Published Mar 13, 2020
Breaking down Ohio State sports affected by COVID-19
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Braden Moles  •  DottingTheEyes
Staff Writer
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@BradenMoles

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Big Ten announced on Wednesday that in addition to cancelling the men's basketball tournament set to be held this weekend, the conference will also be cancelling all conference and non-conference competitions through the end of the academic year.

Some teams are finishing up their seasons and others just beginning as a spring sport, so this is a massive development in the rapidly developing situation surrounding COVID-19.

While the focus at Ohio State is often on football and basketball, every athletic program will feel the impact of the decisions handed down by the Big Ten, so find out where each team stood when they discovered their seasons would not continue.


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Winter Sports

Basketball: The men's basketball team did not participate in the cancelled Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament that was previously schedule for this weekend. The Buckeyes would have taken on Purdue on Thursday.

The NCAA later cancelled the Division I Men's and Women's tournaments, and with that ended Ohio State's season as the No. 19 ranked team in the nation with a 21-10 overall record and a 11-9 record within the conference.

The women's basketball team had previously competed in their respective conference tournament, falling to Maryland 82-65 in the Big Ten Championship Game.

Projected as a six seed in the NCAA tournament, the Buckeyes would have made their fifth appearance in the last six years, but the simultaneous cancellation of the men's and women's tournaments prematurely ended Ohio State's season with a 21-12 overall record and an 11-7 record in conference games.

The Buckeyes were not ranked but did receive the second most votes among unranked teams in the final AP Poll.

Ice Hockey: After downing Wisconsin in two games to move on to the semifinals of the Big Ten Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, the Buckeyes would have hosted Michigan at Nationwide Arena this weekend to determine who would move on to the championship series against either Penn State or Minnesota.

Projected as a No. 3 seed, Ohio State would have made their fourth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, but instead finished the season as the No. 10 ranked team with a 20-11-5 overall record and an 11-9-4 record in the Big Ten.

When the announcement came out that all winter sports would be cancelled, the Ohio State Women's Ice Hockey team was fresh off of their first Western Collegiate Hockey Association Championship win over Wisconsin this past weekend.

Now, previously projected as one of the participants in the NCAA Women’s Ice Hockey Tournament, the Buckeyes will finish the season as the fourth ranked team in the nation with a 24-8-6 overall record and a 13-6-5 record in the WCHA.

Wrestling: Ohio State finished third in final team standings in the Big Ten Championships while Kollin Moore and Luke Pletcher took home Big Ten titles. Eight Buckeyes would have competed in the NCAA Championships set to take place over March 19, 20 and 21.

Rifle: Ohio State's rifle team finished its regular season and NCAA Qualifying match and was expecting Ariel Hall to compete in individual air rifle competitions on Saturday, March 14, but the championships were cancelled.

Spring Sports

Baseball/Softball: Ohio State's baseball team got off to a 6-8 start to the season, finishing their year with a 9-5 loss to North Florida on Wednesday. The Buckeyes were set for their home opening series on Friday against Liberty.

The softball team began the season with a 9-9 record, all away from Columbus. Ohio State was not set for their home opener until March 18 against Toledo.

Lacrosse: The men's lacrosse team kicked their season off on January 18, earning a 5-2 record before their remaining six games were cancelled.

Women's lacrosse began on February 7 with a win over Duquesne, eventually ending the season with a 5-4 record with seven conference games remaining.


Miscellaneous

Fencing: Ohio State had 12 fencers qualified to compete in the NCAA Championships set to take place next weekend.

Field Hockey: The women's field hockey team fought to a 9-9 record before their remaining nine games were cancelled.

Football: While the Spring Game had previously been announced as cancelled, it is still unknown whether or not spring practice will continue as scheduled.

Golf: Both the men's and women's golf teams returned to the green this past week after taking a break in the winter, but their return was quickly halted by the announcement that all competitions would be cancelled. The men's team had two top-five finishes and went 1-0-1 in the Big Ten Match Play, leaving four rounds of golf remaining in their season before the Big Ten Championships.

The women's team finished their season with two top-three finishes in the Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational in Hawaii, leaving seven rounds left on their schedule before Big Ten Championships began.

Gymnastics: Both the men's (2-2) and women's (3-3) gymnastics teams had just a handful of contests remaining before Big Ten Championships.

Pistol: With an undefeated record, the Ohio State pistol team was expected to take part in the Intercollegiate Pistol Championships this weekend before their cancellation.

Rowing: The women's rowing team had not yet begun their season.

Swim & Dive: The men's swim & dive team (4-3) finished second in the Big Ten Championships in February. The women's swim & dive team (6-2) finished first in the Big Ten Championships. Buckeyes on both teams were set to take part in multiple events in the NCAA Championships later this month.

Synchronized Swimming: The women's synchronized swimming team had an undefeated 8-0 record heading into the now-cancelled U.S. Collegiate Championships. The Buckeyes were looking to bring home their 33rd national championship in synchronized swimming.

Tennis: Both the men's and women's tennis teams excelled this season with the men's team finishing with a 12-3 record and the women's team earning a 9-3 record. Both teams had 10 matches remaining before Big Ten Championships were set to begin April.

Track & Field: The men's and women's track & field teams were both expected to compete in the NCAA Championships on March 13 before their cancellation.

Volleyball: First-year men's head coach Kevin Burch led the Buckeyes to an 11-8 record. They had nine games remaining before their conference tournaments started. Women's volleyball had yet to begin their season, previously expected to open against Kentucky on March 27.