The Ohio men's basketball team will play its second straight game on the road against a top Mid-American Conference West Division foe Saturday.
The Bobcats will face the Toledo Rockets, who are in second place in the MAC West with a record of 8-6, 1-5 in the conference. Though Toledo only has one win in the MAC, Ohio coach Tim O'Shea said he knows the trip up north will not be an easy one.
Their record is very deceptive; they have played their last four of five games on the road
O'Shea said. Out of all of the conferences the MAC has one of the highest home winning percentages so
conversely
when you play a lot of road games
it is very tough to win.
Toledo already has visited Kent State, Akron, Bowling Green and Miami and has left with a loss each time. The team's only MAC win came against Buffalo in Toledo's John F. Savage Hall.
Toledo's most recent loss was a 58-49 decision in Oxford to the RedHawks, who sit atop the MAC with a 6-0 record in MAC play.
They (the Rockets) have had some tough breaks and a rough start in conference play
O'Shea said. Right now we are playing back-to-back the two best teams in the West
and we have to be ready to play.
The Rockets have four players returning from last season who average over nine points per game. They are led in scoring by guard Justin Ingram (14.3), and the team is fueled by a balanced offensive attack.
Despite Toledo's offensive weapons, O'Shea doesn't think the game will come down to key player matchups.
The key thing is we have to go in there and handle their pressure
O'Shea said. They are playing in Savage Hall which is a very tough place to play; we will have to go in there and shoot the ball well and have one of our sharper games.
