Forward Amare Bynum (1) dunks the ball. Ohio State lost to Cincinnati 79-68 on Oct. 7, 2026. Credit: Cassandra D'Angelo | Sports Photo Editor.
Usually college basketball games are played within the comfort of four walls.?
But on Wednesday, the Ohio State men’s basketball team returned to the court for its first exhibition game, playing outdoors at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio.
Ohio State faced Cincinnati in the CareSource Invitational for its first of two exhibition games of the season, before its 2026-27 campaign starts against BYU on Nov. 2. The Buckeyes led for over 23 minutes against the Bearcats, but ultimately fell down the stretch, losing 79-68.?
Eleven Buckeyes played during the game, but guard John Mobley Jr. the only player to score in double-figures, leading the team with 15 points.??
Here are takeaways from the Buckeyes’ exhibition loss to their instate opponent.
Still determining rotations
The Buckeyes’ starting lineup against Cincinnati consisted of guards John Mobley Jr., Curtis Givens III, forwards Anthony Thompson, Amare Bynum and center Ivan Njegovan.?
Bynum, who scored nine points and had a team-high seven rebounds, and Mobley were the only two Buckeyes to log over 29 minutes. Guards Justin Pippen and LJ Smith, who each came off the bench, tallied the next highest amount of minutes.?
Diebler described that Ohio State’s lineups are still a work in progress.
“I would not put a penny’s worth of stock in who we started, who came off the bench first, none of that,” Diebler said. “I think we’ve got a few guys who have solidified a starting position, and then we’ve got a lot of competition happening right now.”
Inside presence struggles
In Ohio State’s loss, the Bearcats outscored the Buckeyes in the paint 48 to 32. Ohio State center Ivan Njegovan and forwards Josh Ojianwuna and Andrija Jelavic combined for seven rebounds and 12 fouls.?
Diebler described that he believes that the three big men will be able to bounce back.
“Those guys didn’t have a good day today,” Diebler said, “It is what it is. That’s not how they’ve been or how they’ve played and [it] won’t be how they play moving forward.”
Ojianwuna missed the 2025-26 season while recovering from knee surgery. Diebler emphasized the importance of having their 6-foot-10 forward play in the exhibition game before the season tips off.
“Just having him out there and getting the minutes was really more important than some of the details for today,” Diebler said. “He’ll be a lot better moving forward.”
Njegovan started for Ohio State, but played less than eight minutes in the loss. Diebler commented how his consistency will be a factor in how much he is a part of the rotation towards the season.
“Ivan’s had some really great lead-in practices leading into this,” Diebler said, “I think [what] we’re looking for as we iron out our rotation heading into November is consistency.”
Freshmen contributions?
Ohio State brings in its first top-25 recruiting class since 2023, headlined by five-star forward Anthony Thompson and four-star guard LJ Smith.?
Other than Bynum, Mobley and Pippen, no Buckeyes played more than the two freshmen Wednesday.?
Smith finished with nine points on 11 shot attempts and two steals, while Thompson scored two points and added four rebounds.?
Diebler talked about the offensive aggression for both and where he wants to see improvement moving into the regular season.
“I think LJ at times may be a little over-aggressive, [Thompson] at times not aggressive enough and we just need both of them to grow as decision makers,” Diebler said. “They’re really good players.”?
Mobley described how he thought the freshman played in their first collegiate action.?
“I feel like they played hard and did everything they can to try to help us win,” Mobley said. “It’s tough, it’s your first game.”
Learning from second-half struggles
The Buckeyes took a 11-9 lead with 12:19 remaining in the first half, and held it for more than halfway through the second half.
Ohio State led 56-49 with 10:05 remaining, but then the Bearcats went on a 24-8 run over the next seven minutes.?
The Buckeyes were unable to regain the lead after that.?
On an outdoor court, Ohio State shot 2-14 from 3-point range in the second half and 11-21 from the free throw line.?
Diebler emphasized how learning from the experience will be impactful as the season approaches.
“That second half is going to be so valuable for us, way more valuable than the first half when we were winning,” Diebler said. “I think that’s what we’ll take from this.”
Diebler said he wants to keep putting the Buckeyes in situations in which they face adversity, similar to the one they faced Wednesday, as they will face it in Big Ten play.
“You’re going to see it every single game,” Diebler said. “We handled it well at times, I thought late we didn’t handle it as well as we needed to [as we did] earlier in the game.”?
