Jerrod Calhoun And More Recap CareSource Invitational Exhibition Against Ohio State

Cincinnati has two more exhibitions before the real games begin.

Oct 7, 2026; Mason, OH, USA; A view of game action during the game between the Cincinnati Bearcats and the Ohio State Buckeyes in the first half during the 2026 CareSource Invitational at the Lindner Family Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Bearcats battled Ohio State in the 2026 CareSource Invitational on Wednesday afternoon, taking the exhibition contest 79-68 in front of fans at the Lindner Family Tennis Center.

Cincinnati played 11 guys heavy minutes in the action and may have lucked out a bit getting to play on the sun-glare-less side of the court in the second half, but they made their shots on that end and OSU missed more of theirs in the first half.

It's a strong sign beating Bart Torvik's 17th-best team entering the 2026-27 season. Cincinnati is 36th on that projection.

UC head coach Jerrod Calhoun spoke about the contest and updated the injury status for Myles Colvin (appeared to injure his ankle in opening minutes). Javontae Campbell is also on the mend in a walking boot, but Calhoun didn't have an update on him.

"We got out of here today with a mild injury. He'll be fine. We expect him to practice on Friday," Calhoun said about Colvin at the podium.

Cincinnati has a nice winning result to build on in practice.

"We need as many reps as possible," Calhoun said last week. "We're playing on two courts because we're throwing the ball out of bounds within the line. So we need as many game reps as possible. And you know, I think Ohio State and Illinois and Oakland, all three of them are a little bit different. I don't know if you saw today, but Ohio State's staff was here. We invited them to our practice. We wanted them to see us and live scout us. We did the same thing for them a week ago. A little bit unconventional, but I love it. I love getting out and watching different teams' practices."

The Bearcats' newest head coach is eager to keep growing with his guys over the next 10 days. Tylen Riley is excited as well after posting a game-high 23 points on Wednesday.

"I think the team was just excited. This is like a once-in-a-lifetime event. You don't really just play outside every day and run all the time. So I think it's just a great event, and it just took some adjustment to get away from the sun. But we'll be all right," Riley noted.

Cincinnati takes on Illinois in a home exhibition next Saturday at 5 p.m. ET.

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