Ohio looks to secure home game in MAC tournament
After taking the weekend off for Bracket Buster Saturday, the Mid-American Conference got even more clouded Wednesday night.
Akron beat Miami in overtime and Northern Illinois knocked off Bowling Green. More than half of the conference's teams are within two games of first place.
We're so tightly bunched up in this crazy
crazy MAC race Ohio coach Tim O'Shea said. A bounce of the ball here or there could decide your season.
Ohio (15-9 overall, 9-6 Mid-American Conference, tied for fourth in the MAC East Division) took care of business on Wednesday night, holding on to beat Eastern Michigan. Facing the Bobcats are three critical games, a stretch that begins Saturday night at Marshall (5-19, 2-13 MAC, sixth in the MAC East).
The Bobcats, who enter Saturday's contest a half-game behind Buffalo in the MAC East, are one of six teams that have suffered six conference defeats. A strong finish is imperative in order to secure a first-round home game in the MAC Tournament.
We're getting close to that home game O'Shea said. But with three to go
we're not there yet. That's really where our focus is.
Marshall has struggled through a difficult season, posting the conference's worst record. The Thundering Herd lost their first 10 MAC games before winning two in a row. Marshall does, however, have victories over West Virginia and Ball State under its belt.
They don't have a record to indicate how well they've played and how talented that they are
O'Shea said. They start a number of seniors
guys that have won before in this league. For whatever reason they're the team that hasn't been able to get over the hump in a lot of their close games.
Marshall has three scorers averaging double figures: forward Mark Patton and guard A.W. Hamilton lead the way with 10.8 points per game, followed by guard Joe Miles at 10.0 points per game.
If you look at them over the course of the season
they haven't quit
Ohio assistant coach John Rhodes said. And they're the team right now
obviously
who can't win it outright
but they can be a spoiler.
A key for Ohio would be to get guard Mychal Green going again. In his last three games, Green averaged 9.3 points and is shot 26 percent (10-of-38) and has missed all 17 of his 3-point attempts.
In early January, Ohio and Marshall met in The Convo, with both teams searching for their first conference victory. Ohio led for the majority of the game and won, 77-68.
The rematch is scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday in Huntington, W. Va.
--Kevin Wiseman
