Sports
Preview: Ohio Faces Miami On Senior Day
< < Back to preview-ohio-faces-miami-senior-dayEverything is starting to click for the Bobcats, as the Mid-American Conference Tournament approaches next Monday.
They’re starting to see their key players get out of slumps that have killed Ohio all season. Sharpshooter Nick Kellogg knocked down four three-point shots against Bowling Green, and forward Ivo Baltic had more confidence in his fade away jumper, scoring 12 points against Buffalo.
Ohio has one more game to put it all together before the senior class attempts to win their third MAC Tournament in four years. And that game comes on Senior Day against rival Miami (OH).
The Bobcats will be honoring one of the greatest senior classes to ever throw on a Green and White uniform Saturday. The class of 2013 features three players that have eclipsed 1,000-plus points, including D.J. Cooper, who will finish his collegiate career as the only player in NCAA Division-I history with career numbers of 2,000 points, 900 assists, 600 rebounds and 300 steals.
No senior class has ever graduated from Ohio University with more victories than these five seniors. They’ll be looking for their 93rd win in the Convocation Center, as they take on the RedHawks Saturday. The Bobcats are 5-3 against Miami since the 2009-10 season, Cooper’s freshman year, with Ohio winning the last three matchups.
The Bobcats’ last win came in January, as they won 74-62 in the John D. Millett Hall. At the time, Miami was 2-3 in the MAC and 7-10 overall, but they have not played well since.
Since starting the MAC with a record of 2-1, Miami has gone 1-12, with their one win coming against Central Michigan. As the final game approaches, they have officially locked up the No. 10 seed in the MAC Tournament, which is second worst to Northern Illinois. The Bobcats, on the other hand, have the No. 2 seed in the MAC Tournament.
Miami could be the perfect team for Baltic and Kellogg to put everything together and officially eliminate their slumps, as the two had great games in January against the RedHawks.
Baltic recorded his only double-double of the season, with 13 points and 12 rebounds against a strong Miami front court. Kellogg had one of his best shooting performances as well, going 5-of-7 from beyond the arc for 15 points.
It was one of Ohio’s best shooting games of the season, as they shot 52% from the field and 48% from three. Their three-point percentage remains the highest for a road game this season.
As for Miami, they have relied on two players all season to take over the scoring load for their squad. Unfortunately for the RedHawks, outside of Will Felder and Allen Roberts, the rest of the team hasn’t provided much scoring depth.
Felder dominated the Bobcats last time out for 19 points and 10 rebounds on 7-of-11 shooting, and his counterpart, Roberts, was 4-of-12 from the field for 14 points. That’s a combined 11-of-23 for 33 points. As for the rest of the team, they went 11-of-40 from the field for just 29 points.
If Miami is looking to spoil the Bobcats’ Senior Day, they’ll need more production from their role players, something that hasn’t really happened all year.
Ohio and Miami will tipoff the regular season finale Saturday at 4 p.m. in the Convocation Center. Pregame ceremonies honoring the five seniors will begin at approximately 3:40 p.m. and the first 2,000 fans will receive free foam fingers.