Well, it's officially basketball season in Columbus.
With Ohio State football's loss to Clemson in Saturday night's Fiesta Bowl, the Buckeyes' basketball team now steps into the spotlight — sort of — as they open Big Ten play on Sunday evening at Illinois.
It's Ohio State's first game in 10 days; the Buckeyes last played Dec. 22 — a 79-77 victory against UNC Asheville.
Sunday's matchup with the Illini is the start of a difficult opening to Big Ten play as Ohio State plays three of its first four conference games on the road. The Buckeyes get Purdue at home next, but after that, it's a pair of road games next week against Wisconsin and Minnesota — a pair of teams ranked inside the top-50 of Ken Pomeroy's advanced statistical ratings.