Despite winning more than 20 games for the third time in four years, the Ohio Bobcats failed to win a big game on the road in the 2012-2013 season. Eight of Ohio’s ten loses came away from the Convocation Center. Here’s a closer look at Ohio’s road woes.
After losing the MAC Championship and an NCAA Tournament berth to Akron on Saturday, it may seem that the Ohio Bobcats have nothing to play for. But that doesn’t mean their season is over.
Sunday night, Ohio received and accepted a bid in the NIT. The 6th seeded Bobcats will play at 3rd seeded Denver Tuesday night. But after the crushing disappointment they experienced Saturday, will Ohio be ready to play?
D.J. Cooper thinks so. The senior wants to squeeze every drop of basketball he can out of his final season.
“I’m going to cherish, wherever we are, the last few games that I play,” he said after Saturday’s loss.
Head coach Jim Christian overcame plenty of challenges: In his first year, he took over a team of mostly seniors and coached them to a share of a regular season conference title. But getting his team to play for nothing but pride may be his biggest challenge yet.
“I hope so,” he said on Saturday about a possible NIT berth. “If we’re lucky enough to get into the NIT, that’s a hell of a deal to get into.”
Christian said he didn’t expect any coaching problems with his team, but he understands his team’s disappointment in missing out on an NCAA berth.
As for Denver, they faced a similar disappointment earlier last week when they were upset in the quarterfinals of the WAC Tournament. As the two seed in the tournament, they fell to 12-21 Texas State.
With both teams playing for a consolation prize, Tuesday night’s game will truly come down to who wants it more.
Over the weekend, I was assigned to complete a Twitter scavenger hunt all across the Ohio University campus and the city of Athens. I thought I knew just about everything I needed to know about my home away from home, but I learned a lot and had some fun along the way. Here are the highlights of my project:
Hidden gem: Academic and Research Center (ARC)
Back in underclassmen days on West Green, ARC quickly became one of my favorite places to study for a number of reasons. It has open classrooms for group study, a snack bar, comfy chairs and fireplaces, and progressive architecture. But it became my go-to study spot because it was never too crowded. I didn’t realize until I completed this project that ARC is less than three years old, and was completed just in time for my freshman year.
The Academic and Research Center’s modern chandelier.
Favorite eating spot: O’Bettys Red Hot
In my mind, there is only one answer to this question: O’Betty’s Red Hot on West State. I’ve been known to frequent the window on occasion (okay, maybe a bit more than that), but never before midnight on a weekend night. But, with careful inspection of the menu, they offer more than just hot dogs and fries. They even have a Philly Cheesesteak! Looks like I’ll be back soon enough.
Little-known fact: The Ohio-shaped garden.
I can’t exactly remember where I learned that the garden outside of Alden’s fourth floor entrance was shaped like the state of Ohio, but I have never been able to shake it from my mind. It’s all I see when I walk by. I’m always amused by people’s reactions when they finally see it for the first time. It turns out that this garden has a name. Wolfe Garden is named after 1919 graduate Thomas J. Wolfe.
School spirit: UniversiTEEs
I think I may have creeped out some of the employees at UniversiTEEs. While the woman behind the counter was nice enough to help me, she wouldn’t give me her name or her Twitter account. I’ll admit, it was kind of a strange request, but such is the life of a student journalist. Though no one at the store knew it, the Athens location has its own Twitter account.
Favorite spot: The graffiti wall.
I had some trouble picking a favorite spot on campus. The assignment asked that I not choose a restaurant or bar. All of a sudden, my top 10 spots were ineligible. After walking campus for a bit, I came across the wall, and realized that I had never seen a place like this on any other campus. Though the unlimited freedom of expression can get people into trouble, The Wall is more often is just another element that adds flavor to Athens. Proposals, announcements, and artistic murals have been adorning the walls since the 1960s.
“The Wall” on Mulberry St. outside of Bentley Hall.
Alex Hider 