Just 12 months ago, the Bobcats saw their season end in a road test at Middle Tennessee as part of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament in front of a less than full house.
In 2011-12, Ohio's season came to end in overtime against top-seeded North Carolina in the Midwest Regional semifinals of the NCAA Tournament inside a loud and noisy dome.
Yeah, that's progress.
The Bobcats (29-8) had arguably the best season in the history of the program. Ohio set a single-season school record for wins, put up an impressive 16-1 home record, won the Mid-American Conference tournament for the second time in three seasons, and then pulled off a pair of upsets in the NCAA Tournament to reach the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1964.
Ohio started 12-1 to tie the program's best ever start, and then finished the year by winning 10 of its last 12 games. The Bobcats, as a No. 13 seed, become the highest-seeded team to reach the Sweet 16 since 2006, and they nearly become the first team seeded 13th or worse to bump off a No. 1 seed.
The Bobcats were the tournament's Cinderella story this year, and they came within one play of their biggest shocker before falling short against the Tar Heels.
Fourth-year coach John Groce chafed at the underdog label during the tournament, and he thought his team could have -- perhaps should have -- defeated North Carolina to keep its season alive.
"This team has been pretty consistent throughout the year," he said. "We had a couple hiccups along the way, but our success wasn't something that just came out of nowhere at the end of the year."
Ohio worked transfers Walter Offutt (Ohio State/Wright State) and Jon Smith (St. Louis) into the starting lineup seamlessly and improved on the defensive end of the floor. The Bobcats ranked in the nation's top 10 most of the season in steals, turnover ratio and turnovers forced.
Junior point guard D.J. Cooper blossomed at the end of the season -- he averaged 19.8 points and 6.4 assists in MAC tournament and the first two rounds of the NCAA -- while the rest of Ohio's young players blended into their assorted roles.
As good as this season was for the Bobcats, they are eager to begin the chase all over again. Ohio returns the top nine players in its rotation, and it adds a freshman and a Division I transfer.
"This hurts right now," Offutt said after the loss to North Carolina. "But we did a lot of good things this year. With everybody back, we're going to be as hungry again next year.
NOTES, QUOTES
Ohio is MAC's standard-bearer in NCAA Tournament
--Ohio is 7-14 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, but three of those wins have come in the past three seasons under current coach John Groce. Ohio is 3-3 in the NCAA under Groce, while the rest of the Mid-American Conference is 0-6 in NCAA play since 2004.
--Ohio's 29 wins this season were a program record, as the team reached the 20-win mark for the 13th time in its history. The Bobcats reached 20 wins this season faster than any other group in the program's history, and they tied the best-ever start for an Ohio team with a 12-1 record through the first 13 games.
--The Bobcats were nearly untouchable at home in the Convocation Center, where Ohio was 16-1 this season. The 'Cats were a perfect 8-0 at home in conference play, and the 16 wins also were a program record.
FINAL RECORD: 29-8, 11-5, third place in MAC East Division.
2010-11 SEASON RECAP: Despite working in two new starters, Ohio started hot and won 12 of its first 13 games. The offense went in the tank during the early part of conference play, but Ohio was able to grind out wins with its improved defense. The season appeared to go off the rails in mid-February, however, when Ohio dropped consecutive road games sub-200 RPI opponents Toledo and Eastern Michigan, but the Bobcats turned it into a positive by rallying together. From that point on, Ohio played its best basketball of the season. The Bobcats won the MAC tournament with three close wins, then upset No. 4 seed Michigan and No. 12 seed South Florida in the NCAA Tournament. Ohio capped the season with a dramatic overtime loss to No. 1 North Carolina in the regional semifinals. Ohio led four times inside the final 10 minutes and had two shots to win in regulation but couldn't convert. The Tar Heels pulled away in overtime.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "It's been a great ride, and I can't think of any other guys I'd rather go through it with." -- Junior F Reggie Keely.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
THE GOOD NEWS: Ohio should be able to pick up right where it left off. The Bobcats return all five starters and essentially the entire roster. In addition, the Bobcats will have more pieces at their disposal as Missouri transfer Kadeem Green (6-foot-8 forward) joins the team this spring and high school sharpshooter Caris LeVert (6-6 wing) becomes a Bobcat this fall.
THE BAD NEWS: Ohio will be sweating out the spring to see if fourth-year head coach John Groce gets an offer he can't refuse. Groce is a rising star in the coaching ranks, and the exposure he received during the Bobcats' tournament run could lead to some hard looks from power conference programs looking for a new hire. If Groce leaves, Ohio's core of returners could be looking to start over once again.
KEY RETURNEES: Ohio returns 99 percent of its production from the season, but PG D.J. Cooper and G Walter Offutt are the two biggest. Cooper is a two-time first-team All-MAC selection and one of the best in the country at his position. Offutt was Ohio's second leading scorer this season, and he was the team's best defender. In addition, forwards Ivo Baltic and Reggie Keely both now have two years of experience as frontline players, while sophomores Nick Kellogg and Jon Smith are returning starters.
PLAYER NOTES:
--Junior PG D.J. Cooper led Ohio in scoring (14.9 ppg), assists (5.7) and steals (2.3) for a second consecutive season. Cooper is Ohio's all-time leader in assists and steals, a two-time first-team All-MAC selection.. He should be a front-runner for the conference's Player of the Year award next winter.
--Junior G Walter Offutt was an honorable mention All-MAC choice and was second on the team with 12.0 ppg in his first season as a Bobcat. He helped mold Ohio into a better defensive team, and he shined against North Carolina when he outplayed future lottery pick Harrison Barnes.
--Sophomore G Nick Kellogg started every game this season and shot better than 40 percent from 3-point range for a second consecutive season.
--Junior F Ivo Baltic had an OK season; he averaged 8.9 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. However, he turned into exclusively a jump shooter down the stretch, as he took just two free throws in Ohio's final 13 games.
--Junior F Reggie Keely became Ohio's lone consistent low-post threat. The team's sixth man led all Ohio bigs with 9.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.
--Senior F/C Kenny Belton was not an active member of the roster after January, but Ohio hopes the 6-foot-9, 280-pounder will be granted a sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA for a medical hardship. Belton missed three seasons while at Cincinnati, where he graduated. He transferred as a graduate student to Ohio and spend the season trying to get back into basketball shape.
--Freshman F TyQuane Goard may be the only loss from the roster. The 6-foot-7 first-year player was expected to announce a transfer to another institution in March.
