Stevie Taylor has a fractured leg, Maurice Ndour is battling a bad back, Antonio Campbell’s knee is bothering him, T.J. Hall has been nursing multiple ailments all season and Ricardo Johnson has been out since breaking his leg on Jan. 4.
On top of all that, senior forward Jon Smith packed up his locker and left the team earlier this week.
Despite being flush with injuries and departures, Ohio found a way to advance to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament’s second round and will host Wright State on Saturday.
“We’ve duct taped the thing together, but we keep competing,” coach Jim Christian said. “Because these guys get these opportunities, the team grows. Antonio Campbell grew as a player (on Wednesday). Treg Setty has been growing as a player. This is why these tournaments are so important.”
Christian mentioned Campbell because of his career-high 21 points in a 64-62 win against Cleveland State in the first round of the CIT. He also hit two free throws with 4.7 seconds left to give Ohio the victory.
Campbell, a freshman forward, struggled with understanding the ins and outs of Ohio’s offensive philosophies early in the season, but said he is starting to find his groove.
“That was my biggest concern coming in my freshman year, understanding offense and getting used to the college basketball game,” Campbell said. “I struggled with that a couple games into the season. … I’m feeling more comfortable out on the floor, scoring more and things like that.”
Finding consistency is another matter Campbell has struggled with. He scored in the double digits in three consecutive games before scoring only six points on three of 11 shooting in Ohio’s two Mid-American Conference Tournament games in Cleveland last week.
Christian said consistency isn’t just a problem for Campbell, but with all his players.
“(Consistency) is what all players strive for,” Christian said. “We’ve had some guys who haven’t played well and we want to see them play well.”
Another player who has struggled with consistency is Taylor who, until scoring 13 against the Vikings, hadn’t scored in double digits since a Feb. 5 loss to Western Michigan.
Fracturing a bone in his leg obviously didn’t help, but Taylor, a junior guard, said he felt better Wednesday and needs to prepare his leadership skills with his senior season quickly approaching.
“Me and coach had a talk (on Wednesday), just starting and leading the way for next year too,” Taylor said. “I need to start that right now.”
Up next for Ohio is a Wright State team that has impressed Christian on the defensive end.
“Really, really sound defensive team in all areas,” Christian said. “The way they guard, the ball actions, on ball-screens; they’re really one of the better defensive teams in the country.”
The Raiders rank 47th in the country in terms of defensive efficiency, allowing 97.2 points per 100 possessions. That mark is the sixth-best among Ohio’s 2013-14 opponents. The Bobcats were 3-3 in games against those defensive-minded teams.
Offensively, Wright State hasn’t exactly lit the nets on fire this season, averaging 67.4 points per game with an offensive efficiency rating of 100.6, which is 244th nationally.
Ohio paid $36,000 from its Post-Season Opportunity Fund — which is funded from student fees — to host its first-round CIT game on Wednesday. An Athletics spokesman could not confirm if Ohio would have to spend more money to host Saturday’s game.
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