Back-to-back losses and an 0-1 start to conference play have some Ohio basketball supporters believing the sky is falling, but coach John Groce insists the two-game slide is not
cause for panic.
“We never hit the panic button, but we’re concerned,” Groce said. “We would be foolish not to be concerned.”
Groce said his biggest area of concern is his defense, which has now allowed its opponents to shoot at least 50 percent from the field in three of its last four games.
Adding to his worries, opponents have shot 38 percent or better from the 3-point line in each of Ohio’s last four contests.
And with Buffalo coming to The Convo tonight, the Bobcats might need a quick fix to their defensive woes.
The Bulls are quite possibly the hottest team in the Mid-American Conference and are led by 2011 MAC Freshman of the Year Javon McCrea. Their résumé includes a win against Kent State and a 29-point rout of Dayton.
After the loss at Bowling Green, Groce questioned his team’s toughness, especially under the basket. Groce said his team needs to have a tougher mindset than what it displayed in the last two games.
“Buffalo has as good of a front line as we’ve played all year, including Louisville and Marshall,” Groce said. “I think it starts with our mindset and our ability to be tough — especially in the last 15 seconds of the shot clock.”
Despite watching the team’s shooting percentages take a nosedive during the losses, guard Walter Offutt said the team remains confident in its ability.
“There’s a couple things we need to correct, but there’s no panic meter right now,” Offutt said. “We’re 12-3; we’re sitting in a good spot. We just got to get back on the ground, and we’ll be fine.
“We were a couple of possessions away from winning the ballgame. That’s how you’ve got to approach it.”
Reflecting on the previous two games, both Groce and Offutt tabbed turnovers as one of the major factors in the loss.
The Bobcats remain first in the MAC in turnover margin despite committing 18 against the Falcons.
“That wasn’t characteristic of us to turn the ball over,” Offutt said. “We’ve got to shore up that and get back to defending and rebounding, and we’ll be fine.”
Groce said turnovers are an area that can be corrected but an aspect that is not always easy to fix.
“A lot of them were unforced, just passing and catching errors,” Groce said. “It had nothing to do with whether we were playing Bowling Green or the Lakers; we just dropped balls and didn’t concentrate well. If we don’t fix those things on Wednesday night, we’ll be in trouble again.”
ro137807@ohiou.edu
