ATHENS, Ohio -- The Ohio men's basketball team (8-5, 0-0 MAC) opens 2023 with its Mid-American Conference opener on Tuesday, Jan 3 when the Bobcats head to New York to take on Buffalo (6-7, 0-0 MAC). Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. inside Alumni Arena. The Bobcats matchup will be seen on ESPN+ with Paul Peck and Matt Mattia will be on 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 76-59 win over Chicago State on Dec. 30 to close out MAC play. 
• This is the 55th all-time meeting between Ohio and Buffalo.
• Ohio leads the all-time series, 35-19.
• The Bobcats and the Bulls meet one time last season, with Ohio defeating Buffalo, 74-53 in Buffalo. 
• Ohio is 4-2 against Buffalo since Jeff Boals took over in 2019-20, with Ohio going 2-1 at Alumni Arena. 
• Buffalo enters the matchup with a 6-7 record and are coming off a loss at Michigan State on Dec. 30. 
• Since falling to Florida on Dec. 14, the Bobcats are on a three-game winning streak and are averaging 85.3 points a game, while holding opponents to 67.0 points a game. 
• In that stretch, Ohio is shooting .487 from the field, .393 from three and .828 from the line, while four Bobcats are averaging about figures. 
• Dwight Wilson III is coming off his second-straight double double against Delaware, where he went 5-of-5 from the field and 2-of-2 from the line to go along with his 10 rebounds. 
• 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. 
• The Ohio free throw shooting was clutch on Dec. 21 at Delaware, with the Bobcats going 20-of-21 from the line, including going 16-of-17 in the second half. 
• AJ Brown earned his first career start on Dec. 17 against Stetson, scoring 13 points and hitting three threes in the victory. 
• Ohio has registered an impressive 546-178 (.756) all-time record at the Convocation Center, which opened in 1968.
• Ohio picked up its first road win of the season on Dec. 11 when they defeated Youngstown State. 

SCOUTING BUFFALO
Buffalo enters the matchup with Ohio with a 6-7 record and is coming off loss at Michigan State on Dec. 30. 

Overall, Buffalo averages 78.8 points a game, while shooting .466 from the field, .319 from three and .713 from the line. The Bulls also average 36.2 rebounds a game, 14.6 assists and 8.9 steals a game. Buffalo also forces 15.5 turnovers a game. 

Meanwhile, Opponents average 77.3 points and 35.8 rebounds a game. Opponents also shoot .441 from the field, .323 from three and .705 from the line. Opponents also dish out 14.8 assists and grab 7.3 steals a game, while also forcing 15.1 turnovers a game. 

Individually, Curtis Jones averages 14.5 points and 4.7 rebounds a game, while shooting .455 from the field, .372 from three and .783 from the line. Yazid Powell adds 12.7 points and 4.0 rebounds and is shooting 43 percent from the field. Isaiah Adams also averages double figures, adding 10.3 points and 4.6 rebounds a game. 

SCOUTING OHIO
Ohio enters the matchup with Buffalo with an 8-5 record after defeating Chicago State, 76-59 on Dec. 30 in Athens.

As a team, Ohio is averaging 77.5 points and 39.2 rebounds a game, while opponents average 70.2 points and 34.9 rebounds a game. The Bobcats are also shooting .463 from the field, .360 from three and .715 from the line. Ohio also adds 14.6 assists, 6.8 steals and force 12.4 turnovers a game. 

Opponents are shooting .419 from the field, .342 from three and .664 from the line, while dishing out 13.1 assists, 6.4 steals and 12.4 turnovers a game. 

Individually, Dwight Wilson III leads Ohio with 13.4 points a game, while shooting .580 from the field, while also averaging 9.4 rebounds a game. AJ Brown adds 11.8 points and is shooting .534 from the field, while Miles Brown averages 9.8 points , AJ Clayton adds 9.6 points and 6.8 rebounds and Jaylin Hunter adds 9.5 points and 4.5 assists per game. 

ALL TIME VS. BUFFALO
This is the 55th all-time meeting between Ohio and Buffalo.

Ohio leads the all-time series, 35-19.

The Bobcats and the Bulls meet one time last season, with Ohio defeating Buffalo, 74-53 in Buffalo. 

Ohio is 4-2 against Buffalo since Jeff Boals took over in 2019-20, with Ohio going 2-1 at Alumni Arena. 

LAST TIME AGAINST BUFFALO
The Bobcats and the Bulls met one time last season on Jan. 28, 2022, with Ohio winning, 74-53 in Buffalo.  

Overall, Ohio shot 43.9 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from three-point range and 70.0 percent from the free throw line, while Buffalo shot 38.2 percent from the field, 23.8 percent from three and were 6-of-6 from the free throw line. 

Individually, four Bobcats scored in double figures in the win. 

LAST TIME OUT
The Ohio men's basketball team (8-5) wrapped up 2022 and non-conference play Friday night (Dec. 30), defeating Chicago State (3-14), 76-59, inside the Convocation Center. 

Overall, Ohio shot 42 percent from the field, 33 percent from three and were 19-of-25 from the line, while Chicago State shot 33 percent from the field, 15 percent from three and were 13-of-20 from the line. The Cougars out-rebounded the Bobcats, 46-39, however Ohio dished out 16 assists to their nine and forced 17 turnovers, scoring 27 points off them. 

Individually, AJ Clayton scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds, while AJ Brown added 13 points. Dwight Wilson III scored 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for his second-straight double double. Miles Brown scored nine points, while Jaylin Hunter scored seven points and dished out six assists.

SINCE DEC. 14
Since falling to Florida on Dec. 14, the Bobcats are on a three-game winning streak and are averaging 85.3 points a game, while holding opponents to 67.0 points a game. 

In that stretch, Ohio is shooting .487 from the field, .393 from three and .828 from the line, while four Bobcats are averaging about figures. 

FREE THROWS FOR DAYS
The Ohio free throw shooting was clutch on Dec. 21 at Delaware, with the Bobcats going 20-of-21 from the line, including going 16-of-17 in the second half. 

AJ Clayton also hit a career-high nine free throws in the win. 

Ohio kept that string going against Chicago State, going 19-of-25 from the line, with Clayton hitting five of six attempts.

CAREER DAY FOR SLASH
AJ Clayton recorded a career day on Dec. 21 in the Bobcats' win at Delaware. 

Overall, Clayton scored a career-high 23 points, going 6-of-11 from the field, hit two threes and went 9-of-9 from the line. He also grabbed six boards and dished out three assists. 

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 11.8 points a game and is shooting .534 from the field. 

HUNTER FINDING A GROOVE
Eleven games into his Bobcat career, 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. 

As of Jan. 2, Hunter averages 9.5 points and 4.5 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. 

So far on the early season, Brown averages 9.8 points and 3.0 rebounds a game, while shooting .500 from three, .462 from the field and .792 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. 

Wilson III has continued to dominate during the early part of the season, averaging 13.4 points and 9.4 rebounds a game, while shooting .580 from the field. 

BROD'S NEW ROLE
After starting every game last season, senior Ben Roderick is fitting in with his new role off the bench. 

This season, Roderick averages 5.5 points, while shooting .407 from the field and .419 from three, while also recording a .875 shooting percentage from the line in just 15.7 minutes a game. 

SLASH FITTING RIGHT IN
Sophomore AJ Clayton is taking advantage of his new starting roll. 

After grabbing a career-high nine rebounds at Belmont to open the season, Clayton added on, scoring a career-high 15 points at Detroit Mercy on Wednesday. 

Clayton was consistent again on Dec. 11 at YSU, scoring 10 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. 

Clayton scored a career-high 23 points on Dec. 21 at Delaware, and went 9-for-9 from the line in the victory. Clayton led Ohio against on Dec. 30, scoring 13 points and grabbing six rebounds against Chicago State. 

So far this season, Clayton averages 9.6 points and 6.8 rebounds a game. 

UP NEXT
Up next, Ohio is back on the road on Saturday, Jan. 7 when they head to Bowling Green for a matchup with the Falcons. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. inside the Stroh Center. 

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