Ohio State Basketball: Early Look at Buckeyes’ Most Intriguing Games in 2014-15

The 2014-15 Ohio State basketball season will be one of redemption after the team failed to live up to expectations last year.

Thad Matta lost Aaron Craft, LaQuinton Ross and Lenzelle Smith Jr. from last season’s roster, but he hit the recruiting trail hard and brought in one of the best classes in the country. D’Angelo Russell, Keita Bates-Diop and Jae’Sean Tate highlight that group, but the only way Matta’s recruiting efforts will pay off is with wins on the court.

With that in mind, let’s take an early look at some of the most intriguing games on Ohio State’s 2014-15 schedule.

At Louisville

The Big Ten/ACC Challenge is one of the highlights of the college basketball season every year, and the 2014-15 edition will be no different. Among the marquee contests is a showdown between Duke and Wisconsin, but Ohio State’s Dec. 2 trip to Louisville will certainly make headlines as well.

The two conferences split the past two Challenges, and the Big Ten won the three before that. Of course, the ACC won the first 10.

This will be the Cardinals first-ever Big Ten/ACC Challenge, while the Buckeyes have won five of their past six games in the event. Ohio State is 4-3 all time against Louisville, but the Cardinals won the last matchup between the two in a 2003 overtime thriller on the Buckeyes’ home floor.

Much like Ohio State, Louisville lost a ton of talent with Russ Smith, Luke Hancock and Kevin Ware all…

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