Ohio is still yet to claim a MAC victory through two games, and might be making moves soon.
Ohio is still without its first Mid-American Conference victory after the opening week of play.
The Bobcats don’t know this feeling after finishing with 10 or more wins in each of the past three seasons — each ending in postseason participation. Although it’s just two games into MAC play and impossible to look ahead at how Ohio will finish the season, only one Ohio team — in 2010 — dropped its first two MAC games in the past 10 years.
Ohio (5-8, 0-2 MAC) and Eastern Michigan (11-4, 0-2 MAC) remain the only winless teams in conference play.
The Bobcats are young with two freshman regularly in the starting lineup, and it might be taking time adjusting to conference play. There’s certainly time to turn it around, although it may be difficult in a conference with as much parity as the MAC.
“This sucks,” sophomore forward Antonio Campbell said after losing to Bowling Green on Saturday. “I’ve never been on a losing team in my life. No one likes losing but we’ve got about 16 more MAC games ahead of us, so we’re just going to focus on those.”
When problems persist, change becomes imminent, especially with the current struggles from Ohio’s point guards. Senior guards Javarez “Bean” Willis and Stevie Taylor combined for 4 of 19 shooting, including a combined 1 of 10 from 3-point range, during Ohio’s 69-54 loss Saturday.
Ryan Taylor, however, has been playing multiple positions for the majority of the season and again led the Bobcats with 16 points on 5 of 9 shooting (3 of 4 from three). Coach Saul Phillips said he has “probably thrown every potential idea out there,” to spark offense and could move Ryan Taylor into point guard. But Phillips also doesn’t want to overload the 18-year-old in just his second semester of college.
“He’s got the skill set to do it, (but) there are certain matchups where he’d be bringing the ball up the court, and I wouldn’t want him to be a point guard,” Phillips said. “I like kids that take care of the ball. I like kids that take good shots — check, check.”
If the Bobcats want to get their first MAC victory in the immediate future, Phillips said there needs to be changes with the way they play.
Senior forward Maurice Ndour, who played internationally this summer against NBA-level players, has taken four total shots in the second half of the last two games — and only made two. The Bobcats have been also outscored 73-53 in those two halves. Phillips wants to not only feed Ndour the ball in the paint, but convert baskets whenever his players get opportunities to score in the paint.
His biggest problem, however, has cultivated around the recent lack of slashing and running in transition from his guards, Willis and Stevie Taylor. The two have combined for 11-38 shooting in the past two games, which Phillips said only can be fixed by shooting and practicing in the gym.
“We need to play downhill more,” Phillips said. “One of the strengths in our team, I believe, is Stevie and Bean going like a streak right down the center of the court, that’s got to happen sometimes.
“We’re going to win plenty of MAC games over the years, but I want this group to have something good happen to them, that’s it. I want them to feel good about themselves.”
@Alex_Busch91
ab109410@ohio.edu
