TicketsDec. 15, 2005
CINCINNATI, Ohio -- For the first time in more than 43 years, The University of Cincinnati and Ohio State will play on the basketball floor when the two Ohio schools meet in the John R. Wooden Tradition next season at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. The sixth annual Wooden Tradition is set for Dec. 16, 2006, highlighted by the UC-OSU showdown.
The Bearcats and Buckeyes have not played since the 1962 NCAA National Championship game when UC beat Ohio State, 71-59 to cap a run of back-to-back national championships for the Bearcats. In 1961, UC also beat OSU in the title contest, claiming a 70-65 overtime victory.
Cincinnati and Ohio State have met eight times in basketball with each team winning four times. The series began in 1904-05 with OSU winning the first game. Prior to the two meetings for the national championship in 1961 and 1962, the last time the Bearcats and Buckeyes met was in opening game of the 1921-22 season, a contest won by UC.
Established in 2000, the John R. Wooden Tradition is an annual tribute to the Hall of Fame and legendary former coach and the excellence he personifies. The Wooden Tradition is similar to its California-based sibling, the Wooden Classic, which started in 1994. The Wooden Tradition activities and events benefit Special Olympics Indiana.
The Bearcats have played in the Wooden Tradition twice before, losing to Notre Dame in 2000 and then beating Purdue last season (2004). Besides UC and Ohio State playing at the Wooden Tradition in 2006, the other game pits intrastate rivals Purdue and Butler.