Ohio State basketball opponent for 2023 CBS Sports Classic announced

This should be a fun time. Get the travel plans ready or mark the calendar. #GoBucks

There’s been a whirlwind of news swirling with college football, but remember, basketball is a part of all of this conference expansion. The Big Ten will be an eighteen-team member in 2024, but before that, the Ohio State basketball team will take part in one last conference season with the current fourteen-team league.

Part of that schedule involves the CBS Sports Classic, but the opponent had yet to be officially announced. That is, until Tuesday. According to a release from the OSU athletic department, the Buckeyes’ opponent in the annual four-team event that involves Ohio State, Kentucky, North Carolina, and UCLA, will be the Bruins. That means one more year of the blueblood of the sport no longer being a nonconference foe.

Playing UCLA is not a surprise. The rumors and tea leaves had pointed towards that being the opponent down in Atlanta this year. That of course means that Kentucky and North Carolina will do battle in the other matchup set to take place on Saturday, Dec. 16. OSU and UCLA will tip off at 3 p.m. ET, with the Tarheels and Wildcats shortly following the conclusion of Game 1.

Ohio State is a modest 4-4 in the CBS Sports Classic and holds a 2-1 record against UCLA in the event. It’ll be the 13th overall meeting between the two programs (with many, many more to come in the future), with the two programs battling to a stalemate against each other at 6-6 all-time.

Also according to the release from Ohio State, this year, fans will have the opportunity to purchase official fan travel packages for the CBS Sports Classic. That package includes game tickets, hotel accommodations in downtown Atlanta, and in-arena hospitality at State Farm Arena. These travel packages will go on sale on earlier than other tickets on August 16. Tickets for the general public will go on sale on August 24 at www.cbssportsclassic.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

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