Barely 10 miles separate where Anthony Thompson grew up and where he will make his unofficial Ohio State debut.
A native of Lebanon, Ohio, the projected 2027 NBA lottery pick spent two seasons playing high school basketball there before moving on to prep school at Western Reserve Academy. On Oct. 7, Thompson and his new teammates will make the drive down I-71 from campus to Mason, Ohio. There, at the Lindner Family Tennis Center, they will tip off their first public exhibition game in the continental United States.
The Buckeyes played two games in Puerto Rico in early August as part of a foreign exhibition trip. Thompson opened the scoring at Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez with a ferocious dunk in front of a few dozen fans. By comparison, there will
be about 10,000 fans on hand when Thompson plays about 20 minutes from home as part of a doubleheader between Ohio State and Cincinnati followed by Dayton and Xavier.
“Being able to play down there pretty close to Cincinnati, I think it’ll be pretty cool,” Thompson said.
It will also be unique. The last time Ohio State attempted to play an outdoor game, the Buckeyes were unable to suit up against Marquette on Nov. 9, 2012. Condensation prevented them from playing on the USS Yorktown in Charleston, South Carolina. That was a regular-season game scheduled to be played on a floating ship, while this is a doubleheader exhibition that has been at least two years in the making.
After getting the Ohio State job at the end of the 2024-25 season, Buckeyes coach Jake Diebler set out to bring the Buckeyes, Musketeers, Bearcats and Flyers to a single location. It nearly came to fruition last year but was finalized as an exhibition series this year.
“I love the fact that these four teams are together, not technically under the same roof but in the same facility,” Diebler said. “It’s awesome for the basketball community in Ohio. I’ve been vocal about that since I got the job. I’m excited we’re able to do it. Hopefully it’s the start of something that grows into something more, but this is a great start.”
Is the Ohio State-Cincinnati game on television?
No. Neither game in the doubleheader will be broadcast or streamed, but Ohio State’s game will be carried on the radio. You can listen by tuning into WBNS-FM (97.1).
The Dispatch will also have a live blog from the event.
Are tickets still available?
As of Oct. 6 at 5 p.m., there were still tickets available for purchase at Ticketmaster.com.
What is the weather forecast for Ohio State and Cincinnati’s outdoor game?
About as good as either team could have asked for. Around 24 hours before tipoff, AccuWeather's forecast called for sunshine and a temperature of 78 degrees in Mason when the Buckeyes and Bearcats tip off.
There is a 0% chance of rain.
How is Ohio State approaching the Cincinnati exhibition?
When the Buckeyes played their two games in Puerto Rico, Diebler used different starting lineups, rotated liberally through his lineups and kept playing time relatively equal across the board.
This figures to be similar to that.
“This game is an opportunity for me to evaluate,” he said. “We’re going to play a lot of guys a lot of minutes because we’re still building out our rotation. I’m looking forward to seeing how our guys execute. I know they’re going to compete and play really hard, but we’re building towards getting ready for what’s a really challenging start of the season.”
It will also serve as a break in the grind of the preseason. It’s the first of three exhibitions the Buckeyes will play. Ohio State will take part in a closed, “secret” scrimmage against Louisville and then will host Butler on Oct. 25 in a final preseason test.
“I think we’re ready,” junior center Ivan Njegovan said of this first exhibition game. “I think everybody is really excited to play a real game. Puerto Rico was a test, but this is a college team. I think it’s going to be fun and everybody is excited to play.”
With nearly a full month until the regular season starts, it remains to be seen whether the full Ohio State roster is available.
What would happen in case of inclement weather?
If the forecast had been dicey, the entire event would have been relocated to Dayton's UD Arena and played later in the evening, but given the forecast, that will be unnecessary.
When have Ohio State and Cincinnati last played each other?
On Oct. 18, 2024, the Buckeyes went to Fifth Third Arena for a charity exhibition game that marked the first public unveiling of Diebler's first team.
The Bearcats shot 54.2% from the floor, led by as many as 27 points and never trailed in handing Ohio State an 80-62 defeat. Micah Parrish and Meechie Johnson tied for the team lead with 11 points for the Buckeyes, who would go 17-15 that season.
Dillon Mitchell and Simas Lukosius each led Cincinnati with 12 points as the Bearcats outrebounded the Buckeyes 38-21. Cincinnati was ranked No. 20 in the preseason Associated Press poll and finished the year 19-16 overall.
Ohio State men's basketball beat writer Adam Jardy can be reached at ajardy@dispatch.com, on Bluesky at @cdadamjardy.bsky.social, on Instagram at @cdadamjardyor on Twitter at @AdamJardy.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Here's what you need to know about Ohio State's outdoor Cincinnati game
