Ohio defeated Bowling Green in overtime Friday night at The Convo, stopping a near monthlong losing streak. It was the highlight of the season of Mid-American Conference play, which has seen more lows than peaks.
The Bobcats head to Kent State on Tuesday night for the first of two road games this week. Men’s basketball writers Spencer Holbrook and Pete Nakos talk out the win and what to look for this week.
Where was the Ohio team we saw against Bowling Green on Friday night all season in the MAC?
Spencer: Ohio has had some close calls in conference plays. If the Bobcats could have made their free throws against Northern Illinois on Jan. 5, they wouldn’t have lost to the Huskies at home. They hung around with Kent State at home, too. As bad as it seems with the Bobcats, it’s not all doom and gloom. But the team that played Bowling Green on Friday seemed like a different team than the team that played the last few games.
Pete: The team we saw play Friday was one that had that potential, which showed at times throughout MAC play, but couldn’t play a full 40 minutes with that potential. What the Bobcats did Friday was play the entire 40 minutes plus some while minimizing turnovers and making shots.
After an emotional home win, what can we expect out of the upcoming back-to-back road games?
Spencer: I think a reasonable expectation would be 1-1 this week. The Bobcats will travel to Kent on Tuesday, then turn around and go to the same area to take on Akron on Saturday. The Kent State game seems like it could potentially be a let-down spot given the nature of the upset from Friday night. The Akron game, meanwhile, could be a revenge game. Akron beat up on Ohio in The Convo in front of a huge crowd. I expect the Bobcats to be excited for that game.
Pete: Completely agree. It’s hard not to feel good for Ohio after breaking a six-game losing streak, but the Bobcats still have to go on the road for two games this week. Kent State and Akron are both athletic, which will cause problems for them. If Ohio can get out of this week going 1-1, I would consider it a strong accomplishment.
What player can continue trending upward after strong play against Bowling Green? Why?
Spencer: The obvious answer is Teyvion Kirk, who played perhaps his best game Friday night against Bowling Green. But I’ll go with Ben Vander Plas. He struggled through a bulk of the conference schedule, but he’s beginning to find a role on this roster, and the final couple weeks will be key for him moving forward into the offseason and next year. If he can knock down shots, the Bobcats can be a tough out in the MAC Tournament.
Pete: Teyvion Kirk won Ohio the game Friday, and Jason Carter was good throughout the entire contest, but to me it’s Jason Preston. The freshman guard played 42 of 45 minutes, and didn’t come out after the half. He scored nine points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out seven assists.
Ohio won Friday. It needed to break a month of losing. Is it a fluke? Or in a month, are we going to call it the turning point of the Bobcats’ season?
Spencer: A little of column A and a little of column B. Ohio shot 50 percent from the 3-point line and over 50 percent from the field. That doesn’t happen every game, especially for a team that shoots as poorly as Ohio does. The Bobcats have talked about confidence in their shooting, and the shooting performance against Bowling Green should help with that confidence.
They likely won’t shoot as well in their next game — or maybe they will and they’ve caught fire from the field. The Bowling Green game built confidence, but Kent State could stall that.
Pete: A month from now, it will be the bright spot of Ohio’s season. It will be hard to top, only by beating Buffalo at home next Tuesday. Ohio might go on to win the rest of its games, but I just can’t see that happening. The Bobcats won’t shoot as well again, and they’ll struggle to play for the full 40 minutes. Still, there’s four games left plus at least a MAC Tournament First Round game.
