LISTEN LIVE

https://thevarsitynetwork.com/audioapplink/source/oas-1965/content/ohiouni:allaccess-Live-151

OHIO GAME NOTES

https://ohiobobcats.com/documents/2023/3/7/3823_Ohio_BallState_Notes.pdf

BALL STATE GAME NOTES

https://ohiobobcats.com/documents/2023/3/8/Game_Notes_30_vs_Ohio_MAC_Tournament.pdf

MAC DIGITAL MEDIA GUIDE

https://ohiobobcats.com/publications/ohio-mbb-18

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CLEVELAND, Ohio — The fifth-seeded Ohio men’s basketball team (18-13) opens play at the 2023 Mid-American Conference Tournament on Thursday, March 9 when Ohio takes on No 4 Ball State (20-11) in the quarterfinals. Tip-off is scheduled for 30 minutes after the conclusion of game one. The Bobcats matchup will be seen on ESPN+ where Michael Reghi and Rhett Boyd will be on the call.  

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
• The Bobcats are 45-33 (.569) all-time in the MAC Tournament  and have captured seven league tournament crowns (1983, 1985, 1994, 2005, 2010, 2012, 2021). 
• Ohio is making its 42nd appearance in the MAC Tournament in 2023. 
• This is the 91st all-time meeting between Ohio and Ball State.
• Ohio leads the all-time series, 54-36. 
• The Bobcats and Ball State last met Jan. 10, 2023 in Athens, with the Bobcats winning, 76-71.
• The Bobcats are 14-1 against Ball State in their last 15 matchups.
• Ohio is 4-7 all-time against Ball State in the MAC Tournament. 
• Most recently in the MAC Tournament, the Bobcats defeated Ball State, 77-67 in last year’s MAC Quarterfinal. 
• Prior to that, the Bobcats defeated the Cardinals on March 10, 2014 in the MAC Tournament First Round, with Ohio winning 76-74.
• Prior to that, Ohio defeated Ball State in the MAC First Round, 85-77, in 2010, en route to Ohio’s fifth tournament title. 
• Ohio is 17-4 against Ball State since 2009-10, while the Bobcats are 5-1 against the Cardinals under Jeff Boals. 
• Ohio has registered an impressive 554-179 (.756) all-time record at the Co1vocation Center, which opened in 1968.
• Ohio finished 14-1 in the Convo this season.
• Dwight Wilson III was named Second Team All-MAC, while Jaylin Hunter was named All-MAC Honorable Mention. 
• Freshman Elmore James and AJ Brown were named to the MAC All-Freshman Team. 
• Ben Roderick was named to the 2022-23 Academic All-District® Men’s Basketball Team, selected by College Sports Communicators, the organization announced Feb. 21. 
• Dwight Wilson III recorded his 1,000th career rebound on Feb, 21 against NIU, making him the fourth Bobcat in program history to record 1,000 career rebounds and the fourth to have at least 1,000 points and a 1,000 rebounds. 

SCOUTING NO. 4 BALL STATE
Ball State enters the matchup with Ohio as the fourth seed in this year’s tournament with a 20-11 record and enter the game after falling to Toledo, 87-81 on Friday night. 

Overall, Ball State averages 76.6 points a game, while shooting .474 from the field, .372 from three and .686 from the line. Ball State also averages 36.0 rebounds a game, 13.3 assists and 5.6 steals a game. Ball State also forces 11.7 turnovers a game. 

Meanwhile, Opponents average 71.0 points and 32.5 rebounds a game. Opponents also shoot .438 from the field, .380 from three and .727 from the line. Opponents also dish out 9.5 assists and grab 6.1 steals a game, while also forcing 12.2 turnovers a game. 

Individually, Jaaron Coleman averages 14.5 points and 5.0 rebounds, while shooting .378 from the field and .362 from three. Jaylin Sellers adds 13.7 points and is shooting .495 from the field and .460 from three. Peyton Sparks adds 13.0 points and 8.7 rebounds a game for the Cardinals. 

SCOUTING OHIO
Ohio enters the tournament as the fifth seed with an 18-13 record after defeating Bowling Green, 92-58 on Friday night in Athens. 

As a team, Ohio is averaging 78.6 points and 37.1 rebounds a game, while opponents average 72.9 points and 34.7 rebounds a game. The Bobcats are also shooting .460 from the field, .372 from three and .726 from the line. Ohio also adds 12.8 assists, 6.5 steals and force 12.6 turnovers a game.

Opponents are shooting .444 from the field, .342 from three and .672 from the line, while dishing out 12.4 assists, 6.0 steals and 11.0 turnovers a game.

Individually, Dwight Wilson III leads Ohio with 15.9 points a game, while shooting .620 from the field, while also averaging 9.1 rebounds a game. Jaylin Hunter adds 12.7 points and 4.3 assists a game, while Miles Brown adds 10.5 points a game. 

ALL TIME AT MAC TOURNAMENT
The Bobcats are 45-33 (.569) all-time in the MAC Tournament  and have captured seven league tournament crowns (1983, 1985, 1994, 2005, 2010, 2012, 2021). 

Ohio is making its 42nd appearance in the MAC Tournament in 2023. 

ALL TIME VS. BALL STATE 
This is the 91st all-time meeting between Ohio and Ball State.

Ohio leads the all-time series, 54-36. 

The Bobcats and Ball State last met Jan. 10, 2023 in Athens, with the Bobcats winning, 76-71.

The Bobcats are 14-1 against Ball State in their last 15 matchups.

Ohio is 4-7 all-time against Ball State in the MAC Tournament. 

Most recently in the MAC Tournament, the Bobcats defeated Ball State, 77-67 in last year’s MAC Quarterfinal. 

Prior to that, the Bobcats defeated the Cardinals on March 10, 2014 in the MAC Tournament First Round, with Ohio winning 76-74.

Prior to that, Ohio defeated Ball State in the MAC First Round, 85-77, in 2010, en route to Ohio’s fifth tournament title. 

Ohio is 17-4 against Ball State since 2009-10, while the Bobcats are 5-1 against the Cardinals under Jeff Boals. 

LAST TIME AGAINST BALL STATE
Ohio and Ball State met on Jan. 10 in the Convo, with Ohio winning, 76-71. 

Overall, Ohio shot 45 percent from the field, 47.6 percent from three and were 12-of-18 from the line, while Ball State shot 45.1 percent from the field, 34.8 percent from three and were 17-of-24 from the line. The Cardinals outrebounded the Bobcats, 35-32, while Ohio recorded nine steals in comparison the Ball State’s six. 

Individually, junior guard Jaylin Hunter (Manchester, Conn.) led the team with 23 points, going 5-for-6 from the field and 4-for-5 from three while graduate student forward Dwight Wilson III (Tallahassee, Fla.) scored 22 points, led the team in rebounds with 10 and was 9-for-15 from the field. 

ALL MAC AWARDS
Dwight Wilson III was named Second Team All-MAC. 

Jaylin Hunter was named All-MAC Honorable Mention. 

AJ Brown and Elmore James were named to the MAC All-Freshman Team. 

DJ IS MR. 1,000
Dwight Wilson III recorded his 1,000th career rebound on Feb, 21 against NIU, making him the fourth Bobcat in program history to record 1,000 career rebounds and the fourth to have at least 1,000 points and a 1,000 rebounds. 

OHIO IN NET
Ohio is ranked 138th in the latest NET Rankings, with Ball State ranked 146th.

OHIO IN NCAA
In the NCAA, Ohio ranks 55th in total rebounds per game and 46th in offensive rebounds per game.

Ohio also ranks 36th in three point percentage, 42nd in three pointers made and 34th in scoring offense. The Bobcats also rank 38th in bench points per game. 

Dwight Wilson III is 13th in the NCAA in field goal percentage, 12th in offensive rebounds per game and 35th in rebounds per game. He also ranks 48th in double doubles, 66th in field goals and 35th in total rebounds. 

Jaylin Hunter is 98th in the NCAA in assists and 93rd in assist/TO ratio. 

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 third in the MAC in assist/turnover ratio and fourth in assists. 

DJ ALL-TIME MARKS
As Dwight Wilson III’s career begins to wind down, he is looking at cementing his mark in a number of spots in the Ohio record book. 

Currently, Wilson III has an Ohio career .635 field goal percentage, which will cement his as Ohio’s all-time leader in field goal percentage, topping Leon Williams career .608 field goal percentage.  

He recorded his 1,000th career rebound on Feb, 21 against NIU, making him the fourth Bobcat in program history to record 1,000 career rebounds and the fourth to have at least 1,000 points and a 1,000 rebounds. 

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. 

Brown scored 14 points and hit three three-pointers on March 3 against BGSU. 

Brown was named to the MAC All-Freshman Team on March 8. 

So far this season, Brown is averaging 9.5 points a game and is shooting .413 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. 

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

Hunter was stellar on Feb. 7 at NIU, scoring 19 points, while grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out five assists 

Hunter registered a new career-high on Feb. 10 against Akron with 25 points. 

Hunter set a new season high with six assists in Ohio’s win at CMU on Feb. 18.

On Feb 21 against NIU, Hunter dished out a season-tying seven assists to go along with 16 points in the win. 

On Feb. 25 at Miami, Hunter scored 19 points, going 3-of-4 from three.

Hunter was named Honorable Mention All-MAC on March 8. 

As of March 7, Hunter averages 12.7 points and 4.3 assists a game, while shooting .439 from the field. 

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 helped the Bobcats to victory Feb. 7 at NIU, scoring 16 points and grabbing seven rebounds in 32 minutes on the court.

Brown went 4-for-5 from three on Feb. 18 at CMU in the Bobcats’ victory. 

Brown dished out a career-high five made threes on March 3 against BGSU. 

Brown averages 10.5 points and 3.2 rebounds a game, while shooting .450 from three, .444 from the field and .729 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. 

On Feb. 21 against NIU, not only did Wilson III record his 1,000 career rebound, he also led the Bobcats with 24 points and 10 rebounds in the win. 

Wilson III added another double digit performance on Feb. 25, scoring 19 points and grabbing eight boards. 

Wilson III finished his Convo career against BGSU on March 3, scoring 20 points and grabbing seven rebounds in the victory. 

Wilson III was named Second Team All-MAC on March 8. 

Wilson III has continued to dominate, averaging 15.9 points and 9.1 rebounds a game, while shooting .620 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. 

Roderick returned to the starting lineup during the second week of MAC play. 

Roderick was named CSC Academic All-District on Feb. 21. 

This season, Roderick averages 5.2 points, while shooting .377 from the field and .410 from three, while also recording a .667 shooting percentage from the line in 19.3 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. 

James was solid on Feb. 7 at NIU, scoring 13 points, while going 5-of-6 from the line.

James was stellar on Feb. 14 against Buffalo, leading the Bobcats with 15 points. 

James closed out the regular season on March 3 against BGSU with a 17-point performance, going 6-of-9 from the field and a perfect 5-for-5 from the line. 

James was named to the MAC All-Freshman Team on March 8. 

So far this season, James is averaging 6.7 points and is shooting .518 in 15.1 minutes off the bench. 

SLASH FITTING RIGHT IN
After grabbing a career-high nine rebounds at Belmont to open the season, AJ 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. 

Clayton led the Bobcats at CMU on Feb, 18, scoring 18 points and hitting four threes in Ohio’s victory. 

On March 3 against BGSU, Clayton scored 12 points, going 4-of-9 from three in the win. 

This season, Clayton averages 8.1 points and 4.6 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 was stellar on Feb. 14 against Buffalo, scoring 11 points in 18 minutes on the floor. 

Baker was important to Ohio’s win at CMU on Feb, 18, scoring 11 points, going 4-of-5 from the field, 1-of-1 from three and 2-of-2 from the line, while grabbing three rebounds. 

Baker has continued to make the most of his minutes this season, averaging 6.3 points, while shooting .367 from the field. 

UP NEXT
Up next, the winner of this game will play the winner of No. 1 Toledo and No. 8 Miami on Friday, March 10. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. on CBS Sports Network. 

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