Saturday's Ohio vs. Virginia NCAA tournament game pits a No. 13 seed (Ohio) against a No. 4 seed (Virginia). The former, meanwhile, was ranked No. 15 in the Associated Press Week 17 poll, which was released March. 14.
So be it ... but the calendar also . . .
Some prognosticators (e.g. Joe Lunardi, Jay Bilas) have, in fact, embraced Ohio in an upset. Could it happen?
Sure, why not?
Historically, since the expanded NCAA tourney bracket (1985), No. 13 seeds have won 20.7 percent of the contests. Perhaps the biggest was in 1985 when a David Robinson-led Navy team defeated LSU 78-55. I walked in to see the end of that game and nearly saw another upset as Ron Harper-led Miami (Ohio) fell to Maryland 69-68 in overtime.
So what about the Bobcats? Do they have the stuff to make it happen?
They've certainly demonstrated the ability to both overcome and win. During the regular season, Ohio (16-7) had 11 games postponed or cancelled due to Covid issues before running off three straight impressive wins to take the Mid-American Conference tournament championship. The tourney string included wins over Kent State (85-63), No. 1 seed Toledo (87-80) and three-time defending champ Buffalo (84-69).
When the Bobcats get on a roll, they are tough to stop. Ohio ranks 13th nationally in effective field goal percentage (55.8%) and all five starters average in double figures. The variety of offensive weapons, coupled with a willingness to share (17.9 assists per game/sixth nationally) makes it difficult for teams to take out one player and effectively criple the offense.
No doubt, any opponent will try to limit guard Jason Preston, who leads Ohio scoring with 16.6 ppg. However, he also dishes out 7.2 assists per contest with a wealth of options. Among those on the receiving end are Dwight Wilson III (14.9 ppg), Ben Vander Plas (12.8 ppg), Ben Roderick (12.4 ppg) and Lunden McDay (10.3 ppg).
Overall, the Cavaliers (18-6) are more of a half-court offense and averaged 68.8 ppg during the regular season. Coupled with defense that allowed just 60-5 ppg (sixth nationally), UV was able to finish atop the Atlantic Coast Conference standings with a 13-4 league mark.
Due to covid issues, however, they did not play in the recent Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.
That, of course, has some wondering if there will be any rust in the Cavaliers game. Their last outing was a 72-69 victory over Syracuse March 11. It was Virginia's third straight win after a three-game losing streak in mid-to-late February.
Ohio, meanwhile, missed out on the final week of regular season play, but bounced back in a big way. It's 85.3 ppg during the tournament was even higher than its 80.9 ppg average for the season.
Overall, the 'Cats have hit 48.9 percent from the field and 36.1 precent outside the arc. They knocked down 70.1 at the charity stripe.
Virginia enters post-season play with a team scoring average of 68.6 ppg. The Cavaliers connected on 48.0 percent from the floor and 38.1 percent at long distance. UV registered 81.7 percent from the line.
Ohio may have finished fifth in MAC regular season standings, but the 'Cats have won 9 of their last 10 and were ultra-hot in the MAC tournament. A 13 vs 4 seeding is not something this kind of team will worry about, and if their offense continues to produce, they might just be another one of those March Madness "upsets." Final scores, after all, are the most important numbers.
• The Bobcats are 7-14 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
• This is the 4th all time meeting between Ohio and Virginia.
• Ohio leads the all-time series, 2-1.
• The Bobcats and Virginia last met on Feb. 26, 2003 in Athens, when the Bobcats won, 78-72.
• Ohio also defeated #14 Virginia, 94-83 on Nov. 19, 1994 in the Preseason NIT. Jeff Boals was a member of that team.
• The Bobcats' last trip to the NCAA Tournament happened in 2012, where Ohio defeated Michigan and USF to make it to the Sweet 16, before falling to No.1 seed North Carolina.
• In 2010, the Bobcats defeated Georgetown in the NCAA First Round.
• Dwight Wilson III is currently second in the Nation in field goal percentage.
• Wilson III is on pace to set to break Gary Trent's single season field goal percentage mark (65.1). Wilson III is currently shooting 66.5 percent from the field.
• Jason Preston is sixth in the nation in assists per game.
• Dwight Wilson III is close to 1,000 points. Currently he sits with 986 points.
• Head Coach Jeff Boals is one of eight coaching his alma mater in this year's tournament.
• Junior Jason Preston surpassed 1,000 career points on March 13 in the MAC Championship game.
• Redshirt junior forward Ben Vander Plas hit the 1,000 point mark on Feb. 25 against Eastern Michigan.
• Jason Preston was named the MAC Tournament MVP, while he and Ben Vander Plas were also named to the All-Tournament team.
• Five Bobcats earned a MAC Post Season Award Jason Preston was named First Team All-MAC, Ben Vander Plas and Dwight Wilson III were named Third Team All-MAC. Mark Sears earned a spot on the All-Freshmen Team. Lunden McDay earned a spot on the All-Defensive Team.