By Marisol Nicholson
OHIO GAME NOTES
https://ohiobobcats.com/documents/2024/1/11/11324_Ohio_WMU_Notes.pdf
WESTERN MICHIGAN GAME NOTES
1 13 2024
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ATHENS, Ohio — The Ohio men’s basketball team (7-8, 1-2 MAC) is back in action on Saturday, Jan. 13 when it heads to Kalamazoo, Mich. to take on Western Michigan (5-9, 3-0 MAC). Tip-off is set for Noon EST inside University Arena. The game can be seen on ESPN+ where Kenny Schierlinger, Wayne Hinton and Jordan Lass 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 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
• This is the 140th all-time meeting between Ohio and Western Michigan.
• Ohio leads the all-time series, 73-66.
• The Bobcats and WMU met once last season with Ohio winning, 88-76 in Athens.
• Ohio is 11-8 against WMU since 2009-10, while the Bobcats are 4-1 against WMU under Jeff Boals.
• Ohio last played in Kalamazoo on Jan. 1, 2022, with Ohio winning, 59-47.
• The Bobcats have won five-straight over the Broncos.
• Ohio is ranked 209th in the latest NET Ranking as of Jan. 11.
• Ohio has registered an impressive 559-182 (.756) all-time record at the Co1vocation Center, which opened in 1968.
• Ohio finished 14-1 in the Convo this season.
• This season Ohio 5-3 in the Convo.
• Ohio is 54-14 in the Convo under Boals in the last five seasons.
• Ohio is ranked 24th in the nation in turnover margin and are 64th in assist/turnover ratio and 76th in turnovers forced per game.
• The Bobcats are also 77th in the country in scoring offense.
• Individually, AJ Clayton is 28th in the NCAA in blocks per game and 31st in blocks.
• Jaylin Hunter ranks 73rd in assists per game and 77th in total assists.
• AJ Clayton tied his career-high in points on Jan. 6 against NIU, scoring 23, 19 of which came in the second half.
• Sophomore guard AJ Brown will miss the remainder of the season due to shoulder surgery.
• Sophomore guard Ajay Sheldon scored a career-high 13 points and hit a career-high four three-pointers on Jan. 2 against Toledo.
SCOUTING WESTERN MICHIGAN
Western Michigan is 5-9 and 3-0 in MAC play after defeating NIU in overtime on Tuesday.
Overall, WMU averages 74.5 points a game, while shooting .455 from the field, .349 from three and .608 from the line. WMU also averages 37.5 rebounds a game, 14.1 assists and 5.5 steals a game. WMU also forces 11.9 turnovers a game.
Meanwhile, Opponents average 76.0 points and 35.2 rebounds a game. Opponents also shoot .450 from the field, .360 from three and .685 from the line. Opponents also dish out 15.1 assists and grab 6.7 steals a game, while also forcing 13.3 turnovers a game.
Individually, Seth Hubbard averages 16.9 points a game, while shooting .434 from the field and .369 from three. Javonte Brown adds 15.0 points and 5.5 rebounds a game, while shooting .706 from the field. B. Artis White adds 10.2 points, while Owen Lobsinger averages 6.3 boards a game.
SCOUTING OHIO
Ohio enters the matchup with WMU with a 7-8 overall record and a 1-2 mark in MAC play after falling to BGSU on Tuesday (Jan. 9).
Overall, Ohio is averaging 79.0 points per game, while shooting .456 from the field, .347 from three and 70.3 percent from the line. The Bobcats also add 36.6 rebounds, 14.2 assists and 6.7 steals per game, while forcing opponents to turn the ball over 14.1 times a game.
Meanwhile, Opponents are averaging 71.9 points a game, while shooting .431 from the field, .325 from three and .696 from the line. They also average 35.7 rebounds, 10.5 assists, 5.4 steals and force the Bobcats to turn the ball over an average of 10.2 times a game.
Individually, Jaylin Hunter leads with 13.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists a game, while shooting .392 from the field and .284 from three. Shereef Mitchell adds 13.3 points and is shooting .481 from the field, while Elmore James is averaging 12.7 points and 6.2 rebounds a game, while shooting .490 from the field. AJ Clayton adds 11.8 points a game and is shooting 57.3 percent from the field and 43.9 percent from three.
ALL TIME VS. WESTERN MICHIGAN
This is the 140th all-time meeting between Ohio and Western Michigan.
Ohio leads the all-time series, 73-66.
The Bobcats and WMU met once last season with Ohio winning, 88-76 in Athens.
Ohio is 11-8 against WMU since 2009-10, while the Bobcats are 4-1 against WMU under Jeff Boals.
Ohio last played in Kalamazoo on Jan. 1, 2022, with Ohio winning, 59-47.
The Bobcats have won five-straight over the Broncos.
LAST TIME VS. WESTERN MICHIGAN
The Bobcats and Broncos last met on Jan 24, 2023 in Athens, with Ohio winning, 88-76.
Dwight Wilson III secured his new career high of 31 points going 13-of-16 from the field and 5-of-7 from the free throw line. Wilson III also grabbed 11 rebounds; five offensive and six defensive. AJ Brown, was another key player for the Bobcats securing 16 points. Brown went 6-of-10 from the field, 1-of-3 from the three, and 3-of-4 from the free throw line.
Overall, Ohio shot 50 percent from the field, went 9-of-26 from three and was 13-of-18 from the line, while WMU shot 46 percent from the field, 29 percent from three and was 17-of-27 from the line. Ohio out-rebounded WMU 41-33, had 12 assists to their 10, and forced eight Bronco turnovers.
For Western Michigan, Lamar Norman Jr. led with 20 points, followed by B. Artis Wright with 16 points and 5 rebounds.
OHIO IN NET
Ohio is ranked 209th in the NCAA NET Rankings as of Jan. 11.
OHIO IN NCAA
Ohio is ranked 24th in the nation in turnover margin and are 64th in assist/turnover ratio and 76th in turnovers forced per game.
The Bobcats are also 77th in the country in scoring offense.
Individually, AJ Clayton is 28th in the NCAA in blocks per game and 31st in blocks.
Jaylin Hunter ranks 73rd in assists per game and 77th in total assists.
OHIO IN THE MAC
Jaylin Hunter is first in the MAC in assists, second in assist/TO ratio and sixth in steals.
AJ Clayton is first in the MAC in blocks and blocks per game and is sixth in 3PT FG percentage and fifth in field goal percentage.
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.
Overall, this season Hunter is averaging 13.7 points a game and 4.7 assists per 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.
So far this season, Mitchell is second on the Bobcats in scoring with 13.3 points and 3.7 rebounds a game.
SOPHOMORE YEAR (ELMORE’S VERSION)
Sophomore guard Elmore James is looking to make a name for himself this season.
That plan started out on the right track on Nov. 8 against Troy, with James scoring 20 points, going 7-of-13 from the field, grabbing six rebounds, snagging two steals and going perfect from the line in Ohio’s 88-70 victory over Troy.
James was solid at the Nassau Championship Nov. 24-26. On Nov. 24 in a double OT loss to GW, James gabbed a career-high nine rebounds. The on Nov. 26 against Brown, James scored 18 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out four assists in the win.
James tied his career-high in points on Dec. 2 against Delaware, scoring 21 points and grabbing five rebounds in the victory.
James was named the MAC Co-Player of the Week on Dec. 4.
James recorded his first career double double on Dec. 6 against Youngstown State, scoring 13 points and grabbing a career-high 10 rebounds.
James put together a solid performance on Jan. 6 against NIU, scoring 11 points and grabbing seven boards in the victory.
James continued his hot start to MAC play, scoring a team-high 19 points on Jan. 9 at BGSU.
So far this season, James is averaging 12.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and is shooting 49.0 percent 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.
As Hadaway continues to see more minutes on the floor, he currently averages 5.3 points and 3.9 rebounds a game.
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.
So far this season, Clayton averages 11.8 and 4.6 boards a game, while registering 2.1 blocks per game. He is also shooting 57.3 percent from the field and 43.9 percent from three.
SHELLY GETTING MINUTES
Sophomore guard Ajay Sheldon is working to get more minutes in his second season in the Green and White.
Sheldon had a career-high seven points on Nov. 11 at Cleveland State, going 2-of-2 from three in 19 minutes.
Sheldon matched his career high on Nov. 25 against MSTU.
On Dec. 18 against Defiance, Sheldon scored seven points and dished out a career-high five rebounds in the win.
Sheldon scored a career-high 13 points against Toledo on Jan. 2, hitting a career-high four threes. He then added a 10-point performance on Jan. 9 at BGSU.
This season as Sheldon gets more playing time, he is averaging 5.0 points a game, while shooting a team-high 60.0 percent from the field and 58.1 percent from three.
UP NEXT
Up next, the Bobcats are back in Athens on Tuesday, Jan. 16 when Ohio hosts Central Michigan. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. inside the Convocation Center and can be seen on ESPN+.
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