Ohio will play the first of 11 non-conference games to open its season Sunday against UNC Wilmington at The Convo. Here’s three storylines heading into the Bobcats’ opening game.
Limited scouting for Ohio
Coach Bob Boldon will likely make more adjustments in Sunday’s game than he will against any other opponent this season.
Compared to every other opponent, Boldon and the Bobcats’ coaching staff have little to work with to prepare for the Seahawks, who have played just one exhibition game and one regular season game this season.
Assistant coach Steph Haas watched a live stream of UNC Wilmington’s exhibition game against Catawba, and Ohio will likely analyze every part of the Seahawks’ first regular season game from Tuesday’s win against Belmont Abbey. It’s something to work with, but it’s still not enough for the Bobcats to formulate a comprehensive strategy like they can midseason.
“We went over their plays and we tried to scout them that way, but it definitely is going into a fight with a blind-fold on,“ guard Amani Burke said. “We're so used to being able to run the plays beforehand and know what they’re going to do.”
Boldon and Burke both stressed importance on maintaining Ohio’s defensive principles when there’s little to scout from an opponent. That means the Bobcats will put a tighter defensive emphasis on keeping the Seahawks away from the middle of their zone and forcing shots from the outside.
“It's going to be a lot of making adjustments on the fly once we see them in person, which is a little nerve-racking,“ Boldon said. “We're going to work on what we do. We're going to work on our defensive principles. We're going to lean hard on those principles. You see a couple of box scores from an exhibition, but you can only put so much faith in that."
UNC Wilmington’s different lineup
Last season’s Seahawks team will be much different than the team it actually plays against Sunday.
UNC Wilmington’s opening-game lineup Tuesday had four different starters compared to last season’s final set of starters, which included three seniors. Just one player, Timber Tate, who played in the Eagles’ final game in 2017-18 was in Tuesday’s starting lineup.
The Bobcats can only analyze the Seahawks’ plays from last season, and it’s still a toss up on whether UNC Wilmington will carry those same plays this season.
But Boldon isn’t worried about whether his players will be prepared enough for a team that looks different than the one they saw in the bulk of their scouting.
“I think our kids have always done a good job of preparing and taking that very, very seriously,“ he said. “So, it's certainly going to be an adjustment to have that opportunity."
Barker’s injury
Boldon called Katie Barker “probably the best shooter on our team,“ on Tuesday, so he was distraught when he talked about how his team will play without her to begin the season — she did not play in Ohio’s exhibition because of an injury.
Boldon didn’t specify what injury Barker, who has dealt with several injuries in her four years at Ohio, was dealing with. He did say, however, that he expects her to be out for an extended period.
“We're kind of waiting to see the final results of it. I don't expect to have her back anytime soon,“ Boldon said. “If we can get her back, we'd certainly love to have her. That doesn't appear to be happening anytime soon."
Barker has averaged 5.8 points per game in 61 career games with Ohio. She was sixth on Ohio with 6.8 points per game last season and attempted the second-most 3-pointers (160) on the team, but her absence will likely offer Erica Johnson, a redshirt freshman, a shot in the starting lineup.
Johnson totaled 14 points in Ohio’s exhibition game Saturday and looked comfortable playing with Ohio’s starters. Boldon didn’t confirm Johnson will be the player awarded with the opportunity, but he wouldn't feel uncomfortable giving her minutes, either.
“I think Erica is poised for that opportunity,“ he said. “I think she's ready for the opportunity. She came in this fall with a great attitude and really worked on her game. It's just hard. From a skill set, she's fine, but it's hard to replace the game minutes that Katie will bring.”
