The top five moments from Ohio men's basketball season.
With tonight's NCAA Championship Finals, Ohio fans will have to wait another year to see the Bobcats potentially make the NCAA Tournament.
That doesn't mean, however, there weren't moments to be proud of as a Bobcat fan.
Here were the top five moments this year for Ohio basketball:
5. Jordan Dartis and Gavin Block excite The Convo
Heading into the season, the names Jordan Dartis and Gavin Block were relatively unknown by Ohio's fan base.
By Nov. 16, however, the two freshman became household names inside The Convo.
Dartis scored 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting and Block scored 12 points to help Ohio best Tennessee State 75-67 and electrify The Convo.
It was a breakout performance for the two freshmen and their "welcome to Ohio" moment.
"We came in with a lot of confidence from the coaching staff and the other players," Block said that night. "I didn't feel any pressure out there. We were just playing ball like we have always been."
4. Simmons, Bobcats escape Toledo in a thriller
Ohio coach Saul Phillips always reiterated that his team wasn't "world beaters" on defense, but that's exactly how it beat Toledo on the road in January.
Up four points with 18 seconds to go, the Bobcats fouled Rockets guard Jaelen Sanford outside the 3-point arc. Sanford trimmed the lead down to two at the free throw line before missing the third free throw. Toledo garnered the offensive rebound and hoisted a last-second 3-pointer.
It hit the rim and bounced away from the backboard.
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The win was Ohio's first road conference win of the season and ignited a 7-1 run inside the Mid-American Conference.
"This is probably the most happy I've been after a game since high school," said Jaaron Simmons, who had a MAC-record 17 assists in the matchup. "To get our first true road win, in this environment ... It feels great."
3. Drew Crabtree earns a scholarship
No one has put more time and effort into Ohio's program than Crabtree, according to Phillips.
That time commitment Crabtree showed throughout his walk-on career was finally awarded in December when the Bobcats decided to give the junior from Marysville a scholarship.
It was a moment that showed the humanistic side of sports: a dedicated player finally being rewarded.
Shout out to @OU_drewski12 hard work really does pay off!!!!
— James Gollon (@Jrich2015) December 29, 2015
2. Treg Setty's last hurrah
A fan favorite. A verbose philosopher. A team leader.
Whatever you see in Ohio's only senior this season, Setty's 30-point performance against Albany during the opening round of the College Basketball Invitational was a sight.
Setty shot 11-for-19 from the field and added 10 rebounds in the overtime win.
It was a performance, or hat tip, to those who have seen the progression of the Maysville, Kentucky, forward.
"After practice the other day I shot 1000 shots because I said 'I'm not going to go out, I'm not going to be a loser,'" Setty said.
Thank you for the wonderful interviews, Treg.
1. Antonio Campbell earns MAC Player of the Year, AP All-American honors
I always trusted Campbell when I interviewed him. He was honest to me. He was honest to the rest of the media.
So I believe him when he says he and Ohio will be even better next year.
It's a scary thought, too. Campbell became Ohio's fifth player to earn All-American honors this season. He became just the ninth Ohio player to win MAC Player of the Year.
Simply, Campbell was a double-double-big bodied-terminator that frustrated teams with his soft touch around the rim and 3-point shooting in 2015-16.
He averaged 19 points, 11 rebounds and a block on 57 percent shooting and 45 percent shooting from beyond the 3-point line.
He still has one more year... sheesh.
"None of these awards would be possible without my teammates alongside me," Campbell said. "We have laid a foundation for even bigger things next year."
@Lukeoroark
Lr514812@Ohio.edu
