By: Bryan Messerly | WVU Athletics | WVU Press Release
CLEVELAND – Intersport, a Chicago-based sports marketing and events agency, announced today details for the Cleveland Hoops Showdown, a college basketball doubleheader that will feature Ohio State taking on West Virginia and Ohio squaring off against St. Bonaventure on Dec. 13 at Rocket Arena.
Game times and television designations will be announced at a later date. Tickets for the event are set to go on sale on Oct. 9, with a 24-hour presale confirmed for Oct. 8. Fans are encouraged to register at www.bit.ly/25ClevelandShowdown. to receive email alerts regarding the event and to also be eligible to receive ticket presale access for Oct. 8.
All four programs participated in the 2023 Legends of Basketball Showcase, which took place at Rocket Arena on Dec. 30. The Buckeyes took down the Mountaineers, 78-75, in a dramatic overtime contest. The Bonnies defeated Akron in a one-point contest, 62-61, and the Bobcats dropped a 72-69 contest to Davidson in the tripleheader.
The Buckeyes own a 10-8 all-time mark over the Mountaineers, with the teams’ most recent meeting coming in that 2023 overtime contest, won by the Buckeyes. St. Bonaventure holds an 8-5 advantage in the all-time series against Ohio, but it was the Bobcats who earned a 65-53 in over the Bonnies on Nov. 5, 2019.
Ohio State boasts a rich basketball tradition that includes 11 Final Four appearances, 20 Big Ten Championships and four Big Ten Tournament titles. The Buckeyes are led by head coach Jake Diebler, who is entering his second full season with the program. Diebler’s squad is led by All-Big Ten second team member Bruce Thornton, who averaged 17.7 points and 4.6 assists per game last season. The Buckeyes will also welcome back returning starters Devin Royal and John Mobley Jr., who were second (13.7) and fourth (13.0), respectively, on the team in points per game last year.
West Virginia enters the year under the leadership of new head coach Ross Hodge, who in seven seasons as a head coach owns a 192-48 (.800) record. Hodge spent the last eight years at North Texas, including the last two as head coach, and led the program to the NIT semifinals in 2025. The Mountaineers welcome an entirely new roster to Morgantown this year, including two players, Brenen Lorient and Jasper Floyd, who were part of Hodge’s North Texas roster last year. Lorient earned All-Conference honors (First Team, American) last season, as did fellow transfers Treysen Eaglestaff (Second Team, Summit) and Honor Huff (First Team, SoCon).
Ohio is led by Jeff Boals, a proud Ohio alum who has reinvigorated the Bobcats since taking over in 2019. Under Boals, Ohio has made multiple postseason appearances, including an NCAA Tournament victory over Virginia in 2021. The Bobcats will return three players with starting experience from last season’s squad, including Jackson Paveltetzke, the team’s second-leading scorer (13.8 ppg) who started all 32 games a year ago, Aidan Hadaway (started 17 games) and Elijah Elliott (14). Hadaway was the team’s leading rebounder (5.8 rpg) and Elliott was named to the MAC All-Freshman Team in 2025.
The Bonnies are guided by longtime head coach Mark Schmidt, the winningest coach in program history and a fixture in the A-10 since 2007. The Bonnies have won 324 games in Schmidt’s 18 seasons, reached the 20-wins mark in three of the last four seasons and advanced to postseason play five times in the last nine years (not including COVID season). Last year, the Bonnies finished with 22 wins – tied for third-most in the Schmidt era – and earned an NIT bid. Guard Dasonte Bowen leads the Bonnies into the 2025-26 campaign after averaging 11.1 points per contest a season ago.
To receive the latest event news, ticket information and more, follow Intersport Basketball on Twitter (X) and Instagram at @IntersportHoops. The view the most up-to-date schedule of Intersport basketball events for the 2025-26 season, please see the attached PDF.
Quotes from the Participating Coaches of the Cleveland Hoops Showdown
Ohio State Head Coach Jake Diebler
“Cleveland is a great city full of Buckeye passion and rich basketball tradition. I’m excited for our program to participate in the game against West Virginia. We look forward to the stage and atmosphere this game provides and want to continue to reach our fans across our great state and beyond.”
West Virginia Head Coach Ross Hodge
“This is another exciting early season matchup that we are looking forward to playing against a really solid team from the Big Ten Conference. This will be the third time that WVU and Ohio State have played in Cleveland since 2019, and I know it’s a border game that our fans enjoy. It also gives our team the opportunity to play in an NBA arena with the likelihood of playing on national television in December.”
Ohio Head Coach Jeff Boals
“We are excited to play at Rocket Arena. Mark Starsiak and the team at Intersport do a phenomenal job setting up high-quality games. We look forward to the challenge of playing a well-coached St. Bonaventure team.”
St. Bonaventure Head Coach Mark Schmidt
“Playing another strong mid-major opponent in Ohio as part of the Cleveland Hoops Showdown is a great way to cap our non-conference schedule,” said St. Bonaventure head coach Mark Schmidt. “They are a well-coached program that will present another challenge for our guys as we prepare toward Atlantic 10 play. Being able to return to Rocket Arena is also an outstanding opportunity for our guys to be able to play in an NBA venue which is always a bonus for our fans as well. We’ve had some memorable moments there the past few years and look forward to returning. We’re thankful to Mark Starsiak and Intersport for their partnership in putting this event together.”
