Four of Ohio's biggest college basketball brands are set to trade sneakers for sightlines usually reserved for the pros of the Cincinnati Open, with a neutral-site doubleheader coming to the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason on Wednesday, Oct. 7. The CareSource Invitational schedule has Cincinnati facing Ohio State on Center Court in the opener, followed by Xavier taking on Dayton in the nightcap. Organizers say one ticket will get fans into both games, with early ticket allotments handled through the participating universities before a public on-sale later this summer.
According to WLWT, the showcase is being billed as a first-of-its-kind college basketball doubleheader staged on the tennis center’s Center Court. WLWT notes that Cincinnati and Ohio State will tip things off, with Xavier and Dayton closing the evening.
About the CareSource Invitational
The games are part of the CareSource Invitational series, a run of exhibition doubleheaders and charity games that raises money and awareness for youth mental health and other community initiatives. Per CareSource, the program launched in 2023 and has since staged similar events in multiple cities, pairing marquee college matchups with local fundraising efforts.
Why Mason's tennis center is hosting basketball
The Lindner Family Tennis Center has been reworked into a broader multi-use sports campus after a recent renovation and expansion that local media put at roughly $260 million. Officials said the project was designed to grow the venue’s year-round programming. The facility’s 11,614-seat Center Court and new fan spaces make a temporary basketball conversion feasible, and the Cincinnati Open’s site describes Lindner as the tournament’s long-time home in Mason. WCPO and the tournament's own FAQs provide background on the upgrades.
Tickets and logistics
WLWT reports that a single ticket will admit fans to both games and that initial inventory will be sold through the participating schools' ticket offices before a later public on-sale. Organizers have not yet released tip times or detailed fan logistics, and officials from the schools and CareSource are expected to share more information closer to the date.
Last season, the CareSource Invitational featured a high-profile exhibition in Fayetteville when Cincinnati met Arkansas, a matchup that highlighted the series’ blend of fundraising and big-name pairings. Arkansas Razorbacks published a recap of that Oct. 24, 2025 game, confirming Cincinnati’s role in last year's CareSource event and underscoring the series' emphasis on local interest tied to charitable causes.
