Ohio (12-6, 6-2 Mid-American Conference) stays at The Convo to face off against UMass (14-4, 6-2). With both of these teams tied record-wise in the MAC, this is a huge breaking point, as a win will change the standings.
Currently, there is a three-team tie for third place, with Central Michigan being the odd team out. A win for Ohio, along with a loss for Central Michigan and UMass, means Ohio would keep the third seed undisputed.
Ohio is coming off a very poor performance against Toledo, in which shots were not fouling, and it committed a lot of turnovers. The score could’ve easily been a lot more out of hand, but Ohio’s defense remained strong like it has all season and forced a lot of turnovers from Toledo.
A key to Ohio winning this game will be eliminating turnovers on offense, as the Bobcats tend to lose lots of shot chances as passes often get intercepted. The other key is to make its shots, as Ohio has been able to shoot its way out of poor games before. When the three pointers fall, Ohio is a dangerous team.
Game Info:
Opponent: UMass Minutewomen
Date and Time: Jan. 28, 7 p.m.
Location: The Convo (Athens, Ohio)
Where to watch: ESPN+
UMass has become one of the most feared teams in the MAC, with its only two losses in the conference against first-seeded Miami and second-seeded Ball State. The Minutewomen have been very solid right away in their first year in the MAC.
While UMass has been good at putting points up against teams with lower records, lots of games it plays against high-tier MAC teams are either very close or a blowout in favor of the other team. Both the loss to Miami and Ball State were by double digits, and it beat Central Michigan with only a two-point margin.
UMass has been very potent on defense, with opponents shooting an average of 37.5% against it. The same is applied to three-pointers, where opponents shoot 27.2% against UMass.
Player to Watch:
Ohio’s Bailey Tabeling has been amazing this season. Always a good offensive creator for the Bobcats, Tabeling has averaged 13.9 points this season.
She started the season off a little slow with some poor shooting to open the year. Since then, she has completely gotten her groove back and turned into a true number one option for a winning team. Her three-point shooting has been on full display as well, as he currently sits at second in the MAC with 42 made threes this season, just seven behind Ball State’s Grace Kingery.
Against Toledo, Tabeling scored 15 points on 5 for 11 shooting, 3-5 on three pointers, along with two blocks and two steals. Look for Tabeling to be a factor against UMass, as she has always been this season.
