Ohio State’s home-and-home with the UConn Huskies that will start in 2026-2027 arrives at a time when the Buckeyes continue to re-shape their roster as they continue to upgrade their expectations.
For Jake Diebler, this very well could be his defining offseason. The Buckeyes have lost five players to the portal, including double-digit scorer Devin Royal. And in response, the head coach has aggressively put together his roster with incoming transfers. Headlined by former Cal and Michigan guard Justin Pippen, who averaged 14.2 points and 4.6 assists last season. Ohio State was also able to nab Kentucky forward Andrija Jelavic, and guards Jimmie Williams and Curtis Givens III. Coming off a loss in the first round of the NCAA tournament last season, fans of the program will be expecting progress in the program and that starts with a deeper run.
UConn, meanwhile, continue to roll under Dan Hurley. The Huskies were in the National Championship game last season, ultimately losing to the Michigan Wolverines. Dan Hurley’s team will be returning a lot of the talent that were on the team last year including Braylon Mullins, Silas Demary Jr., and others. The Huskies do not seem to be scared by the Big Ten Conference, as they also will be playing a Final Four rematch against Illinois at the United Center in December, and are also reportedly going to be squaring off against Michigan again this upcoming season as well. UConn is one of the most consistently elite programs in the country since Hurley took over.
Breaking: #OhioState will start a home-and-home men’s basketball series with UConn. #Buckeyes heading to play the Huskies in 2026-27: https://t.co/zSSWhe1eAH
— Adam Jardy (@AdamJardy) May 6, 2026
Some coaches in the shoes of Jake Diebler may have chosen to go with a cupcake schedule in the non-conference, in hopes to make the overall wins and losses record look more appealing to save his job. But it appears Diebler is serious about the product on the court and scheduling tough in November and December could lead to long-term rewards in the months of March and April.
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This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: Ohio State basketball to start series with Final Four participant