Every day when Jeff Boals walks into The Convo, he takes a long look at the banners in the rafters.
Ohio hasn’t been to the Mid-American Conference Tournament Finals since 2013. That year, the Bobcats, under then-first year coach Jim Christian, made it all the way to championship game only to bow out to then-No. 1 seeded Akron. Ohio hasn’t seen the finals since and hadn’t played in Cleveland since 2017.
But that was then. This is now.
Boals promised himself when he was hired by Ohio to hang another banner in the rafters. Now, he’s closer than he’s ever been to fulfilling that promise.
“I’m just really happy for our team and players and our fans,“ Boals said after the game. “This is what you play for. It's March Madness, you know?”
Ohio had just upset No. 1 seed Toledo 87-80 in the MAC tournament semifinals. No one on Ohio’s roster had played an official game in Cleveland in their careers prior to Friday. Lunden McDay had only been cleared to play in the tournament Thursday. By all accounts, Ohio’s chances entering the tournament were slim.
Slim chances are when the Bobcats work best. Ben Vander Plas knew from the moment they defeated Kent State that the energy had to carry over. The anxiety prior to tipoff was high, but the redshirt junior knew one thing — Jason Preston was going to come out aggressive.
“He's just a whole new player,“ Vander Plas said of Preston. “He's unstoppable. He comes out there aggressive, getting the rim ... When Jason's in that mode, he's something special.”
Vander Plas and Preston combined for 53 points Friday night. 61% of Ohio’s scoring came from Ohio’s two leading men. Dwight Wilson and Ben Roderick cracked double digits, but the rest of the Bobcats had quiet nights.
Toledo had almost the exact same result. MAC Player of the Year Marreon Jackson and Setric Millner Jr. combined for 55 points, and the rest of the Rockets’ rotation hadn’t scored more than nine points apiece. Saturday was a tag-team between Toledo and Ohio’s best players. The four each made 11 field goals. That totals to 66.66% of every made field goal being shot between the four of them.
Vander Plas’ 26 points, eight rebounds and seven assists was a season high for him. He lagged behind Preston by only a point but beat him out in every other stat.
He doesn’t want to brag, though. He says he was only doing his best impression of Preston. The two commanded the court and made most of the quick decisions. Vander Plas has always incorporated playmaking into his game, and he credits it to his ability to read the floor. It makes it all the more easier to find his man.
“Tonight was just an opportunity that I had to make a couple more of those plays,“ Vander Plas said. “Guys are making good cuts, guys are setting great screens and getting guys open. So, that just makes it easy for me.”
The Bobcats have grown since the beginning of the season. The small mistakes that had tripped them up so many times are getting cleaned up. Rebounds, a longtime enemy of the Bobcats prior to their six-game win streak, was a deciding factor against Toledo.
Ohio outrebounded the Rockets 42-33. Boals has exhausted how crucial the cleaning up around the rim has contributed to Ohio’s string of success in the last half of the season. Had the issue not been addressed with the laser focus Boals put on it, Ohio would’ve be packing its bags Friday night.
Instead, it’s making preparations for its first visit to the MAC tournament finals in eight years. The 2012-2013 Bobcats were hardened veterans. Many were layovers from the John Groce era. D.J. Cooper was in his senior season, and the team was a year removed from its appearance in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA tournament.
The Bobcats this season are polar opposites to their 2013 counterparts. They’re mostly underclassmen. Wilson, the only senior, is a transfer from James Madison. This MAC Tournament run is a first for everyone.
If it’s a first, why not go all the way? Boals still has a promise to fulfill.
“To come in and play free and have fun doing it, they've earned the right to play for 40 minutes for a championship,“ Boals said. “And I tell them all the time there's no better feeling as a player as a coach to see your name pop up on the screen. But you know it's going to take a tough 40 minutes whoever we play tomorrow.”
Ohio’s opponent will be No. 2 seed Buffalo, who defeated Akron 81-74 in overtime Friday night. The Bobcats and Bulls split their season series a game apiece. Ohio won in Buffalo 76-75 on Jan.2 9 before Buffalo got its revenge in Athens by way of a 86-66 blowout Feb. 27.
The winner of round 3 will take bragging rights, the MAC title and the right to represent the conference in the NCAA Tournament. Tip off is at 7:40 p.m. on ESPN2.
