Opponent: Walsh University (exhibition)

Where: Value City Arena

Date, Time: Nov. 4, 8 p.m. Eastern

TV: None (the game is available for purchase on BigTenNetwork.com)

Key Players: Walsh – 6-3 PG Jeremy Shardo 15.4 points per game, 8.0 assists per game, 45.1 3-pt. pct. last season; 6-10 C Kyelce Cescato 14.1 ppg, 64.4 FG pct.; 6-0 G Brandon Speck 12.1 ppg, 46.2 3-pt. pct.; 6-7 PF Ricky Jackson (transfer from West Virginia State); 6-8 F Isaac Knight (transfer from Kent State). Ohio State – 6-7 G/F Evan Turner 17.3 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 4.0 apg, 1.8 steals per game last season; 6-5 G William Buford 11.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg; 6-6 G Jon Diebler 11.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg; 6-5 G/F David Lighty 9.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg; 7-0 C Zisis Sarikopoulos (transfer from UAB).

Quality Of Opponent: Surprisingly decent. Walsh was 27-4 last season, although star guard Joe Shardo (18.6 ppg, 44.5 3-pt. pct.) has moved on and there isn’t much inside past Cescato, a 245-pound post player from Brazil. OSU beat the Cavs in last year’s exhibition matchup, 90-63.

Key Matchup: Jackson played beside Raymar Morgan for a state championship Canton (Ohio) McKinley team and could turn the Cavs into NAIA champions this season. He has size, strength and athleticism, especially when finishing on the break. Lighty, meanwhile, is expected the man the power forward position and is one of the top defenders in the Big Ten when healthy. This will be an interesting early test for him.

OSU easily won the battle on the boards in this game last year, 37-25, but Jackson could help even that out – as could Knight, a transfer from Kent State – and force the Buckeyes to play with respectable efficiency. Lighty, meanwhile, makes everything run better on both ends of the floor for the Buckeyes.

Chess Game: The Buckeyes are unveiling themselves to their fans tonight but they want to be a blur.

Just like in the three-game exhibition stint against Canadian teams, Ohio State head coach Thad Matta will employ man-to-man defense and tell his squad to push the ball as much as possible. And with Turner starting at point guard, he is allowing four players – Turner, Diebler, Buford and Lighty – the option of taking off with loose balls and rebounds to trigger the break.

In the extra practices in August and preseason camp, Ohio State worked extensively on the man-to-man and positioning for rebounding out of it.

“We played man-to-man every single day last year in practice because we had to go against it, so we spent quite a bit of time in August just with the concepts and what we were trying to get established,” Matta said.

As far as showing a more uptempo look, Matta said, “I hope so. I’ve always wanted to play fast. I’m an advocate of a 24-second shot clock in college basketball. I hope that we can do that. I think at times we’re going to have four guys out there that can really handle the basketball and shoot from behind the three-point line. They can drive, they can kick. So I think from that standpoint that’s exciting to me that hopefully we can get out and go a little bit.”

Walsh likely will jack up more than the 18 threes the Cavs shot against OSU last year, especially with 6-0 junior guard Eric Shiele in the lineup. Shiele is yet another transfer (Cleveland State) and long-range bomber. He led the nation in prep scoring a few years ago by averaging 39.6 ppg as a senior at Atwater (Ohio) Waterloo.

Fun Facts: Bob Huggins and former OSU assistant Dan Peters helped build up the winning tradition at Walsh as head coaches. … Walsh freshman guard Jason Davis is from central Ohio and prepped at nearby Westerville South. … The Cavs welcome back Lamar Skeeter, a 6-0 junior guard, who suffered a broken leg eight games into last season. Meanwhile, Lighty will be playing for the first time since breaking his foot last Dec. 17. His backup, 6-8 sophomore Nikola Kecman, is coming off ACL surgery in January. Center Dallas Lauderdale, a 6-8 junior and returning starter, will not play because of a broken bone (fourth metacarpal) in his right hand.

What’s At Stake: Let’s just call this what it is, a dress rehearsal against an NAIA Division II team. However, the Cavs can make plays in the backcourt and Ohio State doesn’t want to enter the season ranked in the top 25 (No. 16 in the initial Associated Press poll) coming off a lackluster showing.

The Buckeyes Say: Turner on the Buckeyes’ approach to the exhibition: “We’re definitely going to try to come in and execute what we’ve been practicing – playing good team defense, stopping ball transition, getting loose rebounds, trying to take care of the ball, getting free shots and trying to execute what we’re trying to execute. We’re trying to prepare for the season.”

Matta on his expectations: “From my perspective I’m anxious to see just how we play. It’s an opportunity to go against different guys and I know this: Walsh has a veteran team and added some Division I players to their team. So it should be a pretty good test for us.

“I’m hoping we’re a little bit further along with just playing with each other and having an understanding, but I do think it will be interesting just having the lights on and kind of gauging how we compete and how we stay together as a team, and execution-wise if we’re able to get done what we’re looking to get done.”

Lighty on if he’s ready to get back against a competitive college team: “I know I am. I’ve been waiting since December to get back out on the court. It’ll be good to get back out there with the crowd, the referees and another opponent.”

Turner on OSU’s exhibition loss to Findlay a couple years ago: “I remember Coach (Matta) was going nuts. He got so mad. I think he fell in the locker room when he tried to kick a chair. He kicked the chair and hit the ground. I remember we got up the next morning at 6 a.m. and got back at it.”

Next On The Docket: The Buckeyes open the regular season at VCA on Monday (7 p.m. Eastern, Big Ten Network) against Alcorn State. The Braves were just 6-25 last season including 4-14 in the lowly Southwestern Athletic Conference.