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MAC Tournament Quarterfinals - Miami vs. Ohio
If you haven’t heard, VanDelay Sports is sending me to the MAC Tournament at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland to cover this season’s action. You can expect many short, blog-type updates over the next several days of the tournament. Before Thursday’s games though, let’s take a look at each match-up, focusing on each teams keys to victory.
#4 Miami vs. #5 Ohio
It seems like they play this game every year in Cleveland, this will be the fourth meeting of these two MAC stalwarts since 2001. Miami has blown Ohio out twice this season, but that probably won’t put the RedHawk nation’s mind at ease since OU has sent Miami home the last two times they’ve met in Cleveland.
Miami keys to victory:
- Get Peavy and Pollitz lots of touches inside, let the offense flow through them.
- Exploit Ohio’s weakness at guarding the 3-pt line.
- Force Troutman and Chatman to hit open shots.
Miami has already executed perfect gameplans against the Bobcats this season. Peavy is a huge mismatch for this Bobcats team, and he manages to torch them pretty much everytime he sees guys wearing green and white. Pollitz’s passing skills make him very effective kicking it out from the post. Also, the more Miami works the ball inside the better chance there will be to rack up the fouls on Ohio’s Leon Williams.
On the other end of the court Miami will almost certainly double Leon Williams who has been slow at working around double and triple-teams this season. If they can remember to stay with Halbert and Green, Ohio will have to rely on streaky shooting Sonny Troutman and Antonio Chatman. 
OU Keys to Victory
- Ball movement on offense
- Stopping dribble penetration without too much help defense
- Remembering to guard the 3
Too often Ohio tosses the ball around for 25 seconds before launching flat-footed 3’s. If they hope to have any chance of winning this game, this needs to stop. Leon Williams and Jerome Tillman need to see the ball inside a lot. Sonny Troutman and Mychal Green need to work to create their own shots rather than settling for guarded jumpers, and from there it should free up open looks for Green and Jeff Halbert, OU’s best 3-point shooters.
The Bobcats are probably going to get beaten on the boards by Miami, but they can’t get outrebounded too badly. If nothing else, the Bobcat defense needs to work hard at staying in front of their men on defense, so help defense doesn’t get burned with open 3’s all night long.
What I Think |
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Call me crazy, but I think the Bobcats can win this one. Tim O’Shea hasn’t shown the best gameplans against Charlie Coles and Company this year, but I think he might be holding something back, in what could be the most exciting game of the night. Either way, I think if it’s a close game Ohio’s going to take it. If it’s another blowout it’s definitely going to be the RedHawk fans celebrating.
By Dan Whitmyer, VanDelaySports.com Head Basketball Writer
published 03.08.06
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