Notes provided by Ohio Sports Information
The Ohio University men's basketball team will take part in the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years when it plays on Friday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. The Bobcats are the No. 13 seed in the Midwest Region and they open with No. 4 Michigan at 6:20 CST (7:20 EST).
The Michigan-Ohio winner will advance to the third round to face the winner of No. 5 seed and No. 12 seed California/South Florida on Sunday (March 18) for a spot in the Midwest Region semifinals in St. Louis, Mo. Game times are TBA.
Ian Eagle, Jim Spanarkal and Lewis Johnson will have the call on TNT, Brad Sham and Pete Gillen will have the radio call on Dial Global One/SiriusXM and as always, you can hear all the action as Voice of the Bobcats Russ Eisenstein will have the play-by-play call on the Citizens Banks IMG Ohio Sports Network with Rob Cornelius providing the color commentary.
The official Ohio University athletics watch party will be held at Buffalo Wild Wings on Union Street this Friday for the men's basketball team's trip to the NCAA Tournament in Nashville, Tenn.
Come cheer on the Bobcats as they take on Michigan. The watch party begins at 7 p.m. Fans who attend the watch party will be treated to drink specials and prizes.
Team autographed jerseys, basketballs and other fan gear will be raffled off to those in attendance.
The Bobcats punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament after it defeated Akron 64-63 in the 2012 MAC Championship title game. Ohio enters the tournament with a school-record 27-7 record.
BOBCAT NOTES
- This will be the 13th appearance in the NCAA Tournament for Ohio as the Bobcats won their sixth Mid-American Conference title since 1983
- The Bobcats have a 5-13 all-time record (lost a Regional Third Place Game in 1960) and will be making their second trip to the tournament under Head Coach John Groce
- Ohio's best finish in the NCAA Tournament was in 1964 when the Bobcats reached the regional finals and lost to Michigan, 69-57. The Green and White are 0-3 all-time against the Maize and Blue
- Since seeding was implemented at the NCAA Tournament, Ohio has been a double-digit seed every time, topping out as a No. 11 seed in 1983
- The only other time Ohio was a No. 13 seed, it lost to Florida in the 2005 First Round, 67-62. That game also took place in Nashville
- The Bobcats have also played a NCAA Tournament game in Knoxville, losing to Marquette in the 1972 First Round
- The state of Tennessee hasn't been kind to the Bobcats as their 2011 season ended with a loss at ETSU in the CIT. The Bobcats also lost to UT in the NCAA Tournament to close the 2010 campaign
- The Bobcats have 27 wins on the season, surpassing the previous single-season mark of 25 set by the 1993-94 team
- Ohio reached the 20-win mark faster than any other Bobcat team and for the 13th time in program history
- Ohio's 12-1 start to the season tied the best start for a program in team history, matching the 1920-21 and 1939-40 squads
- The Bobcats are fourth in the nation in steals per contest (9.4), fifth in the nation in turnover margin (+4.4) and rank 13th nationally in guarding the perimeter (29.6%)
- Ohio is also excelling in turning its opponents over, ranking No. 1 in the nation in turnover percentage according to KenPom's national standings (27.4%)
- This year's Bobcat team is ranked third all-time, limiting its opponents to 62.4 points per game. The 1983-84 team holds the record at 58.7 points per game
- Overall, the record for the Bobcats under Coach Groce when they are able to hold their opponents under 70 points is 60-19 (.759)
A LOOK AT THE WOLVERINES
Michigan is 24-9 overall and posted a 13-5 record in Big Ten Conference play to claim a share of its first Big Ten title since 1986, a span of 26 years. The Wolverines' 24-9 record continues to be the best start for Michigan under fifth-year head coach John Beilein and marks the third 20-win season in the last four years. It marks the first time Michigan has earned back-to-back tournament berths since 1995 and `96.
Freshman guard Trey Burke was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year by the media, All-Big Ten second team from coaches and media, and a unanimous selection to the conference all-freshman team. He is averaging 14.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists. He has scored in double figures 28 times and broke U-M's 27-year-old record for freshman assists in a single season, previously held by U-M legend Gary Grant (140, 1984-85).
Senior guard Zack Novak, an All-Big Ten honorable mention is the second three-time captain in program history. Novak is averaging a career-best 9.5 points to go along with 4.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. He garnered Academic All-America recognition and was a finalist for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award.