Only twice in the history of the two programs have Ohio State and Xavier faced off in men's basketball. Never before have they met in the regular season.
That's about to change.
The Buckeyes and Musketeers will meet later this year for a matchup in Xavier's Cintas Center as part of the Gavitt Games, the Big Ten and Big East announced on Thursday. The game will be played on Nov. 18, and it'll be television on Fox Sports 1 or Big Ten Network.
Mark your calendars for this in-state showdown #GavittGames #GoBuckeyes pic.twitter.com/NoyFoXqrl2
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) June 24, 2021
Xavier got the better of the Buckeyes in 1984, eliminating them from the NIT. Then in 2007, Ohio State beat the Musketeers, 78-71, in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Ron Lewis dropped 27 points and Mike Conley Jr. added 21.
Those are the only two games ever played between the two teams despite them being located about a 90-minute drive from each other.
With Xavier now on the schedule, Ohio State now knows it'll face the Musketeers in the Gavitt Games, Kentucky in the CBS Sports Classic, two of California, Florida and Seton Hall at the Fort Myers Tip-Off, an unknown opponent in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge and Towson at home. Five other non-conference games will be on the slate, with several "buy games" against low-major opponents expected to be added, per usual.
The other Gavitt Games matchups, which pit the Big Ten and the Big East against each other, are St. John’s at Indiana, Seton Hall at Michigan, Providence at Wisconsin, Michigan State at Butler, Illinois at Marquette, Rutgers at DePaul and Creighton at Nebraska.
