The points of emphasis for Ohio heading into Saturday’s game against Oakland resemble a fat-tip marker rather than a well-sharpened pencil, as the Bobcats have been burned from all angles in their past two games — both losses.
Ohio coach Jim Christian and company will look to right the Bobcats’ ship against the Grizzlies, attempting to turn around a two-game slide in which they were outscored by 34.
Against Robert Morris, it was Ohio’s perimeter defense and foul-prone play that did it in, while it was transition adjustments, turnovers and post play that caused problems against Memphis.
There are plenty of points for Christian to touch on heading into Saturday’s game, but he will look for a combination of corrections at The Convo on Saturday when the Bobcats take the court against an Oakland (2-6) team that is led by a dynamic two-guard, towering center combination.
The Grizzlies’ redshirt junior starting guards, Travis Bader and Duke Mondy, along with redshirt sophomore center Corey Petros, account for two-thirds of their offense, while only two other players average more than three points per game.
Although the trio’s statistics are far beyond pedestrian, Oakland has seen limited success this season and has been outscored by an average of five points per game. It has, however, fallen to Pittsburgh in overtime and bulked up against a loaded nonconference slate that includes perennial powerhouse Michigan State.
Ohio’s sob song does not stem from its play on the offensive end, as Christian illustrated earlier in the week after the Bobcats’ loss to the Colonials. He then said the loss had “zero” to do with Ohio’s offensive output.
The Bobcats allowed the Colonials to have their will from beyond the arc this past Saturday, where they shot 67 percent, and let the Tigers make their mark in the post, where they had 48 points in the paint and 17 second-chance points.
And although the sky is far from falling on the Bobcats, Christian said after their loss to Robert Morris that every defeat carries a taste Ohio will look to get out of its system against Oakland.
“I’m going to be disappointed if we lose, period,” he said. “Why wouldn’t I be? Everybody should be.”
Neither he nor players were made available for comment Thursday because of their return flight from Memphis.
jr992810@ohiou.edu
