OHIO GAME NOTES

https://ohiobobcats.com/documents/2023/2/3/2423_Ohio_Miami_Notes.pdf

MIAMI GAME NOTES

https://ohiobobcats.com/documents/2023/2/3/2022-23_mbk_vs_Ohio.pdf

LISTEN

https://thevarsitynetwork.com/audioapplink/source/oas-1965/content/ohiouni:allaccess-Live-138

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ATHENS, Ohio — The Ohio men’s basketball team (11-11, 3-6 MAC) are back in Athens this Saturday, Feb. 4 when the Bobcats host Miami (7-15, 1-8 MAC) for a Sibs Weekend ‘Battle of the Bricks’ matchup. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. inside the Convocation Center. The Bobcats matchup will be seen on ESPN3 where Russ Eisenstein and Rob Cornelius will have the call. 

 The Bobcats’ matchup can also be heard on the Ohio Sports Network from Learfield where Marty Bannister and DaveCecutti will have the call. WXTQ (Power 105) in Athens returns as the 11-station network’s flagship.  

STORYLINES
• Ohio is coming off an 90-79 loss at Eastern Michigan on Tuesday night in Ypsilanti. 
• This is the 211th all-time meeting between Ohio and Miami.
• Ohio leads the all-time series, 116-94. 
• The Bobcats and Miami met twice last season, with Ohio winning both matchups. 
• The Bobcats took the first game, 86-63 at Miami, before defeating them a month later, 91-78, inside the Convo.   
• Ohio is 22-6 against Miami since 2009-10, while the Bobcats are 5-0 against the RedHawks under Jeff Boals. 
• Ohio has registered an impressive 549-179 (.756) all-time record at the Convocation Center, which opened in 1968.
• Ohio is 9-1 in the Convo this season. 
• Last season Ohio finished 15-2 in the Convo. 
• Ohio is ranked 158th in the latest NET Rankings, with Miami ranked 323.
• In the NCAA, Ohio ranks 43rd in total rebounds per game, 105th in defensive rebounds per game and 43rd in offensive rebounds per game.
• Ohio also ranks 57th in three point percentage, 52nd in three pointers made and 42nd in scoring offense. The Bobcats also rank 39th in bench points per game. 
• Dwight Wilson III is 12th in the NCAA in field goal percentage, 12th in offensive rebounds per game and 19th in rebounds per game. He also ranks 26th in double doubles and 38th in total rebounds. 
• Dwight Wilson III leads the MAC in field goal percentage and is third in rebounding, while Miles Brown ranks fourth in the league in three-point field goal percentage. 
• On Jan. 31, both Dwight Wilson III and Jalyin Hunter had solid performances at EMU, with Wilson III scoring 23 points and grabbing 12 board, and Hunter scoring 22 points. 
• Dwight Wilson III had a monster day against WMU, where he scored a career-high 31 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the win. 
• Miles Brown added another stellar highlight to his career on Jan. 21 against CMU, scoring a career-high 27 points and hitting six three pointers. 
• The Bobcats hit a season high 15 three pointers against CMU on Jan. 21. 
• Elmore James put together a career-high 21 point performance in Jan. 17 at Toledo, going 8-of-10 from the field, 2-of-3 from three and 3-of-4 from the line. 
• Jaylin Hunter had a career-high 23-point performance against Ball State on Jan. 10. 

SCOUTING MIAMI
Miami enters the matchup with Ohio with a 7-15 record and a 1-8 mark in MAC play and is coming off an 81-78 loss at Toledo on Tuesday. 

Overall, Miami averages 74.2 points a game, while shooting .453 from the field, .341 from three and .772 from the line. Miami also averages 32.4 rebounds a game, 13.7 assists and 6.5 steals a game. Miami also forces 14.3 turnovers a game. 

Meanwhile, Opponents average 75.2 points and 33.9 rebounds a game. Opponents also shoot .469 from the field, .352 from three and .731 from the line. Opponents also dish out 13.5 assists and grab 8.3 steals a game, while also forcing 14.4 turnovers a game. 

Individually, Mekhi Lairy averages 17.4 points and 4.2 assists per game, while shooting .463 from the field, .363 from three and .918 from the line. Morgan Safford adds 15.7 points a game and 6.3 rebounds, while shooting .503 from the field, and Anderson Mirambeaux averages 13.3 points and 5.7 boards per game. 

SCOUTING OHIO
Ohio enters the matchup with Miami with an 11-11 record and a 3-6 mark in MAC play after falling to Eastern Michigan, 90-79 on Tuesday night.

As a team, Ohio is averaging 77.9 points and 38.1 rebounds a game, while opponents average 73.8 points and 35.0 rebounds a game. The Bobcats are also shooting .460 from the field, .364 from three and .705 from the line. Ohio also adds 13.3 assists, 6.3 steals and force 12.1 turnovers a game. 

Opponents are shooting .441 from the field, .365 from three and .671 from the line, while dishing out 13.1 assists, 6.4 steals and 13.3 turnovers a game. 

Individually, Dwight Wilson III leads Ohio with 15.8 points a game, while shooting .637 from the field, while also averaging 9.8 rebounds a game. Jaylin Hunter adds 11.0 points and 4.2 assists a game. AJ Brown adds 10.6 points, while Miles Brown adds 10.5 points a game. 

ALL TIME VS. MIAMI
This is the 211th all-time meeting between Ohio and Miami.

Ohio leads the all-time series, 116-94. 

The Bobcats and Miami met twice last season, with Ohio winning both matchups. 

The Bobcats took the first game, 86-63 at Miami, before defeating them a month later, 91-78, inside the Convo.   

Ohio is 22-6 against Miami since 2009-10, while the Bobcats are 5-0 against the RedHawks under Jeff Boals. 

LAST TIME AGAINST MIAMI
The Bobcats and Miami last meet on Feb. 15, 2022 with Ohio winning, 91-78 in Athens. 

Ben Vander Plas led Ohio with 30 points, going 9-of-12 from the field, 3-of-6 from three and 9-of-10 from the line. He also grabbed 10 rebounds, dished out six assists and had three steals. Mark Sears added 23 points and 11 rebounds, while shooting 8-of-20 from the field and 6-of-6 from the line. He also dished out six assists and had two steals. Tommy Schmock added a DI career-high 18 points, going 6-of-9 from the field and 4-of-7 from three. 

Overall, Ohio shot 50.9 percent from the field, 39.3 percent from three and were 22-of-24 from the line, while Miami shot 47.7 percent from the field, 48.1 percent from three and were 3-of-6 from the line. Ohio outrebounded Miami, 35-30, and dished out 14 assists, while the RedHawks dished out 16. Ohio also forced 11 Miami turnovers and had eight steals. 

For Miami, Dae Dae Grant led with 22 points, while Mekhi Lairy added 18 points and six assists. Myja White finished the game with 11 points. 

LAST TIME OUT
Ohio is coming off a 90-79 loss at Eastern Michigan Tuesday night. 

Overall, Ohio shot 44.8 percent from the field, 32.3 percent from three and 45 percent from the line, while Eastern Michigan shot 57.7 percent from the field, 54.2 from three and 81.0 percent from the line. Ohio out-rebounded EMU, 37-28, while the Eagles dished out 16 assists to Ohio’s nine. Both teams turned the ball over 12 times, however, EMU scored 17 points off them. 

Individually, Ohio was led by Dwight Wilson III with 23 points and 12 rebounds, while Jaylin Hunter added 22 points, six rebounds, three assists and hit five threes. AJ Clayton added 13 points, and Elmore James contributed 10 points for the Bobcats.

For Eastern Michigan, Tyson Acuff led with 29 points and six assists, while Emoni Bates scored 19 points. 

OHIO IN NET
Ohio is ranked 158th in the latest NET Rankings, with Miami ranked 323.

OHIO IN NCAA
In the NCAA, Ohio ranks 43rd in total rebounds per game, 105th in defensive rebounds per game and 43rd in offensive rebounds per game.

Ohio also ranks 57th in three point percentage, 52nd in three pointers made and 42nd in scoring offense. The Bobcats also rank 39th in bench points per game. 

Dwight Wilson III is 12th in the NCAA in field goal percentage, 12th in offensive rebounds per game and 19th in rebounds per game. He also ranks 26th in double doubles and 38th in total rebounds. 

MAC RANKINGS
Dwight Wilson III leads the MAC in field goal percentage and is third in rebounding, while Miles Brown ranks fourth in the league in three-point field goal percentage. 

PROTECT THIS HOUSE
Ohio has registered an impressive 549-179 (.756) all-time record at the Convocation Center, which opened in 1968.

Ohio is 9-1 in the Convo this season. 

Last season Ohio finished 15-2 in the Convo. 

AJ BROWN MAKES A STATEMENT
Freshman guard AJ Brown showed the type of talent Ohio could see over the next four years against UC Clermont, where he scored a game-high 18 points, went 7-of-11 from the field and dished out four assists in the victory. 

As AJ Brown continues to see more minutes, he continues to get more comfortable, with a stellar game on Dec. 11 at Youngstown State where he scored 16 points, while going 6-of-8 from the field. 

He was also stellar off the bench against Florida, scoring a team-high 14 points in 24 minutes. 

Brown made his first career start on Dec. 17 against Stetson, scoring 13 points, grabbed four rebounds and drained three 3-pointers. 

On Dec. 21 at Delaware, Brown was efficient, scoring 14 points, going 5-of-9 from the field, 2-of-2 from three and grabbed a career-high five boards. 

AJ Brown had a bounce back game on Jan. 24 against WMU, scoring 16 points, going 6-of-10 from the field and 3-of-4 from the line, while also grabbing four rebounds. 

Brown built on that at Akron the following game, scoring 15 points. 

So far this season, Brown is averaging 10.6 points a game and is shooting .430 from the field. 

HUNTER FINDING A GROOVE
Junior guard Jaylin Hunter started to find his groove in the Green and White. 

On Dec. 11 at Youngstown State, Hunter led the Bobcats with 17 points, five rebounds, seven assists and three steals in the victory. 

Hunter led Ohio against Cleveland State, scoring 17 points, grabbing four rebounds and dishing out seven assists in the victory. 

Hunter is had a career-high 23-point performance against Ball State on Jan. 10. Hunter finished the game, 7-of-12 from the field and 4-of-5 from three, while also going 5-of-6 from the line. 

Hunter put together a solid game at Akron on Jan. 28, scoring a team-leading 16 points, while going 4-of-10 from three and dishing out five assists. 

Hunter was solid at EMU on Jan. 31, scoring 22 points, going 8-of-16 from the field and hitting a new career-high of five threes. 

As of Feb. 3, Hunter averages 11.0 points and 4.2 assists a game. 

BROWN SETTING UP FOR CAREER YEAR
Senior guard Miles Brown is already on pace to set new marks in his fourth season in the Green and White. 

After a solid game at Belmont, Brown was clutch against Cleveland State, scoring 14 points and going a perfect 6-of-6 from the line in the victory. 

Brown was also solid against No. 20 Michigan, scoring 11 points and grabbing a season-hight nine rebounds. 

He was back in action during the Bobcat battle where he averaged 16.0 points and set and matched a career-high four made threes before being named the tournament MVP. 

Brown set another career-high on Jan. 3 at Buffalo, scoring a personal best 24 points. Brown went 7-of-16 from the field, 4-of-7 from three and was 6-of-6 from the line. 

Brown reset his career high on Jan. 21, scoring 27 points and hitting six made threes. 

Brown averages 10.5 points and 3.1 rebounds a game, while shooting .441 from three, .450 from the field and .750 from the line. 

WELCOME BACK DJ
In his return to the court after missing all of last season due to a knee injury, Dwight Wilson III put on a show. 

Wilson III finished the game with a game-high 20 points, going 8-of-10 from the field and 4of-4 from the line. He also grabbed eight rebounds in 24 minutes of action. 

He then put on a show at No. 20 Michigan, scoring 21 points and grabbing nine boards. 

Wilson III was the hero on Dec. 11 at YSU, hitting the buzzer beater to give Ohio the victory. In that game, he scored 10 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. 

Wilson III recorded another 20-point performance on Dec. 17 against Stetson, scoring 20 points, while going 8-of-9 from the field and 4-of-6 from the line. 

Wilson III was clutch in Ohio’s win at Delaware on Dec. 21, scoring 16 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. Wilson III added another double double on Dec. 30, scoring 12 points and grabbing 10 rebounds against Chicago State. 

Wilson III is coming off a stellar game at Bowling Green on Jan. 7, scoring 17 points and grabbing 17 rebounds – just one off his career high. He followed that up with a 22 point and 10 rebound performance against Ball State on Jan. 10. 

Wilson III added to his career achievement on Jan. 13, scoring a career-high 27 points against Kent State. Wilson III went 9-of-11 from the field and was 9-of-10 from the line. 

Wilson III continued to build on his career year on Tuesday, setting anew career-high with 31 points, while grabbing 11 rebounds. Wilson III went 13-of-16 from the field and 5-of-7 from the line in the victory. 

Wilson III added another double double to his career total at EMU on Jan. 31, scoring 23 points, while going 10-of-12 from the field and grabbing 12 rebounds. 

Wilson III has continued to dominate, averaging 15.8 points and 9.8 rebounds a game, while shooting .637 from the field. 

BROD’S NEW ROLE
After starting every game last season, senior Ben Roderick is fitting in with his new role off the bench. 

This season, Roderick averages 5.1 points, while shooting .365 from the field and .404 from three, while also recording a .864 shooting percentage from the line in just 17.1 minutes a game. 

QUIET YET MIGHTY 
Freshman guard Elmore James responded well in the Bobcats’ game against Cleveland State. 

James scored eight points, while going 3-of-4 from the field and hitting both of his free throws. James also added one steal and drew a foul in his nine minutes of action. 

James was stellar on Nov. 30 against UC Clermont, scoring 16 points and going 8-of-12 from the field and grabbed three rebounds in the win. 

James put together a career-high 21 point performance in Jan. 17 at Toledo, going 8-of-10 from the field, 2-of-3 from three and 3-of-4 from the line. 

James made his first career start on Jan. 21 against CMU and has stayed in the starting lineup since. 

So far this season, James is averaging 5.3 points and is shooting .547 in 11.1 minutes off the bench. 

SLASH FITTING RIGHT IN
Sophomore AJ Clayton is taking advantage of his new roll. 

After grabbing a career-high nine rebounds at Belmont to open the season, Clayton added on, scoring a career-high 15 points at Detroit Mercy on Wednesday. 

Clayton was consistent again on Dec. 11 at YSU, scoring 10 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. 

Clayton scored a career-high 23 points on Dec. 21 at Delaware, and went 9-for-9 from the line in the victory. Clayton led Ohio against on Dec. 30, scoring 13 points and grabbing six rebounds against Chicago State. 

In his first game on the bench, Clayton recorded a career-high four made threes against Ball State on Jan. 10. 

So far this season, Clayton averages 8.9 points and 5.5 rebounds a game. 

BAKER STARTING TO COOK
Senior guard DeVon Baker has continued to get into the flow of the Green and White. 

After opening the season with a 16-point performance at Belmont, Baker seemed to get on track again at YSU on Dec. 11, scoring 15 points. 

Despite dropping out of the starting lineup, Baker was a playmaker against Stetson on Dec. 17, scoring 12 points, going 5-of-8 from the field, 1-of-1 from three in 18 minutes. 

Baker has continued to make the most of his minutes this season, averaging 6.1 points, while shooting .350 from the field. 

UP NEXT
Up next, the Bobcats are back on the road on Tuesday, Feb. 7 when Ohio heads to DeKalb, Ill. to take on Northern Illinois. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. ET at the NIU Convocation Center. 

COURTESY OHIO ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS