Didn't hear it myself, but got a call telling me about an email question Huggins got tonight.  Assume my friend got the story correct, but for what it's worth here's his summary:

Email'er asked Huggins if he would ever get OHIO back on the basketball schedule.
Huggins responded that he asked OHIO for a game THIS season in Charleston, WV--somewhat neutral site where WV plays Marshall and most recently Norfolk State.
OHIO responded that they could not fit game in.
Huggins said he hopes they play in Charleston in the years to come.
Instead, WVU scheduled the Akron game after the OHIO game fell through.

It's a good regional rivalry with very low travel costs for the athletic department.  A lot of Ohio fans could get there easily, also.  Too bad it didn't happen because this is a good year to pick them off, just as kent did.  They are a very young team.

Honestly, *&(% Bob Huggins on this one.

He can come to the Convo and we can go to Morgantown. This neutral floor garbage is bush league. Be a man and play us on our floor and we'll do the same.

Our school is located in Athens, Ohio. If he wants a game with us (and vice versa) we can do it where our schools are located. Not in some half ass, sterilized, out of the way locale. And I don't care how the money tallies out.

People really need to start manning up - on both sides. We should never have turned this game down in the first place. I'm pretty sure we could have moved Marietta off the schedule for god's sake, not to mention I recall St. Bonaventure giving us the shaft. I don't know all the details, but if you have the chance to put this game on the schedule - you do it, and you do it at each campus site.

So sick of all the bullsh!t. Just play the damn games.

What about playing WVU them in Quicken Loans Arena?  Would the Cleveland Alums show up?  I assume WVU would travel.  They travel great.

Like many bobcatattackers, I participated as a fan back in the days under Catlett when the teams played each other regularly in Athens, Morgantown and Charleston.  I really enjoyed the regional rivalry.  We need to work on getting it going again.

The landscape of college hoops scheduling has changed since then, even though it really hasn't been many years.  It's now harder to get high majors to travel to mid major courts...it happens but less than it used to. 

We can "man up" to Bob Huggins but the result will probably be more home games vs. mid majors and low majors. 

Having said that, I have many memories of this rivalry...when we had over 10,000 in the Convo with Gary Trent and we handled WVU pretty easily.  I also remember a few years later under Larry Hunter when we beat WVU a few years in a row in Athens and Charleston.  The game in Charleston was memorable because it was like beating them on their home court (that was the season WVU was renovating the Coliseum).   Remember hanging out with some friends pregame in Charleston, including Stoney's parents.  They were great fans but I haven't had any contact with them for years.   

So we just whore ourselves out to anyone that asks? Ask Martin Sheen in Wall Street about my thoughts on that.

They went to Duquesne last year. They can come to Athens. I will be furious if we sell out and play this one on a neutral court.

Northern Iowa was the replacement for the Bonnies.

http://www.ohiobobcats.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/092611aaa.html

Anyone check our home slates lately?  Either we aren't trying or big names aren't coming. YES, YES, YES--my wholehearted, no second thoughts, no brainer answer is--a somewhat neutral site to get someone other than who we have on our OOC schedule--is a definite yes.  Short drive for most as compared to Northern Iowa/Oakland/Portland/Louisville, etc... somewhat neutral and someone other than Kennesaw State, Lamar, Marietta, Robert Morris, Morgan State--and you can keep adding the names here. 

Wouldn't you rather choose Big East WVU in Charleston as compared to Big East Louisville in Louisville or Kansas in Kansas?  Yes, Yes and Yes. 

Are 2 for 1s really done in basketball?  I thought it was just a football thing. 

If you can play at WVU, Pitt, Indiana, whatever, twice and get them in the Convo....uh.... why not?

I sure hope we load up the home schedule next year - the first year in semesters with students in town in December.

UD just signed a 2-for-1 with Murray State. But I haven't heard much of this at the BCS level. Either they think enough of you to do a home-and-home or they'll pay you to play at their place or a neutral site.

I think you might get an early season game with WVU in Charleston ala Norfolk State or a Akron type of game. WVU would probably enforce their " we don't play at MAC schools rule" like their rule in football and will never play in Athens.  WVU  used their "MAC Rule" as the reason they wouldn't play a football game at Marshall. When Marshall left the MAC and expanded their stadium to 40,000. they finally got WVU to come to Huntington., WVU played in Athens before they were in the BE and had trouble scheduling games and those days are long gone. JMHO.

FYI; the Marshall WVU game in Charleston is played every year with the CCV tickets split 50-50 between WVU and MU. Recently MU fans haven't bought their 50% share of the tickets and WVU fans have bought the tickets from the Marshall ticket office. Marshall gave up the broadcasting rights to WVU a long time ago for a 50/50 media revenue split. WVU has rejected ESPN offers to televise the game nationally.

WVU doesn't want to play in Huntington since they have never won a game at the Cam ( 0-6 since the late 1970's when the series was renewed, I think). This game is controlled by the WV Legislator and will always be played in Charleston in January and not moved to the campus sites for a home and home series.

Clearly my memory is defective.  I was really excited about the add to the schedule, too.  Whoops.

Didn't say it was simple.  Just asking if 2 for 1s are done and if you can get one or several I'd do it.