Heading into the holidays, Ohio coach Jim Christian said that he’s historically found the time between the beginning of Winter Intersession and Christmas to be very productive, in terms of team growth.
“My favorite time is after all finals are over and it’s Christmas break,” he said, on Dec. 8. “That’s where teams grow, and that’s where we make our run.”
But Ohio has failed to form any sort of positive run, losing three of its four contests over the break to this point — most recently a double-digit defeat to Oklahoma to close out 2012.
Needless to say, the Bobcats (8-5) are anxious to break free of their December woes against Marshall Saturday before making the turn to Mid-American Conference play against Buffalo Wednesday.
The Thundering Herd (7-7) comes to The Convo for their 100th all-time meeting with the Bobcats fresh off a two-point loss to Delaware State Wednesday, and, like the Bobcats, are winless away from their home arena on the year.
Of late, Marshall has had to operate without a key cog of its offense, as it has been without junior guard and leading scorer DeAndre Kane for five games, of which it has lost three. He been sidelined because of an injury to his right hand.
Two of the Thundering Herd's losses during that period came against the likes of No. 14 Cincinnati and Kentucky by 16 and 28 points, respectively.
In Kane’s absence, the Thundering Herd has relied heavily on juniors Elijah Pittman, a forward, and D.D Scarver, a guard, both of whom average more than 14 points per game.
Marshall also has a pair of seniors that average nine rebounds per game in Dennis Tinnon, a forward who also averages 11 points per game, and Nigel Spikes, a 6-foot-10 center.
For the Bobcats to be successful, they will need to stomp out their production on the offensive glass, as the duo has combined for almost 100 offensive rebounds on the year.
The Thundering Herd ranks within the top 20 nationally in total rebounds and offensive boards.
Ohio experienced moderate drop-offs in defensive production during December, as its trademark turnover margin settled to a 5.1 turnover per game advantage after entering the month at a positive 8.3 clip.
When the Bobcats force 20 or more turnovers, they are 7-1 on the year. Oppositely, when Ohio chalks up less than 15 of its own miscues, it has walked away victorious in six of seven tries.
Between the turnover game and battle on the boards, Ohio will have its hands full with Marshall, which is its last opportunity to get back on track before entering a seven-game MAC slate in January.
jr992810@ohiou.edu
