Ohio was unanimously selected to win both the Mid-American Conference and East Division in the MAC preseason coaches poll, which was released Wednesday.
The Bobcats finished with 72 points, the most in the MAC East. Buffalo finished second with 56 points and Kent State was third with 50. Ohio was also chosen to win the conference tournament with 10 votes, while Buffalo and Northern Illinois also earned one vote each.
Ohio is the unanimous favorite after setting a school record with 30 wins last season. It also ran through the MAC with a 14-4 record before losing to Buffalo in the conference championship game.
The Bobcats are returning many key players from last year’s team, most notably redshirt sophomore forward Erica Johnson and junior guard Cece Hooks. Hooks was also named to the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year watch list.
Last season, Hooks was first-team All-MAC and All-MAC Defensive team. Johnson was MAC Freshman and Sixth Player of the Year and landed on the third-team All-MAC list.
Ohio will find out early how much talent it has on its roster as it navigates through a gauntlet of a non-conference schedule, beginning with its season-opener against No. 21 Syracuse on Nov. 5. The Bobcats will also play four other Power 5 schools, all on the road, including Ohio State and Texas.
Before that, Ohio will have a scrimmage against Walsh on Saturday at 1 p.m. in The Convo.
