Ohio State originally planned to participate in the Bahamas-based Battle 4 Atlantis. Then the early-season tournament got moved to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where it was renamed the Crossover Classic. There, the Buckeyes were slated to open the season against Memphis.
However, Ohio State has pulled out of the event altogether, a source confirmed to Eleven Warriors on Thursday afternoon. Stadium's Jeff Goodman was first to report the news.
The decision to not participate in the early-season tournament was made, per a source, due to South Dakota's seven-day rolling average COVID-19 positivity rate of 50.6 percent and the Ohio Department of Health's recommendation of a 14-day quarantine for those returning from a seven-state list that includes South Dakota – which has the highest seven-day rolling positivity rate among them.
Utah removed itself from the Crossover Classic a week ago. Memphis, Texas A&M, West Virginia, Creighton, Wichita State, Dayton and South Dakota State are still slate to play in the event.
