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It's finally here. After a long offseason (and about give or take 8.5 frustrating Ohio State football games in the meantime), Thad Matta's basketball Buckeyes are back in our collective lives.
Though the opening degree of difficulty isn't the same as playing even a decent Power 5 non-conference team, the Bucks tip off with no real slouch as Mount St. Mary's comes to Value City Arena.
"The Mount" checks in at No. 184 in the early season KenPom rankings (to the Buckeyes' No. 39) and are low double digit road 'dogs in this one (+13.5). Per Ken Pomeroy's projections, the Bucks are about a 90% certainty to win this one. So what will that mean practically? Your guess is as good as ours!
The fun about this Thad Matta team is the unpredictability. Will they make a Round of 32 run? They could! Will they hover at or below .500 and miss the tourney all together? That's on the table, too.
As we learn what makes Matta's 11th Ohio State team tick, take in the action and let us know what you think of the extremely early returns.
Game Date/Time: Sunday, Nov. 15 at 12:00 p.m. ET
Location: Value City Arena at the Jerome Schottenstein Center in Columbus, OH
TV: ESPNU (Channel 1303 on Time Warner Columbus)
Online: WatchESPN