By Lamont Burroughs
1 14 2025
OHIO NOTES
https://ohiobobcats.com/documents/2025/1/13/011425_Ohio_BallState_Notes.pdf
BALL STATE GAME NOTES
https://ohiobobcats.com/documents/2025/1/13/Ball_State_Game_Notes_at_Ohio.pdf
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ATHENS, Ohio –– The Ohio men’s basketball team (9-6, 3-0 MAC) are back in Athens on Tuesday, Jan. 14 when the Bobcats host Ball State (8-7, 2-1 MAC). Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET inside the Convocation Center. The game can be seen on ESPN+ where Marty Bannister, Dave Cecutti and Jason Preston will have the call in the booth, with Sam Hyman handling sideline duties.
The Bobcats’ matchup can also be heard on the Ohio Sports Network from Learfield, presented by Holzer Health System. Jason Toy begins his first season on the mic for the Bobcats, and will be joined by Ohio alum Rob Cornelius, who has been a part of the broad- casts for two decades. WXTQ (Power 105) in Athens returns as the 11-station net- work’s flagship.
GAME PROMOTIONS: Green & White Game and Hoops4ALS: The first 400 students will receive a green OHIO Basketball T-Shirt
STORYLINES
• This is the 93rd all-time meeting between Ohio and Ball State.
• Ohio leads the all-time series, 56-36.
• The two teams last met on Feb. 6, 2024 in Muncie, with Ohio winning 85-79 in overtime.
• The Bobcats are 16-1 against Ball State in their last 17 matchups.
• Ohio is 19-4 against Ball State since 2009-10, while the Bobcats are 7-1 against the Cardinals under Jeff Boals.
• Ohio has registered an impressive 572-182 (.756) all-time record at the Convocation Center, which opened in 1968.
• Ohio finished 14-2 in the Convo last season.
• This season the Bobcats are 6-0 in the Convo.
• Ohio is 67-14 in the Convo under Boals in the last six seasons.
• AJ Clayton scored his 1,000the career point on Jan. 11 against NIU.
• AJ Clayton was named the MAC Player of the Week and the Lou Henson National Player of the Week for his performance the week of Jan. 6.
• Senior forward AJ Clayton is coming off a 31-point performance on Jan. 11 against NIT. Clayton hit a career-high nine threes in the victory.
• Ohio’s 108-70 victory over NIU is the first time since and overtime game against Buffalo 2020 that Ohio scored 100 or more against a MAC opponent.
• It is the first time since 1997 that Ohio scored 100 or more on a MAC opponent in regulation and it is the first time Ohio scored 100 or more against a MAC opponent in regulation inside the Convo.
• The Bobcats currently rank 156th in the Jan. 13 NET Rankings.
SCOUTING BALL STATE
Ball State enters the matchup against Ohio with an 8-7 record and a 2-1 mark in MAC play after defeating Bowling Green at home on Saturday (Jan. 11).
Ball State averages 76.3 points a game, while shooting .458 from the field, .338 from three and .702 from the line, while opponents are averaging 70.8 points per game, while shooting .413 from the field, .306 from three and .719 from the line.
Ball State averages 36.6 rebounds, 13.1 assists, 5.9 steals and 1.8 blocks a game, while forcing 11.1 turnovers a game. Meanwhile, Ball State opponents average 34.7 rebounds, 13.3 assists, 6.8 steals and 2.1 blocks a game, while forcing Ball State to turn the ball over an average of 12.3 times a contest.
Individually, Jermahri Hill averages 16.5 points and 5.0 rebounds a game, while shooting .454 from the field. Payton Sparks adds 1.3 points and 7.1 rebounds a game, while Mickey Pearson, Jr. adds 10.9 points and 5.9 rebounds a game, while shooting .397 from the field.
SCOUTING OHIO
Ohio is currently 9-6 overall and 3-0 in MAC play after defeating NIU, 108-70, on Jan. 11 in Athens.
Ohio is averaging 80.8 points per game, while shooting .478 from the field, .368 from three and .741 from the line, while opponents are averaging 74.0 points per game, while shooting .442 from the field, .379 from three and .663 from the line.
Ohio is averaging 35.1 rebounds, 16.0 assists, 3.7 blocks and 7.6 steals per game, while forcing 13.7 turnovers a contest. Meanwhile, opponents are averaging 35.0 rebounds, 13.2 assists, 2.8 blocks and 7.3 steals per game, while forcing Ohio to turn the ball over 12.3 times a game.
Individually, AJ Clayton leads Ohio with 17.4 points a game. He also adds 6.4 rebounds, while shooting .503 from the field and .411 from three. AJ Brown averages 11.3 points a game, while shooting .461 from the field, .417 from three and .848 from the line, while, Aidan Hadaway averages 10.1 points and 5.7 rebounds a game. Jackson Paveletzke adds 11.9 points, 5.7 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game, while Elmore James averages 8.4 points and is shooting .365 from three.
ALL TIME VS. BALL STATE
This is the 93rd all-time meeting between Ohio and Ball State.
Ohio leads the all-time series, 56-36.
The two teams last met on Feb. 6, 2024 in Muncie, with Ohio winning 85-79 in overtime.
The Bobcats are 16-1 against Ball State in their last 17 matchups.
Ohio is 19-4 against Ball State since 2009-10, while the Bobcats are 7-1 against the Cardinals under Jeff Boals.
PROTECT THIS HOUSE
Ohio has registered an impressive 572-182 (.756) all-time record at the Convocation Center, which opened in 1968.
Ohio finished 14-2 in the Convo last season.
Ohio is 67-14 in the Convo under Boals in the last six seasons.
Ohio is currently 6-0 in the Convo this season.
RACE TO 1,000
Senior forward AJ Clayton scored his 1,000th career point on Jan. 11 in the opening minutes against NIU.
BOALS GETS 100 AT OU
Head coach Jeff Boals earned his 100th win at Ohio on Nov. 22 against Portland.
Boals is the seventh Ohio head coach to make that mark and is one win away from passing Danny Nee for the sixth-most wins at Ohio.
OHIO IN NET
The Bobcats currently rank 56th in the Jan. 13 NET Rankings.
Ohio is the fourth-highest MAC team behind Kent State, Akron, and Miami.
OHIO IN NCAA
Currently Ohio ranks 84th in the nation in forced turnovers per game. The Bobcats are also 94th in free throws percentage, 24th in fastbreak points, 58th in field goal percentage and 71st in assists per game.
Ohio also ranks 43rd in effective field goal percentage, 61st in scoring offense and 55th in three-pointers per game.
Meanwhile, Jackson Paveletzke ranks 30th in assists per game, 42nd in assists and 72nd in double doubles.
AJ Clayton is 37th in blocks per game, 47th in total blocks, 30th in threes per game, 62nd in three-point percentage and 61st in total threes made.
BOBCATS IN THE MAC
Individually, AJ Clayton ranks first in the MAC in scoring, sixth in rebounding and first in blocked shots.
Jackson Paveletzke is second in assists and fourth in assist/turnover ratio.
Aidan Hadaway is eighth in the MAC in blocks.
AJC ADDS TO HIS RECORDS
On Jan. 11 against NIU in Athens, senior AJ Clayton put on a performance in front of the home crowd.
After securing his 1,000th point in the opening minutes of the game, Clayton went on to score 31 points, going 10-of-12 from the field, 9-of-10 from three – a new career-high for threes made in the game.
100 IN THE CONVO
Ohio defeated NIU, 108-70, on Jan. 11 in the Convo.
The 108 points is the first time Ohio has scored over 100 against a MAC opponent since 2020 (Buffalo in OT).
It was the first time Ohio scored 100 or more against a MAC opponent in regulation since 1997 and the first time it has happened inside the Convo.
MAC POW
AJ Clayton was named the MAC Co-Player of the Week on Nov. 25 for his performance at the 2024 MBI.
Clayton averaged 23.3 points and 9.3 rebounds a game. He also averaged 1.0 blocks, 1.0 steals and 1.6 assists per game. Clayton went 25-of-56 from the field (.446), 11-of-35 (.314) from three and 9-of-13 (.691) from the line. Clayton also earned a spot on the MBI All-Tournament Team.
Clayton was named the MAC Player of the Week on Jan. 13 for his performance the week of Jan. 6.
Clayton scored his 1,000th career point and led the Ohio men’s basketball team to a 2-0 week, helping the Bobcats to a 3-0 start to MAC play. Overall, Clayton averaged 29.0 points per game, while going 20-of-30 (.667) from the field, 13-of-18 (.722) from three and 5-of-8 (.625) from there line. He also averaged 5.5 rebounds a game, 1.0 assists, 1.0 steals and 2.5 blocks on the week.
NATIONAL AWARDS FOR AJC
On Jan. 13, AJ Clayton was named the Lou Henson National Player of the Week for his performance the week Jan. 6.
UP NEXT
Ohio men’s basketball hits the road on Friday, Jan. 17 then the Bobcats head to Akron, Ohio to take on the Zips. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. ET inside James A. Rhodes Arena and can be seen on CBS Sports Network.
#OUohyeah
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