Scarlet Sunrise: Ohio State basketball releases nonconference slate

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Ohio State hoops releases nonconference slate

With six months until tipoff and uncertainty still surrounding what college athletics will look like then, Ohio State made its nonconference schedule for the upcoming season official.

The slate is headlined by games against North Carolina in the CBSSports Classic at a site to be determined later, the Big Ten/ACC Challenge and the Battle For Atlantis. Ohio State will open the season on Nov. 11 against Oakland inside Value City Arena. Ohio State will host Akron on Nov. 19. Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann was an assistant under Zips coach John Groce at Ohio University, so that coaching matchup should provide plenty of intrigue.

The field for the Battle For Atlantis in The Bahamas could prove to be the toughest challenge of the season for the Buckeyes; it includes Creighton, Duke, Memphis, Texas A&M, West Virginia, Utah and Wichita State.

The Ohio State nonconference schedule, excluding the to-be-announced Big Ten/ACC Challenge game:

• Nov. 11 vs. Oakland
• Nov. 15 vs. Niagra
• Nov. 19 vs. Akron
• Nov. 25-27 @ Battle For Atlantis
• Dec. 9 vs. Towson
• Dec. 19 vs. North Carolina (neutral site)
• Dec. 22 vs. Morehead State
• Dec. 30 vs. Alabama A&M

Robert Smith joins The Tim May Podcast

Former Ohio State star running back Robert Smith joins The Tim May Podcast as a special guest to talk about his Buckeyes career, his departure from the program early, his NFL career and his life since he gave up the game of football and began other things. Smith and Tim have an insightful conversation.

Following that, Tim and Austin Ward break down the latest happenings in the world of Ohio State football, including when to expect football returning.

Don’t miss the latest episode. If you can’t watch the video, make sure to check it out on all podcast platforms. The Tim May Podcast is available on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify and Stitcher.

NFL buzz growing for Justin Fields

Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields still has an entire season before he can focus on the NFL Draft. So Fields and Buckeyes coach Ryan Day certainly have their hands full trying to focus on next season and not look ahead to first-round potential in the 2021 offseason.

Fields has popped up as the potential No. 1 overall pick next spring, a spot he’ll have to battle Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence for. But that’s not important as it pertains to the Buckeyes trying to win a national title in 2020. Lettermen Row senior writer Austin Ward looked at how the duo of Fields and Day can slow down the talk of the NFL and focus on next season:

The buzz for Fields is already growing ahead of what will almost certainly be his last season with the Buckeyes before turning pro, and certainly there’s the possibility for that bright spotlight to get tiring. But at this point Day and Fields aren’t treating it as any different than the pressure that comes with being the starter at Ohio State, playing for championships or becoming a Heisman Trophy finalist — so they don’t plan on any changes to deal with it.

For the full story, including comments from Day, click here.

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