UPDATE: Ohio State says Jon Rothstein is wrong, will play Virginia in the 2016 ACC–Big Ten Challenge.
For the second time in three seasons, Thad Matta's Ohio State basketball team appears headed to the Bluegrass State for the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
The Buckeyes are set to play Louisville in the annual showdown of conferences, according to CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein.
Louisville will host Ohio State in next season's ACC/Big Ten Challenge, sources told @CBSSports.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) May 23, 2016
The last time the two teams met was Dec. 2, 2014, when the Cardinals won 64-55. The Buckeyes trailed 35-18 at halftime of that contest, but a furious rally led by freshman D'Angelo Russell was not enough.
The series between the two schools is even at 4-4, but the Cardinals hold the edge in the last two matchups. The Buckeyes are 6-8 all-time in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, including a 6-6 mark under Matta. Last season, Ohio State fell to Virginia 64-58 in the event.
Sophomore guard JaQuan Lyle — once a Louisville commit — shared his thoughts on the imminent matchup shortly after the news broke:
LOL out of all the teams, how we get Louisville @ Louisville that will be an interesting one
— JaQuan Lyle (@JMamba13) May 23, 2016
Lyle was also interviewed by the NCAA about his recruitment to the Cardinals after news broke in October regarding an investigation into alleged violations made by Pitino's program in the book, "Breaking Cardinal Rules: Basketball and the Escort Queen."
Louisville finished 23-8 last season and rose as high as 11th in the AP Poll, but did not participate in the postseason as part of a self-inflicted ban due to the recruiting allegations.
The Cardinals join Providence, UCLA, Connecticut, Navy and Marshall as reported games on Ohio State's non-conference schedule for next season.
According to Rothstein, other ACC/Big Ten matchups include Michigan State at Duke, North Carolina at Indiana, Syracuse at Wisconsin, and Pittsburgh at Maryland. The full list of matchups from CBS Sports can be seen here.
