:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/46220694/GettyImages-479427039.0.jpg)
A few days ago, it became official that Ohio State would not be playing in the first year of the Gavitt Games series between the Big Ten and the Big East, much to the chagrin of some Ohio State fans.
That doesn't mean that we don't have some news about Ohio State's schedule. Land-Grant Holy Land has learned that Ohio State is now contracted to play Mount St. Mary's next season, on Nov. 15, 2015. It is possible that this will be Ohio State's home opener.
Mount St. Mary's finished 15-15 last season, with a 11-7 record in the NEC, good for a forth place finish. They were ranked No. 221 in Ken Pomeroy's rankings, and had an RPI of 187. The Mountaineers return their top five scorers from last season, so there is a chance they could compete in the NEC, and at least boast a similar computer profile. The Buckeyes are 10-0 all time against NEC squads, and 1-0 all time against Mount St. Mary's.
At any rate, while this isn't a team that is likely to beat Ohio State (or even terribly excite Buckeye fans), if they're able to post an RPI above 200, they won't take anything off the table from OSU's computer profile.
Mount St. Mary's is now the seventh known game on Ohio State's schedule. We expect six more, and if recent history is any indication, it is likely that at least of those six will be an in-state program (think Horizon or MAC), and another will be an HBCU. It is also probable that Ohio State will play at least one school from the MEAC conference, given that they are helping sponsor the tournament that Ohio State is participating in with Memphis.
It would be surprising if Ohio State scheduled another true road game on this slate, or played another huge name, given the youth of next year's roster, and the difficulty of the Big Ten.
As we know now, the 2015-2016 Ohio State nonconference basketball schedule looks like this:
2015-2016 Ohio State basketball schedule
Nov. 15 Mount St. Mary's
Nov. 27 Memphis (in Miami)
Dec. 5 or Dec. 6 VMI
Dec. 8. Air Force
Dec. 12 at UConn
Dec. 19 Kentucky (in Brooklyn)
TBA ACC opponent (ACC/Big Ten Challenge)