Cleveland, Ohio On December 13, college basketball fans in Northeast Ohio will get the opportunity to witness Ohio State and Ohio play at Rocket Arena in the Cleveland Hoops Showdown.
The Bobcats will play St. Bonaventure, while the Buckeyes will play West Virginia. Details about the television show and game times will be revealed later.
All four programs who took part in the 2023 Legends of Basketball Showcase are returning to Cleveland for the tournament. In that prior tournament, Ohio State fell to Davidson 72-69, St. Bonaventure defeated Akron 62-61, and Ohio State upset West Virginia 78-75 in overtime.
In a news release, Ohio State head coach Jake Diebler, who is starting his second season as head coach, stated Cleveland is a fantastic city full with Buckeye love and rich basketball tradition. Bruce Thornton, a member of the All-Big Ten second team who averaged 17.7 points the previous season, will be the team’s leader. The Buckeyes have 20 Big Ten titles and 11 Final Four appearances.
Ross Hodge, who has a 192-48 career record and most recently guided North Texas to the 2025 NIT semifinals, is the new head coach of West Virginia. In a statement, Hodge stated, “I know it’s a border game that our fans enjoy.” This will be the third time Ohio State and WVU have met in Cleveland since 2019.
In the second game, St. Bonaventure, headed by program wins leader Mark Schmidt, will play the Bobcats, led by alumni Jeff Boals. Three seasoned starters are back for the Bobcats, including Jackson Paveltetzke, who finished the previous season with an average of 13.8 points per game.
In a press statement, Boals stated, “We are thrilled to play at Rocket Arena.” We are eager to take on the challenge of facing a St. Bonaventure team that is well-coached.
A presale will start on October 8 and tickets will go on sale on October 9 at rocketarena.com. Fans can sign up for presale access and event updates at www.bit.ly/25ClevelandShowdown.
