Scarlet Sunrise: Buckeyes announce non-conference hoops slate, capacity plan

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Buckeyes announce non-conference hoops slate, capacity plan

Ohio State should have one of the best teams in the Big Ten this season. But before the Buckeyes play their conference slate, they have a tough nonconference schedule to weather. That nonconference slate is now set, and it comes with good news: Ohio State expects to have a full Schottenstein Center for the basketball season.

The plans for a full arena came in a press release Thursday, when the program also released the full nonconference schedule plans.

“We look forward to being at capacity in all of our venues this upcoming season,” Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith said in a statement. “As long as the trends with Covid 19 and the variants keep moving in a positive direction and we don’t see any spikes, we’re hopeful we can get back to where we were prior to last year. We encourage everyone to get vaccinated if you have not already done so.”

The nonconference schedule is set for the Buckeyes. And so is the plan to open the Schottenstein Center for 100 percent capacity.

The full nonconference slate:

Nov. 9 vs. Akron

Nov. 12 vs. Niagara

Nov. 15 vs. Bowling Green in the Fort Myers Tip-Off

Nov. 18 at Xavier

Nov. 22 & 24 vs. Seton Hall or Cal or Florida in the Fort Myers Tip-Off (in Fort Myers, Florida)

Nov. 30 vs. Duke as part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge

Dec. 8 vs. Towson

Dec. 18 vs. Kentucky (CBS Sports Classic at neutral site)

Dec. 21 vs. Tennessee Martin

Dec. 28 vs. New Orleans

Who will Ohio State land to finish 2022 class?

Ohio State has the top-rated class in the country for the 2022 recruiting cycle. With 16 commits, the class is beginning to fill up as summer heats up.

Who could join the No. 1 class in the country as the Buckeyes fight for their first recruiting crown in the modern era? Lettermen Row recruiting guru Birm has an idea, and he broke down who could realistically join the class. Part of that is here:

We’ve reached a pretty comfortable middle point of the cycle, so it’s a fair time to posit that question. Ohio State has 16 verbals right now and is effectively finished recruiting at least four positions in this class. Top-ranked prospect Quinn Ewers will be the lone quarterback barring some significant roster changes in Columbus. Dallan Hayden is in a similar situation at running back. Brian Hartline has four receivers, Kerry Coombs has four cornerbacks and Al Washington has two very good linebackers committed. That’s all the Buckeyes need at those positions, though there’s some debate about whether or not a third linebacker gets added — again.

So what about what’s left? Who is going to wrap up the Ohio State 2022 recruiting class?

READ: Projecting finish as Buckeyes chase 2022 recruiting championship

ICYMI: J.T. Tuimoloau’s high school coach joins Tim May Podcast

The Tim May Podcast is back for another episode, breaking down the top-ranked defensive recruit to ever commit to Ohio State.

Tim welcomes on the high school coach of No. 1 prospect J.T. Tuimoloau, Dominic Daste, to discuss the impact of the 6-foot-5, 277-pound defensive lineman’s impact. The Eastside Catholic (Sammamish, Wash.) product waited out the NCAA’s dead period. Tuimoloau took visits to Washington, USC, Ohio State and Oregon before entering decision mode and picking the Buckeyes.

Daste has spent time as an assistant coach with Montana and UNLV, and he had a chance to coach Tuimoloau again this spring. Since Tuimoloau didn’t enroll early, he played a final high school season at Eastside Catholic.

What does J.T. Tuimoloau bring to Ohio State? How can he make an impact this fall? And what kind of player is he like off the field?

Find out on this episode of the Tim May Podcast.

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