ANNAPOLIS, Md. — There are limits to how gracious the Naval Academy will be to its invited guests.
On Thursday morning, it opened its gates for all three teams playing in the Veterans Classic for an immersive tour that included boarding Humvees, helicopters and yard patrol craft. Friday, it pushed Ohio State for three quarters of the nightcap of the doubleheader before Kam Williams lit the fuse and the Buckeyes (1-0) pulled away for a 78-68 win at Alumni Hall.
Season openers under coach Thad Matta have traditionally been laughers, serving as little more than glorified exhibition games.