Report: Villanova Basketball will host Ohio University in November 2019

Jeff Boals, the head coach for Ohio University Basketball, was recorded this week talking about his team’s aggressive upcoming schedule. In a video taken at an event in Athens, Ohio on Tuesday, the head coach discusses playing at Villanova this November, as well as the chance to play the Wildcats a second time at the Myrtle Beach Invitational.

That announcement would indicate that Ohio will be Villanova’s 4th game as a part of the November tournament, traditionally played on campus but not effecting the tournament bracket. Also as indicated, it would present the possibility that the Wildcats and the Bobcats could play each other twice in the first month of the season. Regardless of whether this home game is played before or after the Myrtle Beach Invitational, it’s likely the two teams will be on opposite sides of the bracket.

While most of these “throw in” home games are against teams not participating in the tournament, it’s not unprecedented for Villanova to host one of their possible tournament opponents for a home game. In the 2017 season, Villanova played at home against the College of Charleston in addition to both teams playing in the Charleston Classic the previous week. The teams were placed on opposite sides of the bracket, but had they both made the Championship (Charleston came one game short falling to UCF), they would have played in back to back games.

Ohio finished last season with a 14-17 record, ranked 184th in KenPom. This will be Jeff Boals first season with Ohio, after running the Stony Brook program for the last three seasons. He’s coming off a 24-9 finish last year, but inherits an entirely new team with just a handful of returning players.