GAME PREVIEW

at Marshall, March 15, CIT first round

KEY MATCHUPS
The teams met in the regular season and the Thundering Herd's athleticism caused Ohio problems. Marshall owned the glass 41-30 and forced the Bobcats into 33 percent shooting and 18 turnovers. PG D.J. Cooper had 22 points but was just 8-of-21 from the field. Then, as now, Cooper remains the critical cog for Ohio. When the sophomore is hitting, Ohio can compete with nearly anyone. When he's off, things become much more difficult for the Bobcats. Ohio should be better equipped to battle the Herd in the paint however. Senior DeVaughn Washington and sophomore Ivo Baltic were not effective in the first meeting, but both have made big strides since then.

SCOUTING REPORT
Ohio prefers to keep the game up-tempo, and will rely on quick hitters to try to generate good looks early in the shot clock. PG D.J. Cooper excels at pushing the pace, and finding teammates, but has a tendency to take questionable shots. With proven shooters Tommy Freeman and Nick Kellogg on the wings, and athletic forwards DeVaughn Washington and Ivo Baltic running the floor and possessing decent mid-range games, the Bobcats have plenty of offensive options. Marshall won the first game by being able to force the Bobcats to execute in extended half-court sets. Expect the Herd to try to replicate the plan this time around.

PLAYER NOTES

--Sophomore PG D.J. Cooper, a first-team All-MAC pick, enters the postseason second in the country in assists with more than 7.5 per game. Cooper has set the single-season Ohio record for assists in his first two years with the Bobcats, and is also the team's leading scorer with better than 16 points per game.

--Senior SG Tommy Freeman has shot better than 44 percent from 3-point range for three consecutive seasons and is Ohio's all-time leader in 3-point field goals. He has been slumping of late however, with just five makes in his last three games combined.

--Sophomore PF Ivo Baltic was just becoming a starter when Ohio met Marshall back in the December. Since then, Baltic has developed into a consistent scorer with a nice array of offensive moves around the bucket. Playing with more confidence, Baltic shot over 55 percent from the field in MAC play.

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