WVU Basketball to Battle Ohio State in Return to Cleveland Hoops Showdown

The WVU men’s basketball team will face Ohio State in the return of the Cleveland Hoops Showdown, per a release. The game will take place at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, on Saturday, Dec. 13.

Heading back to Cleveland to take on the Buckeyes‼️

📅 Cleveland Hoops Showdown — Saturday, Dec. 13

🔗 https://t.co/glJUy322XD pic.twitter.com/UEPO5OlBtp

— WVU Men's Basketball (@WVUhoops) August 11, 2025

This is just the fifth non-conference game announced for the Mountaineers. WVU will play two games in the Shriner’s Children’s Classic on Nov. 21 and 23 while hosting Pitt on Nov. 13 and meeting Wake Forest at the Charleston Coliseum on Dec. 6.

“This is another exciting early season matchup that we are looking forward to playing against a really solid team from the Big Ten Conference,” WVU Head Coach Ross Hodge said in the release. “This will be the third time that WVU and Ohio State have played in Cleveland since 2019, and I know it’s a border game that our fans enjoy. It also gives our team the opportunity to play in an NBA arena with the likelihood of playing on national television in December.”

Tickets for the Cleveland Hoops Showdown will be available on Oct. 9 with 24-hour presale starting Oct. 8.

The time WVU participated in the Cleveland Hoops Showdown was Dec. 30, 2023, when the Mountaineers fell 78-75 to Ohio State. Guard RaeQuan Battle led WVU in scoring with 24 points.

Find more coverage of WVU Men’s Basketball and the Cleveland Hoops Showdown at WV Sports Now.