The Ohio State men’s basketball head coach, Chris Holtmann, would love to play the big boys of college basketball in the state, a trend the men’s basketball team has started by scheduling Cincinnati.
Although the Cincinnati Bearcats have made strides in football, much of Ohio’s universities still strongly consider basketball their team’s most successful sport.
After all, both Dayton and Xavier have been ranked within the top five in the last few years. Even Cincinnati is just a year or so removed from being a top-ten program.
That type of success isn’t reflected in many other states throughout the country. However, for some reason, the Buckeyes don’t play the Bearcats, Musketeers or Flyers very often.
What does Holtmann feel about potentially bringing those top-notch opponents to Columbus? Well, according to Eleven Warriors’ Colin Haas-Hill, he would “absolutely” consider that.
It’s not just the big dogs though. It’s the mid-majors as well, programs Ohio has a plethora of.
“If you’re asking about mid-majors in the state, we’re playing Akron this year, we played Kent (State) last year, we played Youngstown State. We’re open to doing that and we intend to do that every year,” Holtmann continued.
Having more in-state opponents is something Ohio State, and every other opponent that gets the call, should consider. While it’s not necessarily that easy, it is feasible.
Chris Holtmann says Ohio State would "absolutely" consider scheduling games against Cincinnati, Xavier or Dayton, though a tournament is unlikely and the logistics make it complex. https://t.co/mQSLfhiNj0
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) May 8, 2020
What is even more intriguing is the idea of putting together something similar to the Crossroads classic that the major basketball programs in Indiana compete in every year. Butler, Indiana, Notre Dame, and Purdue all come together at Banker’s Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis and make it a showcase event.
Getting there has a lot of obstacles, but this is something sorely needed. Getting Ohio State on board with something like this always seemed to be the biggest dragon to slay, and that now seems to have fallen by way of the sword Holtmann is carrying.
If ever there was a chance at making this a reality, it’s now.
Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion.
We have a forum and message board now. Get in on the conversation about Ohio State athletics by joining the Buckeyes Wire Forum.