Ohio State announced on Wednesday that it will travel to Cincinnati to take on the Bearcats on Oct. 18 in an in-state charity exhibition game.
The Buckeyes and Bearcats will face off inside Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati as part of the CareSource Exhibition Game For Mental Health, an event that also includes a matchup between Dayton and Xavier on Oct. 20 that will be played in Dayton.
All net proceeds from ticket sales will benefit mental health providers and charities within each school’s footprint, including Jay’s Light, an organization created by Dayton head coach Anthony Grant and his wife, Chris, to help families find the necessary resources to deal with mental health struggles.
Grant’s daughter, Jayda, died in 2022 at 20 following a two-year battle with a mental illness.
“We’re excited to partner with Cincinnati and CareSource this preseason for such a tremendous cause,” Diebler said in a statement. “The opportunity to raise awareness, specifically in our great state, was important to our program and university.
“The overall wellness and mental health of our student-athletes has long been a priority for our athletic department, and we are blessed to have incredible resources here at Ohio State. Being able to join Coach Grant, along with Coach Miller and his program, is important for our state as we continue to work to have a real impact in our communities.”
Ohio State, then led by Holtmann, participated in a similar event last fall when they took on Dayton in an exhibition game in front of a sold-out UD Arena, which capped off a four-day charity event coined “The Spotlight” that aimed to raise awareness and education towards the mental health struggles of adolescents and young adults.
The event raised $500,000 towards suicide prevention and other mental health resources, and moved Holtmann to tears during the postgame press conference following the exhibition.
While this game won’t count towards either team’s regular season record, Ohio State will look to continue their success against their in-state foes. The Buckeyes hold an 8-4 record against the Bearcats in regular season games, with the most recent meeting occurring in the 2022 Maui Invitational, where the Buckeyes won 81-53.
Cincinnati, led by fourth-year head coach Wes Miller, is coming off its first season in the Big 12, going 7-11 in the conference and 22-15 overall. The Bearcats earned an NIT bid last season and, like Ohio State, fell in the quarterfinal round, losing 85-81 to Indiana State.
