Now struggling ’Cats wish they could have last week back

It has not been an easy week for the Ohio University men's basketball squad. The Bobcats had been riding high after a six-game winning streak that saw the team seemingly master the art of winning the close, ugly games that it had trouble finishing off in years past.

Then the team traveled north, and fortunes for the Bobcats' season changed radically.

Ohio, which has hovered right below Akron in the MAC East standings for the majority of the season, dropped two games this week to middling MAC West squads, the kind of teams that conference championship-caliber teams should beat.

First, the Bobcats blew a 15-point first half lead in about 12 minutes Wednesday at Toledo and ended up falling to the team that was tied for worst record in the conference. Then on Saturday, Ohio mustered just 17 points in the first half at Eastern Michigan, and was never able to get within striking distance in the second half before falling 68-55.

In two games, the Bobcats went from being the subject of legitimate conversations about whether or not the MAC could produce two NCAA Tournament teams for the first time in over a decade, to being tied for fourth in a six-team division. In less than a week, Ohio's RPI, the unofficial criteria for choosing NCAA Tournament teams, has dropped from a competitive standing in the mid-70s to a mediocre RPI of 99.

Ohio now has no chance to get an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

So what has been different in the past two games? How has this team suddenly gone from a tourney bubble team to a middle-of-the-pack squad in a week?

It would be easy to point to the three-point shooting. It's one of the most common things for fans to notice: a team that consistently tries three-pointers and misses a lot more than they make. Ohio has had a penchant for shooting quick three-pointers, which, when they are missing the shots, takes the team out of its fast-paced offense and can lead to easy transition points for the opponent.

Lately, the Bobcats have been missing from three-point range and missing badly.

Ohio is shooting just 30.3 percent from three-point territory this season, the third-worst percentage in the conference. Compounding the problem is the plethora of threes the Bobcats launch. Ohio has attempted 234 three-pointers this season, most in the conference.

The third-worst percentage and the most attempts is not a recipe for efficiency.

But what has seemed to hurt the Bobcats even more is their lack of identity on offense. Based on the statistics, they seem to be a three-point-shooting team. A quick look at the personnel, however, and it reveals a decidedly different type of squad.

Let's take a look at what each of the top three scorers do best.

First, there's D.J. Cooper. The enigmatic point guard has been maddeningly inconsistent shooting the ball all season. His game should rely on driving to the bucket, finishing at the rim, and getting points in transition. The offense rarely looks in sync when he is the leading scorer.

Then there is Walter Offutt, who has been maybe the most consistent offensive player in the past two weeks. Offutt has the makeup of the team's leading scorer. He can shoot the three but he is better when driving to the hoop on the baseline and finishing in transition; at these times this team is difficult to guard.

Now take Ivo Baltic, who has scored more than eight points just once in his last five games. Baltic has the quickness and skill to finish around the rim, but a recent knee injury held him to just four minutes in the Eastern Michigan game.

So what's the common denominator between those players' skill sets?

They all involve scoring around the rim. The Bobcats may not have 7-footers or dominant post players, but they have the tools to be a really difficult team to match up with if they consistently pound the paint.

The sooner they realize their main strength, the better their chances of winning the conference tournament will be.