With Ohio's last regular season matchup coming on Halloween weekend, it looks like the Bobcats' most haunting game has already been played.
The Bobcats close out the season against last-place Missouri State today with their Mid-American Conference Tournament seed up in the air.
Ohio (10-9, 6-3 MAC) currently sits at third in the MAC behind Miami (11-6, 6-2 MAC) and Kent State (12-6, 7-2 MAC). Each of the top three teams have beaten the other two once. The only reason the Bobcats are third instead of first is an Oct. 2 loss to Central Michigan.
Everyone's been beating each other (in the top-three)
coach Neil Macmillan said. You try to hope that those are your only losses (against Kent State and Miami) and you can win the tie breakers but unfortunately we've got that other loss to Central.
Though Ohio's 4-1 loss to the Golden Flashes on Oct. 22 gave them a one-game lead for first place, it's possible for Ohio to pull into second-place behind Kent State and grab a first-round bye in the tournament.
Miami, with two matches left to play, holds a half-game lead over the Bobcats. The RedHawks would relinquish the slim lead if they lost their last two matches.
But given that Ohio is the only top-three MAC team to lose to a bottom-three squad, that outcome does not seem likely.
We can't rely on it Macmillan said. We're waiting
and if great things happen for us
great
but if they don't
then unfortunately we've played ourselves into that position.
The Bobcats' loss to Central Michigan also hampers them in tiebreakers. If the RedHawks split their last two matches, they will be tied with Ohio in second place.
The first tiebreaker is head-to-head contests, which is even. The next tiebreaker is record against the fourth place team, or the highest-placed team Ohio and Miami have a different record against.
The RedHawks would prevail because they are 1-0 against the Chippewas. But if they lose to Central Michigan on Sunday, the next tiebreaker would be goal difference.
With or without a bye, the Bobcats will have to beat the other two best teams for a second-straight MAC title.
It isn't a huge concern of mine right now
Macmillan said. If you want to win the MAC
you have to go through both Kent and Miami.
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