What We Learned From Ohio State Basketball's Outdoor Exhibition Loss to Cincinnati

Ohio State basketball fell to Cincinnati 79-68 in an outdoor exhibition. Here's what we learned about the Buckeyes' shooting, rotations and defense.

Oct 7, 2026; Mason, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes guard John Mobley Jr. (0) passes the ball against Cincinnati Bearcats forward Tyler Tejada (8) 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 Buckeyes lost to Cincinnati 79-68 in their first outdoor exhibition game at Lindner Family Tennis Center.

The main takeaway from this game? Don't take too much away from it.

The Outdoor Conditions Limited Shooting

A 3 p.m. tip-off outdoors presented challenges with wind and sunlight, creating shooting conditions the Buckeyes won't face during the regular season.

Ohio State shot just 40.7% from the field, 17.4% from three and made only 20 of 36 free throws.

"We are a much better shooting team than four for 23 with, I don't know how many air balls we had, if anybody was keeping track," Diebler said.

Diebler emphasized that the Buckeyes generated open looks they routinely make in practice.

Ohio State's Rotation Is Still Taking Shape

The Buckeyes started returners Amare Bynum, John Mobley Jr. and Ivan Njegovan alongside transfer guard Curtis Givens III and freshman Anthony Thompson.

Notably, Justin Pippen wasn't among the starters as Diebler experimented with different lineup combinations.

"I would not put a penny's worth of stock in who we started, who came off the bench first, none of that," Diebler said. "I think we got a few guys who have solidified a starting position, and then we got a lot of competition happening right now."

Even though he started, Njegovan played fewer than eight minutes. Diebler said consistency remains a priority as he finalizes rotations heading into November.

Several Buckeyes Contributed Offensively

Despite the shooting struggles, seven Buckeyes scored at least five points.

Mobley led Ohio State with 15 points but only shot 2-for-9 from three. Amare Bynum and LJ Smith each added nine, while Justin Pippen and Jimmie Williams contributed eight apiece.

Josh Ojianwuna finished with four points in 17 minutes, with Diebler revealing the center was nervous during his first extended game action.

"He looked like a guy on both sides of the ball that hadn't played basketball in a while, right, in a real game," Diebler said.

Diebler emphasized that Ojianwuna has been a defensive anchor in practice and that getting him meaningful minutes was the priority.

The Defense Still Needs Work

While the shooting struggles could be attributed partly to the conditions, Ohio State's defensive issues were harder to overlook.

Cincinnati outscored Ohio State 48–32 in the paint, exposing the Buckeyes' struggles with rim protection.

"The issue is we didn't protect the rim near at the level we need to. We let them get downhill too much in the second half," Diebler said.

Despite the loss, Diebler viewed the second-half adversity as a valuable learning experience, saying it was more beneficial than the first half, when Ohio State was winning.