OHIO GAME NOTES

https://ohiobobcats.com/documents/2023/2/6/2723_Ohio_NIU_Notes.pdf

NIU GAME NOTES

https://ohiobobcats.com/documents/2023/2/6/24-Ohio.pdf

LISTEN

https://thevarsitynetwork.com/audioapplink/source/oas-1965/content/ohiouni:allaccess-Live-139

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ATHENS, Ohio –The Ohio men’s basketball team (12-11, 4-6 MAC) is back on the road to start this week when they head to DeKalb, Ill. to take on Northern Illinois (10-13, 6-4 MAC) on Tuesday, Feb. 7. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. ET. The Bobcats matchup will be seen on ESPN+.

The Bobcats’ matchup can also be heard on the Ohio Sports Network from Learfield. Russ Eisenstein returns for his 15th season as the “Voice of the Bobcats” and will be joined by Ohio alum Rob Cornlius, who has been a part of the broadcasts for two decades. WXTQ (Power 105) in Athens returns as the 11-station network’s flagship.  

STORYLINES
• Ohio is coming off a 78-68 win against Miami on Saturday in Athens. 
• This is the 61st all-time meeting between Ohio and NIU.
• Ohio leads the all-time series, 37-23. 
• The Bobcats and NIU met twice last season, with the two teams splitting the matchups. 
• The Bobcats took the first game, 74-62 in Athens, before falling to them, 58-57 in the final game of the regular season in DeKalb. 
• Ohio is 11-7 against Miami since 2009-10, while the Bobcats are 5-2 against the Huskies under Jeff Boals. 
• Ohio has not won in DeKalb since Jan. 2, 2017.
• Ohio has registered an impressive 550-179 (.756) all-time record at the Convocation Center, which opened in 1968.
• Ohio is 10-1 in the Convo this season.
• Last season Ohio finished 15-2 in the Convo. 
• Ohio is ranked 156th in the latest NET Rankings, with NIU ranked 249.
• In the NCAA, Ohio ranks 42nd in total rebounds per game, 102nd in defensive rebounds per game and 47th in offensive rebounds per game.
• Ohio also ranks 79th in three point percentage, 64th in three pointers made and 42nd in scoring offense. The Bobcats also rank 39th in bench points per game. 
46th
• Dwight Wilson III is 11th in the NCAA in field goal percentage, 12th in offensive rebounds per game and 22nd in rebounds per game. He also ranks 28th in double doubles and 37th in total rebounds. 
• Dwight Wilson III leads the MAC in field goal percentage and is third in rebounding, while Miles Brown ranks third in the league in three-point field goal percentage. 
• Jaylin Hunter is second in the MAC in assist/turnover ratio. 
• Jaylin Hunter and Dwight Wilson III were back in full force again on Feb. 4 against Miami, with Hunter tying his career-high with 23 points and seven rebounds, while Wilson III added 21 points and nine rebounds. The two also combined to go 11-for-11 from the field. 
• 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. 

SCOUTING NORTHERN ILLINOIS
NIU enters the matchup with Ohio with a 10-12 record and a 6-4 mark in MAC play and is coming off an 86-78 win at Bowling Green on Saturday. 

Overall, NIU averages 71.1 points a game, while shooting .454 from the field, .346 from three and .674 from the line. NIU also averages 32.8 rebounds a game, 11.7 assists and 6.7 steals a game. NIU also forces 13.7 turnovers a game. 

Meanwhile, opponents average 75.2 points and 37.6 rebounds a game. Opponents also shoot .451 from the field, .331 from three and .681 from the line. Opponents also dish out 13.3 assists and grab 7.0 steals a game, while also forcing 14.7 turnovers a game. 

Individually, Keshawn Williams averages 17.9 points a game and 4.7 rebounds. He shoots .472 from the field, .353 from three and .800 from the line. David Coit adds 16.0 points a game, while shooting .431 from the field and .885 from the line, while Zarique Nutter averages 11.4 points and 5.0 boards a contest. 

SCOUTING OHIO
Ohio enters the matchup with NIU with a 12-11 record and a 4-6 mark in MAC play after defeating Miami, 78-68 Saturday afternoon in Athens. 

As a team, Ohio is averaging 77.9 points and 38.0 rebounds a game, while opponents average 73.5 points and 34.9 rebounds a game. The Bobcats are also shooting .460 from the field, .360 from three and .716 from the line. Ohio also adds 13.0 assists, 6.2 steals and force 12.0 turnovers a game.

Opponents are shooting .440 from the field, .361 from three and .673 from the line, while dishing out 13.0 assists, 6.3 steals and 12.0 turnovers a game. 

Individually, Dwight Wilson III leads Ohio with 16.0 points a game, while shooting .640 from the field, while also averaging 9.7 rebounds a game. Jaylin Hunter adds 11.5 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. NIU
This is the 61st all-time meeting between Ohio and NIU.

Ohio leads the all-time series, 37-23. 

The Bobcats and NIU met twice last season, with the two teams splitting the matchups. 

The Bobcats took the first game, 74-62 in Athens, before falling to them, 58-57 in the final game of the regular season in DeKalb. 

Ohio is 11-7 against Miami since 2009-10, while the Bobcats are 5-2 against the Huskies under Jeff Boals. 

Ohio has not won in DeKalb since Jan. 2, 2017.

LAST TIME AGAINST NIU
The Bobcats and NIU last met on the final game of the 2021-22 regular season, with Ohio falling 58-57 in DeKalb. 

Overall, Ohio shot 33.3 percent from the field, 28.0 percent from three and were 16-of-19 from the line, while NIU shot 43.1 percent from the field, 17.6 percent from three and were 11-of-14 from the line. NIU outrebounded Ohio, 38-29, while both teams dished out 10 assists.  

Individually, Mark Sears led Ohio with 19 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, while Jason Carter added 10 points and four rebounds. Ben Vander Plas had nine points, as did Miles Brown. 

For the Huskies, Keshawn Williams and Trendon Hankerson both had 15 points. 

LAST TIME OUT
Ohio is coming off a 78-78 win over Miami Saturday afternoon. 

Ohio was led by junior guard Jaylin Hunter (Manchester, Conn.) who tied his career-high with 23 points, going 8-of-12 from the field, 3-of-5 from three and 4-of-4 from the line, while also grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out four assists. Graduate Student forward Dwight Wilson III (Tallahassee, Fla.) added 21 points, going 7-of-10 from the field and 7-of-7 from the line, while also grabbing nine boards. Freshman guard Elmore James (Cleveland, Ohio) added nine points and two steals, while senior guard Miles Brown (Rochester, N.Y.) also added nine points. 

Overall, Ohio shot 44.8 percent from the field, 22.2 percent from three and were 22-of-25 from the line, while Miami shot 40 percent from the field, 26.1 percent from three and were 18-of-25 from the line. Ohio out-rebounded Miami, 36-33, while Miami dished out nine assists to Ohio’s eight. The Bobcats also forced 11 turnovers and recorded five steals in the win. 

OHIO IN NET
Ohio is ranked 156th in the latest NET Rankings, with NIU ranked 249.

OHIO IN NCAA
In the NCAA, Ohio ranks 42nd in total rebounds per game, 102nd in defensive rebounds per game and 47th in offensive rebounds per game.

Ohio also ranks 79th in three point percentage, 64th in three pointers made and 42nd in scoring offense. The Bobcats also rank 39th in bench points per game. 
46th

Dwight Wilson III is 11th in the NCAA in field goal percentage, 12th in offensive rebounds per game and 22nd in rebounds per game. He also ranks 28th in double doubles and 37th in total rebounds. 

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

Jaylin Hunter is second in the MAC in assist/turnover ratio.

PROTECT THIS HOUSE
Ohio has registered an impressive 550-179 (.756) all-time record at the Convocation Center, which opened in 1968.

Ohio is 10-1 in the Convo this season. 

Last season Ohio finished 15-2 in the Convo. 

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. 

Hunter tied his career-high on Feb. 4 against Miami, scoring 23 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out four assists in the win. 

As of Feb. 6, Hunter averages 11.5 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 .432 from three, .451 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. 

Dwight 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 was another force on Feb. 4 against Miami, scoring 21 points and grabbing nine rebounds. 

Wilson III has continued to dominate, averaging 16.0 points and 9.7 rebounds a game, while shooting .640 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 .366 from the field and .399 from three, while also recording a .864 shooting percentage from the line in just 17.8 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 5.5 points and is shooting .512 in 12.0 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 8.7 points and 5.3 rebounds a game. 

UP NEXT
Up next, the Bobcats are back in Athens on Friday, Feb. 10 when the host MAC-leading Akron. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. inside the Convo and can be seen on CBSSN. 

COURTESY OHIO ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS