For one afternoon, Center Court at the Lindner Family Tennis Center will trade tennis balls for basketballs as two of college basketball’s most recognizable programs begin preparing for the 2026-27 season.
The Cincinnati Bearcats and Ohio State Buckeyes will take basketball outside on Wednesday afternoon for one of the most unique preseason exhibitions in recent college basketball history.
Cincinnati and Ohio State will meet at 3 p.m. Wednesday,, at Center Court inside the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio, home of the Cincinnati Open.
The matchup serves as part of the fourth annual CareSource Invitational, this year’s iteration is an outdoor doubleheader that will also feature Xavier taking on Dayton later in the day. The event puts a different spin on preseason basketball while raising awareness and funds for youth mental health and suicide prevention.
For Cincinnati, Wednesday marks the first early opportunity for first-year head coach Jerrod Calhoun to see his completely rebuilt roster compete against high-level opposition.
A Different Kind of Exhibition
While Wednesday’s game will not count toward either team’s regular-season record, the matchup carries plenty of value for two programs trying to establish new identities.
Cincinnati enters the season with Calhoun at the helm, arriving from Utah State and replacing Wes Miller. The Bearcats underwent a complete roster overhaul, with no returning scholarship players from last season.
Ohio State also enters the matchup with significant changes. Head coach Jake Diebler enters his third full season leading the Buckeyes after guiding the program to a 21-13 record and a 12-8 mark in Big Ten play last season.
The Buckeyes ultimately fell to TCU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The two programs have also found an unusual way to prepare for Wednesday’s meeting.
Calhoun revealed that Cincinnati and Ohio State essentially exchanged access to their practices ahead of the exhibition. Cincinnati’s staff traveled to Columbus to scout an Ohio State practice, while Diebler’s staff later visited Fifth Third Arena to watch the Bearcats work.
Calhoun called the arrangement “a little bit unconventional.”
With both programs featuring heavily revamped rosters, the exchange gave each coaching staff a chance to study its opponent while also providing valuable feedback and game-like preparation before the teams finally share the court.
Ohio State Brings a New-Look Roster to Mason
The Buckeyes will enter the 2026-27 season with a roster that looks considerably different from the one that took the floor last season.
Ohio State must replace three of its top four scorers from a year ago. Bruce Thornton led the team with 19.9 points per game before graduating, while Devin Royal averaged 13.7 points before transferring to Villanova. Seven-footer Christoph Tilly also departed after averaging 11 points per game.
Diebler attacked those losses through the transfer portal and recruiting, bringing in a combination of experienced college players and highly regarded young talent.
Five-star forward Anthony Thompson headlines the newcomers. Thompson ranks as the highest-rated freshman to sign with Ohio State since Jared Sullinger in 2010 and enters the season with projected NBA lottery-pick potential.
Five-star guard LJ Smith also joins the Buckeyes after reclassifying from the 2027 class.
Ohio State added plenty of proven production around its young stars. Justin Pippen arrives from Cal after averaging 14.2 points per game last year, while Jimmie Williams put up 15.1 points per game at Duquesne. Shooter Curtis Givens III adds another perimeter threat after averaging 9.4 points per game at Memphis.
John Mobley Jr. returns as one of the team’s most important pieces. The junior guard averaged 15.7 points per game last season and knocked down 97 three-pointers, earning a spot on the Preseason All-Big Ten Team.
The Buckeyes also expect sophomore forward Amare Bynum to take a step after averaging 9.7 points per game last season.
Inside, Josh Ojianwuna provides another intriguing storyline. The physical big man missed all of last season while recovering from a torn ACL but gives Ohio State another option in the frontcourt if he returns to his previous form.
Ohio State’s Projected Starting Five
- G: Justin Pippen
- G: John Mobley Jr.
- F: Anthony Thompson
- F: Amare Bynum
- C: Josh Ojianwuna
Diebler also appears ready to lean into an aggressive style of play.
Ohio State plans to utilize its improved length and athleticism on the defensive end with more full-court pressure. The goal is to force turnovers, speed up the game and create transition opportunities.
That approach could make Wednesday’s matchup especially interesting against a Cincinnati team that wants to play with similar pace.
Cincinnati Begins the Calhoun Era
Wednesday’s exhibition represents another significant step in Cincinnati’s transition into the Jerrod Calhoun era.
Calhoun arrived in Clifton after a successful run at Utah State and immediately rebuilt the Bearcats through the transfer portal. With zero returning scholarship players from last season, virtually every piece of the roster must learn to play together for the first time.
Calhoun’s teams traditionally play fast, attack aggressively and put pressure on opposing defenses. That represents a noticeable change from the more methodical style Cincinnati fans became accustomed to in recent seasons.
The Bearcats built their roster around athleticism, length and players who can thrive in an up-tempo system.
Myles Colvin sits at the center of that group. The senior guard transferred from Wake Forest after previously playing at Purdue and averaged 11.6 points per game during his junior season.
Calhoun also brought two familiar faces from Utah State to Cincinnati in sophomore forward Adlan Elamin and guard Elijah Perryman.
The Bearcats added an additional scoring punch on the perimeter with Tyler Tejada, a wing shooter who transferred from Towson. Akai Fleming, who arrives from Georgia Tech, and Javontae Campbell, who transferred from Bowling Green, give Cincinnati two more players capable of attacking the basket. Campbell was pictured in a boot and crutches as recently as Sunday, so the expectation is that he will not play. However, Cincinnati has not released a formal statement on the matter as of this writing.
The frontcourt features veteran forward Riley Allenspach, who transferred from George Mason, and former Boston College big man Jayden Hastings.
Another player to watch remains MJ Collins Jr. The fifth-year guard could become one of the biggest X-factors on the roster, although his immediate eligibility remains tied up in a legal battle.
Cincinnati’s Projected Starting Five
- G: Tylen Riley
- G: Akai Fleming
- G: Myles Colvin
- F: Tyler Tejada
- C: Jayden Hastings
MJ Collins Jr. remains ineligible as of now.
An Early Test for Two Completely New Teams
The preseason rankings suggest both teams enter the season with plenty to prove.
Cincinnati sits around No. 41 in early national projections, while Ohio State ranks No. 24 in the preseason Power 44. The Buckeyes also landed eighth in the Big Ten preseason poll.
But preseason exhibitions rarely come down to rankings. We all remember Michigan and Cincinnati last year.
For Cincinnati, Wednesday provides Calhoun with another chance to evaluate a roster that has never played a competitive game together. The Bearcats will also face Illinois and Oakland later this month as part of a loaded exhibition schedule.
Ohio State faces a similar challenge as Diebler incorporates a large group of newcomers around Mobley and the rest of his returning pieces.
That makes Wednesday’s game less about the final score and more about what each team can learn.
The outdoor setting only adds to the intrigue. For Cincinnati, it will mark another important first in the beginning of the Calhoun era.
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