Ohio is set to begin MAC Tournament play on Friday against Buffalo.
Ohio’s game plan for the Mid-American Conference Tournament is simple: don’t change anything that has gotten the team this far.
“Our plan is to stick to our principles and do the things we’ve been doing all season,” junior guard Kiyanna Black said. “And just try to clean up a few things we’ve struggled with. That’s all you can do from this point on.”
The Bobcats’ trademark interior defense and offensive ball movement have earned them a No. 1 seed and two-round bye in the tournament, held Thursday through Saturday at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The Bobcats, sporting its best record in two decades, will face No. 4 Buffalo in the semifinals Friday.
Buffalo, which fell to Ohio in both of the teams’ meetings this season, defeated No. 5 Western Michigan 63-60 in the third round of the tournament on Wednesday.
A win against Buffalo would place Ohio in the title game against the winner of •No. 2 Ball State and No. 6 Eastern Michigan. A second win would send Ohio to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 1994-95 season.
“This week has just been about getting better,” Ohio coach Bob Boldon said at practice Wednesday.
Although the Bobcats have topped the Bulls in each of the teams’ two 2015 meetings, Boldon said Ohio will have to play its best basketball to advance to the conference finals. Buffalo, in particular, will look to exploit a physical advantage in the paint.
This was on display the last time the teams met, when Buffalo pressured Ohio’s frontcourt by scoring 26 points in the paint Feb. 25.
Buffalo’s Kristen Sharkey, a senior forward, has been a focal point of the Bulls’ offense this season. She scored 15 and 18 points, respectively, in her matchups against the Bobcats.
“In the second half here, Buffalo gave us all we could handle,” Boldon said. “They both present challenges — as they should. They’re in the semifinals for their conference tournament.”
Depth could also be a slight concern for Ohio on Friday.
Junior forward Lexie Baldwin sat out the Bobcats’ season finale win against Miami because of nagging injuries, so sophomore forwards Jasmine Weatherspoon and Hannah Boesinger split playing time in her place. Ohio’s other forwards, Kelly Karlis and Destini Cooper, were redshirted early in the year.
Karlis is 6-foot-2 and averaged more than six points and two blocks per game for Ohio before being redshirted because of a foot injury. She played eight games.
Cooper, who’s 6-foot-1, was an integral part to the Bobcats frontcourt last season. She averaged six points per game and led the Bobcats in rebounding during six of her 30 games.
She only played one game this season.
“She definitely could’ve helped us this year,” redshirt junior guard Kat Yelle said. “I think Lexie, Jasmine and Hannah have done a great job of stepping up and taking care of things in Destini’s absence.”
Regardless of how Ohio fares in the MAC Tournament, Boldon said he views his sophomore season leading the Bobcats as a success.
“The regular season was a tremendous success, and now that’s over with and you have to put that away and get ready for your next challenge, which is two days, two games and prepare this week,” he said.
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