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The Ohio State Buckeyes are the 9th team in our 2020 men’s college lacrosse schedule preview series and the first team from the Big Ten. Ohio State finished 8-4 overall in 2019 and 1-4 in Big Ten play. Despite a phenomenal start to their season, the Buckeyes fell flat in conference play and missed out on the Big Ten Tournament.
Here’s their entire 2020 schedule:
Ohio State’s 2020 Schedule
| Date | Road Team | Home Team | Special Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Road Team | Home Team | Special Notes |
| 1/18 | Marquette | Ohio State | Scrimmage |
| 1/25 | Lafayette | Ohio State | Scrimmage |
| 2/4 | Detroit Mercy | Ohio State | First meeting since 2018 |
| 2/8 | Ohio State | Boston University | |
| 2/15 | UMass | Ohio State | |
| 2/22 | Ohio State | Bucknell | |
| 3/1 | Cornell | Ohio State | First meeting since 2013 |
| 3/7 | Hofstra | Ohio State | |
| 3/10 | Notre Dame | Ohio State | |
| 3/15 | Denver | Ohio State | First meeting since 2018 (last year's game was cancelled) |
| 3/28 | Ohio State | Rutgers | Big Ten |
| 4/4 | Penn State | Ohio State | Big Ten |
| 4/11 | Ohio State | Maryland | Big Ten |
| 4/18 | Johns Hopkins | Ohio State | Big Ten |
| 4/25 | Michigan | Ohio State | Big Ten |
Who’s In?
- Detroit Mercy Titans (2/4)
- Cornell Big Red (3/1)
- Denver Pioneers (3/15)
Who’s Out?
- Cleveland State Vikings (12-9 W)
- Marquette Golden Eagles (13-9 W)
Ohio State’s Opponent’s 2019 Average Win Percentage & RPI
| Avg. overall win pct. | Avg. nonconference win pct. | Avg. conference win pct. | Avg. overall RPI | Avg. nonconference RPI | Avg. conference RPI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. overall win pct. | Avg. nonconference win pct. | Avg. conference win pct. | Avg. overall RPI | Avg. nonconference RPI | Avg. conference RPI |
| .577 | .579 | .574 | 22.23 | 26.13 | 16 |
Circle These Dates
- 2/15 vs. UMass: Ohio State recorded their first ever win at Garber Field last season, which was a bit of a surprise to find that out. The Buckeyes used a 4-0 third quarter to pull away from the Minutemen in the second half en route to a four-goal win. Both teams bring back a good amount of their personnel, but UMass loses starting goalie Sean Sconone to graduation.
- 3/1 vs. Cornell: The Buckeyes added the Big Red to their nonconference slate of games in 2020. These two teams were on the postseason bubble for most of last season and will look to be on the right side of that this upcoming year. Ohio State will have to take on Jeff Teat, who had a down season as a junior.
- 3/10 vs. Notre Dame: This was the game that put the Buckeyes on national notice last season. Thanks to a big second half comeback after trailing by five goals in the early portion of the third quarter, Ohio State managed to score eight goals in the half as well as the overtime winner. The Buckeyes keep most of their scoring with the exception of graduated midfielder Jack Jasinski.
- 3/15 vs. Denver: It might have helped both teams if the bomb cyclone out west didn’t happen. The only game that was cancelled a season ago might have cost Denver and Ohio State a chance to reach the NCAA Tournament. But after last season’s postponement, the series resumes in Columbus. The last time the game was played in Ohio was in 2017 when the Buckeyes crushed the Pioneers.
- 3/28 at Rutgers: Big Ten conference play will be crucial for Ohio State, as it always is for every team in the conference. But a poor performance in Big Ten play last season turned the team’s fantastic start into a big disappointment with the Buckeyes missing out on the conference tournament and finishing in last place behind archrival Michigan, who Ohio State lost to for the first time ever.