The Weis Guy
Karma swinging with Bobcats' basketball
By Michael Weisman, Senior Sports Writer
February 25, 2008 | 6 p.m.
Karma works in funny ways, and Saturday it was on the side of the Ohio University Bobcats.
The Bobcats rallied from a 17-point first-half deficit to defeat 2006 Final Four participant George Mason University Patriots, 69-57 on Saturday in their annual ESPN BracketBuster match-up. The Green-and-White did it in front of their fans and a nationally-televised audience (ESPN2).
Rewind a year earlier and you’ll find an eerily similar situation, only the Bobcats were on the other side. Ohio watched an 18-point halftime lead on the road get erased by New Mexico State on ESPN2.
Saturday, the Bobcats got their due.
In doing so, they established themselves as the ultimate second-half team. For the fifth consecutive home game, Ohio found itself tied or trailing at the break.
Needless to say, the Bobcats are still undefeated at home this season, and have now won 20 straight non-conference home games.
On Saturday, the Patriots held a 13-point halftime lead, only to see the ‘Cats put up 50 points and come away with the 12-point win in front of 7,439 fans.
A crowd many would call disappointing was likely hurt by an early tip-time (1 p.m.) and being televised nationally. Also, the game was missing two staples in the Convocation Center in President Roderick McDavis and his wife. Perhaps they were watching it on TV from their bedroom like the rest of the missing fans, as they were not in their usual seats.
Prior to Saturday’s comeback, Ohio was tied with Bowling Green, Feb. 19, and Central Michigan, Jan. 29, at the half, only to outscore the two teams by a combined 36 points in the second half. The Bobcats also trailed Ball State by 12, Jan. 26, and Western Michigan by five, Feb. 9, at the break, only to erase both deficits in victory.
On the year, the Bobcats have outscored opponents by 43 points in the first half, but almost double that in the second half (70).
If Ohio is to make a run for a NCAA Tournament bid, the ability to come from behind will be vital. The last time the Bobcats earned a birth in the dance, they overcame a 19-point halftime deficit to defeat Buffalo in the 2005 Mid-American Conference Tournament championship game.
Will karma strike again?
Only the future knows, but perhaps there are signs of hope. No better can this be seen than by senior Leon Williams’ first-career made and attempted three-pointer as the shot clock expired late in the second half against the Patriots. The MAC Player-of-the-Year-candidate turned and fired with a second on the shot clock and a hand in his face, only to swish it through the net. After the officials reviewed it to see if his foot was on the line, Williams indeed made his first-career three-pointer.
The lone remaining player from the 2005 MAC championship squad, Williams, had the game-winning tip-in against Buffalo in overtime his freshman season. Karma may once again be back with Ohio’s big man.
Although the win over George Mason does not, by any means, guarantee an at-large bid, the electricity in the Convo might have led you to believe otherwise. Ohio announced their starting lineup to the revving engine of Rufus’ motorcycle, a first at basketball games. The crowd was also treated to the multi-talented Sylvia Crawley (Ohio’s women’s basketball coach) swinging her hips with the Ohio Dance Team during a timeout, giving Tennessee men’s coach, Bruce Pearl, a run for his money when it comes to supporting the opposing-gender’s team (Pearl painted his chest orange with a white letter for a Tennessee women’s game). And to top it off, the students rushed the court after the key victory.
The halftime show, however, left a lot to be desired, as a cell phone, Rufus, a hot dog and mascots alike, tripped, stumbled and air-balled shots while trying to catch, shoot and dribble during a game of 3-on-3, despite their limited eyesight and lack of fingers. Although there was no word on the MVP, a hot dog costume-wearing student cheered on his "cousin Frank" during the game from the front of the O Zone.
Regardless of the atmosphere, fizzing could be heard following the Bobcats’ win as they resurfaced on the bubble. Ohio was even chosen over Syracuse when the two teams’ tournament resumes were compared on ESPN2.
With Bubba Walther back from his mid-season slump, and Williams consistently pouring out double-doubles, the Bobcats will be a force to be reckoned with for the remainder of the season.
Whether or not karma will stay on the Bobcats’ side remains to be seen.