get their final look at him on his home floor in a Saturday game against the Hoosiers.
Last year’s senior class was celebrated during a Tuesday game against Nebraska that tipped off at 9 p.m. and was streamed exclusively on Peacock. It was a double-overtime thriller, but only 10,021 fans were in the building. Thornton will assuredly get a better sendoff this year.
Navigating the Virginia game will be interesting
Whether this becomes a trend or is just a one-off, it’s still odd to see a neutral-site game against a high-major, non-conference opponent sandwiched in between Big Ten games. After hosting Michigan on Feb. 8 and USC three days later, the Buckeyes will go to Nashville to play Virginia in what they are calling the “Nashville Hoops Showdown” at Bridgestone Arena. Then it’s back home to host Wisconsin on Feb. 17.
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More: Ohio State Buckeyes picked to return to men’s NCAA Tournament in Lindy’s magazine
Early slate is daunting
Four of Ohio State’s first six Big Ten games are on the road, and that stretch includes the Buckeyes’ west coast swing against the Ducks (Jan. 8) and the Huskies (Jan. 11).
We’ll know a lot about this team when it returns home to play UCLA and Minnesota on Jan. 17 and 20, respectively.
Ohio State men’s basketball 2025-26 schedule
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October 26 – Ohio University (exhibition)
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November 7 – Purdue Fort Wayne
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November 11 – Appalachian State
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November 20 – Western Michigan
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November 25 – Mount St. Mary’s
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December 6 – at Northwestern
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December 13 – vs. West Virginia (Cleveland Hoops Showdown, Cleveland)
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December 20 – vs. North Carolina (CBS Sports Classic, Atlanta)
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December 23 – Grambling State
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January 11 – at Washington
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January 31 – at Wisconsin
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February 14 – vs. Virginia (Nashville Hoops Showdown, Nashville)
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February 22 – at Michigan State
Ohio State men’s basketball beat writer Adam Jardy can be reached at ajardy@dispatch.com, on Bluesky at @cdadamjardy.bsky.social or on Twitter at @AdamJardy.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State gets home 2025-26 Big Ten weekend games: 5 takeaways
