Ohio was to learn last night if it had shot at new tournament
By Corey Ryan
March 16, 2008
Ohio University’s men’s basketball team waited till late Sunday to find out if they would receive a bid to a new post-season tournament.
The Bobcats were left on the outside, looking in, at the NCAA men’s tournament, and likely the National Invitational Tournament. However, the ’Cats still had a shot at the new College Basketball Invitational, whose 16 teams were slated to be announced Sunday night after the NCAA announced its field of 65 teams. (Editor's note: Early Monday morning, the CBI released its tournament brackets, with Ohio playing Brown Tuesday in the Convocation Center. See separate article for more information.)
Ohio got knocked out of contention for the NCAA Tournament after losing to Miami University in the quarterfinal round of the MAC Tournament Thursday evening in Cleveland. Miami went on to lose to Akron in the semifinal round Friday, and then Akron lost to top-seeded Kent State in the MAC championship on Saturday.
Thursday evening’s matchup between Ohio green and Miami red, was a bitter affair, not unlike the Christmas edition of Rock’em Sock’em Robots. The two bitter rivals jabbed back-and-forth, and when red jabbed with a three-pointer, green countered with a floater.
But when the game concluded, leaving the players drained, Miami prevailed 74-61.
“I thought we fought hard, but Miami was the better team tonight,” said Ohio head coach Tim O’Shea after the game.
Down 6 points with 1:20 to go, Bobcat junior Michael Allen contested Miami junior Eric Pollitz’s layup, knocking Pollitz in the face, resulting in a intentional foul. The RedHawks cashed in with one Pollitz free throw make and possession.
Bobcat senior forward Leon Williams couldn’t make free throws in the second half. He got the ball inside, Miami fouled him, but the result was 5-for-10 from the line en route to 15 points and 11 rebounds. Exiting with 42 seconds, the green crowd gave the departing senior, second in MAC player of the year voting, a standing ovation.
“This is a guy who never missed a practice,” O’Shea said of Williams. “I can’t recall him ever being late. I can’t recall ever having to discipline him at all.
“If in 10 years you ask me who was my favorite player (to coach), if I don’t say Leon (Williams) first, then he’s a close second.”
Williams’ popularity transcends the OU campus, as Miami’s acting coach Jermaine Henderson attested after the game. Before even speaking about the win, he said, “I tip my hat to a guy like Leon Williams. He’s my favorite player to coach against because he brings out the best in you.” (Henderson took the helm for the RedHawks because head coach Charlie Coles was ill.)
A distraught Williams wanted to talk about little else other than to thank the fans after the game. “I love Ohio; it’s been a great four years,” Williams said. “I can’t believe I’m leaving now. It went by so fast.”
However important Williams has been for the Bobcats, O’Shea couldn’t help but to recognize the play of one Redhawk.
After lighting up the Bobcats for 31 points earlier this month, Michael Bramos kept his spark alive, finishing with 23 points off of 7-for-13 shooting. Ohio coach O’Shea placed junior Justin Orr in the starting lineup to stop the junior sharpshooter, but the move was futile.
“Bramos hit some big time shots,” O’Shea said. “He hit some tough, tough shots. .He might be the best player in the league.”
Why the Bobcats lost
Two statistics stood out after the game: bench points and rebounds.
Miami out-rebounded Ohio 42-31, including 15 offensive rebounds leading to 14 second-chance points. Ohio junior Jerome Tillman, the team’s second-leading rebounder with 9, said of surrendering offensive rebounds: “It deflates you.”
As for bench points, Miami tallied 19 to the Bobcats’ 9. But considering Ohio’s 9 came from junior Bubba Walther, who had found a place coming off the bench while still earning top-five player minutes, the only five Bobcats to scratch the scorebook were Williams, Walther, Tillman, Tommie Freeman and Michael Allen.
“Everyone that entered the game gave us something,” Henderson said about his Miami squad.
Notably also, the Bobcats shot a horrendous 37.9 percent from the field, usually allowing Miami multiple shots at the hoop.
Tillman finished with 17 points. Orr tallied 12, and Walther finished with 9 points.
Postseason scenarios for the Bobcats
The Bobcats fell to 19-12 overall with the loss, out of NCAA tournament possibility and a long shot away from the NIT tournament. However, the single-elimination College Basketball Invitational will invite 16 teams to play in its inaugural tournament, which begins on Tuesday. This tourney ends with a three-game championship series.
There are 341 Division 1 basketball programs in the nation. The NCAA takes 65 teams and the NIT takes 32.
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