Ohio State Buckeyes to host Georgia Bulldogs for NIT semifinals berth
Ohio State will host Georgia in the third round of the NIT with a shot at the final four on the line.
The Buckeyes, by virtue of being the No. 2 seed in their quadrant, will host No. 4 seed Georgia on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. ESPN will televise the game.
Ohio State Buckeyes: Join the Ohio State Sports Insider text group with Bill Rabinowitz, Joey Kaufman Adam Jardy
Ohio State has only faced Georgia once, and it was more than 40 years ago. The Bulldogs won 84-80 in overtime on Dec. 28, 1977, in a game played at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky, as part of the Louisville Holiday Classic. Georgia is 19-16 overall and earned the No. 11 seed in the SEC Tournament.
The Bulldogs won at No. 1 seed Wake Forest 72-66 on Sunday afternoon. Had the Demon Deacons won, Ohio State would have been sent to play there Tuesday night instead.
Ohio State advanced to Tuesday’s game with a pair of home wins. The Buckeyes took down Cornell 88-83 on Tuesday, setting up a Saturday night home game with No. 3 seed Virginia Tech. Ohio State then beat the Hokies 81-73 thanks to a parade to the free-throw line: The Buckeyes went 29 for 32 (90.6%) and were led by Jamison Battle’s 17-for-18 effort.
Ohio State is 21-8 all-time in the NIT and won the title in 1986 and 2008. This is the second NIT appearance for the Buckeyes since that 2008 title and its deepest push into the tournament after going 1-1 in 2016.
Get more Ohio State basketball news by listening to our podcasts
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State to host Georgia on Tuesday for NIT semifinals berth
