When the Ohio State men's basketball team took the court for the 2025-26 season, they made a statement. After a three-year NCAA Tournament drought, the Buckeyes roared back with a 21-13 overall record and a 12-8 mark in Big Ten play. It was a season of redemption, and a big part of that success came down to the schedule—specifically, which tough opponents they had to face on the road.
In the new 18-team Big Ten, every squad plays three teams twice and each of the other 14 teams once—seven at home, seven away. In college hoops, road wins are gold, so you want your biggest challenges to come in your own gym. Last season, the Buckeyes got a favorable draw. Of the seven teams that finished above them in the conference standings, Ohio State only had to travel to three: Michigan, Michigan State, and Wisconsin. They even avoided a trip to Indiana's Assembly Hall, a venue where they've lost five straight. It was a schedule that let them maximize their home-court advantage.
But the basketball gods have a way of balancing the scales. The 2026-27 road Big Ten schedule for Ohio State? It's about as tough as it gets.
The Buckeyes will head to several hostile environments they dodged last season. After not playing a single game in the state of Indiana a year ago, they'll now face two of the conference's most intimidating road trips: Indiana's Assembly Hall and Purdue's Mackey Arena. While Ohio State did pull off an upset in West Lafayette back in 2025, the historical numbers are sobering—they're just 2-6 at Mackey since the 2014-15 season. And that's not all. The Buckeyes also avoided a trip to Champaign last year, where Illinois rode a Final Four run behind the energy of the Orange Krush. This time around, they'll have to face that raucous crowd head-on.
For a team looking to build on its tournament return, these are the kinds of tests that define a season. The road ahead is steep, but for Buckeyes fans, that's exactly what makes it exciting. After all, the best gear is for the biggest games—and Ohio State will need every bit of support, from the stands to the street, as they take on this gauntlet.