Ohio Men’s Basketball Heads to BGSU Tuesday Night

On Feb 28, 2022

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ATHENS, Ohio — The Ohio men’s basketball team (23-5, 14-3 MAC) begins the final week of the regular season on Tuesday, March 1 when the Bobcats head to Bowling Green (12-17, 5-13 MAC). Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. inside the Stroh Center. The Bobcats matchup will be seen on ESPN+.

The Bobcats’ matchup can also be heard on the Ohio Sports Network from Learfield. Russ Eisenstein returns for his 14th season as the “Voice of the Bobcats” and will be joined by Ohio alum Rob Cornelius, who has been a part of the broadcasts for two decades. WXTQ (Power 105) in Athens returns as the 11-station network’s flagship.

STORYLINES
• With two games to go, the Bobcats have already clinched a spot to Cleveland for the 2022 MAC Tournament.
• This game is the second matchup between the Bobcats and Falcons this season.
• Ohio is coming off of a 91-83 loss against Bowling Green Friday night.
• Third-year head coach Jeff Boals recorded his 100th career win on Jan 4 at Akron.
• This is the 152nd all-time meeting between Ohio and BGSU.
• Bowling Green leads the all-time series, 81-70.
• The Bobcats and Bowling Green last met on Jan. 11, 2022, with the Bobcats defeating the Falcons, 85-78 in Athens.
• The Bobcats are 10-12 against BGSU since the 2010-11 season.
• Ohio’s 23 wins is the sixth-most in program history.
• Mark Sears has been named the MAC Player of the Week five times this season, with the most recent coming on Jan. 31.
• The Bobcats are currently first in the MAC in turnover margin at +4.14.
• Ohio is ranked 102nd in the latest NET rankings released on Feb. 28.
• Ohio is the second-highest-ranked MAC school, behind Toledo at 78.
• Meanwhile, BGSU is ranked 282.
• The Bobcats rank 12th in the country in turnover margin.
• Mark Sears ranks second in the MAC in scoring, second in free throw percentage, fifth in steals and second in minutes.
• Mark Sears is 10th in the country in free throw percentage and 10th in free throws made (148-of-164). He is also tied for 32nd in the country in points per game.
• The Bobcats are finished the season 15-2 in the Convo. The Bobcats went 15-1 in the Convo during the 2012-13 season and 17-1 during the 2011-12 season.
• Ohio has registered an impressive 541-178 (.756) all-time record at the Convocation Center, which opened in 1968.

SCOUTING BOWLING GREEN
Bowling Green enters the matchup with the Bobcats with a 12-17 record and a 5-13 mark in MAC play, after falling to Bowing Green, 78-67 on Feb 26.

As a team, Bowling Green averages 81.1 points a game, while shooting 43.6 percent from the field, 34.1 percent from three and 74.3 percent from the line. The Falcons average 39.2 rebounds, 12.6 assists and 7.5 steals a game. Bowling Green also averages 3.3 blocks a game and turn the ball over an average of 12.2 times a game.

Opponents average 80.1 points and are shooting 44.7 percent from the field, 34.6 percent from three and 74.6 percent from the line. BGSU’s opponents also average 38.0 rebounds and 14.0 assists per game, while adding 6.3 steals and 2/6 blocks. Opponents also turn the ball over an average of 13.4 times a game.

Individually, Daeqwon Ploeden averages 15.6 points a game, while shooting .408 from the field, .339 from three and .794 from the line. He also adds 7.0 boards a game. Trey Diggs adds 9.5 points a game and 4.6 rebounds a game.

SCOUTING OHIO
Ohio enters the matchup with Bowling Green with a 23-6 record overall and a 14-4 record in MAC play after falling to Akron, 91-83 on Friday in Athens.

The Bobcats average 74.8 points a game, while shooting .438 from the field, .341 from three and .731 from the line. The Bobcats grab 33.9 rebounds a game, while dishing out an average of 13.1 assists and registering 7.7 steals a game. Ohio is averaging 10.6 turnovers a game.

Meanwhile, opponents are averaging 67.3 points a game, while shooting .442 from the field, .314 from three and .762 from the line. Opponents are averaging 34.6 rebounds, 11.2 assists and 14.7 turnovers a game.

Individually, Ohio is led by guard Mark Sears who is averaging 19.3 points a game, while shooting .456 from the field, .429 from three and .902 from the line. Forward Jason Carter is adding 14.0 points and 6.4 rebounds a game, while forward Ben Vander Plas is averaging 13.7 points a game, 6.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists.

ALL TIME VS. BGSU
This is the 152nd all-time meeting between Ohio and BGSU.

Bowling Green leads the all-time series, 81-70.

The Bobcats and Bowling Green last met on Jan. 11, 2022, with the Bobcats defeating the Falcons, 85-78 in Athens.

The Bobcats are 10-12 against BGSU since the 2010-11 season.

LAST TIME AGAINST BOWLING GREEN
The Bobcats defeated BGSU, 85–78 on Jan. 11 in Athens.

Leading the Bobcats was Jason Carter who scored 22 points, went 9-of-14 from the field, 4-of-7 from the line, grabbed eight rebounds and recorded three assists. Mark Sears followed with 19, grabbing six rebounds and going 10-of-10 at the line. Tommy Schmock added a season-high 17 points, going 4-of-7 for the three and collecting seven rebounds. AJ Clayton added a career-high 12 points, nine of which came from threes.

Overall, Ohio shot 44 percent from the field, 31 percent from the three, and went 23-of-30 from the line, while Bowling Green shot 43 percent from the field, 39 percent from the three, and went 11-of-15 at the line. The Bobcats had 20 rebounds to the Falcons 14 and posted eight assists to their seven.

For Bowling Green, Daeqwon Plowden and Myron Gordon scored 18 points apiece, with Plowden collecting eight rebounds and Gordon recording four assists.

LAST TIME OUT
The Bobcats are coming off of a 91-83 loss to Akron Friday night in Athens.

Overall, Ohio shot 48 percent from the field, 42 percent from three and went 8-of-13 from the line, while Akron shot 63 percent from the field, 27 percent from three and were 27-of-35 from the line. Akron outrebounded Ohio, 33-23, while Ohio dished out 15 assists to Akron’s 11. Ohio also forced 11 Akron turnovers.

Individually, sophomore guard Mark Sears (Muscle Shoals, Ala.) led Ohio with 20 points, going 4-for-7 from three, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out seven assists. Redshirt senior forward Ben Vander Plas (Ripon, Wis.) scored 17 points and grabbed four rebounds, while redshirt fifth year forward Jason Carter (Johnstown, Ohio) added 17 points and four rebounds. Senior guard Tommy Schmock (Cleveland, Ohio) scored 14 points, while junior guard Miles Brown (Rochester, N.Y.) added 11 points and hit three threes for the Bobcats.

For Akron, Ali Ali scored 22 points, Greg Tribble added 17 points and Enrique Freeman scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds.

OHIO IN THE NET
Ohio is ranked 102nd in the latest NET rankings released on Feb. 28.

Ohio is the second-highest-ranked MAC school, behind Toledo at 78.

Meanwhile, BGSU is ranked 282.

OHIO IN THE NCAA
The Bobcats rank 12th in the country in turnover margin.

Mark Sears is 10th in the country in free throw percentage and 10th in free throws made (148-of-164). He is also tied for 32nd in the country in points per game.

OHIO IN THE MAC
Mark Sears ranks second in the MAC in scoring, second in free throw percentage, fifth in steals and second in minutes.

Jason Carter is seventh in blocked shots (30).

Ben Vander Plas is third in the league in minutes played (35.1) and seventh in rebounding.

Sears and Tommy Schmock rank third and fifth, respectively in the league in three-point field goal percentage.

Meanwhile, Ohio is first in turnover margin (+4.14), fifth in free throw percentage, third in assist/TO ratio (1.24) and first in steals (7.7).

BVP TRIPLE DOUBLE
On Feb. 22 against CMU, Ben Vander Plas recorded his first career triple double, scoring 10 point, grabbed 10 boards and dished out 10 assists.

It is the fourth triple double in men’s basketball history (DJ Cooper(1), Jason Preston (2)).

It is overall the sixth triple double in Ohio basketball history with women’s basketball players CeCe Hooks and Erica Johnson who each have one.

23 FROM 22 ON 2/22/22
On Feb. 22 against CMU, Tommy Schmock had a career night, scoring a DI career-high 23 points while draining seven made threes in the victory.

SEARS AT THE LINE
Mark Sears continues his solid season at the free throw line. The sophomore is shooting 90.0 percent (148-of-164), which ranks him second in the MAC and 10th in the country in free throw percentage and 10th in free throws made.

MILES STEPPING UP
Junior guard Miles Brown is stepping up in his new starting role.

In 27 games, Brown is averaging 6.9 points and is shooting .422 from the field, .370 from three and is .737 from the…