The Ohio men's basketball team took the phrase protect the castle into Cleveland and played throughtout the Mid-American Conference Tournament in front of the man who influenced it.
Assistant coach Kevin Kuwik, an U.S. Army engineer who is back in the states on a two-week leave from Mosul, Iraq, has decided to spend his time with his team. He got the gift of a MAC Tournament championship last night as he watched his team fight back from a 19-point deficit to beat Buffalo 80-79 in overtime.
Playing in front of, and winning the championship with, Kuwik was a major motivation for the team. Guard Mychal Green, whom Kuwik recruited, explained how big a factor it was to have him with the team.
He's got two weeks to be here to spend time with his family and all and he spends the time with us at a basketball tournament
Green said. That made us play so much harder. Of course we want to win for us but tonight was all for Coach or at least for me for it was.
Bobcat freshmen fill MAC All-Tourney team Guard Jeremy Fears and forward Leon Williams both claimed spots in the MAC All-Tournament team after they combined to score 50 points and grabbed 18 rebounds, including Williams's game-winning tip-in at the end of overtime. Williams also earned the Tournament MVP making him the only freshman ever to do so.
Williams scored six of Ohio's 10 points in overtime and pulled down three rebounds to clinch the victory for the Bobcats.
It's unbelievable; I can't explain how I am feeling right now
Williams said in the post-game press conference. As a freshman
coming in and doing this
it's just wonderful.
For Williams, his game-winner wasn't his first. He told a story of agame during his junior year in high school when he hit the game winner in a Christmas tournament, but couldn't recall his opponent. However he said he'd definitely remember this one when asked about the importance of the game.
The rest of the positions left in the tournament team were filled by Miami forward Danny Horace and Buffalo guards Turner Battle and Calvin Cage.
O'Shea acts as MAC advocate After his team's NCAA Tournament berth-clinching win, Ohio coach Tim O'Shea pleaded his case for the MAC and why the conference should receive more than one entry into the dance.
O-
-
but they could advance to be a Sweet 16 team. Miami
the outright winner of our conference
should be in it
we (the MAC) should have three times in that field tomorrow and there is no question about it.
Buffalo coach rants about RPI Buffalo head coach Reggie Witherspoon responded no to the question of whether the MAC should receive two bids into the NCAA Tournament. He said that because he thinks three or four teams should get bids into the tournament from the MAC because of the toughness and depth of the conference.
Stop asking for two
