This is a Men’s/Women’s DH with the women starting around 3:30. Both games are Miami at Ohio. We did the same thing with them earlier in the year and swept both games and had 7,889 in attendance, which I suspect is the largest MAC crowd of the season (anybody care to check?) Even if it is , I suspect Saturday’s crowd will top that, maybe by a lot. I love the DH’s and will be there for both games. This brings back memories of when I used to go to all MAC Saturday away games when the teams used to even travel together on the same bus.
Miami is 21-7 (12-3). Ohio is 15-13 (9-6) They were the preseason pick to win the MAC, we were picked for 6th. We beat them 73 to 69 in Oxford. Preseason MAC POY AJ Clayton missed 3 games with an injury, ours was one of them. If you want to accomplish a lot with one comment, Just say I hate AJ, as they have 3 of them: AJ Clayton, AJ Brown, and Ajay Sheldon.
Last Saturday night they hosted Akron and gave them their only MAC loss 84-67. Tuesday they travelled to Western Michigan and lost 82-73. Here are their players:
6-8 SR AJ Clayton 14.2/5.5 35% on 3’s
6-4 Soph AJ Brown 13.4/3.3
6-2 Junior Jackson Paveletzke 13.4/4.3 30% on 3’s
6-1 GS Shariff Mitchell 12.9/3.1 44% on 3’s
6-3 Junior Elmore James 7.5/2.4 36% on 3’s
6-1 Junior Ajay Sheldon
6-3 FR Elliott
6-9 GS Vic Searles
First time we played them Suder had 15, Craft and Ipsaro 14 each. For the Bobcats, it was Mitchell with 20, Brown with 15, and Paveletzke 11.
It has been a long time since we have won in the Convo, and it would be the high point of their season if they win.
So, I haven’t done the math, but I’m wondering what’s the best scenario for us to not just secure the 2-seed, which seems assured, but face the most favorable 3-seed, if the tournament follows form.
Obviously, you have to beat the best to be the best, but what 3-seed is our most favorable opponent on paper?
Right now, I sense we’d like to avoid Kent.
Does that mean we’d prefer OU or Toledo?
And, does that mean we’re rooting for Akron right now against Kent?
And, does that mean, God help me, we’re ambivalent about Saturday’s game against OU (I only use the word ambivalent because I can’t say what I’m really inferring).
Toledo seems to be floundering.
The 3-seed would appear to be up for OU and Kent.
Who do we want, if we reach the tournament semis?
Not rooting for a moral victory, but if we battle and lose a close one it won’t be a bad sign IMO. If we get overwhelmed like against Akron again, I’ll be pretty concerned about whether we have the ability to beat multiple good teams in consecutive days…
11 years ago today I watched the Penguins get absolutely blasted at Soldier Field in what remains far and away the coldest I’ve ever been in my life. Beer was turning into beer slushies, like instantly.
