MAC Overview - day one

Here is another photo that I took from today's game.

Overall it was a crazy first day of the MAC Tournament.

Here are the results after the first day:

Central Michigan 62, Eastern Michigan 49
-a relatively uneventful game where the Chippewas had control of.

Kent State 64, Northern Illnois 61
-close call for the Golden Flashes here, with the Huskies winning throughout most of the game

Ohio 62, Western Michigan 55
-The Bobcats rebounded from their blowout loss on Sunday and had control of this one throughout

Akron 93, Toledo 92(overtime)
-craziest game of the night that was decided on an Akron layup with less than one second to save the Zips from an upset

So far I'm 3-1 in my picks, with my only loss the Ohio game.

Here's how the second round of the tournament looks:
No. 2 Ball State vs. No. 7 Central Michigan, noon
No. 3 Buffalo vs. vs. No. 6 Kent State, 2:30 p.m.
No. 1 Bowling Green vs. No. 9 Ohio, 7 p.m.
No. 3 Miami vs. No. 5 Akron, 9:30 p.m.

Big win for the Bobcats

Well the game had the makings of another Ohio collapse, but point guard Michael Allen wasn't going to let it happen again.

Allen propelled the Bobcats to a 62-55 win on Tuesday to move his team to the second round of the Mid-American Conference tournament.

He scored 12 points, including a layup with 1:28 remaining to give the Bobcats a 56-55 lead, which they kept throughout the rest of the game.

"I was proud of how we competed defensively," coach John Groce said. "I thought our guys grinded it and really competed well. It was certainly one of our best defensive performances overall.”

The Bobcats held the Broncos to just 34 percent shooting from the field. They also held Western Michigan's leading scorer David Kool to just 10 points, eight below his season average. Kool said he was frustrated throughout the game after in a news conference.

Groce said that was the plan.

“We felt like coming into the game we were really focused on making him giving the basketball up,” Groce said. “We wanted to make sure it was as difficult as possible to score.”

The Bobcats (15-16) held the lead throughout the majority of the game. But with 2:29 remaining, the Broncos took the lead for the first time since the opening stages of the game.

Many times before, Ohio folded under this type of pressure.

But not this time.

"In game situations you can’t reflect on the past," Allen said. "We just keep believing and keep playing hard."

Along with Allen, forward Jerome Tillman scored 14 points. Many of those came in crunch time when the Bobcats needed him the most.

"I thought our three seniors gave big-time effort," Groce said. "I thought we played with a great deal of energy and tremendous toughness."

Western Michigan had one chance to tie the game late with Ohio leading 58-55. But Kool took the ball and shot an air ball from 3-point range with 14 seconds. Tillman defended Kool, making sure he used his height advantage against him.

He along with guard Steven Coleman and forward Justin Orr were responsible for shutting down Kool.

“It was a team effort from different guys,” Tillman said of defending Kool. “I think JO and Steve were focused on trying to get stops.”

Another key was free throw shooting. The Bobcats shot 21-of-26 from the line while the Broncos were just 8-of-17.

"If you look at the stat sheet we won most of the statistical categories except the free throws," Western Michigan coach Steve Hawkins said. "That ended up being the ultimate thing."

Western Michigan (10-21) likely will not get a chance to continue its season in a postseason tournament with the loss. Guard Shawntes Gray defined the passion of college basketball for the Broncos, tearing up in the postgame newsconference after.

“I knew it could’ve been my last game so I was going to get out there and do everything I could,” said Gray who had eight points. "They came out with shots and we struggled defensively."

The Bobcats, meanwhile, now will get a chance to avenge the 75-41 loss they suffered last Sunday against Bowling Green. The game is set for 7 p.m. on Thursday.

"I just look forward to getting on the floor again," Tillman said. "Take tomorrow and get the legs back."

Here are photos that I took sitting courtside at the game.

Live from Cleveland

I’m here live from Cleveland for Ohio’s opening round game of the Mid-American Conference tournament. The Bobcats tipped off versus the Western Michigan Broncos at Quicken Loans Arena.

The Bobcats (14-16) are the No. 9 seed, while the Broncos (10-20) are the No. 8 seed. I’ll be live-blogging throughout today’s game.

I'm sitting next to Bowling Green coach Louis Orr, whose team is slotted to play today's winner in the next round.

One of the benefits of sitting courtside is you can heard everything the players and coaches are saying to one another. It truly is a unique experience to hear a referee tell guard Tommy Freeman to “get up” when he fell on the ground after a 3-point attempt.

I also can take photos from the court, which, I will upload throughout the game.

Ohio 62, Western Michigan 55 - final

The Bobcats closed it out with clutch free throws. Tillman still led the way for Ohio with 14 points. Ohio shot 21-of-26 from the line while Western Michigan shot just 8-15.

The Bobcats will play Bowling Green 7 p.m. on Thursday.

Ohio 56, Western Michigan 55 - 1:20 second half

Mike Allen just scored a layup to give the Bobcats a one-point lead. Timeout Western Michigan.

Western Michigan 55, Ohio 54 - 2:19 second half

Allen made both free throws but Western Michigan made another 3-pointer to cut the lead to one. After Coleman missed a jump shot, the Broncos scored another basket to get their first lead in ages.

Ohio 52, Western Michigan 50 - 3:44 second half

Western Michigan guard David Kool just hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key with the shot clock winding down to cut the lead to two points.

Ohio has continued to make its free throws today, shooting 13-of-16. Western Michigan is just 8-of-15.

Expect this game to go down to the wire.

Ohio 46, Western Michigan 41 - 7:40 second half

DeVaughn Washington knocked down two clutch free throws to extend the Bobcats lead. He leads the team today with 11 points.

Ohio 40, Western Michigan 34 - 11:25 second half

Whenever the Broncos cut the Bobcats' lead, they respond with big baskets. After a Western Michigan 3-pointer, forward Jerome Tillman made his second 3-pointer to push the lead back to six.

Ohio 31, Western Michigan 29 - 15:38 second half

Well so much for that run to start the half. The Broncos have reeled off eight consecutive points to cut the double-digit lead to two.

Another benefit of sitting courtside is experiencing the raw player emotion. On a pick and roll by Western Michigan which Steven Coleman failed to switch players, Tillman screamed "No Steve!"

Ohio 31, Western Michigan 21 - 18:23 second half

The Bobcats have started the half on a 6-0, key by guard Mike Allen. He hit a 3-pointer and then stole the ball and converted a free throw. Timeout Western Michigan.

Ohio 25, Western Michigan 21 - halftime

Justin Orr buried a 3-pointer at the end of the half but it clearly was in his hands when the buzzer sounded.

Aside from that shot though, it was an ugly first half. The Bobcats should be leading by at least 10 with as poorly as the Broncos have shot. Yet Ohio can't seem to do much on offense as well, with Tillman limited to just three points on 1-of-4 shooting.

Guard Steven Coleman has been one of few players on the court have has been aggressive, leading the team with eight points.


Ohio 21, Western Michigan 16 - 3:54 first half

The ball just rolled my way on a lose ball, which was pretty cool. The Bobcats have played less worse than the Broncos so far. Tommy Freeman buried a 3-pointer to give Ohio a three-point lead and Steven Coleman scored on a fast break layup.

Ohio 14, Western Michigan 13 - 7:38 first half

Sensing his team needed an offensive spark, Groce has brought Tillman back into the game with 10:14 remaining in the first half.

He hasn't made much of an impact though as he was called for a travel on an Ohio possession. On the next possession, he had a ball stripped out of his hands inside the paint.


But he finally got going with a 3-pointer to give the Bobcats a 14-13 lead.


Western Michigan 13, Ohio 7 - 11:21 first half

The Bobcats cut the Western Michigan lead to one, 8-7 but the Broncos have responded with five straight to gain some breathing room. At the 13:55 mark, leading scorer Jerome Tillman picked up his second foul and now sits on the bench.

Western Michigan 6, Ohio 4 - 15:56 first half

The first few minutes of the game have been sluggish with many missed shots and players flying all over the floor. Ohio forward DeVaughn Washington just converted on a layup and was fouled before the first media timeout.

More tournament winners

Here's my predictions for other conference tournaments:

ACC: North Carolina
Atlantic 10: Xavier
Big East: Louisville
Big 10: Purdue
Big 12: Oklahoma
Big West: Pacific
Conference USA: Memphis
MAC: Buffalo
MEAC: Morgan State
Mountain West: Utah
Pacific 10: UCLA
SEC: Auburn
Southland: Stephen F. Austin
SWAC: Alabama State
WAC: Utah State

Here's what the Cincinnati Enquirer's Dustin Down thinks

Here's a link to ESPN.com's coverage of Championship Week.

Predictions galore

Well here's how I see the MAC Tournament playing out:

No. 8 Western Michigan over No. 9 Ohio
No. 5 Akron over No. 12 Toledo
No. 7 Central Michigan over No. 10 Eastern Michigan
No. 6 Kent State over No. 11 Northern Illinois

No. 1 Bowling Green over No. 8 WMU
No. 5 Akron over No. 4 Miami
No. 7 Central Michigan over No. 2 Ball State
No. 3 Buffalo over No. 6 Kent State

No. 1 Bowling Green over No. 5 Akron
No. 3 Buffalo over No. 7 Central Michigan

No. 3 Buffalo over No. 1 Bowling Green

Although they struggled down the stretch, the Bulls are the best team in the MAC. They played the toughest nonconference schedule and will beat the Falcons 66-62 in the tournament final.

Ugly loss

Wow. The Bobcats were blasted by Bowling Green today 75-41, the Bobcats' seventh consecutive road loss.

This wasn't exactly the way Ohio wanted to end its regular season.

“For the first time all year that I’m really disappointed and embarrassed,” coach John Groce said. “We didn’t represent the guys that played here in the past. We just didn’t get it done.”

The Bobcats (14-16, 7-9 MAC) were down 23-5 within the first five minutes of the game. They never caught up.

“Bowling Green came out and threw a couple of punches at us early,” Groce said. “Our guys just didn’t respond. That’s awful disappointing when you have three guys out there.”

Ohio's three seniors combined for 13 points. Leading scorer Jerome Tillman only had one point.

“This wasn’t a representation of Ohio basketball,” Groce said.

The Bobcats now travel to Cleveland where they will play in the Mid-American Conference tournament on Tuesday. They are the No. 9 seed and will play the No. 8 seed Western Michigan. The Broncos already defeated Ohio 76-62 on February 11.

Expect another early exit by the Bobcats again this tournament.

Here are the rest of the matchups:

No. 5 Akron vs. No. 12 Toledo
No. 6 Kent State vs. No. 11 Northern Illinois
No. 7 Central Michigan vs. No. 10 Eastern Michigan
No. 8 Western Michigan vs. No. 9 Ohio

No. 4 Miami vs. Akron/Toledo winner
No. 3 Buffalo vs. Kent State/Northern Illinois winner
No. 2 Ball State vs. Central Michigan/Eastern Michigan winner
No. 1 Bowling Green vs. Western Michigan/Ohio winner

I'll be in Cleveland for Tuesday's game and provide live blogging throughout. I'll also have my predictions posted sometime tomorrow.

Another day, another road loss

The Bobcats' 60-51 loss last tonight to Akron was Ohio's 12th of the season. Ohio (14-15, 7-8 MAC) never could stay with the Zips.

"They just physically man-handled us," Groce said. "We weren't able to run our offense. They imposed their will," coach John Groce said.

Turnovers plagued Ohio again as they fell behind early and never could rebound.

"It's so difficult to win when you throw the ball to the other team," Groce said.

The Bobcats have one regular-season game remaining on Sunday at Bowling Green. Expect more of the same from the struggling Bobcats.

Before the game, Ohio players were confident that they could finally win one on the road. They had even beaten the Zips earlier in the season.

"They're definitely going to be ready for us once we get off the bus," Freeman said before the game. "They expected to come in here and physically out tough us."

Point guard Michael Allen said that his team can't worry about where Ohio plays.

"Everybody is going to think we can't get it done," Allen said. "But as long as we believe, that's all that matters."

Here's a link to the Bobcats' website for more information on the game.

Here's what fans are saying about the state >of Ohio basketball.

March Madness

March Madness officially kicks off tonight, with the opening rounds of several conference tournaments beginning.

Even though this doesn't have much to do with Ohio, I'm going to project who's going to win these mid-major conferences.

American East: Vermont
Atlantic Sun: Belmont
Big Sky: Portland State
Big South: VMI
Colonial: VCU
Horizon: Butler
Metro Atlantic Atlantic: Siena
Missouri Valley: Creighton
Northeast: Robert Morris
Ohio Valley: Austin Peay
Patriot: Holy Cross
Southern: Davidson
Summit: Oral Roberts
Sun Belt: Western Kentucky
West Coast: Gonzaga

Here are ESPN.com Pat Forde's picks

And Dustin Down from The Cincinnati Enqurier

MAC Standings

With one week to go here are the Mid-American Conference standings:

2009 MAC M Basketball Standings
East Division
Buffalo 10-4, 18-9 overall
Bowling Green, 10-4, 17-11
Akron, 9-5, 18-11
Miami, 9-5, 16-11
Kent State, 8-6, 16-13
Ohio, 7-7, 14-14

West Division
Ball State, 7-7, 13-14
Western Michigan, 6-8,9-19
Northern Illinois, 5-9, 10-17
Central Michigan, 5-9, 9-18
Toledo, 4-10, 6-23
Eastern Michigan, 4-10, 6-23

If the tournament ended today, here's how the seedings would look:

No. 1: Bowling Green
No. 2: Ball State
No. 3: Buffalo
No. 4: Akron
No. 5: Miami
No. 6: Kent State
No. 7: Ohio
No. 8: Western Michigan
No. 9: Northern Illinois
No. 10: Central Michigan
No. 11: Toledo
No: 12: Eastern Michigan

Ohio would play the No. 10 seed Central Michigan in the first round of the tournament. If the Bobcats won that game, they would play Ball State. The Cardinals are the No. 2 seed because they would win the West, automatically qualifying them for the second seed.

Down the stretch we come...

Well we have one week remaining in the Bobcats regular season. And things aren't looking so good. Ohio lost its home season finale Sunday to Buffalo.

This loss was especially tough to stomach being senior day for Jerome Tillman, Michael Allen and Justin Orr. The game was so tough that the media were only permitted to ask five questions in the postgame news conference.

I have a problem with this because if the Bobcats would have won we would have been allowed free reign with regard to questions.

But a loss makes the team and players less accountable?

The Bobcats play at Akron on Thursday and on Sunday at Bowling Green. I expect Ohio to lose both games because of their lack of road wins this season.

Thanks to The Post's Joel Hawksley for the photo from Sunday's game against Buffalo.

Ohio-Miami update

Ohio 55, Miami 46, 11:23 second half

The Bobcats keep making shots even though Tillman committed his third personal foul with 12:41 remaining. Can the Bobcats keep up their hot shooting?

Ohio 49, Miami 42, 15:59 second half

Point guard Michael Allen has scored the first eight points of the second half to increase the Bobcats' lead to as big as nine. Ohio is a few points away from breaking the game open.

Ohio 41, Miami 37, halftime

Coleman and Freeman each hit 3-pointers before the first half to give Ohio the lead into the locker room.

The stat of the night so far: The Bobcats are 7-of-8 from 3-point range. Coleman leads the way with 12 points and Orr has 11. Tillman has a quiet eight points.

Miami is being led by the 1-2 combination of Bramos and forward Tyler Dierkers.

If the Bobcats can keep this shooting up Miami has no chance. But expect the RedHawks to try to slow down the pace in the second half.

Ohio 31, Miami 29, 3:47 first half

The pace of this game definitely favors the Bobcats. Miami isn't used to the fast-paced play of Ohio. Coleman continues to provide a spark off the bench with nine points.

But whenever the Bobcats seem poised to pull away from the RedHawks, Bramos buries a big shot to keep Miami in it.

Ohio 19, Miami 18, 10:01 first half

Steven Coleman has come off the bench and energized the Bobcats with two baskets. Guard Tommy Freeman also hit a 3-pointer in the corner after Miami guard Michael Bramos drilled a 3 on the RedHawks' previous possession.

Ohio 11, Miami 11, 16:05 first half

The RedHawks have coming out on fire making three 3-pointers. The Bobcats, though, haven't been fazed thanks to seniors Justin Orr and Jerome Tillman who have scored all 11 of Ohio's points.

It is very loud.

Ohio vs. Miami

I'm here live at the Ohio-Miami game tonight. Ohio won at Oxford 66-62. Since that game though, the Bobcats have a record of just 4-7.

Here is a link looking at tonight's game from Matt O'Donnell of The Post

Also I wrote a column for The Post about Miami coach Charlie Coles' influence on the rivalry

I'll be live blogging tonight's action throughout the night.

Ohio update

It's been a while since I've posted an update on the Ohio team. The Bobcats lost both of their games last week on the road to Kent State and Eastern Kentucky.

Ohio's record is 13-13 and 6-6 in the Mid-American Conference. The Bobcats' season essentially comes down to the four-game stretch that begins Thursday against Miami.

Ohio will play Miami and Buffalo at home and then Akron and Bowling Green on the road. Personally, I think the Bobcats will be lucky to win one or two of those games.

Ultimately, Ohio didn't have enough talent to compete in the MAC this season. They overachieved at the beginning of the year winning at Miami, but they have come back to earth.

I'd say that fans for the most part have viewed Ohio's drop from glory with acceptance because they knew that the chances of winning the league this year would be difficult.

But some fans are calling this season a "letdown," which, I think is unfair considering the pieces new coach John Groce was left with entering this year. They lost their leading scorer (Leon Williams), best perimeter player (Bubba Walther) and a player who was expected to contribute inside (Maurice Pearson). Groce got the most out of his talent.

Here's a link to a thread about whether the team has regressed this season from bobcatattack.com, the top message board for Ohio athletics:

What I am wondering is if Ohio players will continue to play hard. Groce said yesterday he doesn't think that will happen. He knows Ohio could still make some type of tournament with a strong finish.

Read more in my article from today's Post about the state of the team.

Also here is a column from Matt O'Donnell in The Post comparing Miami and Ohio alumni.

I'm curious to see if the passion is there from Bobcats' fans this season because it's a down year.

I expect a good crowd, especially because of this.

Thanks to The Post's Kyle Grantham for the photo.

Ohio basketball update

Ohio defeated Toledo 91-58 Saturday at The Convo. The Bobcats dominated throughout the entire game and had little trouble putting the Rockets away. Ohio used an 11-2 run to start the second half to ensure a victory.

The question remains: Will the team build off this win or continue to struggle on the road?

We'll find out Tuesday, when Ohio travels to Kent State.

Here is the story I wrote for The Post on the game:
http://www.thepost.ohiou.edu/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=4&ArticleID=27085&TM=73721.98

Ohio-Toledo update

Ohio 39, Toledo 29, halftime

The Bobcats are in control of this one. Toledo did close the half on a 5-0 to cut Ohio's largest lead of the half.

Once again, Tillman leads the way for Ohio with 13 points. DeVaughn Washington added seven points and Mike Allen and Justin Orr each have six points.

Ohio started off 6-10 from 3-point range, but they missed their last four of the half to finish 6-14.

Defensively, the Bobcats have forced nine turnovers and committed six.

Ohio-Toledo update

Ohio 35, Toledo 21

The 3s keep falling for the Bobcats. Orr and Tillman have made 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to push Ohio's lead to 14.

Ohio-Toledo update

Ohio 29, Toledo 19, 6:19, first half

The Bobcats go on an 8-0 run fueled by two 3-point field goals. Steven Coleman stole the ball and scored on a layup to start the run. After a failed Toledo possession, point guard Michael Allen hit a 3-pointer. On Ohio's next possession Justin Orr hit a 3 and DeVaughn Washington was fouled. Washington then made two free throws to move the score to 23-9.

Ohio-Toledo update

Ohio 15, Toledo 9

Ohio continues its stout defense. Jerome Tillman leads the way early for Ohio with six points.

Ohio-Toledo update

Ohio 9, Toledo 4.

The Bobcats race out to an early lead thanks to good defense. Ohio gets Toledo to have a shot clock violation and causes a couple of early turnovers. Coach John Groce is very pleased.

Ohio-Toledo live blog

I'm live today from The Convo for Ohio's game against the Toledo Rockets. I'll be providing periodic updates of the game on here.

Starting lineup for Ohio:
G: Mike Allen
G: Steven Coleman
G: Tommy Freeman
F: Jerome Tillman
F: DeVaughn Washington

The game should be a blowout today because Toledo is quite terrible.

Welcome

My name is Steve Gartner and I have created the Bobcats' basketball blog for a project for my online journalism class at Ohio University.

I will profile the Ohio University men's basketball team throughout their Mid-American Conference season.

I will provide insight and analysis on the Bobcats and how their quest to win the MAC title.

Ohio won its game last night against Eastern Michigan 57-45. Here is a link to the game story from The Post

http://thepost.ohiou.edu/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=4&ArticleID=26973&TM=58258.39

If you have any questions or problems with corrections while I update this blog, send me an email at steve.j.gartner@gmail.com. Or you can comment on the problematic post.