2025–26 Ohio Bobcats men's basketball team

2025–26 Ohio Bobcats men's basketball
ConferenceMid-American Conference
Record6–7 (0–1 MAC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Lamar Thornton (7th season)
  • Kyle Barlow (7th season)
  • Lee Martin (6th season)
Home arenaConvocation Center
2025–26 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Miami (OH) 1 – 0   1.000 13 – 0   1.000
Buffalo 1 – 0   1.000 11 – 2   .846
Kent State 1 – 0   1.000 10 – 2   .833
Bowling Green 1 – 0   1.000 10 – 3   .769
Akron 1 – 0   1.000 9 – 3   .750
Northern Illinois 1 – 0   1.000 5 – 7   .417
Toledo 0 – 0   – 6 – 6   .500
UMass 0 – 1   .000 9 – 4   .692
Eastern Michigan 0 – 1   .000 6 – 7   .462
Ohio 0 – 1   .000 6 – 7   .462
Western Michigan 0 – 1   .000 6 – 7   .462
Central Michigan 0 – 1   .000 4 – 9   .308
Ball State 0 – 1   .000 3 – 9   .250
† 2026 MAC tournament winner
As of December 22, 2025

The 2025–26 Ohio University Bobcats men's basketball team represents Ohio University for the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bobcats are led by sixth-year head coach Jeff Boals, who was a 1995 graduate of Ohio University.[1][2] They play their home games at the Convocation Center in Athens, Ohio, as a member of the Mid-American Conference.[3][4]

Previous season

Main article: 2024–25 Ohio Bobcats men's basketball team

The Bobcats were picked to win the conference but finished with a 16–16 record. They posted a disappointing 6–6 record entering 2025 prior to the start of league play. They finished tied for fourth in the MAC with a 10–6 conference record and lost their January matchup in the MAC-SBC challenge.[5] With a first round loss to Toledo, they failed to reach the MAC tournament semifinals for the first time since 2020 when the tournament was cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic.[6][7]

Offseason

Departures

Departures
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason
Elmore James[8] 1 G 6'3" 205 Junior Cleveland, Ohio Transferred to Ball State[9]
AJ Brown[10] 3 G 6'4" 210 RS Sophomore Orlando, Florida Transferred to Florida[11]
Shereef Mitchell 4 G 6'1" 175 Grad. Student Omaha, Nebraska Graduated, Exhausted Eligibility
Ben Nicol[12] 7 F 6'7" 208 RS-Freshman Charleston, West Virginia Transferred to Charleston (WV)
Ben Estis* 14 G 6'1" 185 RS Sophomore Southlake, Texas Transferred to Trinity (TX)
AJ Clayton 23 F 6'8" 225 Senior Roseville, Ohio Graduated, Exhausted Eligibility
Vic Searls 35 F 6'9" 240 Grad. Student Hilliard, Ohio Graduated, Exhausted Eligibility

* Walk-on in 2024–25
[13][14][15]

Incoming transfers

Incoming Transfers
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason
Javan Simmons 1 F 6'7" 235 Sophomore Gahanna, OH Transferred from Toledo. Will have two years of eligibility remaining.[16]
Dior Conners 3 G 6'3" 183 Junior Columbus, OH Transferred from Appalachian State. Will have one year of eligibility remaining.[17]
Carter Reese 11 G 6'3" 200 Sophomore Westerville, OH Transferred from Ohio Northern. Will have three years of eligibility remaining.
Jalen Breath 22 F 6'8" 225 Junior Oklahoma City, OK Transferred from UNC Greensboro. Will have one year of eligibility remaining.[18]

[13][15]

Recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name Hometown School Height Weight Commit date
Jordan Fisher
SF 		Reynoldsburg, OH Reynoldsburg 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg)  
Recruit ratings: No ratings found
JJ Kelly
ATH 		Chambersburg, PA Chambersburg Area 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 195 lb (88 kg)  
Recruit ratings: No ratings found
Zay Mosley
SF 		Orlando, FL Oak Ridge 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg)  
Recruit ratings: No ratings found
Overall recruit ranking:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2025 Team Ranking". Rivals.

[19][20][21]

Preseason

On October 21, 2025 the MAC released the preseason coaches poll. Ohio was picked to finish fourth in the MAC regular season. Ohio received zero first place votes but did receive one vote to win the MAC Tournament.[22]

Preseason rankings

MAC preseason poll
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place) 1st place
1. Akron 143 11
2. Miami 133 2
3. Kent State 122 --
4. Ohio 108 --
5. UMass 98 --
6. Toledo 95 --
7. Bowling Green 73 --
8. Ball State 62 --
9. Eastern Michigan 52 --
10. Western Michigan 46 --
11. Buffalo 37 --
12. Central Michigan 31 --
13. Northern Illinois 14 --

MAC Tournament Champions:Akron (8), Miami (2), Kent State (1), Ohio (1), UMass (1)

Source[23]

Preseason All-MAC

Preseason All-MAC teams
Team Player Position Year
1st Jackson Paveletzke G Sr.
2nd Javon Simmons G R-Jr.

Source[23]

Roster

2025–26 Ohio Bobcats men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Ajay Sheldon 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Sr Dublin Coffman Dublin, OH  
F 1 Javon Simmons 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 235 lb (107 kg) RS Jr Gahanna Lincoln
Toledo 		Gahanna, OH  
G 3 Dior Connors 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 183 lb (83 kg) Sr Pickerington North
Appalachian State 		Columbus, OH  
G 4 JJ Kelly 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr Chambersburg Area Chambersburg, PA  
F 5 Ayden Evans 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 205 lb (93 kg) So Elizabethtown Radcliff, KY  
G 6 Elijah Elliot 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) So Oak Ridge Orlando, FL  
F 8 Zay Mosley 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr Oak Ridge Pemberton, NJ  
F 10 Aidan Hadaway 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Sr Lafayette Lafayette, GA  
G 11 Carter Reese (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Westerville North
Ohio Northern 		Westerville, OH  
G 13 Jackson Paveletzke 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Sr Kimberly
Iowa State 		Kimberly, WI  
F 15 Chase Boals (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 253 lb (115 kg) RS Fr New Albany New Albany, OH  
F 17 Kiir Kuany 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS Fr Huntington Prep Melbourne, Australia  
G 21 Jessie Burris 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) RS Fr Delaware Hayes Delaware, OH  
F 22 Jalen Breath 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) RS Sr Booker T. Washington
UNC Greensboro 		Oklahoma City, OK  
F 24 Jordan Fisher 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Reynoldsburg Pickerington, OH  
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: October 28, 2025

Support staff

2025-26 Ohio Bobcats support staff
  • Jake Ness – Director of Basketball Operations
  • Keith Williams - Graduate Assistant
  • Sara Legarsky – Senior Director of Athletics Communications
  • Derek Lutz – Staff Athletic Trainer
  • Jessica Arquette – Ohio Athletics Sports Dietitian

Source:[24]

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 20, 2025*
8:10 p.m., TBA 		vs. Wright State L 57–63  –
  14 – Paveletzke   11 – Hadaway   3 – Hadaway  UD Arena (N/A)
Dayton, OH
October 26, 2025*
2:00 p.m., B1G+ 		at Ohio State L 74–103  –
  14 – Tied   7 – Breath   7 – Paveletzke  Value City Arena (N/A)
Columbus, OH
Regular season
November 3, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Arkansas State
MAC–SBC Challenge 		L 85–89  0–1
  28 – Hadaway   6 – Hadaway   3 – Hadaway  Convocation Center (5,545)
Athens, OH
November 6, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Illinois State W 72–68  1–1
  19 – Paveletzke   8 – Hadaway   6 – Paveletzke  Convocation Center (3,831)
Athens, OH
November 11, 2025*
10:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Saint Mary's L 60–90  1–2
  19 – Paveletzke   6 – Tied   6 – Sheldon  University Credit Union Pavilion (3,012)
Moraga, CA
November 15, 2025*
12:00 p.m, The CW 		at No. 12 Louisville L 81–106  1–3
  28 – Paveletzke   9 – Simmons   4 – Paveletzke  KFC Yum! Center (14,899)
Louisville, KY
November 19, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Bethune–Cookman
Sunshine Slam campus game 		L 73–76  1–4
  28 – Paveletzke   11 – Hadaway   5 – Paveletzke  Convocation Center (3,664)
Athens, OH
November 24, 2025*
6:00 p.m., CBSSN 		vs. George Mason
Sunshine Slam Beach Bracket Semi-Final 		L 69–92  1–5
  16 – Hadaway   6 – Breath   5 – Paveletzke  Ocean Center 
Daytona Beach, FL
November 25, 2025*
5:00, CBSSN 		vs. Loyola Marymount
Sunshine Slam Beach Bracket consolation game 		L 58–70  1–6
  12 – Hadaway   8 – Elliott   2 – Tied  Ocean Center 
Daytona Beach, FL
December 3, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Maine W 79–57  2–6
  17 – Simmons   11 – Hadaway   4 – Breath  Convocation Center (3553)
Athens, OH
December 6, 2025*
4:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Marshall W 88–81  3–6
  22 – Paveletzke   11 – Hadaway   5 – Simmons  Convocation Center (3,723)
Athens, OH
December 13, 2025*
5:00 p.m., PassThaBall Live 		vs. St. Bonaventure
Cleveland Hoops Showdown 		W 88–83 OT 4–6
  25 – Paveletzke   7 – Hadaway   3 – Tied  Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse 
Cleveland, OH
December 16, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Ohio Wesleyan W 89–56  5–6
  19 – Hadaway   8 – Elliot   9 – Paveletzke  Convocation Center (2664)
Athens, OH
December 20, 2025
4:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Bowling Green L 58–68  5–7
(0–1) 		 19 – Paveletzke   10 – Hadaway   1 – Tied  Convocation Center (3,035)
Athens, OH
December 22, 2025*
12:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Miami-Hamilton W 102–59  6–7
  17 – Fisher   6 – Elliott   7 – Elliott  Convocation Center (2,402)
Athens, OH
December 30, 2025
3:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Central Michigan       McGuirk Arena 
Mount Pleasant, MI
January 3, 2026
2:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Eastern Michigan       George Gervin GameAbove Center 
Ypsilanti, MI
January 6, 2026
6:00 p.m., CBSSN 		UMass       Convocation Center 
Athens, OH
January 10, 2026
2:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Buffalo       Convocation Center 
Athens, OH
January 13, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Toledo       Savage Arena 
Toledo, OH
January 16, 2026
8:30 p.m., CBSSN 		at Ball State       Worthen Arena 
Muncie, IN
January 20, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Northern Illinois       Convocation Center 
Athens, OH
January 23, 2026
8:00 p.m., ESPNU 		Akron       Convocation Center 
Athens, OH
January 27, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Kent State       MAC Center 
Kent, OH
January 31, 2026
2:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Buffalo       Alumni Arena 
Amherst, NY
February 3, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Western Michigan       Convocation Center 
Athens, OH
February 7, 2026*
TBA, TBA 		at TBA
MAC–SBC Challenge 		      TBA 
TBA
February 14, 2026
1:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Miami (OH)       Millett Hall 
Oxford, OH
February 17, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Ball State       Convocation Center 
Athens, OH
February 21, 2026
3:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Northern Illinois       Convocation Center 
DeKalb, IL
February 28, 2026
4:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Toledo       Convocation Center 
Athens, OH
March 3, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at UMass       Mullins Center 
Amherst, MA
March 6, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Miami (OH)       Convocation Center 
Athens, OH
MAC Tournament
March 12, 2026†
TBA, ESPN+ 		vs. TBA
Quarterfinals 		      Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse 
Cleveland, OH
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

† If a top eight finisher in MAC

Source[25][26]

References

  1. ^ "Jeff Boals". Ohio University Athletics. Retrieved May 15, 2022.
  2. ^ "Jeff Boals". Sports Reference. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
  3. ^ "Convocation Center". Ohio University. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
  4. ^ "MAC Men's College Basketball Standings – 2025–26". ESPN. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
  5. ^ "MAC Men's College Basketball Standings - 2025-25". ESPN. Retrieved 2025-03-15.
  6. ^ Wright, Branson (March 12, 2020). "Mid-American Conference cancels basketball tournament in Cleveland because of coronavirus concerns". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  7. ^ "Ohio 85, Toledo 90". ESPN. Retrieved 2025-03-15.
  8. ^ Adams, Logan (April 8, 2025). "Men's Basketball: Elmore James to enter NCAA transfer portal". Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  9. ^ Brockway, Kevin (May 8, 2025). "Men's Basketball Signs Ohio Transfer Elmore James". Ball State Athletics. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
  10. ^ Adams, Logan (April 9, 2025). "Men's Basketball: Star guard AJ Brown enters transfer portal". Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  11. ^ Brockway, Kevin (April 24, 2025). "Florida basketball lands Ohio guard AJ Brown from transfer portal". Gainesville Sun. Retrieved April 26, 2025.
  12. ^ Adams, Logan (April 8, 2025). "Men's Basketball: MAC is unique in transfer portal era". Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  13. ^ a b "2025-26 Men's Basketball Roster". Ohio Athletics. Retrieved April 3, 2025.
  14. ^ "2024-25 Men's Basketball Roster". Ohio Athletics. Retrieved April 3, 2025.
  15. ^ a b "TRANSFER PORTAL". Verbal Commits. Retrieved April 3, 2025.
  16. ^ "Ohio Men's Basketball Adds Toledo Transfer Javan Simmons". Ohio Athletics. April 9, 2025. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  17. ^ "Ohio men's basketball adds App State transfer Dior Conners". Athens Messenger. April 23, 2025. Retrieved April 26, 2025.
  18. ^ "Ohio Men's Basketball Adds UNCG Transfer Jalen Breath". Ohio Athletics. April 9, 2025. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  19. ^ "Reynoldsburg's Jordan Fisher, Toby Nwokolo look to go out as OHSAA basketball champions". Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 2025-04-04.
  20. ^ "Chambersburg's JJ Kelly makes his college basketball pick". Penn Live Patriot News. Retrieved 2025-04-04.
  21. ^ Beach, Ashley (November 12, 2024). "Ohio Men's Basketball Adds Three During Early Signing Period". Ohio Athletics. Retrieved 2025-04-04.
  22. ^ "MAC Basketball x Field of 68 Tip-Off Show Live TODAY!". getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference. October 20, 2025. Retrieved October 21, 2025.
  23. ^ a b "MAC Announces 2025-26 Men's Basketball Preseason Poll, All-MAC Teams". getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference. October 21, 2025. Retrieved October 21, 2025.
  24. ^ "Men's Basketball Coaching Staff". ohiobobcats.com. Ohio University Athletics. Retrieved 2025-05-11.
  25. ^ "2025-26 Men's Basketball Schedule". Ohio University Athletics.
  26. ^ "Ohio Bobcats Schedule 2025–26". ESPN.
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