Sports
The Bobcats put on an offensive clinic against Buffalo for their ninth win in the last 10 games
By: Grant Kiefer
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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — Winners of nine of their last ten games. Winners of five games in a row. Solo second place in the MAC, only trailing the 17-0 Miami RedHawks. That’s the reality for the Ohio Bobcats (10-7, 4-1 MAC) after an impressive win at home against another MAC contender, the Buffalo Bulls (13-3, 3-1 MAC).
It wasn’t always easy for Ohio, as the Bobcats trailed by 10 late in the first half. They chipped away to get the deficit to just three points entering halftime, trailing 47-44. The second half was a much different question. Ohio outscored Buffalo 28-8 in the first eight minutes with some unbelievable playmaking. Alley-oops, deep threes, you name it, the Bobcats scored in style. Jackson Paveletzke threw a no-look outlet pass to Aidan Hadaway, who lobbed it to Javan Simmons, and the roof nearly blew off the Convocation Center. It was the loudest the arena has been all season long, and the energy was incredible throughout the entire second half, with a crowd a bit on the smaller side.
All five starters scored in double figures on Saturday, led by Hadaway’s 27 points and 10 rebounds. Hadaway struggled mightily on Tuesday night against UMass and was visibly frustrated late in the game. He put that game in the past and came out firing early against the Bulls.
“I knew shots were going to fall at some point,” Hadaway said. “It goes with playing basketball, you get in little slumps. I’m just trying to forget all that and just trying to move on from (UMass) and build from this for sure.”
Hadaway’s scoring output led the game, but Paveletzke’s game may have been the most impressive from a Bobcat this season. He finished with 23 points, 8 assists, and 6 rebounds. Paveletzke is known for facilitating and is perceived as one of, if not the best, point guards in the MAC. His floor vision was impeccable on Saturday, and Buffalo had zero answer.
“He’s number one in the scouting report for the other team,” head coach Jeff Boals said. “We ask him to do a lot, and he spends a lot of energy doing it. For him to you know go eight for 12, his mid-range was really, really good tonight, which it normally is…(his playmaking) creates so much offense for everyone else.”
Ohio hasn’t had a winning stretch like this in some time. Last season was riddled with inconsistencies, and it looked like it may have been the same early this season. Now, though? The aforementioned nine of the last 10 games have belonged to the Bobcats, and they’re sitting near the top of the MAC standings. No doubt, the conference is much, much deeper this season compared to the past. Miami (OH) is receiving national attention after starting the season 17-0. Akron is one of the most respected and consistent mid-majors in the country. Teams like Buffalo and Bowling Green have stormed out to hot starts, and perennial contenders Kent State and Toledo are towards the top as well. Ohio’s been able to take care of business during this first quarter of conference play after being battle tested with a non-conference schedule that ranks in the top third of the entire country in terms of strength.
“Absolutely,” Hadaway said when asked if the schedule’s strength is translating now. “Just playing those guys, Louisville, Saint Mary’s, Arkansas State, Illinois State, all those guys, they could come in the MAC, and they would dominate. We lost to a lot of them, but it definitely helped us out mentally.”
Up next is a team that’s always had Ohio’s number in the Boals era. The Bobcats have beaten Toledo just once since Boals became head coach in 2019, which was the 2021 MAC Championship that sent Ohio to the NCAA Tournament, where the Bobcats eventually upset defending national champion Virginia. Toledo is the only MAC team Boals has not beaten on the road besides UMass, which is a new member this season.
Tip-off on Tuesday from ‘The Glass City’ is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN+.