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ATHENS, Ohio -- The Ohio men's basketball team (9-7, 1-2 MAC) returns to action on Friday, Jan. 13 when they host Kent State (13-3, 3-0 MAC). Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. inside the Convocation Center. The Bobcats matchup will be seen on CBS Sports Network where Chris Hassel and Mark Turgeon will have the call. 

The Bobcats' matchup can also be heard on the Ohio Sports Network from Learfield. Russ Eisenstein returns for his 15th season as the "Voice of the Bobcats" and will be joined by Ohio alum Rob Cornlius, 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
• Ohio is coming off a 76-71 victory over Ball State on Tuesday inside the Convo. 
• This is the 154th all-time meeting between Ohio and Kent State.
• Ohio leads the all-time series, 97-56. 
• The Bobcats and Flashes met three last season, with Ohio winning the first matchup in Athens, while Kent State won the matchup in Kent and in the MAC Tournament Semifinals. 
• The Bobcats won the first matchup last season in Athens, 80-73.
• Ohio fell to Kent State, 67-61 in the MAC Tournament Semifinals in Cleveland last March. 
• Ohio is 12-17 against Kent State since 2009-10, while the Bobcats are 3-4 against the Flashes under Jeff Boals. 
• Ohio is ranked 141 in the latest NET Rankings, with Kent State ranked 48. 
• Ohio has registered an impressive 5467-178 (.756) all-time record at the Convocation Center, which opened in 1968.
• Ohio is currently 7-0 in the Convo this season. 
• The Bobcats rank in the top-60 in the NCAA in offensive rebounds (52) and defensive rebounds and is 36th overall in total rebounds per game. 
• Dwight Wilson is 39th in the NCAA in field goal percentage and 16th in offensive rebounds per game and 14th in rebounds per game. 
• Jaylin Hunter is coming off a career-high 23-point performance against Ball State on Jan. 10. 
• Dwight Wilson III had a stellar game at Bowling Green on Jan. 7, scoring 17 points and grabbing 17 rebounds - just one off his career high. He followed that up with a 22 point and 10 rebound performance against Ball State on Jan. 10. 
• Senior Miles Brown is coming off a career-high 24 points at Buffalo on Jan. 3. Brown went 7-of-16 from the field, 4-of-7 from three and was 6-of-6 from the line. 
• AJ Clayton recorded a career day at Delaware on Dec. 21, scoring a career-high 23 points, while hitting a career-high nine free throws.  He then his a career-high four made threes on Jan. 10 against Ball State. 

SCOUTING KENT STATE
Kent State enters the matchup with Ohio with a 13-3 record and a 3-0 mark in MAC play and is currently on a seven-game winning streak. 

Overall, Kent State averages 74.8 points a game, while shooting .436 from the field, .341 from three and .765 from the line. The Flashes also average 35.1 rebounds a game, 12.3 assists and 10.1 steals a game. Kent State also forces 17.6 turnovers a game. 

Meanwhile, Opponents average 62.0 points and 36.9 rebounds a game. Opponents also shoot .386 from the field, .308 from three and .690 from the line. Opponents also dish out 11.1 assists and grab 6.1 steals a game, while also forcing 11.9 turnovers a game. 

Individually, Sincere Carry averages 17.5 points and 4.8 assists a game, while shooting .398 from the field, .301 from three and .833 from the line. Malique Jacobs adds 12.3 points and 4.7 rebounds, while Miryne Thomas averages 11.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and shoots .380 from three. 

SCOUTING OHIO
Ohio enters the matchup with Kent State with an 9-7 record after defeating Ball State, 76-71, inside the Convo Tuesday night. 

As a team, Ohio is averaging 77.1 points and 39.3 rebounds a game, while opponents average 71.6 points and 35.9 rebounds a game. The Bobcats are also shooting .455 from the field, .372 from three and .714 from the line. Ohio also adds 13.9 assists, 6.4 steals and force 12.3 turnovers a game. 

Opponents are shooting .421 from the field, .348 from three and .664 from the line, while dishing out 13.2 assists, 6.6 steals and 11.9 turnovers a game. 

Individually, Dwight Wilson III leads Ohio with 13.9 points a game, while shooting .580 from the field, while also averaging 10.0 rebounds a game. AJ Brown adds 11.4 points and is shooting .457 from the field, while Miles Brown averages 10.4 points. Jaylin Hunter adds 10.2 points and 4.3 assists per game. 

ALL TIME VS. KENT STATE
This is the 154th all-time meeting between Ohio and Kent State.

Ohio leads the all-time series, 97-56. 

The Bobcats and Flashes met three last season, with Ohio winning the first matchup in Athens, while Kent State won the matchup in Kent and in the MAC Tournament Semifinals. 

The Bobcats won the first matchup last season in Athens, 80-73.

Ohio fell to Kent State, 67-61 in the MAC Tournament Semifinals in Cleveland last March. 

Ohio is 12-17 against Kent State since 2009-10, while the Bobcats are 3-4 against the Flashes under Jeff Boals. 

LAST TIME AGAINST KENT STATE
The Bobcats and Flashes last met on March 11, 2022 in the semifinals of the 2022 MAC Tournament, where Kent State won, 67-61. 

Overall, the Bobcats shot 40.4% from the field, 33.3% from beyond the arc, and 62.5% from the free throw line. Kent State finished the game having shot 45.6% overall, 35.3% from three, and 69.2% from the charity stripe. 

Ohio was led on offense Ben Vander Plas and Mark Sears. Vander Plas scored a team-high 20 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field, while Sears played all 40 minutes and finished with 15 points. Jason Carter was the team's leading rebounder, grabbing seven total boards. 

Kent State was led by Malique Jacobs, who recorded a double-double with team-highs in points (19) and rebounds (10). 

LAST TIME OUT
Ohio is coming off an 77-71 victory vs Ball State on Jan. 10 in the Convo. 

Overall, Ohio shot 45 percent from the field, 47.6 percent from three and were 12-of-18 from the line, while Ball State shot 45.1 percent from the field, 34.8 percent from three and were 17-of-24 from the line. The Cardinals outrebounded the Bobcats, 35-32, while Ohio recorded nine steals in comparison the Ball State's six. 

Individually, Jaylin Hunter led the team with 23 points, going 5-for-6 from the field and 4-for-5 from three while Dwight Wilson III scored 22 points, led the team in rebounds with 10 and was 9-for-15 from the field. 

OHIO IN NET
Ohio is ranked 141 in the latest NET Rankings, with Kent State ranked 48. 

OHIO IN NCAA
The Bobcats rank in the top-60 in the NCAA in offensive rebounds (52) and defensive rebounds and is 36th overall in total rebounds per game. 

Dwight Wilson is 39th in the NCAA in field goal percentage and 16th in offensive rebounds per game and 14th in rebounds per game. 

HUNTER SETS NEW CAREER HIGH
Jaylin Hunter is coming off a career-high 23-point performance against Ball State on Jan. 10. Hunter finished the game, 7-of-12 from the field and 4-of-5 from three, while also going 5-of-6 from the line. 

DJ WITH THE BOARDS
Dwight Wilson III is coming off a stellar game at Bowling Green on Jan. 7, scoring 17 points and grabbing 17 rebounds - just one off his career high. 

ANOTHER CAREER MILESTONE FOR MILES
Miles Brown set another career-high on Jan. 3 at Buffalo, scoring a personal best 24 points. Brown went 7-of-16 from the field, 4-of-7 from three and was 6-of-6 from the line. 

AJ BROWN MAKES A STATEMENT
Freshman guard AJ Brown showed the type of talent Ohio could see over the next four years against UC Clermont, where he scored a game-high 18 points, went 7-of-11 from the field and dished out four assists in the victory. 

As AJ Brown continues to see more minutes, he continues to get more comfortable, with a stellar game on Dec. 11 at Youngstown State where he scored 16 points, while going 6-of-8 from the field. 

He was also stellar off the bench against Florida, scoring a team-high 14 points in 24 minutes. 

Brown made his first career start on Dec. 17 against Stetson, scoring 13 points, grabbed four rebounds and drained three 3-pointers. 

On Dec. 21 at Delaware, Brown was efficient, scoring 14 points, going 5-of-9 from the field, 2-of-2 from three and grabbed a career-high five boards. 

So far this season, Brown is averaging 11.4 points a game and is shooting .457 from the field. 

HUNTER FINDING A GROOVE
Junior guard Jaylin Hunter started to find his groove in the Green and White. 

On Dec. 11 at Youngstown State, Hunter led the Bobcats with 17 points, five rebounds, seven assists and three steals in the victory. 

Hunter led Ohio against Cleveland State, scoring 17 points, grabbing four rebounds and dishing out seven assists in the victory. 

Hunter is coming off a career-high 23-point performance against Ball State on Jan. 10. Hunter finished the game, 7-of-12 from the field and 4-of-5 from three, while also going 5-of-6 from the line. 

As of Jan. 12, Hunter averages 10.2 points and 4.3 assists a game. 

BROWN SETTING UP FOR CAREER YEAR
Senior guard Miles Brown is already on pace to set new marks in his fourth season in the Green and White. 

After a solid game at Belmont, Brown was clutch against Cleveland State, scoring 14 points and going a perfect 6-of-6 from the line in the victory. 

Brown was also solid against No. 20 Michigan, scoring 11 points and grabbing a season-hight nine rebounds. 

He was back in action during the Bobcat battle where he averaged 16.0 points and set and matched a career-high four made threes before being named the tournament MVP. 

Brown set another career-high on Jan. 3 at Buffalo, scoring a personal best 24 points. Brown went 7-of-16 from the field, 4-of-7 from three and was 6-of-6 from the line. 

Brown averages 10.4 points and 2.6 rebounds a game, while shooting .517 from three, .462 from the field and .824 from the line. 

WELCOME BACK DJ
In his return to the court after missing all of last season due to a knee injury, Dwight Wilson III put on a show. 

Wilson III finished the game with a game-high 20 points, going 8-of-10 from the field and 4of-4 from the line. He also grabbed eight rebounds in 24 minutes of action. 

He then put on a show at No. 20 Michigan, scoring 21 points and grabbing nine boards. 

Wilson III was the hero on Dec. 11 at YSU, hitting the buzzer beater to give Ohio the victory. In that game, he scored 10 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. 

Wilson III recorded another 20-point performance on Dec. 17 against Stetson, scoring 20 points, while going 8-of-9 from the field and 4-of-6 from the line. 

Wilson III was clutch in Ohio's win at Delaware on Dec. 21, scoring 16 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. Wilson III added another double double on Dec. 30, scoring 12 points and grabbing 10 rebounds against Chicago State. 

Dwight Wilson III is coming off a stellar game at Bowling Green on Jan. 7, scoring 17 points and grabbing 17 rebounds - just one off his career high. He followed that up with a 22 point and 10 rebound performance against Ball State on Jan. 10. 

Wilson III has continued to dominate, averaging 13.9 points and 10.0 rebounds a game, while shooting .580 from the field. 

PROTECT THIS HOUSE
Ohio has registered an impressive 547-178 (.756) all-time record at the Convocation Center, which opened in 1968.

Ohio is 7-0 in the Convo this season. 

Last season Ohio finished 15-2 in the Convo. 

UP NEXT
Up next, Ohio is back in action on Tuesday, Jan. 17 when Ohio heads to Toledo, Ohio to take on Toledo. Ti-off is set for 7 p.m. inside Savage Arena. 

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