Four Division I basketball programs play at Mason's Lindner Family Tennis Center on Wednesday, Oct. 7, in the CareSource Invitational.
The doubleheader transforms the $260 million tennis venue into a basketball arena. Cincinnati faces Ohio State at 3 p.m., followed by Xavier against Dayton at 5:30 p.m. at the facility at 6100 Legacy Park Way. Tickets remain available through Ticketmaster and Vivid Seats, WLWT reported.
The outdoor exhibition scrimmages mark the first basketball event at the renovated campus, which doubled in size after a transformation completed ahead of the Cincinnati Open. Tournament leaders had announced plans to expand the venue's use beyond tennis, according to WLWT's earlier reporting on the Cincinnati Open's record attendance.
The event doubles as a fundraiser for adolescent and young adult mental health, with an emphasis on suicide prevention. The CareSource Invitationals, launched in 2023, carry the message "It's OK to not be OK" and have reached more than 100,000 college basketball fans nationwide, according to Cincinnati's athletics department.
Wednesday's opener features Cincinnati under first-year head coach Jerrod Calhoun, who was named the program's 29th head coach on March 24 after the Bearcats parted ways with Wes Miller. Calhoun, the 2026 Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year, brings a 297-159 career record but inherits a roster with 14 newcomers.
Fifth-year guard Grant Darbyshire is the lone returner. Cincinnati is one of just seven teams nationally returning zero points from last season.
"I'm a huge tennis fan, I've never been to a tennis match, I've watched every tennis documentary in this offseason, so I'm anxious to get in there and see what it looks like," Calhoun told WLWT on Oct. 6.
Ohio State, coached by third-year head coach Jake Diebler, returns starters John Mobley Jr. and Amare Bynum while welcoming eight newcomers.
The nightcap pits Xavier against Dayton. Xavier head coach Rick Pitino enters his second season with 11 newcomers, including seven transfers and four freshmen. Junior Jovan Milićević is the only returning player who saw game action last season, according to Xavier's athletics site.
Cincinnati has two more October exhibitions at Fifth Third Arena: against Illinois on Oct. 17 and Oakland on Oct. 27, before opening the regular season against American on Nov. 2. Xavier travels to Tennessee on Oct. 15 and hosts Kent State on Oct. 23 at Cintas Center.
If you are having suicidal thoughts, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
