Ohio St. @ Cincinnati preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 22, 2012 ) Cincinnati 66, Ohio St. 81

For the first time since Jan. 3, 1920, Ohio State will travel to Cincinnati to play the Bearcats on Wednesday night in the first game at the newly refurbished Fifth Third Arena. The season opener for both teams will be the first meeting in a regular-season game since 1921.

No one knows for sure the reason the two Ohio programs have avoided each other through the years, but the general consensus is that Ohio State had nothing to gain as the highest-profile school in the state and losing to Cincinnati could affect recruiting. Cincinnati defeated Ohio State in the 1961 and 1962 NCAA Tournament championship games, and Ohio State won contests on a neutral court in 2006 and in an NCAA Sweet 16 game in 2012 in Boston. The two-year agreement to meet in a home-and-home series is attributable to relationships between the schools' two athletic directors (Cincinnati's Mike Bohn and Ohio State's Gene Smith) and the two coaches (Cincinnati's Mick Cronin and Ohio State's Chris Holtmann). "It's great for basketball in Ohio, the two biggest universities in the state playing each other," Cronin told Cincinnati.com. "It's good for our state, it’s good for high school basketball, it brings attention to both our universities nationally. Everything is positive about the game. Hopefully, it’s a series we can always play."

TV: 6 p.m. ET, ESPN2

ABOUT OHIO STATE (2017-18: 25-9): The Buckeyes surprised everyone last year by finishing in a second-place tie with Purdue in the Big Ten in Holtmann's first season after being picked 11th in the preseason. Ohio State is not expected to duplicate last year's success after losing several key components, including Big Ten Player of the Year Keita Bates-Diop. The top returnee is forward Kaleb Wesson, who recorded 12 points and 10 rebounds in limited action against UNC Pembroke in Ohio State's 81-63 exhibition victory last week.

ABOUT CINCINNATI (2017-18: 31-5): The Bearcats must replace three starters -- Gary Clark, the 2017-18 American Athletic Conference player of the year; Kyle Washington and Jacob Evans -- who were significant contributors from an NCAA Tournament team that won more than 30 games for the second consecutive year. Junior guard Jarron Cumberland, a preseason All-American Athletic Conference pick, is the only returnee who averaged in double figures last season (11.5 points per game). Junior college transfer Rashawn Fredericks should make an immediate contribution and 6-foot-11, 250-pound junior center Nysier Brooks should see more minutes, primarily as a rebounder and defender.

TIP-INS

1. Wesson's brother, Andre, along with C.J. Jackson, Musa Jallow and Kyle Young, are the other Ohio State returnees with some experience, and will be joined by transfer Keyshawn Woods and Holtmann's first recruiting class, which could contribute right away.

2. Cincinnati is one of four programs to win 30 or more games in each of the past two seasons, and one of six schools to appear in the last eight NCAA Tournaments.

3. Junior F Micah Potter, expected to be a backup for Ohio State behind Kaleb Wesson, announced Monday that he will transfer after contributing 13 points and six rebounds in the exhibition victory over UNC Pembroke.

PREDICTION: Cincinnati 60, Ohio State 58