CINCINNATI — For the first time, four rival Ohio men's basketball teams will face off in a preseason doubleheader exhibition at the Lindner Family Tennis Center.
The exhibition will take place outdoors at the center as part of the CareSource Invitational, raising awareness and funds for mental health and suicide prevention.
On Oct. 7, teams from the University of Cincinnati, University of Dayton, Ohio State University and Xavier University will head to the same court that hosts the Cincinnati Open each year. The court will be transformed into an outdoor basketball arena for the event.
The University of Cincinnati Bearcats will go up against the Ohio State Buckeyes, while the Xavier Musketeers will face the Dayton Flyers.
WATCH: Lindner Family Tennis Center to host college basketball invitational
The invitational comes after a $260 million renovation to the Lindner Family Tennis Center campus that was finished in August of 2025.
The four Ohio teams will be the first to play at the transformed campus, according to event organizers.
"The hardest part of the Cincinnati Open is when it ends; you kind of have this comedown where you don't have all these fans and thousands of people with you every single day," Ben Baumeister, senior director of event strategy, said. "The best thing about the CareSource Invitational is that in a couple of months we get to have this place filled again and have people create once-in-a-lifetime memories."
The CareSource Invitational, now in its fourth year, supports mental health awareness. The collegiate games raise money for nonprofit mental health and suicide prevention organizations, officials said.
“The CareSource Invitational is exactly the type of unique event we envisioned when we reimagined the Lindner Family Tennis Center beyond the Cincinnati Open,” said Bob Moran, president of Beemok Sports & Entertainment.
Scott Hutchinson with the Warren County Visitors Bureau told WCPO the campus renovation contributed to Warren County's record-breaking year for tourism. According to a report by Tourism Economics, the county generated $1.74 billion in economic impact and $229 million in tax revenue last year.
More details about the event and ticket information will be released at a later date, according to event organizers.
