Ohio will begin play on Monday in the Diamond Head Classic, which includes No. 11 Wichita State, George Washington, Hawaii, Nebraska and more.
Saul Phillips didn’t sugar coat anything after the Bobcats’ overtime loss against Evansville on Thursday.
Following the team’s fourth loss of the season, Ohio’s first-year coach acknowledged the competition the Bobcats will face during this week’s Diamond Head Classic in Hawaii.
He said it simply and blunt, “we’ve got to knock someone off here.”
The competition, starting with George Washington on Monday, will be some of the best the Bobcats have seen this season, especially if they win throughout the tournament.
Ohio (3-4) will start the tournament against the Colonials (6-3), who finished third in the Atlantic 10 Conference last season. George Washington leads the conference in blocks, with five per game and holds the conference’s second-best turnover margin of plus-22.
The Colonials have been paced this season by junior guard Patricio Garino, who is averaging a team-best 15.1 points per game. He’s one of three players on the team averaging double-digit points.
After Monday’s matchup, the tournament will continue with semifinals on Tuesday and championship games on Thursday. There will be both a winner’s and a loser’s bracket, and all teams are guaranteed three games.
If Ohio is to advance with a victory Monday, it will take on the winner of DePaul (6-4) and Colorado (6-3), but it loses to George Washington, the Bobcats will take on the loser of that matchup.
The other side of the bracket contains Loyola Marymount, Hawaii, Nebraska and No. 11 Wichita State.
Phillips said Thursday that Ohio is very close to edging around the corner and becoming a team that plays two consistent halves.
Senior forward Maurice Ndour echoed the words of his coach following the overtime loss against Evansville.
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Ohio arrived in Hawaii early Saturday morning and had time to relax and sightsee to rid any frustration the scoreless overtime may have created. But after the loss, Phillips wanted to make sure the squad channels its energy in the right form heading into the tournament this week.
“I told our guys, ‘you better let that frustration just be anger, because we’re about to go into a tournament that’s just stacked and loaded’,” Phillips said. “We’re coming in focused, we’ve got to knock someone off here.”
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