A banner will hang in The Convo that says the Bobcats were Mid-American Conference Tournament Champions in 2005. The last time Ohio could boast a banner like that in the rafters was 11 years ago, in 1994.
The 1994 squad achieved a record of 25-8 overall and 14-4 in the MAC. The Bobcats entered the NCAA Tournament that season on a 13-game winning streak.
Ohio was led by forward Gary Trent in his second year as a Bobcat. The 1994 campaign marked the second season in a row that Trent was a first team All-MAC selection.
Guard Geno Ford was a freshman for Ohio that season. Ford and Trent would ultimately become the third and fifth all-time leading scorers in Bobcat history.
Another player who made an impact for the '94 'Cats was center Jason Terry. Terry is Ohio's all-time leader in blocked shots with 262. In 1994 he rejected 85 shots, good for fourth most in a single season.
Unlike the 2005 team, which won close games in the MAC Tournament, the 1994 team dominated the MAC. The 1994 Bobcats won their three MAC Tournament games with a combined 63 points. The 2005 Ohio squad won its four tournament games with a combined 21 points.
In 1994 Ohio would fall in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Bob Knight and Indiana, 84-72.
The '94 Bobcats lost only two MAC games after Jan. 22. The road was not as easy for the current Bobcats.
The turning point for the Bobcats' 2005 season came on Jan. 15 against Kent State. Ohio had lost four out of five games coming into the contest. The Bobcats blew out the Golden Flashes, 80-54. The win was the first in a series of defining victories.
Ohio won six out of seven games after the Kent State victory, including a four-game winning streak that moved the Bobcats near the top of the East Division standings.
A season-defining winning streak started with a home win against Toledo, a team picked to win the MAC West. Bowling Green was next, a team that came to The Convo in first place. Ohio responded with a thrilling three-point victory.
Ohio carried that momentum to Buffalo, picking up a crucial road victory, 92-90, in what would be the first of three defeats the Bobcats handed to the Bulls.
The final win came against defending MAC Champion Western Michigan. The Broncos came into the game in first place, but left The Convo in defeat, 89-85. Ohio trailed by 12 points in the second half before tying the contest. Mychal Green's 3-point shot with 24 seconds remaining gave Ohio a two-point lead and sent the crowd home happy.
Another rallying point for the Bobcats came at Detroit. With Green and Terren Harbut not dressing because of injury, Jeremy Fears saved the day by hitting two 3-pointers in the final minute. The last one came at the buzzer to give the Bobcats a 66-65 victory. The win started another four-game winning streak.
The last victory of the regular season fittingly came on Senior Night, in another win against Buffalo. Fears and Leon Williams took center stage, combining for 55 points. The victory also clinched an opening round MAC Tournament game in The Convo.
I think it will go down
to the people who follow Ohio basketball for a long time as one of the more memorable teams to wear the Bobcat uniform coach Tim O'Shea said. With the expectations going into the season
the great comeback against Buffalo
MAC Championship
certainly the way they played today in a game that I think will leave a lot of people feeling very
very proud of their Ohio team.
