Pre-game preview:
ATHENS, Ohio -- The Ohio men's basketball team returns to the court for its first of two exhibitions before the start of the 2025-26 season this Monday, Oct. 20 when the Bobcats take part in the 2025 CareSource Invitational - Dayton. The Bobcats will take on Wright State in the second game of the night, which is set to tip-off around 8 p.m. ET inside UD Arena.
FANS HEADED TO DAYTON
Ohio Bobcat fans who still need to purchase tickets can do so with the Ohio-specific link here. All proceeds from ticket sales with that link will go directly to Ohio men's basketball.
Fans heading to Dayton are welcome to attend Pregame at The Fieldhouse from 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. The Fieldhouse is an alumni-owned establishment (Ted Thompson, BSC '89) and is located at 1126 Brown St, Dayton, OH. If you have questions, please reach out to Ryan O'Connor at
oconnorr@ohio.edu .
IT'S OK TO NOT BE OK
Monday's game between Ohio and Wright State is part of the third annual CareSource Invitationals, a series of college basketball games dedicated to raising awareness and funds for adolescent and young adult mental health.
Centered around the powerful message, "it's Ok to Not be Ok," the CareSource Invitationals aim to normalize mental health conversations nationwide, helping create safe, supportive environments where young people feel empowered to seek help and thrive.
CareSource is honored to support communities all over the country by expanding access to mental health resources and support. Remember- It's Ok to Not be Ok.
About CareSource:
CareSource is a national nonprofit managed care organization that administers one of the largest Medicaid managed care plans in the U.S. and offers health insurance, including Medicaid, Marketplace and Medicare products.
A LITTLE ABOUT OHIO
Ohio finished last season 16-16 overall and 10-8 in MAC play, before falling to Toledo in an overtime thriller in the MAC Quarterfinals.
The 2025-26 Bobcats return four major contributors from last year's team, including seniors Ajay Sheldon, Aidan Hadaway and Jackson Paveletzke and sophomore Elijah Elliott, while adding seven newcomers in transfers Javan Simmons, Dior Conners, Jalen Breath and Carter Reese and freshman JJ Kelly, Jordan Fisher and Zay Mosley.
Paveletzke started all 32 games for the Bobcats last year, averaging 13.8 points a game, while shooting .514 from the field and earning a spot on the All-MAC Third Team.He also earned a spot on the MAC Blue Ribbon Forecast Preseason All-MAC Team. Hadaway returns to the starting lineup after missing the last half of last season due to injury. Elliott looks to build on a stellar freshman season in which he worked his way into the starting lineup and averaging 5.1 points a game.
Simmons comes to Ohio after spending three seasons at Toledo. In two seasons, Simmons started all 65 games he played in. Simmons averaged 12.4 points and 5.9 rebounds a game, while shooting 55.1 percent from the field, 32.3 percent from three and 74.2 percent from the line. He was also the 2023-24 MAC Freshman of the Year, an All-MAC Honorable Mention in 2024-25 and is a two-time Academic All-MAC selection. Breath played three seasons at UNC Greensboro. The Oklahoma City native played in 87 games, while making 61 starts as a Spartan. On his career, Breath averaged 5.5 points and 5.4 rebounds a game, while shooting 51.8 percent from the field and 58.3 percent from the line. He also has 30 career blocks and 34 career steals. Conners played last season at App State where he saw action in 31 games, while making 26 starts. He averaged 8.0 points a game, while shooting 40.8 percent from the field, 40.1 percent from three and 76.0 percent from the line. He added 1.8 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game, while snagging 13 steals.
Kelly comes to Athens from Chambersburg, Pa. and played at Chambersburg Area. The guard was named 2025 PennLive Big 15 First Team, 2025 PennLive Big 15 All-Defensive Team, 2025 Mid Penn Commonwealth Conference First Team and 2025 All State (Pennsylvania) Third Team. Kelly also averaged 21.8 PPG 7.1 RPG 2.6 APG during his senior season. Fisher, a Pickerington, Ohio native played at Reynoldsburg. Fisher became the all time leader in career points in Reynoldsburg history with 1,306 points during his senior season. He was named 2025 All-Ohio First Team., 2025 Columbus Dispatch All-Metro First Team, 2025 All-Central District First Team and 2025 OCC First Team and Super Team. He helped lead Reynoldsburg to the 2025 Regional + District Championship (Division 1) and 2025 OCC Championship.
A LITTLE ABOUT WRIGHT STATE
Wright State finished last year 15-18 overall with an 8-12 mark in conference pla, falling in the Horizon League quarterfinals. Wright State returns six players from a season ago. Logan Woods started 25 games in 2024-25 while shooting 48 percent overall, while Michael Imariagbe (18 starts, 64 percent shooting) and Solomon Callaghan also had double-digit starts and shot over 40 percent from the floor and Andrea Holden connected at a 65 percent shooting clip with five starts. Meanwhile, Wright State added eight newcomers (four transfers, four freshmen) to its 2025-26 roster.
UP NEXT
Ohio will play another exhibition game before the start of the regular season on Sunday, Oct. 26 when they head to Columbus, Ohio to take on Ohio State. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. ET inside Value City Arena. The game can be seen on BIG+.
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