By Skip Coopersmith

2 6 2024

 

OHIO GAME NOTES

https://ohiobobcats.com/documents/2024/2/5/20624_Ohio_BallState_Notes.pdf

 

BALL STATE GAME NOTES

https://ballstatesports.com/documents/2024/2/5/Ball_State_Game_Notes_vs_Ohio.pdf

 

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ATHENS, Ohio — The Ohio men’s basketball team (21-10, 6-4 MAC) is back on the road this week starting on Tuesday, Feb. 6 when the Bobcats head to Muncie, Ind. to take on Ball State (12-10, 4-6 MAC). Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. inside Worthen Arena. The game can be seen on ESPN+.

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
• This is the 92nd all-time meeting between Ohio and Ball State.
• Ohio leads the all-time series, 55-36.
• Ohio and Ball State met twice last season, with Ohio winning both matchups.
• Ohio and Ball State last met in the MAC Tournament Quarterfinals last season, with Ohio picking up the 90-70 win in Cleveland.
• The Bobcats and Ball State met earlier in the season on Jan. 10, 2023 in Athens, with the Bobcats winning, 76-71.
• The Bobcats are 15-1 against Ball State in their last 16 matchups.
• Ohio is 18-4 against Ball State since 2009-10, while the Bobcats are 6-1 against the Cardinals under Jeff Boals.
• Ohio is ranked 166th in the latest NET Ranking as of Feb. 5.
• Ohio is ranked 23rd in the nation in turnover margin and are 46th in assist/turnover ratio and 79th in turnovers forced per game.
• The Bobcats are also 79th in the country in scoring offense and 62nd in three-pointers per game.
• Individually, AJ Clayton is 66th in the NCAA in blocks per game and 63rd in total blocks.
• Jaylin Hunter ranks 55th in assists per game and 50th in total assists.
• AJ Clayton tied a career-high with five made threes against Miami on Feb.
• Sophomore Ajay Sheldon scored a career-high 15 points on Jan. 30 against Buffalo.
• The MAC and Sun Belt announced the second matchups for the MAC-SBC Challenge on Jan. 22, with Ohio heading to Jonesboro, Ark. on Saturday, Feb. 10 to take on Arkansas State.

SCOUTING BALL STATE
Ball State is 12-10 and 4-6 in MAC play after defeating to Western Michigan, 77-67, on Saturday at WMU.

Overall, Ball State averages 75.2 points a game, while shooting .462 from the field, .378 from three and .765 from the line. Ball State also averages 34.5 rebounds a game, 12.5 assists and 5.6 steals a game. Ball State also forces 11.8 turnovers a game.

Meanwhile, Opponents average 70.4 points and 32.1 rebounds a game. Opponents also shoot .449 from the field, .340 from three and .707 from the line. Opponents also dish out 12.0 assists and grab 6.0 steals a game, while also forcing 12.1 turnovers a game.

Individually, Basheer Jihad averages 19.5 points and 7.8 rebounds a game, while shooting .498 from the field and .402 from three. Jalin Anderson adds 15.5 points and 4.5 assists a game, while Mickey Pearson, Jr. adds 11.7 points, while shooting .886 from the free throw line.

SCOUTING OHIO
Ohio enters the matchup with Ball State with a 12-10 overall record and a 6-4 mark in MAC play after defeating Miami, 78-69, Saturday in the Convo.

Overall, Ohio is averaging 78.2 points per game, while shooting .459 from the field, .359 from three and 70.9 percent from the line. The Bobcats also add 36.2 rebounds, 14.1 assists and 6.7 steals per game, while forcing opponents to turn the ball over 13.4 times a game.

Meanwhile, Opponents are averaging 70.8 points a game, while shooting .424 from the field, .329 from three and .704 from the line. They also average 35.9 rebounds, 10.8 assists, 4.9 steals and force the Bobcats to turn the ball over an average of 9.8 times a game.

Individually, Jaylin Hunter leads Ohio with 13.8 points per game, while shooting .421 from the field and averaging 4.5 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game. Shereef Mitchell adds 13.7 points a game, while shooting 49.4 percent from the field, while AJ Clayton averages 11.9 points and 4.5 rebounds a game, while shooting .538 from the field and .439 from three.

ALL TIME VS. BALL STATE
This is the 92nd all-time meeting between Ohio and Ball State.

Ohio leads the all-time series, 55-36.

Ohio and Ball State met twice last season, with Ohio winning both matchups.

Ohio and Ball State last met in the MAC Tournament Quarterfinals last season, with Ohio picking up the 90-70 win in Cleveland.

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

The Bobcats are 15-1 against Ball State in their last 16 matchups.

Ohio is 18-4 against Ball State since 2009-10, while the Bobcats are 6-1 against the Cardinals under Jeff Boals.

LAST TIME VS. BALL STATE
Ohio and Ball State last met in the MAC Tournament Quarterfinals last season, with Ohio picking up the 90-70 win in Cleveland.

Overall, Ohio shot 48.5 percent from the field, 44.0 percent from three and were 13-of-16 from the line, while Ball State shot 40.3 percent from the field, 27.3 percent from three and were 14-of-17 from the line. Ohio grabbed 45 rebounds to Ball State’s 30. Ohio forced 13 turnovers and scored 16 points off them, while the Bobcats also scored 46 bench points.

Individually, AJ Brown scored 28 points, going 10-of-16 from the field, 5-of-10 from three and 3-of-3 from the line. Jaylin Hunter scored 13 points and dished out four assists, while Dwight Wilson III  scored 11 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Elmore James added 11 points, while DeVon Baker added nine points.

For Ball State, Payton Sparks scored 21 points and grabbed seven rebounds, while Demarius Jacobs scored 11.

OHIO IN NET
Ohio is ranked 166th in the latest NET Ranking as of Feb. 5.

OHIO IN NCAA
Ohio is ranked 23rd in the nation in turnover margin and are 46th in assist/turnover ratio and 79th in turnovers forced per game.

The Bobcats are also 79th in the country in scoring offense and 62nd in three-pointers per game.

Individually, AJ Clayton is 66th in the NCAA in blocks per game and 63rd in total blocks.

Jaylin Hunter ranks 55th in assists per game and 50th in total assists.

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 blocks and in blocks per game. He is also fifth in field goal percentage.

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

MAC-SBC CHALLENGE ROUND TWO
The MAC and Sun Belt announced the second matchups for the MAC-SBC Challenge on Jan. 22, with Ohio heading to Jonesboro, Ark. on Saturday, Feb. 10 to take on Arkansas State.

BOBCATS TAKE BATTLE OF THE BRICKS ROUND 1
The Ohio men’s basketball team (12-10, 6-4 MAC) returned to action on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 3) for the Battle of the Bricks, defeating the Miami RedHawks (11-11, 5-5 MAC), 78-69 inside the Convocation Center.

Overall, Ohio shot 52.9 percent from the field, 51.7 percent from three and were 9-of-14 from the line, while Miami shot 39.0 percent from the field, 35.0 percent from three and went 9-of-14 from the line. Miami outrebounded Ohio 34-31 and both teams snagged seven steals. The Bobcats also forced 10 turnovers against the RedHawks and scored 15 points off them. Entering the matchup, Miami was first in the MAC in defensive three-point percentage at 29.6 percent. Despite Miami holding the MAC lead in three-point field goal percentage defense, the Bobcats drained fifteen three pointers on the day, their second most this season.

Individually, Ohio was led by Jaylin Hunter  with 22 points, three rebounds, eight assists and two steals. Shereef Mitchell with 16 points, six rebounds and four assists. AJ Clayton with 15 points and four rebounds. Miles Brown also added 12 points, eight rebounds and one assist.

For Miami, Anderson Mirambeaux led with 16 points, while Eian Elmer scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds.

SHELLY HAS A DAY
Sophomore Ajay Sheldon had a career day on Jan. 30 against Buffalo, scoring a career-high 15 points. Sheldon went 4-of-6 from the field, 2-of-4 from three and 5-of-5 from the line.

CAREER DAY FOR HADAWAY
Sophomore Aidan 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.

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.

Overall, this season Hunter is averaging 13.8 points a game and 4.9 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.

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.

So far this season, Mitchell is second on the Bobcats in scoring with 13.7 points and 4.2 rebounds a game, while shooting .494 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.

As Hadaway continues to see more minutes on the floor, he currently averages 6.9 points and 4.0 rebounds, while shooting 49.6 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.

So far this season, Clayton averages 11.9 and 4.5 boards a game, while registering 1.6 blocks per game. He is also shooting 53.8 percent from the field and 43.9 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.

As Brown sees his minutes increase in MAC play, he currently averages 7.8 points and 4.3 rebounds a game.

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.

Sheldon put together a solid game at Kent State on Jan. 26, scoring 12 points and going 4-of-5 from three in 12 minutes on the court in Ohio’s win.

Sheldon had a career day on Jan. 30 against Buffalo, scoring a career-high 15 points. Sheldon went 4-of-6 from the field, 2-of-4 from three and 5-of-5 from the line.

This season as Sheldon gets more playing time, he is averaging 5.5 points a game, while shooting a team-high 54.9 percent from the field and 52.8 percent from three.

UP NEXT
Up next, the Bobcats are back on the road on Saturday, Feb. 10 when the Bobcats head to Jonesboro, Ark. to take on Arkansas State for the second game of the MAC-SBC Challenge. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. EST inside First Bank Arena and can be seen on ESPN+.

#OUohyeah

 

COURTESY OHIO ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS