Feb. 10, 2009
Complete release in PDF format
ATHENS, Ohio - Winners of two in a row, the Ohio University men's basketball team will head into Wednesday's showdown with Western Michigan in search of its second road victory in Mid-American Conference play. The Bobcats will also be looking to win for a second-consecutive time at WMU's University Arena.
Ohio (12-10, 5-4 MAC)
at
Western Michigan (7-15, 4-5 MAC)
Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2009 ... 7 p.m. ET ... University Arena ... Kalamazoo, Mich.
THE TIP-OFF
Winners of two in a row, the Bobcats will head into Wednesday's showdown with Western Michigan in search of their second road win in league play ... Ohio will also be looking to win a second-straight meeting at University Arena ... During last Saturday's win over Eastern Michigan, senior forward Jerome Tillman became just the fifth player to cement his name in the program's top-10 in both career points and rebounds ... Ohio is 17-37 (.315) all-time against Western Michigan in Kalamazoo.
WHO'S HOT
Senior guard Michael Allen has chalked up 16 assists and just four turnovers in the Bobcats' last three games ... Senior forward Justin Orr is averaging 12.3 points per game and shooting 52.0 percent from the floor (13-of-25) in Ohio's last three outings ... Senior forward Jerome Tillman sank 10 of his 11 free throw attempts (90.9 percent) last week ... Junior center Kenneth van Kempen has connected on 8-of-9 field goal attempts in Ohio's last two contests ... After collecting just seven steals in Ohio's first six MAC games, freshman guard Steven Coleman has gathered in five thefts in the team's last three outings.
NOTABLES FROM THE EASTERN MICHIGAN GAME
Senior forward Jerome Tillman's opening basket moved him into 10th place on Ohio's career scoring chart, and made him one of just five Ohio players to rank in the career top-10 in both points and rebounds ... Freshman guard Steven Coleman ended a six-game drought without a double-digit scoring performance, finishing with 10 points ... Ohio held a 29-16 edge in points in the paint, while outscoring the Eagles, 13-0, on the fastbreak ... Ohio moved to 8-2 on the year when leading at halftime, and 7-0 when the game's final margin is between 11 and 20 points.
UP NEXT
Ohio will return home for a Valentines Day tilt with Toledo on Saturday, with the tip-off slated for 2 p.m. ET ... The Bobcats hold a 60-53 edge in the all-time series, which dates back to the 1931-32 season, and have won three of the last four meetings.
BOBCATS TO PLAY EASTERN KENTUCKY IN BRACKETBUSTERS MATCHUP
Ohio will celebrate its sixth year of participation in the ESPNU BracketBusters event on Feb. 21 when it travels to Richmond, Ky., for a clash with Eastern Kentucky.
The Bobcats hold a 3-0 edge in the all-time series, but EKU boasts an 8-2 record at home this season and has won its last four games at Alumni Coliseum. Ohio is 3-2 in its previous five BracketBusters games, including a 1-2 mark on the road.
BOBCAT GAMES THE HIGHEST-ATTENDED IN THE MAC THIS SEASON
In 22 trips to the hardwood this season, the Bobcats have drawn a MAC-best total of 122,278 fans for a league-high average of 5,558 fans per game. No other team in the MAC has drawn 100,000 total fans, and no other school is averaging at least 5,000 spectators per contest this season.
TILLMAN KEEPING ELITE NATIONAL COMPANY AMONG CONFERENCE STATISTICAL LEADERS
Senior forward Jerome Tillman is one of just three players in Division I men's basketball who is currently leading his conference in both points and rebounds per game.
The MAC leader with averages of 19.0 points and 8.8 boards per contest is joined by National Player of the Year candidates Blake Griffin of Oklahoma and Luke Harangody of Notre Dame as the only players on top of their respecitve conferences in both categories.
TILLMAN JOINS RANKS OF THE ELITE DUAL THREATS IN SCHOOL HISTORY
With the first of his six field goals against Eastern Michigan on Feb. 7, senior forward Jerome Tillman moved into 10th place on the program's career scoring list, surpassing Ohio Athletics Hall of Fame member Tim Joyce.
Having already ascended into the program's top-10 in career rebounds against Northern Illinois on Feb. 5, the MAC Player of the Year candidate became just the fifth player in school history to cement his name on both top-10 lists.
Tillman now stands alongside former Ohio greats John Devereaux, Brandon Hunter, Gary Trent and Leon Williams as part of the elite Bobcat fraternity.
TILLMAN CLIMBING OHIO'S CAREER SCORING LIST
With a game-high 14 points against Eastern Michigan on Feb. 7, senior forward Jerome Tillman moved past Tim Joyce to take sole possession of 10th place on Ohio's career scoring list with 1,481 points.
Already one of just 12 players in school history with 1,400-career points, Tillman will take the court on Wednesday needing 21 points to tie John Devereau for ninth on the program's all-time ledger (1,502). The following is a snapshot of where Tillman currently stands on the program's all-time chart:
8. Walter Luckett (1972-75) 1,625
9. John Devereaux (1980-84) 1,502
10. Jerome Tillman (2005-Pres.) 1,481
11. Tim Joyce (1977-79) 1,468
12. Steve Esterkamp (1999-03) 1,405
TILLMAN RANKS AMONG OHIO'S TOP-10 WINDEX MEN
With a game-high seven rebounds against Northern Illinois on Feb. 5, senior forward Jerome Tillman moved from 11th to ninth place on Ohio's career rebounding list, surpassing former Bobcat greats Don Hilt and Jim Betts. The following shows where Tillman currently ranks on the program's career ledger:
7. Bunk Adams (1958-61) 865
8. Craig Love (1968-71) 805
9. Jerome Tillman (2005-Pres.) 791
10. Jim Betts (1951-54) 784
TILLMAN AMONG MOST PROLIFIC FREE THROW SHOOTERS IN SCHOOL HISTORY
Currently in the midst of his finest statistical season from the free throw line, senior forward Jerome Tillman has also made a dent in Ohio's career free throw lists this year.
His 395-career makes from the charity stripe currently rank sixth in program history, and he needs 35 more charity tosses to tie Geno Ford for fifth on the list (430). Tillman connected on a career-high 12 free throws against Bowling Green on Jan. 24 to overtake Dave Jamerson for sixth on the chart.
Tillman's 536-career attempts are currently sixth on the program ledger, four away from tying Geno Ford for fifth place (540).
TILLMAN SHARES LEAGUE LEAD IN DOUBLE-DOUBLES
The MAC leader in both points and rebounds per game, senior forward Jerome Tillman also holds a share of the league lead with six double-doubles on the season. With his next double-double effort, Tillman will move past Ball State's Anthony Newell for the most in the conference this year.
Since notching his first-career double-double in the 2005-06 season opener, Tillman has accomplished the feat 24 times in 87 outings, or roughly one time in every four contests.
TILLMAN IN MIDST OF LENGTHY DOUBLE-FIGURE STREAK
Dating back to last season, senior forward Jerome Tillman has scored in double figures in 27-straight games, and 30 of his last 31 outings overall.
The last time Tillman was held below 10 points was March 1, 2008 at Miami, when he netted a half dozen on just six shot attempts.
TILLMAN AND ALLEN TAKING THE LEAGUE RANKINGS BY STORM
Seniors Jerome Tillman and Michael Allen currently pace the MAC in a combined five statistical categories, giving Ohio more league leaders than any team in the conference.
One of the frontrunners for the MAC Player of the Year award, Tillman stands at the top of the rankings in points (18.7), total rebounds (8.6) and defensive rebounds (5.9) per game, while Allen leads the league in both assists per game (4.32) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.38).
OHIO TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS FROM THE LINE LATE IN GAMES
The charity stripe has been kind to the Bobcats in pressure situations this season, as Ohio is shooting is 77.5 percent (93-of-110) from the line as a team in the last five minutes of regulation and overtime.
Three of Ohio's conference victories have been secured at the line, most recently when the Green & White converted on 10-of-13 attempts during the extra session versus Akron on Jan. 20. The Bobcats got the league slate off to a good start by knocking down all 12 of its free throw attempts in the final 4:43 of regulation in a win over Kent State on Jan. 11 and followed that performance by sinking four-straight attempts in the final 19 seconds of a victory at Miami on Jan. 14,
The Bobcats' home victory over Tulsa on Dec. 3 was also secured at the line in the latter stages of the game, as Ohio knocked down 9-of-11 attempts in the last 2:25 of regulation to capture a 12-point win.
TILLMAN FEELING FINE AT THE LINE
Despite having his streak of 14-consecutive free throws snapped at Ball State on Jan. 31, senior forward Jerome Tillman has made 64 of his last 81 free throw attempts (.790) overall, heading into Wednesday's showdown with Western Michigan.
During that time, he also had a streak of 15 in a row was halted in the win over Kent State, as he finished the day 7-of-10 in Ohio's MAC-opening 71-65 victory.
On the year, Tillman is shooting 77.6 percent from the free throw line, nearly four percent better than his career 73.7 clip.
ALLEN LOOKING TO TOP RECENT BOBCAT BESTS IN ASSIST-TO-TURNOVER RATIO
In 22 games this season, senior guard Michael Allen has put together a league-leading 2.38-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Since the beginning of the 2000-01 season, the best mark turned in by an Ohio player is the 1.90-1 clip that Bubba Walther posted in 2007-08.
A look at the top-five single-season assist-to-turnover ratios by Ohio players in the 21st century (min. 75 assists):
1. Bubba Walther (2007-08) 1.90 (116-61)
2. Dustin Ford (2000-01) 1.88 (75-40)
3. Jaivon Harris (2001-02) 1.71 (82-48)
4. Michael Allen (2007-08) 1.69 (142-116)
5. Antonio Chatman (2005-06) 1.65 (89-54)
- Michael Allen (2008-09) 2.38 (95-40)
VAN KEMPEN FINDING HIS TOUCH
A 36.2 percent shooter from the floor in the season's first 20 games, junior center Kenneth van Kempen has been on a roll in the Bobcats' last two outings, connecting on 88.9 percent (8-of-9) of his attempts. He set a season high with 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting in a win over Northern Illinois on Feb. 5, and was a perfect 3-of-3 from the field in a victory over Eastern Michigan on Feb. 7.
Van Kempen's effort against NIU also snapped a 48-game streak without scoring in double digits for van Kempen.
SECOND-HALF STEVE
Freshman guard Steven Coleman was a major contributor to Ohio's second-half surge against Eastern Michigan on Feb. 7, shooting 3-of-6 from the floor and 2-of-2 from the line en route to scoring eight of his 10 points on the day after the break.
That performance, however, was just a microcosm of his second-half success this season. Through 22 games, Coleman is shooting 50.6 percent (41-of-81) from the floor and 79.4 percent (27-of-34) from the line in the second half.
Another telling stat is the fact that Ohio is 9-4 on the year when Coleman shoots 50 percent or better after the break.
ALLEN FEELING GENEROUS AND STINGY AT THE SAME TIME
In 54-career games at Ohio, senior guard Michael Allen has dished out 237 total assists, while recording five or more assists in a game on 24 occasions.
Allen has also been stingy with the ball in those 24 games, turning it over just 60 times in comparison to 153 assists. His assist-to-turnover ratio in games in which he hands out at least five assists is 2.55-1, while his overall career mark currently stands at 1.91-1.
Allen continued the trend during the Bobcats' recent two-game homestand, torching Northern Illinois and Eastern Michigan for a combined 13 assists, while turning the ball over just twice in the two games.
BOBCATS MUDDYING THE WATERS AT HOME
One of the key factors in Ohio's 9-1 start at home is the fact that the Bobcats are turning their opponents over at a rate of 17.6 times per game at The Convo this season. The Green & White has forced a pair of opponents to commit at least 20 turnovers at The Convo, while just three teams to visit Athens this season have been able to escape with fewer than 17 miscues.
Visiting teams have also seen their efficiency numbers decline after meeting the Bobcats on their home court, collecting a combined 112 assists in response to 176 turnovers - an assist-to-turnover ratio of just 0.63-1.
TILLMAN KEEPING ELITE COMPANY IN OHIO RECORD BOOKS
During his ascent up Ohio's career scoring chart this season, senior forward Jerome Tillman has moved past eight members of the Ohio Athletics Hall of Fame on the program's all-time ledger.
Tillman passed his most recent Ohio Hall of Famer - Tim Joyce - in the Bobcats' victory over Eastern Michigan on Feb. 7, scoring a game-high 14 points to move into 10th on the program's career chart.
With 1,481 points to his credit, the next Ohio Hall of Fame member on Tillman's radar is Walter Luckett, a 1986 inductee who currently stands in eighth place with 1,625-career points.
TOMMY THREE-MAN
Sophomore guard Tommy Freeman has taken well to his role as one of the Bobcats' sharpshooters this season, as evidenced by the fact that 39 of his 53 field goals (73.6 percent) and 91 of his 125 field goal attempts (72.8) have come from beyond the arc.
Freeman also displayed his knack for knocking down trifectas in limited playing time as a freshman last year. In 52-career games, Freeman has made 73.2 percent (52-of-71) of his field goals and taken 75.0 percent (126-of-168) of his shots from long distance.
