Sure, it’s an extra week of preparation, but the Buckeyes had an entire preseason to get ready for their first premier game. Their lead-up to the next marquee game is gruesome, with Washington posing a threat and Illinois currently holding a top-10 ranking.

The upcoming run of five games in six weeks features the toughest part of the conference schedule — The Game notwithstanding at season’s end — and it will be the time when first year starting quarterback Julian Sayin will be tested the most. How he handles these five games may determine Ohio State’s postseason fate.

Ohio State's full men's basketball schedule, featuring five Power Four nonconference games and two matchups with Michigan, was released on Thursday.