Jake Diebler hints at Ohio State adding a home-and-home with another high major team

Ohio State is hoping to have an official slate set here soon for their first full season under Jake Diebler. If it’s up to Diebler, that schedule will include at least one more quality opponent, specifically one that will come to Columbus this year.

Diebler discussed the latest on the Buckeyes’ scheduling during a press conference on Monday. He did share that they are attempting to lock down at least one more team from a top conference. The intention there would be that they’d be coming to Value City Arena this year. Ohio State would then make a trip to their home floor in the following season.

“We are trying,” said Diebler. “I think we’re getting close to finalizing another home-and-home deal that would be with another high major team.”

“Our preference is to start that at home this year,” Diebler added. “I think our fans? It’s great for our fans to be able to have that.”

However, Diebler said that that has been difficult with what other potential teams have in mind for their own schedules. He’s finding that many of them aren’t as interested in that as they are in playing at a neutral location.

“Listen, scheduling? It’s hard right now,” said Diebler. “We’ve reached out to just, really, tons and tons of teams who would be probably, in the last few years, considered to be the top-end teams in each respective power conference to try and schedule but a lot of teams are transitioning from home-and-homes to neutral-site games. So it has been a challenge, certainly, to fill out the schedule.”

“I think, when it’s all said and done, you’re going to see that we’re going to have a tough non-conference schedule, certainly, which is exciting. But, yeah, that part is different now than it was even like two, three years ago where a lot of teams are fighting to get these neutral-site games,” Diebler explained.

Ohio State has at least two opponents already on the reported schedule for ’24-’25. They will open the year against Texas in the Hall of Fame Series from Las Vegas. Diebler also expressed that the Buckeyes will be making the return trip to College Station after Texas A&M came to them last year in a 73-66 victory for the Aggies.

That’s about it for the non-conference games but Ohio State does know their opponents in the Big Ten. They will play a 20-game schedule in the league with seven at home and away and six split between both.

It doesn’t both Diebler at all to put home-and-homes on the schedule against top teams in the sport. It might not be a possibility each year but it is definitely his plan going in regarding the topic.

“I would love just, moving forward, to always be able to have another high major opponent in our gym,” said Diebler. “I don’t know if it’s always going to be able to work out that way but our intention is to do that.”