Editor's note: This is the fourth in a series of four staff columns leading up to tomorrow's Battle of the Bricks men's basketball showdown in The Convo against archrival Miami.Grab an appletini, readjust those cufflinks, put on your favorite argyle sweater and pop that collar, Bobcat fans. Miami's here.
You know, that school littered with North Face-wearing, Greek life-infatuated, predominantly middle-class, Caucasian coeds.
But wait a sec. Hold the phone. Doesn't that sound a little bit like, um, this place and, perhaps, you?
A little introspection from time to time never hurt anyone.
So, instead of dwelling on a dormant student rivalry, let's put the focus on what really matters. The game.
Some may jest that tomorrow's game means just as much as, say, the Bobcats' Feb. 19 rematch with Bowling Green because, hey, a win is a win is a win within the rough and tumble Mid-American Conference East Division.
Don't let the jesters fool you. This game is big. Like, Big Jim big.Both teams sit at a surprising 0-1 less than a week into the conference schedule. Not a cause for concern, of course, but neither wants to be 0-2, especially the Bobcats, whose short-term road ahead is filled with potholes and missing bricks.
Next Thursday, the Bobcats travel to Akron (11-3) for a late-night, nationally-televised tip with the Zips. And we all know how the Bobcats did last time under the national spotlight. It was Kansas 88, Ohio 51.
Now, Akron is by no means the national power that Kansas is (not even Kansas State), but it's sure seemed that way the past few seasons when the Bobcats play at Rhodes Arena. They haven't won there since 2002 and have lost by a combined 46 points the past two seasons.
After that, the Bobcats have less than 48 hours to catch their breath and drive home before taking on MAC preseason favorite Kent State. A should-win, but easily losable, game follows at Buffalo before the Bobcats can pad their record against the cream puffs of the MAC West.
I'm not going as far as saying this game is a must-win, but a little momentum certainly wouldn't hurt going into this thorny patch of the schedule.
Short story shorter, a win tomorrow would do much more than ruffle a few kerchiefs in Oxford.
A win, and a convincing one at that, would make last Saturday's setback at Bowling Green look more and more like a result of tired legs and less and less like a disastrous omen.
A win would show that this year's depth-filled Bobcats are nothing like last year's team, which had just seven players get regular minutes and fell flat in the MAC tournament against a rested RedHawks team.And a win would maybe, just maybe, drum up some consistent fan support. For those that read into the hype we've tried to generate for this game, tomorrow will be many students' first time seeing the Bobcats this season, and for others, the first time ever. First impressions go a long way. (Google Ohio football Pitt upset for further evidence.)
Granted, a loss tomorrow wouldn't be as catastrophic as Dining Dollars. It's not even mid-January yet, and let's be honest: The MAC is still a one-bid team when it comes to the NCAA tournament, and the Bobcats' Facebook status likely won't change to on the bubble if they win.But hey, it sure wouldn't hurt.
' Andrew Gribble is a senior journalism major and The Post's Sports Editor. Send him an e-mail at ag358604@ohiou.edu
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Andrew Gribble
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