Ohio Bobcats Basketball

It was the same things that plagued Ohio in previous road losses to Robert Morris, Memphis and Massachusetts.  A bad stretch on offense coupled with a perimeter player from the other team catching fire. It’s a lethal combination that has led to monster runs by the opposition and has left Ohio in the dust.

This time in Norman, Okla., the opposing player who caught fire was Steve Pledger. The Sooner guard scored 14 of his game-high 18 points in the second half to help Oklahoma turn a close game into a comfortable 74-63 victory.

The Sooners went on runs of 12-3 and 15-2 in the second half, the latter one after Ohio had climbed to within four, to run away from the Bobcats. The loss dropped Ohio’s record to a disappointing 8-5 and 0-4 on the road.

“Too many live-ball turnovers. It’s the same stuff that’s been happening, we’ve just got to clean it up and get better,” said Ohio head coach Jim Christian.

Ohio was led by star point guard D.J. Cooper, who entered Saturday tied for fourth in the nation with 7.9 assists per game. Cooper scored 14 points and dished out seven dimes while Reggie Keely had 13 points and eight rebounds in his second-straight start. Walter Offutt hit three treys and finished with 11 points.

The Bobcats once again struggled to protect the ball, committing 18 turnovers, which led to 22 points for the Sooners. Ivo Baltic had six giveaways and Cooper had five, while Offutt and Ricardo Johnson each committed three.

Ohio started hot, hitting three of their first five shots from long range, including two from Cooper to take an early 17-12 lead. But just as they did in their three earlier road losses, Ohio hit a cold spell, missing seven-straight three-point attempts as the Sooners went on a 13-4 run to go in front 25-21.

Ohio was able to finish the half with a mini 8-4 run of their own, capped by a Baltic three to knot the game at 29 heading into the break.

The Bobcats held the Sooners to just 30 percent from the field in the first half, but committed 11 turnovers to keep Oklahoma in the game.

The Sooners opened the second half with a 12-3 burst to take a 41-32 lead before Pledger caught fire. The senior guard knocked down four-straight jumpers for nine points to keep Ohio at bay and extend the Sooners' largest lead of the game to 54-43.

Offutt kept the Bobcats close with two threes and a layup, and a dunk from Jon Smith brought Ohio to within four at 56-52 with seven minutes to play.

But Oklahoma responded with yet another colossal run, this one sparked by two dunks from Cameron Clark, as the Sooners went on a 15-2 run to grab a 17-point lead with three minutes left, sealing Ohio’s fate.

“You can’t turn the ball over the amount of times we’ve turned the ball over. You can’t not guard in key possessions. You can’t allow teams to get on those types of runs,” said a frustrated Christian. “For whatever reason we’re a lot more stagnant on the road, guys aren’t playing with as much confidence as they are at home. They almost rely on D.J. a little too much.”

The Bobcats shot 47.2 percent (25-of-53) from the field but just 30.8 percent (8-of-26) from beyond the arc. Sharpshooter Nick Kellogg injured two fingers on his shooting hand vs. Massachusetts and has not made a field goal since.

Kellogg followed up his 0-6 shooting performance against Maryland-Eastern Shore with another 0-6 effort in this game, all from downtown. He was hitting 46 percent from long range (23-50) before going 0-11 over these last two games to drop to 37.7 percent for the season.

"For stretches we play really well and for stretches we lost it on the break—just simple basketball plays that we're not making," Christian said. "We're not valuing possessions," he added, while also mentioning a lack of practice time over Christmas break and conditioning issues as playing a part in the loss.

Ohio also failed to get to the free-throw line consistently while sending Oklahoma there all too often, which has become a dangerous trend of late. The Bobcats were just 5-7 from the charity stripe while the Sooners connected on 17-23. 

"It's hard. When you have success, I think sometimes you kind of take your eye off what you did and we're not playing very soundly, especially on the defensive end of the floor," Christian said. "I think that's hard for me because I don't have a history with these guys to go back to certain points. So, I've got to depend a lot on their leadership and their experiences. We've just got to keep working our way through it. We've just got to find a way."

With conference play 11 days away, Ohio must clean up its mistakes in a hurry. It will welcome Marshall (7-6) to the Convocation Center on Saturday to end a difficult non-conference schedule, before hosting Buffalo on January 9.

Notes: Oklahoma came into the game having won 36 of its last 37 and 94 of its last 97 non-conference home games….Baltic made a free throw for the first time since Feb. 22, 2012, a span of 22 games.

Marlowe Alter is a Contributor for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained firsthand.

After playing a grind-it-out brand of basketball in Saturday’s dreadful 50-49 loss to Winthrop, Ohio knew they would be in for a long night if they did not pick up the pace in Amherst.

In the season’s most exciting game, the Bobcats matched UMass’s frenetic pace but did not have an answer for Jesse Morgan, who put on a shooting clinic, scoring 35 points, including seven three-pointers as Massachusetts held off Ohio 85-76.

Morgan scored 16 points during the Minutemen’s gargantuan 23-1 first-half run that spanned just five minutes, to help turn a 12-point deficit into a 10-point lead.

Ohio’s backcourt came to play, led by D.J. Cooper’s 23 points and 10 assists (his third double-double in five games). Cooper moved past Geno Ford (’94-’97) into fifth place on the school’s all-time scoring list. Walter Offutt added 18 points (5-9 from deep) and Nick Kellogg chipped in 15, but the trio received little help from their frontcourt mates.

“We have to have more competition up front, and guys got to start being consistent up front…that really hurt us tonight,” said Christian.

Christian was likely referring to senior forwards Ivo Baltic and Reggie Keely, who combined for just eight points and nine turnovers. Baltic did dish out a career-high nine assists and added 10 rebounds, but it’s clear the Bobcats are relying too heavily on their perimeter play. But it wasn’t just their lack of scoring inside that hurt the Bobcats.

Ohio did not have an answer for Morgan or the rest of the Minutemen’s offense.

UMass was ranked 300th nationally, shooting a dreadful 39.4 percent from the field, including a 28.7 percent (307th) from long distance, but shot 48 percent from the field and hit on 9-24 attempts from deep (37.5 percent) in this contest.

It wasn’t all bad however. Ohio stormed out to a 13-4 lead after Offutt, Cooper and Kellogg hit consecutive threes and Offutt added a fourth to give Ohio an 18-6 lead just five minutes in. But UMass responded with a 23-1 run, keyed by Morgan’s incredible shooting. A technical foul on Cooper helped kick-start the run before Morgan got hot.

He scored six points to cut the lead in half and minutes later, hit a jumper to give UMass a 21-19 advantage, a lead they would never relinquish. Morgan sank three free throws after Kellogg fouled him shooting a three before the 6’5” junior guard from Philadelphia caught fire. He knocked down three consecutive bombs to stretch Massachusetts’ lead to 35-24, their largest of the half.

Offutt did his best to match Morgan, hitting four first-half threes as the Bobcats cut the lead to three before UMass closed the half on an 8-3 run to take a 48-40 lead at the break.

Ohio didn’t help their cause by committing 12 turnovers in the first half alone, just two below their season average of 13.8.

Ohio again came out of the locker room hot, tying the game at 55 on a Kadeem Green baby hook shot with 14:26 remaining. But that’s when Morgan decided it was time to take over again, hitting three more treys during a decisive 11-0 run.

But as they did all night, the Bobcats clawed back and four quick points from Kellogg brought Ohio to within six, 78-72 with four minutes left.

The Bobcats had a chance to get closer, but Offutt was careless with a dribble handoff and the ball bounced to half court where Maxie Esho picked it up and coasted in for a powerful one-hand slam. UMass knocked down enough free throws from there to pick up their third straight victory, while the Bobcats fell to 0-3 on the road.

After a promising 6-0 start (four of which were by 20 points or more), the Bobcats are in a rut, having lost four of their last five.

"We just have to put it all together where everyone’s playing together at the same time," said head coach Jim Christian during his post-game radio interview.

One positive sign was the play from Green. The sophomore forward, who transferred from Missouri last spring, played 12 minutes in his second game and scored eight points on 4-5 shooting.

"I thought he played well, which is good because he’s another guy that can compete,” said Christian on Green’s performance.

Even though Ohio has not been themselves over the past five games, Christian is not panicking…yet.

"We’ll be fine. We made strides tonight. We have to get a couple guys out of the (slump) that they’re in."

The Bobcats will look to right the ship against Maryland-Eastern Shore (0-10) on Saturday at the Convocation Center.

Notes: UMass was 24-35 from the foul line while Ohio was 6-10…After playing 622 minutes spanning 20 games, Baltic finally got to the free-throw line with 13:56 remaining. He proceeded to miss both attempts and still hasn’t made a free throw since February 22...For the third straight game, Jon Smith played 13 minutes or less and did not see the floor in the second half until the 4:58 mark.

They say basketball is a game of runs, and on Tuesday evening, Ohio went on the game’s biggest. The Bobcats used a 20-2 burst over the final 6:35 of the first half and held off a feisty Hampton squad down the stretch for a 75-67 victory.

Senior guard Walter Offutt had by far his best game of the season, leading the way with 23 points and three steals, while Ivo Baltic added 16 points and three blocks as the Bobcats improved to 4-0.

But for the first time on the young season, the Bobcats were challenged.

Ohio was out-rebounded 43-26 and gave up 20 offensive boards to the Pirates, who dropped to 0-3 with the loss.

“I think we just got punked,” said Baltic on the alarming rebounding disparity.  “I don’t think we were boxing out we were just going in there expecting to get the rebound.”

Ohio head coach Jim Christian said:

To me the season started tonight. We got tested. I give Hampton a lot of credit I thought they out-toughed us tonight on the glass, it wasn’t even close. We weren’t physical enough but at the same time we executed enough on the offensive end to win the game when we had to, so I give our team a lot of credit for that.

Christian can thank his seniors for this win. Along with Offutt and Baltic’s strong performances, star point guard D.J. Cooper chipped in 12 points, seven assists and three steals while Reggie Keely continued his strong play with eight points and six rebounds off the bench.

Offutt, who was averaging just 6.3 points while struggling with foul trouble in the first three games, scored 15 of his 23 in the first half, including 11 during the decisive 20-2 run. He was 13-15 from the foul line for the game, repeatedly attacking the rim like his usual self.

“It was just one of them games where they were pressing up on us a lot and I was able to get to the hole quite a bit to help my team,” said Offutt, who received a standing ovation from the Bobcat faithful when he headed to the bench for a few minutes of rest at the end of the half.

But Offutt’s dominance wasn’t limited to the offensive end. He drew several charges and continually sacrificed his body diving for loose balls. Offutt's effort helped the Bobcats force 24 turnovers.

The first half was back and forth for the first 14 minutes. Ohio established an early 17-12 lead thanks to its outside shooting prowess, but the Pirates responded with a 7-0 run of their own. Hampton played solid one-on-one defense and cut off penetration from the Ohio guards to stay in the game.

After trading baskets, the Bobcats finally found their groove late in the half. Cooper made a signature no-look pass to Keely for a layup, and Offutt added a three-point play during a 15-0 spurt as the Bobcats suddenly took a 39-25 lead.

The Bobcats continued to push the pace, running the fast break to perfection for a Baltic layup before the senior forward beat the buzzer with his second-corner three-pointer of the half. The 20-2 run opened up a 44-27 for Ohio heading to the break. The Bobcats turned 14 Pirates' turnovers into 21 first half points, however, Ohio was unable to sustain the momentum.

The Bobcats came out slow in the second half, turning the ball over four times in the first four-plus minutes as the Pirates climbed to within nine. Baltic and Keely then lost their cool, picking up technical fouls 35 seconds apart and allowing the Pirates to score six quick points. The fans showed their displeasure with the calls, booing the refs mercilessly for the rest of the game.

Hampton’s speed outside and strength inside allowed them to stay close the entire second half and climb to within 69-61 with 2:39 to play.

Baltic responded with a quick right-handed hook shot to give Ohio a 10-point lead and sealed the deal with a steal a minute later.

“We’re happy that we won but we’re disappointed with the way we played, especially on defense,” said Baltic.

The Bobcats will look to stay undefeated when they host Richmond (4-1) at the Convocation Center Saturday afternoon. The Spiders are coming off a six-point win over Wofford, who the Bobcats beat by 23 on Sunday.

Marlowe Alter is a Contributor for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained firsthand.

On a day that celebrated an historic 2011-2012 season, the Ohio Bobcats turned the page and ushered in a new era of Bobcat basketball with an 81-52 trouncing of the Portland Pilots. 

D.J. Cooper and Nick Kellogg led the Bobcats with 18 points apiece while Reggie Keely chipped in 13 points off the bench to give new head coach Jim Christian his first victory at Ohio. 

Christian, who came into the season with the highest-winning percentage in MAC league history after compiling a 138-58 record at Kent State from 2002-2008, earned his first victory, thanks in large part to a mammoth 21-4 run to start the second half, which allowed the Bobcats to break open a game that was tied at the break. 

“I was proud of the second half. We started playing the game the way we had been playing it. Guarded the way we are capable of guarding and took control of the pace of the game."

Like they did so many times last year, Ohio turned up the defensive pressure in the second half. They forced 11 turnovers while holding the Pilots to 19 points and an anemic 27.7 percent shooting from the field. 

The defense led to a flurry of fast-break points and open perimeter shots. As a result, the Bobcats to shot 61.5 percent in the second half. 

Before the game, the Bobcats unveiled their Sweet 16 banner, bringing the crowd to its feet in recognition of last year's school record 29 wins and run through the NCAA Tournament. 

But the pregame festivities may have played a role in Ohio’s slow start.

Portland jumped out to a 12-6 lead behind two fast break layups and missed opportunities from the Bobcats on the offensive end. Christian called timeout and lit a fire under his team. 

“Our team probably got caught up in the emotion of it in the first half," Christian acknowledged. "But like I said last week, I’m always interested in the response.” 

Christian sure loved his team’s response to the early deficit. 

Ohio, like it has in the past few seasons, used the three-ball to shoot their way back into the game.  Kellogg knocked down consecutive threes and Snow College transfer Travis Wilkins added another from the corner to spark a 13-4 run to give Ohio a 19-16 lead. 

Despite dreadful shooting from inside the arc, Ohio closed the half with five straight points from Cooper to knot the score at 33 at halftime. They shot 50 percent from long range but just 35 percent on two-point attempts. But the defense kept Ohio in the game, forcing 13 first-half turnovers leading to 18 points off Pilot miscues.

 “The most important thing for our team is that they don’t see panic,” said Christian of the first half woes. “You have to believe and have confidence in them. I was more disappointed in the fundamentals on defense.” 

“It’s only normal to get caught up in the emotion and feed off the hype,” said Kellogg on the first half struggles. “I think we did a better job in the second half of settling down and getting back to our game.” 

Preseason All-MAC first team selection Walter Offutt picked up two early fouls, forcing Christian to sit him for the final twelve minutes of the half. Offutt's absence may have contributed to the slow start. 

But with Offutt on the court to begin the second half, Ohio opened with a 21-4 run. Kellogg completed a four-point play, then added his fourth three-pointer of the game to open up a 17-point lead with 13:44 to play. 

“In the second half, these guys imposed their will and that’s what I’m proud of,” said Christian. “There’s a lot we’ll learn from this but at the end of the day, the only thing you want to do after one game is be 1-0.” 

Ohio will try to improve to 2-0 when it hosts UNC-Wilmington next Friday at 7:00 p.m.

Marlowe Alter is a Contributor for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained firsthand.

Nick Kellogg hit four first-half threes and the Ohio Bobcats ushered in new head coach Jim Christian with an 82-42 drubbing of Division II Mercyhurst in their one and only exhibition game.

Playing for the first time since their run to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament last March, the Bobcats were sloppy early on. They committed three turnovers in their first six possessions and looked out of sync, allowing Mercyhurst to stick around in the first five minutes.

“We got a little careless with the ball to start the game,” said Christian.

But as he did on many occasions last season, senior guard Walter Offutt took it upon himself to steady his team, hitting back-to-back threes out of the first television timeout spurring a 13-0 run, and a 30-7 extended run, to give the Bobcats a 40-17 halftime lead. Kellogg had four of the team’s seven first half treys.

Meanwhile, the defense was stellar, forcing 22 first half turnovers leading to several easy buckets in transition. They played aggressive and pressured the Lakers guards, leading to 31 turnovers for the game, while holding them to 27.3 percent shooting.

The Bobcats continued their dominance in the second half, scoring the first 11 points, including a fancy behind-the-back-dish from D.J. Cooper to T.J. Hall for a two-handed rim rocker.

Kellogg led a balanced offensive attack with 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting, while Reggie Kelly added 13 points off the bench and knocked down all seven of his free throw attempts. Cooper, the Bobcats all-time leader in assists and steals, chipped in seven points, nine assists and four steals.

“I think we have a lot of talented offensive players. As long we play right, it could be a different guy every night,” said Christian, when asked about the scoring distribution. “I don’t think we need to rely on one scorer. We had 20 assists tonight, which is the goal.”

One concern was the 12 first half turnovers. The Bobcats seemed to be pressing and forcing things early, but settled down in the second half, committing just four turnovers. Christian said he was alarmed by the early sloppiness but was pleased with his team’s decision making as the game progressed.

I’m always going to be more concerned with the response than I am the action. The response was second half better job limiting turnovers. The pace of our play was better that’s all I wanted to see…we’re still moving forward and building and that’s all we care about.

All 12 eligible Bobcats saw action, including Snow College transfer Travis Wilkins, who scored five points in 12 minutes.

With a season full of expectations and promise, Ohio was excited to finally get back to playing basketball.

“It felt really good to get out there. As a team as a unit again in front of our home fans it was great,” said Kellogg. “I think we’re picking up right where we left off. We’ll be ready next week.”

Ohio opens the season against Portland on Saturday afternoon at the Convocation Center.  The Bobcats defeated the Pilots last season 72-54 in Oregon behind a triple-double from Cooper.  The 2011-12 team will be honored before the game with the unveiling of the Sweet 16 banner. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.

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Marlowe Alter is a contributor for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained firsthand.

Ohio University is located in Athens, Ohio, a small town about an hour south of Columbus.

Over 20,000 students study at Ohio University, is the home of the prestigious E.W. Scripps School of Journalism (boasting alumni like Sports' Illustrated writer Peter King, ESPN broadcaster Jay Mariotti, and NBC's Today Show host Matt Lauer) and the College of Business (Fox News President Roger Ailes is a famous alumnus), and the Princeton Review awarded the university with its prestigious "Top Party School" honor in 2011.

Playing in a Division 1 mid-major conference, Ohio University lacks a strong national reputation for the school's athletic teams.  However, the success of the of the school's football team, and the men's basketball team's recent run in the 2012 NCAA Tournament has put a spotlight, albeit dim, on the school tucked away in Appalachia.

John Groce took the head coaching job at OU after serving as an assistant coach under Thad Matta at both Butler University and later, Ohio State University.  He guided the Bobcats to the MAC Championship in 2009, despite a 7-9 regular season record, and upset a heavily favored Georgetown University team in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament.  The team appeared in the CIT Tournament the following season, failing to capture a second consecutive MAC Championship.

This year, Ohio beat the Akron Zips 64-63 to claim the MAC Championship and an automatic No. 13 seed bid to the NCAA Tournament.  The team upset a No. 4 seeded Michigan and fought hard for a victory against No. 12 seeded South Florida.  In the Sweet 16 round (the best an Ohio University team has done since 1964), junior DJ Cooper barely missed a last-second half-court shot that would have secured a victory against the No. 1 seeded North Carolina Tar Heels.  North Carolina ultimately won in overtime, ending Ohio's season and advancing to the Elite 8 round.

Cooper, along with sophomore Nick Kellogg and red-shirt junior Walter Offutt emerged as big-time play makers for the young Ohio team.

Cooper is widely regarded as the team's leader.  The Illinois native turned down offers from Baylor and California and chose Ohio in hopes of more immediate playing time.  He was the 2010 MAC Freshman of the Year, selected to the All-Mid-American first-team and named an honorable mention to the Mid-Major All-American team in 2011, and named to the All-Mid-American team this season.  Cooper averages just under 15 points a game and shoots around 35 percent from the field and 30 percent from beyond the arc.  He looks poised to have a huge senior year for the Bobcats in the MAC.

Kellogg, son of former Ohio State standout and first-round NBA draft pick Clark Kellogg, also played strong for Ohio.  He shot 80 percent (4-5) from the field and 80 percent (4-5) from three-point range against the Tar Heels and pulled down eight rebounds.  He was named to the All-Mid-American All-Rookie Team last season.  Kellogg shoots at about 45 percent and just under 43 percent from field-goal range and beyond the arc respectively.  Kellogg displayed a knack for hitting clutch shots in the tournament, and is looking for a breakout junior season in 2012-2013.

Red shirt junior Walter Offutt shot 77.8 percent (7-9) from the field and 100 percent (4-4) from three-point range in the second round and scored a team-high 26 points against North Carolina.  After transferring from Ohio State University and later Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, Offutt looks to have found a place to stay with the Bobcats.  The junior guard should be settled in nicely with the team and add to his 12.4 PPG average next year.

The Bobcats' roster contains only one senior, forward/center Kenny Belton who saw no action in the tournament.

OU's defense ranked among the top in the nation in several categories.  They ranked tenth in the nation in allowed three-point field goal percentage, allowing only 29.4 percent, and fifth in the nation with a +4.4 turnover ratio.

Ohio has three more scholarships to award next year, which might attract some more quality players to the improving program.

The only negative surrounding Ohio University basketball is the potential of head coach John Groce leaving.  He has reportedly been approached by the University of Illinois.  It'll take some real convincing to have Groce turn down an offer from a Big 10 school to stay with a MAC team with a lot of potential, but Groce has some unfinished business with Ohio, which might convince him to stay.

The Bobcats making noise in the tournament was no mistake and with Cooper, Kellogg, Offutt and, hopefully, Coach Groce returning next season (and a little...okay a lot of luck) the Bobcats might advance even further.

In case you live under a rock, North Carolina nearly lost last night, and that's putting it lightly. To say the Ohio Bobcats had them on the ropes is an understatement. They had them falling through the ropes and the referee was thinking about calling the fight, but North Carolina got up and put one final punch right on the money, just enough to avoid the upset.

The look on the face of the Bobcats players walking off the court and in the press conference afterward was one of defeat, deflation and depression, but these guys have no reason to feel down at this point. It's rare that a losing team comes across as more victorious than the winning team, but the Bobcats gained something last night that the Tar Heels could only gain with a title this year. This team put an entire city into the national spotlight.

I wrote at length after Ohio beat South Florida to gain a trip to the Sweet 16 about how this basketball team was the embodiment of an entire city and how they reflect Athens, Ohio more than any one entity could, and that was on full display Friday night.

Ohio was outmatched in every way (save maybe that point guard spot) against the bigger, faster, stronger, more athletic Tar Heels, yet they were a mere free throw away from chopping down Goliath at the knees. It's one thing to sit here and dwell on what could have been, but it's a completely different thing to look at what was.

This team was one of the hardest working teams in the tournament this year. Sure, they were out-rebounded by 30 boards last night (a ridiculous disparity), but they forced 24 North Carolina turnovers (a season high for the Heels) and held them to 40 percent shooting. But if you were to ask one of the college basketball experts (i.e. not Charles Barkley) what to expect before the game, you would hear about the rebound disparity—but nobody saw Ohio coming in and thrashing the Heels on defense.

From the start of the second half on, you saw one team brimming with confidence although they had made just eight field goals in the first half, and another team struggling to find someone to step up (although Reggie Bullock eventually did).

What you saw from the Bobcats last night was indicative of the town they come from. Just like the seemingly poor, outmatched Athens, Ohio, the Bobcats seemed to be dwarfed by the obstacle in front of them. However, they played to their strengths, kept shooting even though nothing seemed to fall early on, and came within two inches on a half-court heave of crashing into the Elite Eight.

It's hard to find victory in defeat immediately after a loss, but as the hours, days and weeks go by, the players on this team are going to realize that something special happened on March 23rd in St. Louis, even if it didn't result in a win.

People who have never before heard of the quaint yet crazy corner of Ohio are abuzz about the little underdog that nearly took down North Carolina, and that in itself is an accomplishment.

These guys will beat themselves up over each shot that didn't fall. D.J. Cooper went 3-of-20, Walter Offutt missed a free throw to put the Bobcats ahead at the end of the game, Jon Smith stuffed himself on the rim on a sure-thing dunk, Reggie Keely was handled by Tyler Zeller on more than one occasion and the rest of the team made their fair share of mistakes—but those thoughts aren't going to linger. Not one of the guys on this Bobcats team has anything to apologize for, because without each one of them this run never would have happened.

Friday night the featherweight Bobcats went 15 rounds with a heavyweight, and even though they lost, they can take pride in the fact that they made it that far while everyone else was throwing their money down for a second-round knockout.

I can't say for sure whether this team will be the same next year or whether John Groce will be back to coach again next season (Illinois would probably be happy to have him), but I can say that I can't wait to see this group of guys on the court again. This year they were the embodiment of everything that we love in college basketball, even if they did come up short.

I've got to implore this team not to think about what could have been, but instead to think about what was and what could still be.