In the aftermath of what coach Jim Christian called the worst defensive game Ohio’s played this season, improving the performance won’t require massive adjustments.
As the Bobcats prepare to host Miami on Saturday at The Convo, fixing a defense that allowed 53 second-half points to Western Michigan will require returning to the basics.
“That’s not who we are,” Christian said of the poor defensive effort. “If we haven’t been that way, you’ve got to go back to who you are. You can fix it easily.”
Ohio remains in the top four of both field goal percentage allowed and points allowed in the Mid-American Conference, but the 90 points the Bobcats allowed were the highest margin they’ve permitted in regulation this season.
Western Michigan’s 72.7 percent shooting in the second half was the highest single-half shooting percentage by any team against the Bobcats.
To senior guard Nick Kellogg, who scored 13 points with five assists in the loss, regaining focus on both ends of the ball and cutting down on turnovers will be the key to stabilizing the defense.
The Bobcats turned the ball over 16 times on Wednesday, leading to 24 points for the Broncos.
“We have to limit our turnovers,” Kellogg said. “Any time we turn the ball over at a high rate, then the outcome isn’t in our favor. We’ve just got to take care of the ball, because a lot of those turnovers turned into some of their offense.”
Holding onto the ball will be paramount against a Miami team that is aggressive on the defensive end, averaging 8.5 steals and 14.6 opposing turnovers, which both rank second in the MAC.
RedHawk guards Quinten Rollins and Geovonie McKnight each rank in the top five of the conference in steals and will be facing an Ohio point guard duo that accounted for seven Ohio turnovers against Western Michigan.
However, the player the Bobcats will have to bear down on is St. Francis (Pa.) transfer Will Felder, a redshirt senior forward who averages 14.2 points per game to pair with 7.3 rebounds, ranking within the top 10 of the conference in both categories.
“I don’t know if you’re going to limit his chances,” Christian said. “He’s going to get his plays. We’ve got to do a good job on him. We’ve got to make him uncomfortable and do some different things to make him know we’re there.”
On the back of Felder, Miami has rebounded from a poor non-conference slate that included seven losses, including a 65-63 defeat to Division III foe Wilmington College.
The RedHawks have won four of their past six games, most recently dropping a 53-41 contest at Northern Illinois on Tuesday.
Up Next:
What: Miami (9-11, 5-4 MAC) at Ohio (16-6, 6-3 MAC)
When: 2 p.m. Saturday
Where: The Convo
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