COLUMBUS, Ohio –– Ohio State men’s basketball is slated to start its new season on Wednesday, but it won’t take much for the Buckeyes’ opener to be called off.

Buckeye head coach Chris Holtmann said Monday that two rounds of COVID-19 testing will take place once Illinois State arrives in Columbus on Tuesday, and that just one positive test on either side could lead to the first cancellation of the year.

“My understanding is, if there’s a positive test, the game will not happen,” Holtmann said.

It’s a policy that the Big Ten has mandated for its programs when facing nonconference opposition, as the NCAA’s minimum requirement of three tests per week is not as stringent as the Big Ten’s own regulations, Holtmann said.

However, that slim margin for error could mean that any of Ohio State’s five nonconference games to begin the season could be on thin ice when it comes to the likelihood that they are played.

“When we scheduled the game, those were some of the conversations we had on the front end, that in order for us to play this game, this is what is going to have to happen, this is the Big Ten standard,” Holtmann said. “So we have had those conversations with every nonconference opponent.”

After Illinois State, the Buckeyes are slated to face UMass-Lowell, Morehead State, Alabama A&M and Notre Dame before they begin Big Ten competition on Dec. 16.

Holtmann said the zero tolerance policy for positive COVID tests will change during conference competition, which means that Ohio State and other Big Ten programs won’t have to operate under the pretenses of a one-and-done situation for positive tests all season long.

“As far as I understand right now, because teams are under different different testing protocols, that is really a nonconference decision. So conference games will be different,” Holtmann said. Because we’re in regular testing as a program ourselves, I don’t believe that that would necessarily mean that our game would be off if we had one positive test on our side.”

Wednesday’s game between Ohio State and Illinois State is scheduled for a 2 p.m. tip in the Schottenstein Center, but Holtmann said both teams will be tested that morning. However, Holtmann said he is optimistic that the regular testing his program is undergoing will help avoid any last-minute surprises on their end.

“Both teams need to have clean tests these next couple days,” Holtmann said. “Our training staff is in contact with their training staff and making sure their tests are negatives.”

The launch date for Ohio State hoops remains intact for now, but any delay between now and the Big Ten season should not be a surprise given the strict policies in place for nonconference competition.