If you thought getting a ticket to the Ohio State men’s basketball game against Duke on Nov. 29, 2011, at the Schottenstein Center was hard, good luck trying to score a pass for the rematch.
The 14th annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge will see the Buckeyes travel to Durham, N.C., for a Nov. 28 matchup with Duke during the upcoming season. The game will be played in the Blue Devil’s famed Cameron Indoor Stadium, which holds 9,314 spectators, compared to the Schottenstein Center’s 18,809 seats.
OSU helped the Big Ten conference to an 8-4 victory in the 2011 challenge by routing Duke, 85-63, during a game in Columbus. The Buckeyes-Blue Devils’ 2011 meeting received the highest television rating of any game played in the history of the regular season competition between the two conferences and was seen in 2,618,000 households, according to an OSU release.
A rematch with the Blue Devils is just one part of what might turn out to be a challenging early-season schedule for the Buckeyes.
OSU is also slated to participate in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament, which will take place on several dates throughout November, according to a Feb. 15 release.
The Tip-Off Tournament’s eight-team field also includes Albany, Seton Hall, Rhode Island, Washington, Missouri-Kansas City, Norfolk State, Rhode Island and OSU’s 2012 NCAA Tournament first-round opponent, Loyola Maryland.
The Buckeyes defeated Loyola in the teams’ March 15 NCAA Tournament meeting, 78-59, at CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh.
As part of the Tip-Off Tournament’s on-campus games, Albany will visit the Buckeyes Nov. 11, while Missouri-Kansas City will travel to Columbus Nov. 23. The Buckeyes will play Rhode Island Nov. 17 in Uncasville, Conn.
OSU finished the 2011-12 season with a 64-62 loss in the Final Four to Kansas, but compiled a 31-8 record throughout the campaign. Since the end of the season, former Buckeyes forward Jared Sullinger declared for the NBA Draft, guard Jordan Sibert and forward J.D. Weatherspoon transferred.
The Buckeyes retained the services of junior forward Deshaun Thomas for the 2012-13 season, and the team is slotted in the No. 8 spot nationally in ESPN preseason Top 25 ranking.