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ATHENS, Ohio -- The Ohio men's basketball team (0-1) is back in action on Thursday, Nov. 6 when the Bobcats host Illinois State (0-0). Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ETinside the Convocation Center and can be seen on ESPN+ where Marty Bannister, Rob Cornelius and
Gabe Genovesi will have the call.
The Bobcats' matchup can also be heard on the Ohio Sports Network from Learfield, presented by Holzer Health System. Jason Toy begins his second season on the mic for the Bobcats and will be joined by Dave Cecutti. WXTQ (Power 105) in Athens returns as the 11-station net- work's flagship and can be heard on the Varsity Network App.
OPENING TIP
- Ohio has registered an impressive 578-186 (.756) all-time record at the Convocation Center, which opened in 1968.
- Last season the Bobcats were 12-3 in the Convo.
- Ohio is 73-18 in the Convo under Boals in the last seven seasons.
- This is the seventh all-time meeting between Ohio and Illinois State.
- Ohio is 4-3 all-time against Illinois State.
- The Bobcats and Illinois met last season in Normall, Ill., with Ohio falling, 85-75.
- Senior forward Aidan Hadaway opened the season with a career night against Arkansas State, dropping a career-high 28 points.
- Ohio returns four main contributors from last year's team including seniors Ajay Sheldon, Aidan Hadaway and Jackson Paveletzke and sophomore Elijah Elliott.
- Ohio added four transfers; forward Javan Simmons from Toledo, forward Jalen Breath from UNCG, guard Dior Conners from App State and guard Carter Reese from Ohio Northern.
- Ohio adds three freshman to the roster in guard JJ Kelly and forwards Jordan Fisher and Zay Mosley.
- Ohio was selected to finished fourth in this year's MAC Preseason Poll.
- Paveletzke was named to the Preseason All-MAC First Team, while Simmons was named to the preseason All-MAC Second Team.
SCOUTING ILLINOIS STATE
Illinois State opens their 2025-26 campaign as the preseason Missouri Valley Conference favorites.
The Redbirds are coming off a post-season tournament championship at the Purple CBI hosted in Daytona Beach, Florida.
The Redbirds return players that combined to score 1,786 points from last season — 65.49 percent of the team's scoring — which is the fifth-highest total in the NCAA returning, and the team's returning scoring percentage is 10th-best heading into the 2025-26 season.
Last season the Illinois State sophomore scoring duo of Johnny Kinziger and Chase Walker have combined to score 1,042 points, the highest sophomore scoring pair in program history.
Illinois State returns three of its top four scorers from last season, including two All-Missouri Valley Conference selections.
Mid-Major Madness, Lindy's Basketball Magazine, Blue Ribbon Basketball Magazine, and the MVC media poll have the Redbirds picked to win the MVC in 2025-26. Mid-Major Madness, Lindy's Basketball Magazine, and Blue Ribbon all have returning forward Walker named as the Preseason Player of the Year, while Kinziger was named to the Preseason First Team by Blue Ribbon Basketball Magazine and Lindy's Basketball Magazine.
The Field of 68 ranked Illinois State as the #3 Mid-Major Team in the country in their preseason poll, while also naming Walker the Mid-Major Preseason Player of the Year.
SCOUTING OHIO
Ohio is 0-1 overall after dropping the season openers against Arkansas State, 89-95, Monday night inside the Convo.
As a team, Ohio shot 49 percent from the field, including eight three-pointers made. The Bobcats forced 18 turnovers from the Red Wolves, scoring 15 points off them.
Senior forward Aidan Hadaway had a career night to open the season, scoring a career-high 28 points, going 12-of-16 from the field, while grabbing a team-high six rebounds and dishing out a team-high three assists. Senior guard Jackson Paveletzke scored 16 points, while redshirt junior forward Javan Simmons scored 14 points in his Bobcats' debut.
Ohio was selected to finish fourth in this year's Mid-American Conference Preseason Poll, while Paveletzke and Simmons earned a spot on the Preseason All-MAC Teams.
Ohio finished last season 16-16 overall and 10-8 in MAC play, before falling to Toledo in an overtime thriller in the MAC Quarterfinals.
The 2025-26 Bobcats return four major contributors from last year's team, including seniors Ajay Sheldon, Aidan Hadaway and Paveletzke and sophomore Elijah Elliott, while adding seven newcomers in transfers Simmons, Dior Conners, Jalen Breath and Carter Reese and freshman JJ Kelly, Jordan Fisher and Zay Mosley.
Paveletzke started all 32 games for the Bobcats last year, averaging 13.8 points a game, while shooting .514 from the field and earning a spot on the All-MAC Third Team. He also earned a spot on the MAC Blue Ribbon Forecast Preseason All-MAC Team. Hadaway returns to the starting lineup after missing the last half of last season due to injury. Elliott looks to build on a stellar freshman season in which he worked his way into the starting lineup and averaging 5.1 points a game.
Simmons comes to Ohio after spending three seasons at Toledo and was the 2023-24 MAC Freshman of the Year, an All-MAC Honorable Mention in 2024-25 and is a two-time Academic All-MAC selection. Breath played three seasons at UNC Greensboro. The Oklahoma City native played in 87 games, while making 61 starts as a Spartan and Conners played last season at App State where he saw action in 31 games, while making 26 starts.
Kelly comes to Athens from Chambersburg, Pa. and played at Chambersburg Area. Kelly also averaged 21.8 point, 7.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists during his senior season. Fisher, a Pickerington, Ohio native played at Reynoldsburg. Fisher became the all-time leader in career points in Reynoldsburg history with 1,306 points during his senior season.
ALL-TIME AGAINST ILLINOIS STATE
This is the seventh all-time meeting between Ohio and Illinois State.
Ohio is 4-3 all-time against Illinois State.
LAST TIME AGAINST ILLINOIS STATE
The Bobcats and Illinois met last season in Normal, Ill., with Ohio falling, 85-75.
In that game, Ohio shot 47.3 percent from the field, 40 percent from three and were 13-of-16 from the line, while Illinois State shot 61.2 percent from the field, 52.6 percent from three and were 15-of-16 from the line. ISU outrebounded Ohio, 28-23, while the Redbirds dished out 14 assists to the Bobcats eight. Ohio forced 12 Redbird turnovers and scored 17 points off them, while ISU forced 10 turnovers and scored 20 points off them.
Meanwhile, senior forward Aidan Hadaway scored 11 points.
CONVO MAGICOhio has registered an impressive 578-186 (.756) all-time record at the Convocation Center, which opened in 1968.
Last season the Bobcats were 12-3 in the Convo.
Ohio is 73-18 in the Convo under Boals in the last seven seasons.
CAREER NIGHT FOR HADAWAY
Senior forward Aidan Hadaway had a career night to open the season after missing most of last season due to injury.
Hadaway scored a career-high 28 points, going 12-of-16 from the field and 3-of-6 from three, while grabbing a team-high six rebounds and dishing out a team-high three assists.
FROM FOE TO FRIEND
Redshirt junior Javan Simmons made his Ohio debut on Nov. 3 after starting his career at Toledo.
The Columbus native scored 14 points and grabbed four rebounds with one block in 23 minutes on the court in his Convo debut Monday night (Nov. 3) against Arkansas State.
BOBCAT DEBUTS
Along with Simmons, in total five Bobcats made their Ohio debuts on Nov. 3 against Arkansas State.
Senior guard Dior Conners scored eight points and hit his first three of the season, while redshirt senior forward Jalen Breath added six points and two rebounds.
Freshman JJ Kelly played four minutes, while redshirt freshman Kiir Kuany played five minutes after missing all of last season.
PAV BACK IN ACTION
Senior guard Jackson Paveletzke picked up where he left off last season, scoring 16 points in the season opener against Arkansas State. He went 5-of-13 from the field and 6-of7 from the line, while dishing out two assists and grabbing two steals.
UP NEXT
The Bobcats head out west on Tuesday, Nov. 11 when Ohio travels to Moraga, Calif. to take on Saint Mary's. Tip-off is set for 10 p.m. ET and can be seen on ESPN+.
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