Ohio University Bobcats

[ScriptOhio]

Men's Basketball: Jason Preston and Ben Vander Plas lead Ohio back to the NCAA Tournament

The night before they were set to play the biggest game of their careers, roommates Jason Preston and Ben Vander Plas laid in a Renaissance Cleveland Hotel room restless over the opportunity at stake.

In just a few hours, they would play in the Mid American Conference Tournament final. But instead of talking about the future, they discussed the past. Specifically when they first became teammates and how much their friendship had grown over three seasons playing together.

Vander Plas and Preston spent many restless nights in different hotels and motels imagining the feeling of hoisting a MAC Championship trophy over their heads. On Saturday night, after defeating No.2 seed Buffalo 84-69 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, their dream became a reality.

“We were talking about it last night. For J’s (Preston) visit to OU, I remember going to dinner with him,” Vander Plas said. “And to see where we are now, it’s just a crazy moment and I’m thankful to be where we are right now.”

Preston’s 22 points, seven assists and six rebounds and Vander Plas’ clutch shooting and stand out defense led Ohio to its first MAC title since 2012, and an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. Together Vander Plas and Preston answered questions to the media, but as a team, Ohio destroyed the defending MAC Champion Bulls.

Entire article: https://www.thepostathens.com/artic...-preston-and-ben-vander-plas-mac-championship

Remarkable story on Jason Preston:



Check out his stats: https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/4397916/jason-preston

 

[ScriptOhio]

Why Ohio can upset Virginia

The bracket is out, and I know you’re looking for that big upset pick. Look no further than the 13-4 game at the top of the bracket. The Ohio Bobcats were a surprise winner of the MAC, taking the title in Cleveland as a 5 seed, and can beat Virginia in the First Round.

Here’s why the Bobcats can beat the Cavaliers:

They’re on a roll
Ohio is 9-1 in its last 10 games, with its only loss being to Buffalo, which it eventually beat in the MAC Championship. The Bobcats weathered a COVID pause in February, but came back without missing a beat. Four of their 10 wins since Jan. 16 have come against top-100 KenPom teams.

Jason Preston is a stud and he has plenty around him
In order for Ohio to win the MAC Tournament, Jason Preston needed to play well, and the team followed his cue. Preston was just a few blocks away from a 5x5, dropping 22 points, six rebounds, seven assists and five steals in the championship game. His scoring led the team, but the Bobcats had three players with 15-plus points in their 84-point output against Buffalo. Preston led the team with 22.7 points per game during the tournament, with four of their five starters averaging in double figures, and the fifth averaging 9.7 points per game.

The scoring for the Bobcats really is a team effort with Preston as the leader. According to KenPom, Ohio has the 29th-best offense in the country, scoring 113.7 points per 100 possessions. They’re not necessarily a fast-paced team, but sit in the top half of the country in tempo, averaging 69.3 possessions per game. They’ll need to try to play their brand of basketball, though, as Virginia ranks dead last in tempo by almost two possessions per game. For Ohio to win, it needs to take control of the ballgame, and speeding up possessions is a way to do that. Due to the difference in tempo, Ohio averages 13 more points per game than Virginia, scoring upwards of 80 per game. If the Bobcats can make this a first-to-80 shootout, they’ll definitely be at an advantage.

Entire article: https://www.midmajormadness.com/202...s-virginia-cavaliers-upset-2021-jason-preston

Ohio Bobcats March Madness Outlook

The Ohio Bobcats were the surprise winner of the 2020-21 MAC Tournament. Led by the Bobcats’ floor general guard, Ohio had a margin of victory of +14.7 per game in their conference tournament. To clarify, no team in the NCAA Tournament would be excited to see Ohio right now. With March Madness beginning at the end of the week, the Bobcats’ offense is blazing hot at the perfect time.

High Powered Offense
Ohio’s productive offense is 29th in the country according to Kenpom. In addition, the Bobcats pour in 80.4 points per contest while shooting an extremely efficient 48.7%. Ohio is 14th in the country in both points per game and field goal percentage. Continuing, the Bobcats are ninth with 29.5 shots made per game. Four Bobcat players average 12+ points per game, these players include Jason Preston, Dwight Wilson, Ben Vander Plas and Ben Roderick.

Moreover, Ohio’s high-scoring offense can be credited to their good ball movement. Ranked sixth, they average 17.6 assists per game. In result, the Bobcats rank 13th by averaging 1.448 assists per turnovers. Ohio’s lead assist man is Preston who averages 7.2 assists per game. Preston’s assist total is seventh in college basketball.

The heart of the Bobcat offense is the outstanding guard Preston. The Bobcat guard is a jack of all trades averaging 16.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 7.2 assists. Most importantly, Preston is very efficient shooting 53% and 40.8% from three. In summary, Preston is one of the better mid-major guards in the country and could lead Ohio to some major upsets.

Entire article: https://thegamehaus.com/college-basketball/ohio-bobcats-march-madness-outlook/2021/03/16/

 

[Jake]

 

[DZ83CK]

Thank you for winning

 

[ScriptOhio]

Former Ohio State assistant coach and current Ohio University head coach Jeff Boals is one win away from reaching the Sweet 16 after his Bobcats dumped No. 4 seed Virginia in the NCAA Tournament.