Ohio did what it had to do, and what any MAC team has to do, to get into the NCAA Tournament.
The Bobcats (27-7) strung together three straight wins in the MAC Tournament last week -- including a 64-63 win over Akron in the championship game -- to claim the conference's automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Ohio was rewarded with a No. 13 seed in the Midwest regional and will face No. 4 seed Michigan, the Big Ten regular-season tri-champion, in Nashville, Tenn., on Friday.
It's the second trip to the NCAA in three years for Ohio, and the Bobcats come in one seed higher than in their last visit in 2010.
Seeding didn't matter to the 'Cats then, however. Ohio scored one of the biggest upsets in the 2010 bracket when it blew out No. 3 Georgetown in the first round. Ohio has a chance to craft another early win this time. The Bobcats still have junior point guard D.J. Cooper, who directs the offense, leads the team in scoring.
In addition, junior forwards Ivo Baltic and Reggie Keely were on the 2010 team that beat Georgetown, and junior guard Walter Offutt went to the NCAA Tournament as a freshman at Ohio State.
That experience means the Bobcats won't just be happy to be in the same building as Michigan. They want to win.
"We haven't arrived yet," head coach John Groce said. "We're building a program, but we're not there yet."
The Bobcats should be able to play with the Wolverines. Michigan's reliance on the 3-pointer in John Beilein's offense fits in nicely with Ohio's defensive strength; Ohio has ranked in the nation's top 10 all season in 3-point percentage defense.
Michigan freshman point guard Trey Burke and Cooper should be the marquee matchup, and whoever wins that battle will have the upper hand.
Ohio's weakness, a lack of wide-bodies in the lane, won't come into play much against Michigan, which relies on quickness, traps and outside shooting.
The one thing working against Ohio is the lack of the element of surprise. Because of the upset two years ago, and how the two teams match up, several national analysts said the Bobcats should be primed to beat the Wolverines. Michigan will be well aware of both of those facts when the teams meet.
NOTES, QUOTES
Ohio in familiar role as NCAA Tournament underdog
--Ohio is in the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years, and the third time in eight seasons. The Bobcats' last two trips to the NCAA resulted in a near-upset and a massive upset. In 2005, Ohio came within a play of beating Florida in the first round at Nashville, where the Bobcats will play Michigan on Friday. In 2010, Ohio blew out No. 3 Georgetown in a first-round game in Providence. As a No. 13 seed this season, Ohio is again an underdog to win even one game.
--Ohio junior PG D.J. Cooper was miffed he didn't receive more consideration for MAC Player of the Year. He made up for it by being the easy choice for the MAC Tournament MVP. In Ohio's three conference tournament wins, Cooper averaged 19.7 points, 6.3 assists and 2.0 steals. He also was sharp from long range as he converted a combined 12 of 27 (44.4 percent) from the 3-point arc.
Cooper was sensational in the upset over Georgetown in 2010, and won't be awed by the Wolverines.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "It's a great feeling regardless of who you're playing. You get in the tournament, you see your name flash up there and it's exciting. It's not an easy task to get to the NCAA Tournament." -- Ohio coach John Groce
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
SCOUTING REPORT: Offensively, Ohio goes as junior PG D.J. Cooper goes. Cooper, First Team All-MAC and MAC Tournament MVP, is the rare point guard who can both score 20 points and set up teammates. Cooper's job becomes easier if off-guards Walter Offutt and Nick Kellogg are effective on the offensive end. Ohio is long and lean in the paint, and has good runners and leapers in forwards Jon Smith, Ivo Baltic and Reggie Keely. Keely is the team's best post-up option, Smith picks up tons of garbage plays and Baltic has a good mid-range game. The Bobcats also have depth, with nine players seeing regular minutes. Sophomore wing T.J. Hall was huge in the MAC Tournament, and sophomore guard Ricardo Johnson is the team's best one-on-one defender. Speaking of defense, Ohio augments its suspect half-court offense with transition points sparked by the team's turnover creating abilities. Ohio forces 18 turnovers a game, and led the MAC in turnover ratio.
FUTURES WATCH: Ohio could really use another post player who can score from the block. The Bobcats hope they've added one with the addition of transfer Kadeem Green, a 6-foot-8 forward from Missouri. Ohio doesn't know yet if Green will be eligible to play -- he applied for a waiver to be eligible in December after leaving Mizzou in January -- but if is then he'll get a chance to produce early. Ohio has just junior PF Reggie Keely as a consistent post-up threat.
REGULAR SEASON REVIEW: Ohio re-invented itself this season as a more consistent, defensive-oriented ballclub. The Bobcats roared out to a 12-1 start, overcame a couple of dips in league play, and finished with the most wins in a season in program history after winning eight of its final nine contests. Ohio has been good enough defensively to stay in every game and with junior PG D.J. Cooper running the show the 'Cats have been solid in finishing off close games down the stretch.
ROSTER REPORT
--Sophomore guard Ricardo Johnson is fully recovered form the back injury that caused him to essentially miss three straight games at the end of the regular season. The 6-4 defensive stopper played his usual minutes in Ohio's three MAC Tournament games and should be ready to help Ohio in defending the Michigan backcourt of Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr. in the NCAA Tournament.
--Freshman PG Stevie Taylor knows full well how effective Burke can be. The two are friends and have played with, or against, each other on the AAU circuit since early elementary school. During their senior high school seasons in Columbus, Burke hit the winning shot to bounce Taylor's team from the post season tournament. "It's funny how me and Trey always end up playing each other," Taylor said. "He ended my season my senior year. Playing him again, hopefully it's a different outcome."
--The status of freshman forward TyQuane Goard for the NCAA Tournament is still uncertain. Goard was not on Ohio's trip to Cleveland for the MAC Tournament as coach John Groce said the first-year player wasn't meeting academic responsibilities. The winter quarter doesn't end until after the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament so Goard is not technically academically ineligible, but may still be barred from participating. Goard was the 10th player in the Ohio rotation and usually the fourth forward used.
