By Reggie Gatlin-Holt

3 5 2024

OHIO GAME NOTES

https://ohiobobcats.com/documents/2024/3/4/30524_Ohio_Buffalo_Notes.pdf

BUFFALO GAME NOTES

https://ohiobobcats.com/documents/2024/3/4/Game_30_Buffalo_vs._Ohio_MBB_2023-24_Notes.pdf

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ATHENS, Ohio –– The Ohio men’s basketball team (17-12, 11-5 MAC) begins the final week of the regular season on Tuesday, March 5 when they head to Buffalo, N.Y. to take on Buffalo (4-24, 2-14 MAC). Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. inside Alumni Arena. The game can be seen on CBS Sports Network where John Sadak and Will Demps will have the call.

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

STORYLINES
• This is the 58th all-time meeting between Ohio and Buffalo.
• Ohio leads the all-time series, 37-20.
• Ohio and Buffalo met on Jan. 30 in Athens, with Ohio winning 91-70.
• The two teams met twice last season, with the two teams splitting the series, with the Bobcats winning the battle at home.
• Ohio is 6-3 against Buffalo since Jeff Boals took over in 2019-20.
• Ohio is ranked 152nd in the latest NET Ranking as of March 4.
• Ohio has registered an impressive 566-182 (.756) all-time record at the Convocation Center, which opened in 1968.
• Ohio finished 14-1 in the Convo this season.
• This season Ohio 12-3 in the Convo.
• Ohio is 61-14 in the Convo under Boals in the last five seasons.
• Ohio is ranked 43rd in the NCAA in assist/turnover ratio and 23rd in turnover margin.
• The Bobcats are also 70th in the country in scoring offense and 45th in three-pointers per game and 82nd in 3pt field goal percentage.
• Ohio is 66th in effective field goal percentage and 77th in scoring margin.
• Individually, AJ Clayton is 46th in blocks and 48th in blocks per game.
• Jaylin Hunter ranks 49th in assists per game, 53rd in total assists and 74th in assist/TO ratio.
• Head coach Jeff Boals earned his 150th career win on March 1 against BGSU.
• Jaylin Hunter scored 23 points in Ohio’s win over Akron on Feb. 27, including hitting the game-tying three.
• Miles Brown and Aidan Hadaway both scored 17 points in Ohio’s win at NIU on Feb. 24.

SCOUTING BUFFALO
Buffalo is 4-25 and 2-14 in MAC play after falling to Toledo on Saturday.

Overall, Buffalo averages 68.1 points a game, while shooting .421 from the field, .271 from three and .720 from the line. Buffalo also averages 35.1 rebounds a game, 13.2 assists and 5.8 steals a game. Buffalo also forces 10.5 turnovers a game.

Meanwhile, Opponents average 79.8 points and 36.8 rebounds a game. Opponents also shoot .475 from the field, .361 from three and .718 from the line. Opponents also dish out 15.6 assists and grab 7.7 steals a game, while also forcing 14.4 turnovers a game.

Individually, Sy Chatman averages 18.4 points a game, while shooting .463 from the field and grabbing 6.4 rebounds a game. Isaiah Adams adds 13.2 points and 3.6 assists per game, while Shawn Fulcher adds 8.4 points a game.

SCOUTING OHIO
Ohio enters the matchup with Buffalo with a 17-12 overall record and a 11-5 mark in MAC play and are coming off 66-59 win over BGSU on Friday night in Athens.

Overall, Ohio is averaging 77.8 points per game, while shooting .460 from the field, .358 from three and 73.2 percent from the line. The Bobcats also add 34.7 rebounds, 14.0 assists and 6.7 steals per game, while forcing opponents to turn the ball over 13.2 times a game.

Meanwhile, Opponents are averaging 71.2 points a game, while shooting .431 from the field, .331 from three and .714 from the line. They also average 35.7 rebounds, 11.0 assists, 5.0 steals and force the Bobcats to turn the ball over an average of 9.8 times a game.

Individually, Jaylin Hunter leads Ohio with 14.5 points per game, while shooting .435 from the field and averaging 4.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game. Shereef Mitchell adds 12.8 points a game, while shooting 46.5 percent from the field, while AJ Clayton averages 12.1 points and 4.5 rebounds a game, while shooting .517 from the field and .409 from three.

ALL TIME VS. BUFFALO
This is the 58th all-time meeting between Ohio and Buffalo.

Ohio leads the all-time series, 37-20.

Ohio and Buffalo met on Jan. 30 in Athens, with Ohio winning 91-70.

The two teams met twice last season, with the two teams splitting the series, with the Bobcats winning the battle at home.

Ohio is 6-3 against Buffalo since Jeff Boals took over in 2019-20.

LAST TIME VS. BUFFALO
Ohio and Buffalo met on Jan. 30 in Athens, with Ohio winning 91-70.

Overall, Ohio shot 45.1 percent from the field, 39.3 percent from three and were 16-of-17 from the line, while Buffalo shot 37.3 percent from the field, 35.7 percent from three and were 10-of-14 from the line. The Bobcats outrebounded the Bulls 47-38, while dishing out 16 assists and forced 12 Buffalo turnovers, scoring 22 points off them.

Individually, AJ Clayton led Ohio with 16 points and added three rebounds. Ajay Sheldon had a career-high with 15 points, while adding two rebounds and an assist. Shereef Mitchell added 15 points, while collecting five rebounds and picking up three assists. Miles Brown had 11 points, six rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Jaylin Hunter had a well-rounded game with ten points, nine rebounds, six assists, and four steals.

For Buffalo, Sy Chatman led all scorers with 22 points, with five rebounds, and five assists while Jonnivi Smith scored 15 points and grabbed 13 rebounds.

OHIO IN NET
Ohio is ranked 152nd in the latest NET Ranking as of March 4.

OHIO IN NCAA
Ohio is ranked 43rd in the NCAA in assist/turnover ratio and 23rd in turnover margin.

The Bobcats are also 70th in the country in scoring offense and 45th in three-pointers per game and 82nd in 3pt field goal percentage.

Ohio is 66th in effective field goal percentage and 77th in scoring margin.

Individually, AJ Clayton is 46th in blocks and 48th in blocks per game.

Jaylin Hunter ranks 49th in assists per game, 53rd in total assists and 74th in assist/TO ratio.

OHIO IN THE MAC
Jaylin Hunter is first in the MAC in assists, first in assist/TO ratio and fifth in steals.

AJ Clayton is second in the MAC in total blocks and second in blocks per game. He is also sixth in field goal percentage and sixth in 3-point field goal percentage.

Aidan Hadaway is currently fifth in FG%.

Ajay Sheldon is second in the MAC in three-point shooting percentage.

THE RACE TO CLEVELAND
Ohio clinched a sport to Cleveland for the 2024 MAC Tournament on Feb. 24 with the Bobcats’ win at NIU.

Ohio moved into third place in the MAC standings after defeating Akron on Feb. 27.

JAYLIN ON THE HUNT
Senior guard Jaylin Hunter is looking to make the most out of his final season.

In the season opener, Hunter was effective with the ball, dishing out four assists and going a perfect 8-for-8 from the line.

He then had a 13-point performance at Cleveland State on Nov. 11.

Hunter recorded his 1,000th career point on Nov. 18 against Detroit Mercy.

Hunter also recorded his first career double double in the Detroit Mercy game with the help of a career-high 10 rebounds and 14 points.

Hunter had a stellar Nassau Championship Nov. 24-26. On Against GW, Hunter scored a season-high 25 points, going 9-of-22 from the field , while grabbing six rebounds and dishing out five assists.

He added a 19 point performance on Nov. 25 against MTSU, before closing out the tournament with 21 points and eight rebounds against Brown.

Hunter added a solid game against Delaware on Dec. 2, scoring 15 points, while grabbing six rebounds and dishing out three assists in the win.

He followed that up with a 19-point and five-assist night on Dec. 9 against Marshall.

On Jan. 6 against NIU, Hunter scored 20 points, going 5-of-8 from the field, 2-of-2 from three and was a perfect 8-of-8 from the line. He also led Ohio with eight rebounds and six assists in the win.

Hunter rebounded from a rough couple games on Jan. 16 when he led the Bobcats with 19 points in their win over CMU. Hunter also dished out eight assists and grabbed five rebounds in the win.

Hunter followed by that performance with a 14-point performance in Ohio’s win over EMU, where he also added five rebounds and dished out five assists.

In Ohio’s win at Kent State on Jan. 26, Hunter scored a team-high 17 points, while grabbing five rebounds and dishing out five assists.

Hunter had a near triple double on Jan. 30 against Buffalo, scoring 10 points, grabbing nine rebounds and dishing out six assists in the win.

Hunter was stellar on Feb. 3 against Miami, scoring a game-high 22 points, while grabbing three rebounds, dishing out eight assists and hitting four threes.

Hunter scored a career-high 32 points on Feb. 6, in Ohio’s 84-79 thrilling overtime win over Ball State in Muncie.

He then added another 20-point performance on Feb. 10 at Arkansas State and was named the MAC Co-Player of the Week on Feb. 12.

Hunter added 16 points against Toledo on Feb. 16, hitting four threes, while also grabbing five rebounds and dishing out six assists.

Hunter scored a game-high 23 points on Feb. 27 in Ohio’s win against Akron, going 4-of-7 from three, while also dishing out six assists.

Overall, this season Hunter is averaging 14.5 points, 5.0 assists and 4.4 rebounds a game.

REEF MAKES MOST OF NEW HOME
Graduate student guard Shereef Mitchell’s offensive power showed up at the Nassau Championship Nov. 24-26.

On Nov. 24 in a double OT loss to George Washington, Mitchell scored a career-high 23 points, going 8-of-15 form the field, 3-of7 from three and grabbed seven rebounds.

He then followed up that performance on Nov. 26 with a new career high against Brown, scoring 24 points, while going 7-of-9 from the field and 8-of-11 from the line in the victory.

Mitchell led Ohio on Dec. 6 against Youngstown State, scoring a team-high 17 points and dishing out a season-high four assists.

Mitchell had a solid game on Jan. 9 at Bowling Green, scoring 17 points, recording two blocks and grabbing four rebounds.

On Jan. 16 against CMU, Mitchell scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds in the win.

He followed that up on Jan. 20 with a 14-point performance, going 6-of-9 from the field and grabbed five rebounds in Ohio’s win over EMU.

On Jan. 24 against Akron, Mitchell recorded a career-high seven rebounds. Mitchell followed that up with another solid game on Jan. 26 in the Bobcats’ win at Kent State, scoring 16 points, while grabbing four rebounds, dishing out five assists and grabbing four steals.

Mitchell added another strong game to his resume on Jan. 30 against Buffalo, scoring 15 points, grabbing five rebounds and dishing out three assists.

Mitchell put together a 16-point performance on Feb. 3 against Miami, while also grabbing six rebounds, dishing out four assists and going 3-for-3 from three.

Mitchell recorded a career-high nine rebounds against Kent State on Feb. 20.

So far this season, Mitchell is second on the Bobcats in scoring with 12.8 points and 4.2 rebounds a game, while shooting .465 from the field.

CLAYTON TAKES THE NEXT STEP
Junior forward AJ Clayton has moved back into his starting roll with ease.

He has recorded double figure scoring numbers in three-straight games to open the season.

On Nov. 18 against Detroit Mercy, Clayton led Ohio with 18 points, while also grabbing six rebounds and tying his career-high with four made threes.

On Nov. 24 against George Washington, Clayton recorded a double double, scoring 13 points and grabbing a career-high 12 rebounds, while also recording a career-high five blocks.

On Nov. 25 against Middle Tennessee State, Clayton scored 15 points, while going 5-of-6 from three, setting a new career mark in three-pointers made in a game.

Clayton tied his career mark in blocks in a game on Dec. 2 against Delaware, recording five once again in the win. He added another five-block night against Marshall on Dec. 9.

Against Defiance, Clayton scored 17 points, going 7-for-7 from the field, 3-for-3 from three and grabbed five rebounds.

Clayton tied his career-high with 23 points in Ohio’s win against NIU on Jan 6. Clayton went 9-of-13 from the field, 3-of-6 from three and 2-of-2 from the line. 19 of his 23 points came in the second half.

Clayton had a near double double on Jan. 16 against CMU, scoring seven points and grabbing 10 rebounds.

Clayton had a monster day on Jan. 30 against Buffalo, scoring a team-high 16 points, going 6-of-11 from the field and grabbing three rebounds.

Clayton tied his career-high with five made threes on Feb. 3 against Miami, scoring 15 points in the win.

Clayton had a stellar game at Toledo on Feb. 16. Clayton scored 22 points, hit a season-tying five three pointers, grabbed five rebounds and did not commit a foul.

Clayton added an 18-point performance against Akron on Feb. 27, recording four blocks in the victory.

So far this season, Clayton averages 12.1 and 4.5 boards a game, while registering 1.8 blocks per game. He is also shooting 51.7 percent from the field and 40.9 percent from three

ONE LAST TRIP FOR MILES
Fifth year guard Miles Brown is looking to make the most of his final season in the Green and White.

Brown was steady in his season debut, adding nine points, a steal and a block in Ohio’s win over Troy.

After missing a month, Brown made is return to the lineup on Dec. 18 against Defiance, scoring 12 points in 12 minutes on the court.

On Dec. 30 against Davidson, Brown nearly recorded a double double, with nine points and nine rebounds in 28 minutes off the bench.

Brown had his best game of the season on Jan. 16 against CMU, scoring 17 points in the win.

Brown was back in action on Jan. 20, scoring seven points, while grabbing nine rebounds and dishes out five assists.

Brown had a solid game at Toledo on Feb. 16, scoring 12 points, recorded two steals and went 7-of-9 from the line.

Brown tied his season high with 17 points at NIU on Feb. 24, going 6-of-8 from the field, 3-of-4 from three and had three steals.

On his Senior Night against BGSU on March 1, Brown scored 16 points, going 6-of-11 from the field, 3-0f-3 from the line and grabbed four rebounds in the win.

Since returning to the starting lineup, Brown averages 9.3 points and 3.8 rebounds a game.

UP NEXT
Up next, the Bobcats conclude the 2023-24 regular season on Friday, March 8 when Ohio heads to Oxford, Ohio to take on Miami. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. inside Millett Hall and can be seen on ESPN+.

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COURTESY OHIO ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS