Feb. 28, 2007

100 Years of Ohio Basketball home page | Top 10 Moments

ATHENS, Ohio - Announced during Ohio's contest against Kent State on Saturday, Feb. 24 in the Convocation Center, the top 10 moments in the history of Bobcat men's basketball have been selected from results of a series of online fan polls.

Since the first poll was launched on ohiobobcats.com on Nov. 20, fans were able to vote on their favorite moments in the 100-year history of Ohio men's basketball. The first poll included moments from Ohio's first season, 1907-08, through the 1949-50 season. Each subsequent poll presented moments by decade. The top 10 moments are made up of each of the winners of the seven polls, plus the next three highest vote totals regardless of time period.

The top 10 moments in Ohio basketball history as voted on by the fans, in chronological order are:

  1. Frank Baumholtz earned MVP honors as he led Ohio to a runner-up finish in the 1941 National Invitation Tournament in Madison Square Garden.
  2. Ohio defeated Notre Dame 74-66 in the first NCAA Tournament game in the program's history on March 8, 1960 in Lexington, Ky.
  3. Ohio defeated No. 4 Kentucky 85-69 in Minneapolis, Minn., on March 13, 1964 to advance to the Elite Eight for the first and only time in school history.
  4. In front of a MAC record 14,102 fans in the Convocation Center, Ohio defeated Bowling Green 77-76 on February 28, 1970 to clinch the league title.
  5. In back-to-back home games on Dec. 11 and 15, 1971, Ohio defeated No.4 Ohio State (79-68) and No. 12 Indiana (79-70).
  6. On a last-second heave by Robert Tatum, Ohio defeated Illinois State 51-49 in the NCAA Tournament First Round in Tampa, Fla., on March 17, 1983.
  7. Dave Jamerson set MAC, Ohio and Convocation Center records with 60 points and 14 three-pointers in just 31 minutes of court time in a game against Charleston on Dec. 21, 1989.
  8. Ohio followed a regular season title by dropping rival Miami 89-66 to capture the MAC Tournament Championship on March 12, 1994 in Columbus, Ohio.
  9. Ohio defeated Ohio State, No. 14 Virginia, George Washington, and New Mexico State to take the title in the 1994-95 Preseason NIT.
  10. On March 12, 2005, Leon Williams' last-second tip-in gave Ohio an 80-79 overtime victory against Buffalo in the MAC Tournament championship game.

Supporting video of each moment can be viewed by clicking on the "Top 10 Moments" link at the top of this page.

The selection of the top 10 moments in Bobcat history is part of Ohio's season-long celebration of the program's centennial season. Ohio raised banners in honor of former Bobcats Dave Jamerson, Walter Luckett and Jim Snyder for "Legends Night" on Jan. 24 and it recognized the accomplishments of the 1964 Elite Eight squad during "Throwback Day" on Feb. 10.

Saturday's "Century Celebration Day" brought back former players, coaches and staff to recognize the many accomplishments of the program's first 100 years.