The odds of Ohio extending its season to Cleveland for the Mid-American Conference Tournament will dramatically sway based on the Bobcats’ result Friday against Miami.
Ohio will travel to Oxford for its final game of the regular season. A win guarantees the Bobcats a home game Monday as the eighth seed in the first round of the MAC Tournament. A loss puts those home-game hopes on hold — a return to The Convo will only happen then if Western Michigan loses to Central Michigan.
For Ohio, the benefits of a first-round MAC Tournament game in The Convo are obvious; The Bobcats are 11-5 at home this season.
On the road? That record drops to 3-9.
The Bobcats haven’t won an away game since Jan. 18. If they can snap that streak Friday against the RedHawks, the season’s road woes can be forgotten about.
“That’s our mindset. That’s our focus,“ coach Jeff Boals said. “We need to go in there and compete for 40 minutes.”
Ohio shouldn’t have much problem beating Miami (12-18, 5-12 MAC) for the second time this season. The Bobcats defeated the RedHawks 77-46 in their last meeting Feb. 8, which featured an 0-for-24 field-goal shooting drought from Miami.
But the RedHawks have appeared to turn things around. Since the last “Battle of the Bricks” game, Miami has gone a respectable 3-4 and won matchups against Bowling Green (12-5 MAC), Northern Illinois (11-6) and Central Michigan (6-11). Last Tuesday, the RedHawks lost by only six points to Buffalo (10-7).
Ohio is hot, too — it went 5-3 in February — but now it needs a rare road win if it wants to come back to The Convo, where the Bobcats have unquestionably played their best games of the season.
The easiest way for Ohio to do that? Win Friday in Millett Hall.
Game information
Opponent: Miami RedHawks
Game time: 7 p.m.
Venue: Millett Hall
Watch: ESPN3
Listen: Ohio IMG Sports Network
Meet the opponent
Starters
01 Nike Sibande (6-4, 183)
13 Dalonte Brown (6-7, 200)
03 Dae Dae Grant (6-2, 180)
22 Elijah McNamara (6-9, 207)
15 Milos Jovic (6-4, 198)
Individual Statistical Leaders:
Points: Sibande (13.6 points per games)
Rebonds: Sibande (5.8 rebounds per games)
Assists: Mekhi Lairy (2.8 assists per game)
Field goal percentage: Lairy (44.6%)
3-point percentage: Isaiah Coleman-Lands (34.6%)
Free throw percentage: Sibande (81.4%)
Team Statistical Profile:
Points Per Game: 70.6
Rebounds Per Game: 35.5
Assists Per Game: 12
Turnovers Per Game: 11.5
Field-goal Percentage: 42.2%
3-point Percentage: 34.2%
Free-throw Percentage: 71.7%
The series
Ohio leads the all-time series, 112-94. The Bobcats are 15-3 against the RedHawks since the start of the 2011-2012 season.
