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ATHENS, Ohio -- The Ohio men's basketball team (23-5, 14-3 MAC) conclude the 2021-22 home schedule on Friday, Feb. 25 when they host Akron (18-9, 11-6 MAC). Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. inside the Convocation Center. It will be Senior Night inside the Convo, with Tommy Schmock, John Tenerowicz, Jason Carter and Ben Vander Plas being honored in a pregame ceremony. The Bobcats matchup will be seen on CBS Sports Network where Dave Ryan and Tim Doyle will have the call. 

The Bobcats' matchup can also be heard on the Ohio Sports Network from Learfield. Russ Eisenstein returns for his 14th season as the "Voice of the Bobcats" and will be joined by Ohio alum Rob Cornelius, who has been a part of the broadcasts for two decades. WXTQ (Power 105) in Athens returns as the 11-station network's flagship.  

STORYLINES
• With three games to go, the Bobcats have already clinched a spot to Cleveland for the 2022 MAC Tournament. 
• This game is the second matchup between the Bobcats and Akron this season.
• Ohio is coming off of a 76-50 win against CMU Tuesday night.
• Ben Vander Plas was named the MAC Male Scholar Athlete of the week on Feb. 23.
• Mark Sears has been named to the 2021-22 Lou Henson National Player of the Year Mid-Season Watch List on Jan. 12. 
• Third-year head coach Jeff Boals recorded his 100th career win on Jan 4 at Akron. 
• This is the 88th all-time meeting between the Bobcats and Zips. 
• Akron leads the all-time series, 45-42. 
• The Bobcats and Zips met twice last season, with the two teams splitting the series. 
• In their most recent matchup on Jan. 4, 2022, Ohio came away with the 69-63 victory in Akron. 
• The Bobcats are 12-17 against the Zips since the 2009-10 season.
• The Bobcats 23-5 record is the best record in program history through 28 games. 
• Ohio's 23 wins is the sixth-most in program history. 
• Mark Sears has been named the MAC Player of the Week five times this season, with the most recent coming on Jan. 31. 
• The Bobcats are currently first in the MAC in turnover margin at +4.25. 
• Ohio is ranked 96th in the latest NET rankings released on Feb. 23.  Ohio is the second-highest-ranked MAC school, behind Toledo at 83. Meanwhile, Akron is ranked 156th. 
• The Bobcats rank 12th in the country in turnover margin. 
• Mark Sears ranks second in the MAC in scoring, first in free throw percentage, fourth in steals and second in minutes. 
•  Mark Sears is 11th in the country in free throw percentage and tied for sixth in free throws made (144-of-160). He is also tied for 37th in the country in points per game. 
• The Bobcats are currently 15-1 this season in the Convo. The Bobcats went 15-1 in the Convo during the 2012-13 season and 17-1 during the 2011-12 season. 
• Ohio has registered an impressive 541-177 (.756) all-time record at the Convocation Center, which opened in 1968.

SCOUTING AKRON
Akron enters the matchup with the Bobcats with an 18-9 record and an 11-6 mark in MAC play, after defeating Bowling Green on Feb. 22. 

As a team, Akron averages 70.6 points a game, while shooting 45.9 percent from the field, 35.0 percent from three and 67.3 percent from the line. The Zips average 35.8 rebounds, 12.0 assists and 5.4 steals a game. Akron also averages 3.3 blocks a game and turn the ball over an average of 11.8 times a game. 

Opponents average 62.6 points and are shooting 42.3 percent from the field, 34.3 percent from three and 69.6 percent from the line. Akron's opponents also average 30.8 rebounds and 9.2 assists per game, while adding 5.5 steals and 2.2 blocks. Opponents also turn the ball over an average of 11.6 times a game. 

Individually, Ali Ali averages a team-leading 13.8 points a game and is shooting 46.2 percent from the field, 38.7 percent from three and 77.7 percent from the line. Enrique Freeman adds 13.1 points and 11.2 rebounds a game, while shooting 64.5 percent from the field. Xavier Castaneda averages 12.6 points a game, while Bryan Trimble, Jr. adds 10.4 points a contest. 

SCOUTING OHIO
Ohio enters the matchup with Akron with a 23-5 record overall and a 14-3 record in MAC play after defeating Central Michigan, 76-50 on Tuesday in Athens. 

The Bobcats average 74.5 points a game, while shooting .436 from the field, .337 from three and .734 from the line. The Bobcats grab 34.3 rebounds a game, while dishing out an average of 13.1 assists and registering 7.8 steals a game. Ohio is averaging 10.6 turnovers a game. 

Meanwhile, opponents are averaging 66.4 points a game, while shooting .436 from the field, .315 from three and .761 from the line. Opponents are averaging 34.6 rebounds, 11.2 assists and 14.8 turnovers a game. 

Individually, Ohio is led by guard Mark Sears who is averaging 19.3 points a game, while shooting .456 from the field, .419 from three and .900 from the line. Forward Jason Carter is adding 13.9 points and 6.5 rebounds a game, while forward Ben Vander Plas is averaging 13.6 points a game, 6.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists. 

ALL TIME VS. AKRON
This is the 88th all-time meeting between the Bobcats and Zips. 

Akron leads the all-time series, 45-42. 

The Bobcats and Zips met twice last season, with the two teams splitting the series. 

In their most recent matchup on Jan. 4, 2022, Ohio came away with the 69-63 victory in Akron. 

The Bobcats are 12-17 against the Zips since the 2009-10 season.

LAST TIME AGAINST AKRON
The Bobcats defeated Akron, 69--63 on Jan. 14 in Akron. 

Overall, Ohio shot 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from three and were 9-of-10 from the line, while Akron shot 39.3 percent from the field, 37 percent from three and were 9-of-17 from the line. Ohio outrebounded Akron, 34-33, while the Bobcats dished out 12 assists to Akron's 11, while both teams turned the ball over 10 times and recorded four steals. 

Individually, Mark Sears led all scorers with 24 points, going 8-of-14 from the field, 2-of-4 from three and 6-of-6 from the line. Sears also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds and dished out five assists in 38 minutes. Jason Carter added 19 points and three rebounds, while Ben Vander Plas added 11 points, six boards and four assists.  

For Akron, Ali Ali scored 22 points, while Mikal Dawson added 14 points and Enrique Freeman snagged 10 boards. 

LAST TIME OUT
The Bobcats are coming off of a 76-50 victory over CMU Tuesday night in Athens. 

Tommy Schmock finished with 23 points, going 8-of-15 from the field and 7-of-14 from three, he also grabbed three rebounds and dished out one assists. Ben Vander Plas finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for his first career triple double, while  Jason Carter added 12 points and eight rebounds. Ben Roderick scored 10 points and grabbed five rebounds. Mark Sears finished with eight points, five rebounds and seven assists. 

Overall, Ohio shot 45.8 percent from the field, 35.7 percent from three and 60.0 percent from the line, while CMU shot 31.3 percent from the field, 18.2 percent from three and 50 percent from the line. Ohio outrebounded CMU, 43-42, while the Bobcats dished out 23 assists compared to CMU's eight. 

For CMU, Ralph Bissainthe led with 12 points, while Kevin Miller and Brian Taylor both had 11 points. 

PROTECT THIS HOUSE
Ohio has registered an impressive 541-177 (.756) all-time record at the Convocation Center, which opened in 1968.

This season Ohio is 15-1 in the Convo. 

This ties the 15-1 mark in the Convo in 2012-13. The Bobcats had a 17-1 mark in 2011-12. 

OHIO IN THE NET
Ohio is ranked 96th in the latest NET rankings released on Feb. 23. 

Ohio is the second-highest-ranked MAC school, behind Toledo at 83.

Meanwhile, Akron is ranked 156th. 

OHIO IN THE NCAA
The Bobcats rank 12th in the country in turnover margin

Mark Sears is 11th in the country in free throw percentage and tied for sixth in free throws made (144-of-160). He is also tied for 37th in the country in points per game. 

OHIO IN THE MAC 
Mark Sears ranks second in the MAC in scoring, second in free throw percentage, fourth in steals and second in minutes. 

Jason Carter is seventh in blocked shots (29) and eighth in rebounding. 

Ben Vander Plas is third in the league in minutes played (34.8) and seventh in rebounding.

Sears and Tommy Schmock rank fourth and fifth, respectively in the league in three-point field goal percentage.  

Meanwhile, Ohio is first in turnover margin (+4.25), fifth in free throw percentage, third in assist/TO ratio (1.23) and first in steals (7.8). 

BVP TRIPLE DOUBLE
On Feb. 22 against CMU, Ben Vander Plas recorded his first career triple double, scoring 10 point, grabbed 10 boards and dished out 10 assists. 

It is the fourth triple double in men's basketball history (DJ Cooper(1), Jason Preston (2)).

It is overall the sixth triple double in Ohio basketball history with women's basketball players CeCe Hooks and Erica Johnson who each have one. 

23 FROM 22 ON 2/22/22
On Feb. 22 against CMU, Tommy Schmock had a career night, scoring a DI career-high 23 points while draining seven made threes in the victory. 

SEARS AT THE LINE
Mark Sears continues his solid season at the free throw line. The sophomore is shooting 90.0 percent (144-of-160), which ranks him second in the MAC and 11th in the country in free throw percentage and tied for sixth in free throws made.

MILES STEPPING UP
Junior guard Miles Brown is stepping up in his new starting role. 

In 26 games, Brown is averaging 6.8 points and is shooting .414 from the field, .356 from three and is .737 from the line. 

Brown scored a career-high 19 points on Nov. 26 against Concordia. 

Brown had the best game of his career on Feb. 12 at Eastern Michigan, recording his first career double double, scoring 15 points and grabbing a career-high 12 rebounds. 

IT'S LIKE HE NEVER LEFT
In his first game back in Athens, Jason Carter was back to his old self. 

Carter registered his first double double of the season, scoring 20 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in the victory over Belmont. 

After 27 games, Carter is averaging 13.9 points and 6.5 rebounds a game. He is also shooting .465 from the field and .262 from three.

He also has three double doubles this season.

On Jan. 11 against BGSU, Carter scored a season-high 22 points in the victory. 

Carter scored a career-high 27 points against Western Michigan on Feb. 5. 

He was named the MAC Player of the Week on Feb. 7 and the MAC Male Scholar Athlete of the Week on Feb. 8. 

SEARS LEADING THE WAY
Since taking over point guard duties at the start of the season, Sears has quickly proven that he belongs. 

Over 28 games, Sears is leading Ohio with 19.3 points per game. He is shooting .456 from the field, .419 from three and .900 from the line. 

He also averages 5.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.7 steals a game. 

After opening the season with a 27-point performance against Belmont, Sears also added a 24-point game against St. Francis on Dec. 4, where he grabbed a career-high eight rebounds. 

Sears had another 20-point performance on Dec. 15 against Marshall, scoring 24 points in the 75-65 victory. 

Sears set another career-high on Dec. 21 when he scored 33 points against USC Upstate inside the Convo. 

He has been named the MAC Player of the Week five times this season, the most recent coming on Jan. 31. 

Sears had another noteworthy performance on Feb. 12 against EMU, scoring 27 points and grabbing eight rebounds, while dishing out five assists in Ohio's 74-56 victory. 

CAREER DAY FOR MARK
On Dec. 21 against USC Upstate, Mark Sears set a career-high with 33 points in the 85-70 victory. He went 11-of-16 from the field, a perfect 10-of-10 from the line and grabbed a career-tying eight boards.

BOALS MARCH TO 100
Third-year head coach Jeff Boals recorded his 100th career win on Jan 4 at Akron.

BVP STILL STEADY
Ben Vander Plas picked up right where he left on in 2021-22. 

On Nov. 9 the forward scored 19 points and grabbed six boards in Ohio's win against Belmont. He also tied a career-high, dishing out seven assists. 

BVP added another 19-point performance against Kentucky. 

BVP is currently third on the team in scoring with 13.6 points per game. He also averages 6.9 rebounds, while dishing out 3.3 assists a game. Vander Plas is shooting .455 from the field and .331 from three. 

BVP also made a splash on Dec. 1 at LSU. With the Bobcats trailing entering the second, Vander Plas hit three-straight threes for Ohio, helping tie the game early in the second half. He finished the game with 12 points. 

BVP hit a career-high six made three pointers on Jan. 7 against Kent State, while also scoring season-high 20 points in the victory. 

On Jan. 18 at Miami, Vander Plas scored a season-high 23 points in 29 minutes. 20 of those points came in the first half. 

BVP recorded his second double double of the season at Buffalo on Jan. 28, scoring 12 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. 

BVP's third double double came Feb. 5 against WMU, scoring 15 points and grabbing 11 boards. 

BVP once again own CMU, scoring a season-high 24 points on Feb. 10 in Mount Pleasant. 

BVP set another career-high on Feb. 15 against Miami, Scoring 30 points in the 91-78 victory. 

BVP recorded his first career triple double on Feb. 22 against CMU, scoring 10 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and dishing out 10 assists. 

CLAYTON FOR THREE
In 27 games in the green and white, freshman AJ Clayton has made at least one three in 17 of those games. 

Clayton recorded his first two-point basket on Nov. 26 against Concordia. 

Clayton has scored six points in three games this season - two against SEC opponents and one at Stetson on Dec. 11.

Clayton set a career-high with seven points on Dec. 21 vs. USC Upstate.  

Clayton set a career-high on Jan. 11 against BGSU, scoring 12 points and going 2-of-6 from three. 

The newly minted 18-year old (as of Feb. 12), is averaging 3.5 points a game and 10.5 minutes. 

OLUMIDE MAKES MOST OF HIS MINUTES
On Feb. 10 at CMU, Olumide Adelodun made the most of his five minutes on the court, draining a important three and followed that up with a block on the opposite end of the court, helping Ohio to the 81-72 victory. 

EZUMA MAKES HIS DEBUT
Freshman IJ Ezuma made his collegiate debut on Monday, Nov. 22 against Mount St. Mary's. 

The forward out of Hargrave played six minutes in his debut. 

Ezuma recorded his first career field goal on Nov. 26 against Concordia. 

Ezuma returned to the court on Dec. 11 at Stetson, playing five minutes while scoring four points, grabbing one rebound and dishing out one assist. 

Ezuma has seen his minutes increase over the last few days. Ezuma now averages 6.8 minutes per game off the bench, while averaging 1.9 points and 1.2 rebounds. 

SIXTH MAN SCHMOCK
Senior transfer guard Tommy Schmock has a career day on Nov. 26 against Concordia, scoring 11 points and going from 3-of-7 from three. 

Against LSU, Schmock snagged a career-high three steals.  

Schmock got his first start in the Green and White on Jan. 7 against Kent State. 

In his second start of the season on Jan. 11 against BGSU, Schmock was sensational, scoring 17 points, going 5-of-10 from the field, 4-of-7 from three and grabbed seven boards in the victory. 

Schmock had another stellar game on Feb. 8 at Toledo, scoring 17 points, going 6-of-12 from the field and 5-of-10 from three. 

Schmock helped lead the Bobcats in the next game, scoring 16 points and hitting four threes in the Bobcats' win at CMU. 

On Feb. 15 against Miami, Schmock scored a DI career-high 18 points in the victory. 

This season. Schmock is averaging 6.2 points in 20.3 minutes off the bench. 

Schmock continues to see is production increase over the last few weeks, with the best game of his DI career coming on Feb. 22. In the game, Schmock scored 23 points and bagged seven threes in the victory. 

MAC MALE SCHOLAR ATHLETE
Jason Carter was named the MAC Male Scholar Athlete of the Week on Jan. 19. 

Jason Carter was named the MAC Male Scholar Athlete of the Week for the second time on Feb. 8. 

Ben Vander Plas was named the MAC Male Scholar Athlete of the Week on Feb. 23. 

UP NEXT
Up next, the Bobcats head to Bowling Green on Tuesday, March 1. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. inside the Stroh Center. 

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