Ohio earned its revenge win over Northern Illinois on Feb. 6, and 10 days later, it continued to tear through the Mid-American Conference.
Ohio earned its revenge win over Northern Illinois on Feb. 6, and 10 days later, it continued to tear through the Mid-American Conference.
Ohio knocked off Eastern Michigan on Tuesday night in The Convo, 86-64, sealing its fourth-straight win and sixth win in the last seven games. Antonio Campbell was almost unstoppable, setting a career-high with 33 points on 14-of-20 shooting to go with 11 rebounds.
Here’s a few things we learned from the night:
Ohio has built a reputation as a 'stopper'
To earn the success its had over the past seven games, Ohio has been tasked with taking down a team who is at the peak of its season several times.
Tuesday, the Eagles came into The Convo having won three of its last four games. Despite that newfound confidence, however, Eastern Michigan was never able to build a lasting run against the Bobcats, with the Eagles leading for just 24 seconds in the game.
The Eagles are far from the first team to see a hot streak end at the Bobcats' hands during the last few weeks. Buffalo had won four of five entering Friday’s blowout loss to Ohio. Before that, the Bobcats snapped a two-game win streak by Ball State and a five-game win streak by Kent State.
“I don’t think any of our guys knew about that,” coach Saul Phillips said. “You’ve got to keep tunnel vision, and stay in the moment. The journey’s always about you and the guys in your locker room. And if you can keep it that simple, generally, you’ll like the results.”
Ohio doesn’t need Kenny Kaminski on the floor to have a big 3-point attack
When Kaminski was ruled out for Tuesday’s game as part of concussion protocol, one had to wonder if his first missed start of the season may lead to a more challenging game for the rest of the Bobcats’ shooters.
Those fears were quickly put to rest, however, when Jordan Dartis and Campbell began to light up The Convo from behind the arc. Ohio finished the game 10-of-23 from deep, marking the fourth-straight game the Bobcats have shot 40 percent, or better, on 3s.
“We’ve got a lot of confidence right now,” Dartis said. “It’s hard to guard five guys on the floor who can all shoot 3s."
Gavin Block’s future isn’t just as a shooter
Any time someone upstages Jaaron Simmons in the assist department, it warrants a second glance. Gavin Block did just that Tuesday, racking up nine assists in his first career start in a Bobcat uniform.
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Block has shown his vision and high basketball intelligence all season, and it was on full display Tuesday, helping feed Campbell’s monster first half performance by getting the ball inside efficiently.
“Gavin was a good passer when we got him,” Phillips said. “It took me only about two weeks to figure out he was an elite passer. He makes people around him better. He looks like a quarterback going through progressions when he’s got the ball.”
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