Does anyone know if any of the restaurants or bars near campus (or in Arlington) will be showing the game with sound? I called Tonic earlier today but was told that they'll be closed on Friday. It doesn't look like there are a lot of other games going on at 7:00 on Friday so hopefully it won't be too hard to find someplace to watch the Revs game.

Abovementioned board
https://www.bobcatattack.com/messageboard/forum.asp?PID=1

Ohio Bobcats

Date: Friday November 24th, 2023
Time: 7:00 PM ET
Venue: Baha Mar Convention Center (Nassau, Bahamas)
TV: FloHoops (ugh...I thought we were avoiding that service this year given the CAA opponents were all at home, but somehow FH is broadcasting many of these low-profile MTEs)
Analytic Ranks: 116th (KenPom), 94th (EvanMiya), 124th (Haslametrics)
2022-23 Record: 19-14, 10-8 (5th in MAC)
2023-24 Projected Record: 19-9, 12-6 (T-2nd in MAC)

Head-to-Head: 3-3, although GW has come out on top in two of the past three meetings, including the only matchup since 2000. That game was also part of an MTE (Diamond Head Classic), a tournament that GW would go on to win. It was a complete effort for the Buff & Blue, as Ohio was held to under 40% shooting, 30% from 3, and the Bobcats attempted just three FTs all game. GW also really controlled the glass, outrebounding OU 44-28. The Bobcats scored a brutal 15 points after halftime. The 28 point margin of victory beat GW's previous best in the series, which was by 26 points way back in the 1938-39 season when the teams first met (in fact all three of GW's wins have been by double digits). KevLar dominated with a 19 point, 15 rebound performance, Kethan had 18, Pato added 15, and John Kopriva finished with 10 on a couple made threes. Yuta was still coming off the bench at that point. You know GW had things working when guys like Nick Griffin and Matt Cimino also got on the scoreboard in the contest.

Offensive Efficiency: 82nd (KenPom), 63rd (EvanMiya), 90th (Haslametrics)
Defensive Efficiency: 162nd (KenPom), 142nd (EvanMiya), 209th (Haslametrics)
Pace: 208th (KenPom), 167th (EvanMiya), 168th (Haslametrics)
Roster Rank: 95th (EvanMiya)
Offensive Shot Quality Rank: 128th
Defensive Shot Quality Rank: 328th
Rim & 3 Rate: 87% (70th)

Strengths:
Field Goals Attempted Per Game - 62.5 FGA (15th)
Field Goals Made Per Game - 28.6 FGM (T-20th)
Points Per Game - 78.8 PPG (27th)
Opponent Free Throw Percentage - 67.9% (28th)
3-PT Field Goal Percentage - 37.3% (32nd)
Offensive Rebounds Per Game - 12.1 ORPG (34th)
3-PT Field Goals Made Per Game - 8.9 3PM (40th)
Rebounds Per Game - 37.5 RPG (42nd)
3-PT Field Goals Attempted Per Game - 24 3PA (79th)
Field Goal Percentage - 45.8% (97th)
Opponent Steals Per Game - 5.8 SPG (107th)

Weaknesses:
Opponent Field Goals Made Per Game - 26.1 FGM (249th)
Opponent 3-PT Field Goals Attempted Per Game - 22.6 3PA (T-255th)
Personal Fouls Per Game - 17.8 PF/G (256th)
Opponent Points Per Game - 73.1 PPG (T-270th)
Opponent Free Throw Attempts Per Game - 19.6 FTA (278th)
Blocks Per Game - 2.2 BPG (322nd)

Key Returning Players:
Jaylin Hunter (Senior; Manchester, CT) - 13.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 4.2 apg, 1.8 spg; 44% FG, 41% 3-PT, 75% FT per 29.3 mpg
AJ Brown (Sophomore; Orlando, FL) - 10.3 ppg, 2.5 rpg; 43% FG, 38% 3-PT, 78% FT per 20.8 mpg
Miles Brown (Graduate Student; Rochester, NY) - 10 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.2 spg; 44% FG, 45% 3-PT, 73% FT per 28.9 mpg
AJ Clayton (Junior; Roseville, OH) - 7.8 ppg, 4.7 rpg; 43% FG, 32% 3-PT, 90% FT per 19.4 mpg
Elmore James (Sophomore; Cleveland, OH) - 6.8 ppg, 1.9 rpg; 51% FG, 41% 3-PT, 79% FT per 15.6 mpg

Key Losses:
Dwight Wilson III (Graduated; Tallahassee, FL) - 15.4 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 1.3 apg; 62% FG, 71% FT per 25.3 mpg
DeVon Baker (Graduated; Dayton, OH) - 6.7 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 1.3 apg; 38% FG, 30% 3-PT, 76% FT per 19.2 mpg
Ben Roderick (Left Team; Powell, OH) - 5.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg; 37% FG, 39% 3-PT, 67% FT per 19.9 mpg

Key Transfers:
Shareef Mitchell (Graduate Student Transfer from Creighton; Omaha, NE) - 1.8 ppg; 43% FG, 35% 3-PT, 64% FT per 7.4 mpg
Ike Cornish (Sophomore Transfer from Maryland; Baltimore, MD) - 1.4 ppg; 36% FG, 19% 3-PT, 70% FT per 4.9 mpg

Preview:
Hello and welcome back to painful flashbacks part 2. Today's edition takes us back to the 2018-19 season opener against Stony Brook. GW was entering year 3 of the Mojo era and there was some hope of a bounce back after year 2 was a disappointment by GW's standards at the time. Unfortunately, that 2018-19 squad ended up being the worst GW team in 30 years but things actually looked promising through the first 10 minutes of the year. The Buff and Blue got off to a hot start, taking the lead 22-0 after a Justin Mazzulla dunk (didn't think I'd ever type that).

Unfortunately, GW looked more like the team from the rest of the year after that point, as the Seawolves overcame the substantial deficit to win the game in overtime (the W&M game was definitely more heartbreaking based on the ending, but the Stony Brook game was among the worst during the bad stretch of GW teams). It's not like SB even shot the ball well from the field. Just a bad loss all around. It didn't help that GW was absolutely brutal from the FT line, as the team shot 47% from the FT line on 34 attempts. It's probably not worth asking, but would GW have pulled it out had DJ Williams (remember him?) played? I believe he was suspended for the first game of the year. At the time, not much was thought about it but perhaps that should have been an early sign that this team was just not going to play to the standards of previous great GW squads. If we were to rank every GW team's leading scorer through the years, I'd imagine Williams probably ranks towards the bottom...

Despite the loss, there were some bright spots. AT had his usual double-double with 13 points and 11 boards. Armel actually ended up having his best game of the year with 21 points but to say he had an up-and down year would be generous. He wouldn't hit double figures again until January, and only hit the 10 point mark five times all year. You could make the argument that JC's arrival helped Potter blossom the following year, but Armel being in and out of the lineup was one of several head scratching decisions that was made during the Mojo era (he wasn't fully healthy if I remember correctly, but still). The other one that comes to mind is Collin Smith. Smith may have ended up leaving to get back closer to home in Florida at the end of the year anyways, but I can't understand why the guy wasn't starting and playing many minutes throughout the year. He began the season starting as a freshman only to become more of a bench piece later in the year. Mezie Offurum was the final bright spot, as he put up 12 points and 6 rebounds in his collegiate debut. He's one of several "what could have been" players during the rough stretch of GW basketball that transferred away. The skills were there, but he was not able to let the game come to him when he was at GW. I wish it had happened while he was still at Foggy Bottom, but it was good to see him figure it out at Mount St. Mary's and then James Madison (who by the way are on fire right now - still hoping for a yearly "presidential" series once GW elects to play a tougher OOC schedule).

Anyways, you may be wondering what the heck the Stony Brook-GW contest has to do with Ohio. Well that Seawolves squad was coached by Jeff Boals, who is now coaching the Ohio Bobcats - his alma mater. There are actually a number of comparisons to be made to the Hofstra game outside of the coach being at the school which they played at. As you can tell from the above, Ohio did a number of things well (especially on the offensive end) and were mostly just mediocre at worst in categories they weren't as strong at. Similar to the Pride, they are a jump shot happy team that's definitely offense first. They also have a number of weapons that can torch you from the perimeter. The slight difference comes in the frontcourt, as the Bobcats have slightly more skilled bigs compared to Hofstra (OU is a bit more balanced overall compared to Hofstra). Apart from the strong shooting number across the board, it's important to mention that Ohio was very good at coming down with offensive rebounds last year (34th nationally). That's an area that this young GW team is still trying to limit and will be something to monitor for tomorrow's game. It will definitely help that their leader from last year, Dwight Wilson III, is out of eligibility because he accounted for at least 30% of those offensive rebounds. The "FT percentage defense" is likely to regress to the mean this year as well. Like GW from last year, teams who faced Ohio didn't fare well from the line. Despite GW not sending teams to the line a lot this year, we are already starting to see teams make FTs a lot more than they did last year (at least before UNH's meltdown late).

Like Hofstra though Ohio doesn't have the reputation of being a lockdown unit defensively although they are a passable unit on that side of the ball. GW shouldn't have trouble getting the shots they want (Ohio ranks a dismal 328th in defensive shot quality on the year). Hopefully the shots they take do fall though in an unfamiliar environment away from home. Unlike the Pride though, Ohio is more susceptible to fouling and sending teams to the FT line. The game plan definitely feels like a rehash of the Pride game - if the game becomes a shooting contest, GW might not be able to pull the game out. Driving the ball and getting to the line is critical tomorrow. You will notice that Ohio ranked low in blocks per game last year, but they have fared better so far this year, largely due to former GW target Gabe Wiznitzer, who is their version of Stretch Akingbola. Still, Wiznitzer only sees about 15 minutes a game so I don't think there's another presence there that should deter GW from going at Ohio tomorrow.

I'm a bit surprised that all the attention is going only to the Akron-Kent State-Toledo trio again this year, because Ohio brings back a ton of production from last year and should be a factor in the MAC. The Bobcat starting backcourt, Jaylin Hunter and Miles Brown, is a very experienced and potent one - both players complement each other well.

Like Hofstra, Ohio's leader hails from the Constitution State. Hunter landed in Athens after three seasons at Old Dominion. He sets the table on offense but is a well-rounded offensive player. Last year, he averaged 4.2 apg (120th nationally) and sported a very impressive 2:1 assist to turnover ratio. More importantly, he really gets after it on the defensive end along the perimeter (91st nationally in steals) which shouldn't be too surprising given his exposure to a defense-first system at ODU. That's not to dismiss his contributions as a shooter - Hunter shot 41% from distance and was 185th in the nation in makes per game.

Brown is a rare five year player who has spent his entire career at one school - you have to commend him for his loyalty. He is a big beneficiary of Hunter's passing, which allowed him to lead the team in 3-PT percentage at 45%, but he also provides secondary playmaking and is Ohio's second best defender along the perimeter.

The "get old, stay old" saying has been said a lot in recent years of CBB, and Ohio followed that principle in the transfer portal when they landed Omaha native Shareef Mitchell from Creighton. The Hunter-Brown-Mitchell trio isn't one that is likely to make mistakes at critical junctures of a game. Mitchell did not play a lot for the Jays, but was a reasonably well-regarded recruit out of HS (fringe top 200). When you play for a squad like Creighton, it's an expectation that you can really shoot the cover off the ball and Mitchell did convert on 35% of his tries when he got PT. He's just 1-11 on the year thus far, but I think we learned our lesson with Moss at W&M to not completely disrespect a player's ability to make an open shot.

Ohio gets additional spacing/shooting/scoring from their "AJ" trio in AJ Brown, AJ Clayton, and Ajay Sheldon. I have to imagine that having so many players with similar names has to be confusing in practice. AJ Brown has to top the list in terms of confusing names, as there are multiple players with his first name and multiple players with his last name. A sophomore from Orlando, Brown is mostly an offense-first player/shooter who took nearly half of his attempts from deep, but converted on an impressive 38% of them in his freshman year.

Clayton is a stretch forward who hails about an hour from Ohio's campus. He was their second best rebounder after Wilson last year but prefers to launch from distance on the offensive end - nearly 2/3 of his attempts came from the land of plenty. While his efficiency was just okay from there, his 90% shooting from the FT line suggests that he is bound to bounce back closer to the 38% he shot in his first year with the program.

Sheldon was a bit lower in the rotation but appeared in most of Ohio's games last year. That was to be expected as he was just a freshman, but it's unlikely that he'll earn that much more time given the number of experienced guards that Boals still has on the roster this season. I'm sure there will moments during OOC play where he will be given the chance to show that he's the next guy to lead their offense starting next year.

Returners Elmore James and Aidan Hadaway will look to earn more minutes this year as well in the backcourt and frontcourt respectively. James is a highly-efficient three-level scorer who shot over 50% from the field and 40% from 3. Unlike some of the other guards on the roster, he is more inclined to drive to the hoop (just 27% of attempts came from 3) but he can burn teams who play off him along the perimeter. That kind of versatility on offense should earn him a starting spot this year.

Hadaway was a deeper option in the frontcourt, but posted okay rebounding numbers in limited time. He's not afraid to stretch the floor, but isn't much of a factor from deep. I'd imagine he only gets major minutes if Clayton and the other frontcourt guys are in foul trouble/injured.

Another familiar name/GW target in Ike Cornish enters the program and figures to play a sizable role at the forward position. Cornish, a Baltimorean, is more of a slasher that will try occasional three but hasn't shown to be much of a shooter in his career thus far. He has seen about 10 minutes per game for Ohio so far, but I wonder if he will see more minutes during the MTE as they play more guys (much like GW).

Redshirt sophomore IJ Ezuma (thankfully not another AJ) and true freshman Ben Nicol round out the roster but neither have played on the year so far. Ezuma, a Hargrave product, has been on the injury report with an undisclosed injury so I figure he probably remains out for tomorrow. Nicol adds positional size at 6-7 and attended George Washington HS in West Virginia.

As you can tell, Ohio has gone deeper into the bench than GW has on the year, so they may be a bit more ready to play more guys if they have to during the MTE. This game will be another test for the young backcourt to not go under screens along the perimeter. Can GW win the rebounding battle? Ohio has some forwards, but they don't dominate GW in height down low by any means so it seems doable. On offense it will be key for GW to be the one coming out with energy and take care of the ball. Our assist to turnover ratio has been a bit subpar so far but the team is capable of moving the ball around and is at its best when they do so. Attacking the hoop will be crucial.

I echo GWMayhem's sentiments in the other thread. Very thankful to be in a community with other GW fans who support the team when they're good or bad. Want to also thank xAC for his previews for WBB and WMC for covering the WBB landscape. I love reading those posts when I log in. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Projected Score: Ohio 78, GW 75. 39% chance to win (KenPom). ESPN gives us a 29.2% chance to get the win (they've hated GW since the start of the season, so hard to take much from that).
 

Line is back to +5 on DK.  I guess bettors forget how much of the analytic rankings still weight pre-season rankings because we are still probably much better than our 154 KenPom rating.  Hopefully a win today helps us continue climbing and putting that pre-season rank behind us.


Of course the money on Ohio could be coming from the fact that the majority of our rotation players have never played a college basketball game outside the Smith Center (let alone in a ballroom with a low ceiling).

This game all comes down to how these guys handle playing away from home.  At the Smith Center, I’d be extremely confident, but instead I’m just fairly confident.

In their loss on the road at Cleveland st, Ohio shot well and took care of the ball, but lost because they allowed 1.24 points per possession, a very high number - more than we’ve put up in any game this year.  We aren’t likely to put up offense like that, especially in our first game away from home, so we’d better lock down on defense.   

We do have a real size advantage in the wings, so hopefully that helps us defend and helps Garrett, Max, and Trey get clean looks at the basket.  Ohio usually has 4 guys 6’4” or under out there, making them one of the shortest teams in D1, though we aren’t really set up to take advantage of that on the offensive glass.   

Hopefully Miles Brown is still out because he’s an outstanding shooter who will be a challenge to guard (though he’s only 6’1” so doesn’t make them bigger).

We are also going to have be really efficient because we are likely to lose the turnover battle.  Ohio is 15th nationally in taking care of the ball, and forcing TOs continues to be a weakness of ours.  We really need to value every possession.

I would expect Jacoi to get a lot of playing time because of his defense and ability to penetrate, expect JBIV to lead by example with aggressiveness, and expect Buchanan to play a key role since their big, Clayton, can hit threes so may be a better match up for him than stretch.  Plus, Buchanan’s ability to be a playmaker at 6’8” may cause them problems defensively. 

I’m really looking forward to seeing how we play in this one.  If being outside the smith center doesn’t affect them too much, then I’m expecting another solid win.

Long Suffering Fan wrote:

GW to win 78-70.  At least according to Bleacher Nation.  Before you get too excited, they have Ricky Lindo and Brandon Adams as the key players to watch for GW.  If they have been granted special eligibility for this game, I would definitely take GW.  Ugh.

https://www.bleachernation.com/picks/college-basketball-picks/2023/11/23/ohio-vs-george-washington-prediction-expert-picks-odds-stats-and-best-bets-friday-november-24-2023/

Hot Stove league trade: Lindo and Adams for Stretch, Johnson, Autrey, Buchanan and Hutchison. Any bets on who says no and who can’t say yes fast enough?

I will submit that we miss Adams when we try to shutdown a win....or I will when I hit the Submit button.

BM wrote:

Is this real? $150 to watch the games? It says cancel anytime, but that’s just to stop further charges.

$150 is the annual cost

If you use the link I posted http://www.flosports.tv/caa you can sign up for the monthly plan.  I only paid $15.89.

Scroll down and click here

 

Last edited by GW0509 (11/24/2023 4:21 pm)

Thanks 0509!

Ref just stopped us from an easy layup to put 2 seconds on the shot clock and give it to us near half court.  What the  hell was that?

Last edited by Free Quebec (11/24/2023 7:15 pm)