Cleveland Hoops Showdown

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 above 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.

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NEW TRAFFIC UPDATE: A new street configuration near Rocket Arena has been implemented by the City of Cleveland where Huron Rd. will be one-way eastbound toward E. 9th St., and Prospect Ave. will be one-way westbound toward Ontario St. Please note, post-event traffic from the Gateway East Garage will remain unchanged. More information available here.

PARKING UPDATE: The Gateway East Garage is now cashless, requiring credit or debit cards for entry. Event parking prices will now vary by event, and visitors should allow extra time for traffic and potential delays. The mobile parking pass process remains unchanged.

ARENA UPGRADES: Rocket Arena is undergoing upgrades to support fan transportation. This will temporarily impact elevator access starting with one of the four-bank elevators located on the Street Level near Portal 29. More information available here

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