By Stretch Jenkinson

3 14 2024

 

OHIO GAME NOTES

https://ohiobobcats.com/documents/2024/3/13/31424_MACQUARTER_Ohio_WMU_Notes.pdf

 

WESTERN MICHIGAN GAME NOTES

https://ballstatesports.com/documents/2024/3/9/WBBBracket24.pdf

 

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CLEVELAND, Ohio — The No. 3 Ohio men’s basketball team (19-12) opens play at the 2024 Mid-American Conference Tournament in Cleveland, Ohio on Thursday, March 14 against No. 6 Western Michigan (12-19). Tip-off is set for 30 minutes following game three at approximately 6:30 p.m. inside Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. The game can be seen on ESPN+ where Michael Reghi and Rhett Boyd will have the call.

The Bobcats’ matchup can also be heard on the Ohio Sports Network from Learfield. Russ Eisenstein returns for his 16th season as the “Voice of the Bobcats” and will be joined by Ohio alum Rob Cornelius, 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 46-34 (.575) all-time in the MAC Tournament  and have captured seven league tournament crowns (1983, 1985, 1994, 2005, 2010, 2012, 2021).
• Ohio is making its 43rd appearance in the MAC Tournament in 2024.
• This is the 141st all-time meeting between Ohio and Western Michigan.
• Ohio leads the all-time series, 73-67.
• Ohio and WMU met one time this season, with the Broncos winning, 81-79 in Kalamazoo.
• The Bobcats and WMU met once last season with Ohio winning, 88-76 in Athens.
• Ohio is 11-9 against WMU since 2009-10, while the Bobcats are 4-2 against WMU under Jeff Boals.
• The Bobcats have won five out of the last six matchups with the Broncos.
• Ohio is 4-2 all-time against WMU in the MAC Tournament.
• Ohio and WMU last met in the MAC Tournament in 2015, with the Broncos winning, 82-74 in the first round.
• Ohio and WMU last met in the MAC quarterfinals in 1997, with WMU winning, 74-68.
• Ohio defeated WMU in the MAC quarterfinals in both 1994 and 1995.
• Jaylin Hunter was named Second Team All-MAC, while AJ Clayton was named Third Team All-MAC.

SCOUTING WESTERN MICHIGAN
Western Michigan enters the tournament as the sixth seed after finishing 12-19 overall and 9-9 in MAC play.

Overall, WMU averages 71.8 points a game, while shooting .436 from the field, .340 from three and .630 from the line. WMU also averages 37.7 rebounds a game, 13.2 assists and 5.4 steals a game. WMU also forces 11.3 turnovers a game.

Meanwhile, Opponents average 74.6 points and 34.9 rebounds a game. Opponents also shoot .445 from the field, .342 from three and .723 from the line. Opponents also dish out 13.6 assists and grab 6.7 steals a game, while also forcing 13.2 turnovers a game.

Individually, Seth Hubbard averages 14.3 points a game, while shooting .372 from the field and .325 from three. JB. Artis White adds 10.3 points and 3.2 rebounds, while JaVaughn Hannah averages 9.3 points and shoots 39 percent from the field.

Hannah was named the MAC Sixth Man of the Year, while White was named All-MAC Honorable Mention.

SCOUTING OHIO
Ohio enters the MAC Tournament as the three seed after finishing 19-12 overall and 13-5 in MAC Play.

Overall, Ohio is averaging 77.6 points per game, while shooting .458 from the field, .361 from three and 72.8 percent from the line. The Bobcats also add 34.6 rebounds, 14.1 assists and 7.1 steals per game, while forcing opponents to turn the ball over 13.5 times a game.

Meanwhile, Opponents are averaging 70.6 points a game, while shooting .429 from the field, .333 from three and .705 from the line. They also average 36.0 rebounds, 11.1 assists, 5.2 steals and force the Bobcats to turn the ball over an average of 9.9 times a game.

Individually, Jaylin Hunter leads Ohio with 13.9 points per game, while shooting .422 from the field and averaging 4.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game. Shereef Mitchell adds 13.3 points a game, while shooting 47.1 percent from the field, while AJ Clayton averages 12.4 points and 4.5 rebounds a game, while shooting .514 from the field and .415 from three.

Hunter was named to the All-MAC Second Team, while Clayton earned a spot on the All-MAC Third Team.

OHIO IN THE MAC TOURNAMENT
The Bobcats are 46-34 (.575) all-time in the MAC Tournament  and have captured seven league tournament crowns (1983, 1985, 1994, 2005, 2010, 2012, 2021).

Ohio is making its 43rd appearance in the MAC Tournament in 2024.

Ohio is 4-2 all-time against WMU in the MAC Tournament.

Ohio and WMU last met in the MAC Tournament in 2015, with the Broncos winning, 82-74 in the first round.

Ohio and WMU last met in the MAC quarterfinals in 1997, with WMU winning, 74-68.

Ohio defeated WMU in the MAC quarterfinals in both 1994 and 1995.

ALL TIME VS. WESTERN MICHIGAN
This is the 141st all-time meeting between Ohio and Western Michigan.

Ohio leads the all-time series, 73-67.

Ohio and WMU met one time this season, with the Broncos winning, 81-79 in Kalamazoo.

The Bobcats and WMU met once last season with Ohio winning, 88-76 in Athens.

Ohio is 11-9 against WMU since 2009-10, while the Bobcats are 4-2 against WMU under Jeff Boals.

The Bobcats have won five out of the last six matchups with the Broncos.

LAST TIME VS. WMU
Ohio and WMU met one time this season, with the Broncos winning, 81-79 in Kalamazoo.

Overall, Ohio shot 43 percent from the field, 29 percent from three and were 21-of-29 from the line, while WMU shot 47 percent from the field, 44 percent from three and were 21-of-29 from the line. The Broncos outrebounded the Bobcats 45-29 and dished out 16 assists to Ohio’s 11. The Bobcats also forced 13 WMU turnovers and scored 16 points off them.

Individually, AJ Clayton led the way with 15 points, followed by Shereef Mitchell with 13 points, four rebounds and two assists and Aidan Hadaway with 13 points and five rebounds. Miles Brown added seven points and six rebounds, while Gabe Wiznitzer scored nine points.

For WMU, four Broncos scored in double figures and were led by Seth Hubbard with 15 points and eight rebounds.

OHIO IN NET
Ohio is ranked 148th in the latest NET Ranking as of March 12.

OHIO IN NCAA
Ohio is ranked 46th in the NCAA in assist/turnover ratio and 15th in turnover margin.

The Bobcats are also 73rd in the country in scoring offense and 50th in three-pointers per game and 72nd in 3pt field goal percentage.

Ohio is 68th in effective field goal percentage and 69th in scoring margin.

Individually, AJ Clayton is 50th in blocks and 51st in blocks per game.

Jaylin Hunter ranks 44th in assists per game, 45 in total assists and 66 in assist/TO ratio.

ALL-MAC HONORS
Ohio men’s basketball senior guard Jaylin Hunter and junior forward AJ Clayton both earned a spot on the 2024 Mid-American Conference All-MAC Teams, the league announced (March 13). Hunter earned a spot on the All-MAC Second Team, while Clayton was named to the All-MAC Third Team.

Hunter earns a spot on the All-MAC Second Team after being named Honorable Mention last season. This season, Hunter led the Bobcats with 13.9 points and 5.1 assists per game. He also averaged 4.4 rebounds, while shooting 42.2 percent from the floor and 73.2 percent from the line. In MAC play, Hunter averaged 13.2 points, 4.9 assists and 4.7 rebounds a game. Through 18 conference games, Hunter shot 44.8 percent from the field, 29.6 percent from three and 72.5 percent from the line, while also grabbing 30 steals.

This is the first time that Clayton has earned a spot on an All-MAC team. Clayton finished the season third on the Bobcats with 12.4 points a game and a team-leading 4.5 rebounds a game. He finished the regular season shooting 51.4 percent from the field, 33.7 percent from three and 82.1 percent from the line. She also averaged 1.8 blocks a game. In MAC play, Clayton averaged 12.8 points and 4.0 rebounds a game. He shot 47.6 percent from the field, 40.2 percent from the three and 80.0 percent from the line, while averaging 1.5 blocks a game.

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.

Hunter was named to the All-MAC Second Team on March 13.

Overall, this season Hunter is averaging 13.9 points, 5.1 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.

Mitchell helped lead the Bobcats on Tuesday, March 5 at Buffalo, scoring 21 points, grabbing five rebounds and snagging three steals in the process.

Mitchell added another 20-point game on March 8 at Miami, scoring 20 points and grabbing eight rebounds in the win.

Mitchell was named the MAC Player of the Week on March 11.

So far this season, Mitchell is second on the Bobcats in scoring with 13.3 points and 4.3 rebounds a game, while shooting .471 from the field.

HADAWAY SEEING MORE TIME
Sophomore forward Aidan Hadaway has been seeing his minutes increase as the season has gone on.

On Nov. 25 against MTSU, Hadaway grabbed a season-high four rebounds in the win.

On Dec. 2 against Delaware, Hadaway put together 22 solid minutes on the court, scoring a season-high seven points, while grabbing a career-high seven rebounds in the win.

Hadaway continued his strong play on Dec. 6 against Delaware, scoring a career-high 14 points in 24 minutes.

Hadaway made his first career start on Dec. 18 against Defiance, scoring 11 points and going 5-for-5 from the field.

In his second career start against Austin Peay on Dec. 22, Hadaway grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds and dished out a career-high five assists.

Hadaway added another solid performance on his resume on Jan. 16 in Ohio’s win over CMU, scoring 11 points and grabbing five rebounds.

Hadaway had a career night on Jan. 20 in Ohio’s win over EMU. Hadaway scored a career-high 20 points, while going 3-for-3 from three and 8-of-10 from the field.

Hadaway recorded his first career double double on Feb. 6 at Ball State, scoring 14 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in the win.

Hadway had a stellar game at NIU on Feb. 24, scoring 17 points, while going 6-of-6 from the field, 1-of-1 from three and 4-of-4 from the line.

Hadaway had a solid performance against Akron on Feb. 27, scoring 10 points, going 4-of-4 from the field and grabbing six rebounds in the win.

Hadaway tied his career-high with 20 points on March 8 at Miami, going  4-of-8 from three and grabbing six rebounds.

Hadaway currently averages 8.5 points and 4.4 rebounds, while shooting 53.4 percent 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.

Clayton set a new career-high on Tuesday at Buffalo, hitting seven threes on the way to tying his career-high 23 points in the Bobcats win.

Clayton was named Third Team All-MAC on March 13.

So far this season, Clayton averages 12.4 and 4.5 boards a game, while registering 1.8 blocks per game. He is also shooting 51.4 percent from the field and 41.5 percent from three

UP NEXT
With a win, the Bobcats would take on the winner of No. 2 Akron/No. 7 Miami on Friday, March 15. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. inside Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and can be seen on CBS Sports Network.

 

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