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ATHENS, Ohio -- The Ohio men's basketball team (6-4) is back on the road for the first time in a month on Friday, Dec. 22 when the Bobcats head to Clarksville, Tenn. to take on Austin Peay (6-7). Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. EST inside F&M Bank Arena. The game can be seen on ESPN+, where Barry Gresham and Ethan Schmidt will have the call.
The Bobcats' matchup can also be heard on the Ohio Sports Network from Learfield. Russ Eisenstein returns for his 16th 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
• This is the fifth all-time meeting between Ohio and Austin Peay.
• Ohio leads the all-time series, 3-1.
• The Bobcats and Austin Peay last met on Nov. 24, 2018 in Athens, with Ohio winning, 85-82 in overtime.
• This is the first time since Nov. 22, 2008 that Ohio has faced Austin Peay in Clarksville.
• Austin Peay enters the matchup with the Bobcats with a 6-7 record after falling to Western Kentucky, 65-64 on Dec. 16.
• Ohio is coming off a 108-28 win over Defiance on Dec. 18.
• Ohio is ranked 165 in the NCAA NET Rankings as of Dec. 20.
• Redshirt sophomore G/F Ike Cornish, sophomore G Quinn Corna and redshirt freshman guard Ben Estis all recorded career-highs in points against Defiance on Dec. 18.
• Ohio set a program record with assists in a game with 31 against Defiance on Dec. 18. They also hit 16 threes, which is fifth all-time in program history.
• Sophomore forward Aidan Hadaway scored a career-high 14 points against Youngstown State on Dec. 6.
• Sophomore guard Elmore James tied his career high with 21 points Saturday afternoon against Delaware.
• James recorded a career-high 10 rebounds on Dec. 6 and recorded his first career double double.
• Graduate student guard Shereef Mitchell recorded a career-high in points twice while in The Bahamas, scoring 23 points against GW on Nov. 24, before setting the new mark of 24 points on Nov. 26 against Brown.
• Junior forward AJ Clayton set a new career high in rebounds (12) and blocks (5) against GW on Nov. 24. He then matched that on Dec. 2 against Delaware and again on Dec. 9 against Marshall (5).
SCOUTING AUSTIN PEAY
Austin Peay is 6-7 this season after falling to Western Kentucky, 65-64 on Dec. 16.
Overall, Austin Peay averages 66.8 points a game, while shooting .422 from the field, .346 from three and .676 from the line. Austin Peay also averages 34.8 rebounds a game, 11.1 assists and 8.3 steals a game. Austin Peay also forces 13.5 turnovers a game.
Meanwhile, Opponents average 64.1 points and 35.3 rebounds a game. Opponents also shoot .423 from the field, .270 from three and .680 from the line. Opponents also dish out 12.7 assists and grab 4.5 steals a game, while also forcing 10.2 turnovers a game.
Individually, DeMarcus Sharp averages 18.2 points per game, while shooting. 421 from the field. Sharp also averages 7.5 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game. Ja'Monta Black adds 12.6 points per game, while shooting .415 from three, and Dez White averages 9.6 points, while shooting .923 from the line.
SCOUTING OHIO
Ohio enters the matchup with Austin Peay with a 6-4 record after defeating Defiance, 108-28, Dec. 18 in the Convo.
Overall, Ohio is averaging 81.6 points per game, while shooting .461 from the field, .343 from three and 71.0 percent from the line. The Bobcats also add 37.0 rebounds, 13.6 assists and 7.1 steals per game, while forcing opponents to turn the ball over 16.1 times a game.
Meanwhile, Opponents are averaging 70.1 points a game, while shooting .414 from the field, .300 from three and .716 from the line. They also average 36.0 rebounds, 9.8 assists, 5.1 steals and force the Bobcats to turn the ball over an average of 9.9 times a game.
Individually, Jaylin Hunter leads with 15.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists a game, while shooting .388 from the field and .273 from three. Shereef Mitchell adds 13.6 points and is shooting .495 from the field, while Elmore James is averaging 12.2 points and 6.4 rebounds a game, while shooting .511 from the field. AJ Clayton adds 11.4 points a game and is shooting 59.1 percent from the field and 50 percent from three.
ALL TIME VS. AUSTIN PEAY
This is the fifth all-time meeting between Ohio and Austin Peay.
Ohio leads the all-time series, 3-1.
The Bobcats and Austin Peay last met on Nov. 24, 2018 in Athens, with Ohio winning, 85-82 in overtime.
This is the first time since Nov. 22, 2008 that Ohio has faced Austin Peay in Clarksville.
LAST TIME VS. AUSTIN PEAY
The Bobcats and Austin Peay last met on Nov. 24, 2018 in Athens, with Ohio winning, 85-82 in overtime.
Jason Carter finished the game with 25 points, tying his career high, and 10 rebounds. Carter went 11-of-22 from the field, while also dishing out four assists and two blocks. Teyvion Kirk also tied a career high with his 24 points. Kirk went 7-of-16 from the field, 1-of-3 from three-point range and 9-of-12 from the free throw line. Kirk also grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out four assists with one steal. Gavin Block and Antonio Cowart, Jr. also scored double figures, with Block scoring 11 and Cowart with 10.
As a team, the Bobcats finished the game shooting 43.7 percent (31-of-71) from the field, 23.1 (6-of-26) from three-point range and 63 percent (17-of-27) from the free throw line. Austin Peay finished shooting 43.1 percent (31-of-72) from the field, 36.8 (7-of-19) from the field, and 65 percent (13-of-20) from the free throw line. The Bobcats also outrebounded the Governors 50-41, while also dishing out 17 assists and recording six blocks, compared to Austin Peay's 12 assists and zero blocks. Ohio forced 16 turnovers and scored 17 points off of them, while also scoring 46 points in the paint and 16 second chance points, compared to APSU's 42 points in the paint and nine second chance points.
OHIO IN NCAA
The Bobcats are currently fifth in the country in turnover margin (+6.2) and are 25th in forced turnovers per game.
AJ Clayton is 31st in the NCAA in blocks per game, while Jaylin Hunter is 53rd in assists per game.
OHIO IN THE MAC
Jaylin Hunter is first in the MAC in assists, assists/TO ratio and fifth in Steals.
AJ Clayton is first in the MAC in blocks and blocks per game and is fourth in 3PT FG percentage.
REEF MAKES MOST OF NEW HOME
Graduate student guard Shereef Mitchell's offensive power showed up at the Nassau Championship Nov. 24-26.
On Nov. 24 in a double OT loss to George Washington, Mitchell scored a career-high 23 points, going 8-of-15 form the field, 3-of7 from three and grabbed seven rebounds.
He then followed up that performance on Nov. 26 with a new career high against Brown, scoring 24 points, while going 7-of-9 from the field and 8-of-11 from the line in the victory.
Mitchell led Ohio on Dec. 6 against Youngstown State, scoring a team-high 17 points and dishing out a season-high four assists.
So far this season, Mitchell is second on the Bobcats in scoring with 13.6 points and 3.1 rebounds a game.
SOPHOMORE YEAR (ELMORE'S VERSION)
Sophomore guard Elmore James is looking to make a name for himself this season.
That plan started out on the right track on Nov. 8 against Troy, with James scoring 20 points, going 7-of-13 from the field, grabbing six rebounds, snagging two steals and going perfect from the line in Ohio's 88-70 victory over Troy.
James was solid at the Nassau Championship Nov. 24-26. On Nov. 24 in a double OT loss to GW, James gabbed a career-high nine rebounds. The on Nov. 26 against Brown, James scored 18 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out four assists in the win.
James tied his career-high in points on Dec. 2 against Delaware, scoring 21 points and grabbing five rebounds in the victory.
James was named the MAC Co-Player of the Week on Dec. 4.
James recorded his first career double double on Dec. 6 against Youngstown State, scoring 13 points and grabbing a career-high 10 rebounds.
So far this season, James is averaging 12.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and is shooting 51.1 percent from the field.
JAYLIN ON THE HUNT
Senior guard Jaylin Hunter is looking to make the most out of his final season.
In the season opener, Hunter was effective with the ball, dishing out four assists and going a perfect 8-for-8 from the line.
He then had a 13-point performance at Cleveland State on Nov. 11.
Hunter recorded his 1,000th career point on Nov. 18 against Detroit Mercy.
Hunter also recorded his first career double double in the Detroit Mercy game with the help of a career-high 10 rebounds and 14 points.
Hunter had a stellar Nassau Championship Nov. 24-26. On Against GW, Hunter scored a season-high 25 points, going 9-of-22 from the field , while grabbing six rebounds and dishing out five assists.
He added a 19 point performance on Nov. 25 against MTSU, before closing out the tournament with 21 points and eight rebounds against Brown.
Hunter added a solid game against Delaware on Dec. 2, scoring 15 points, while grabbing six rebounds and dishing out three assists in the win.
This season, Hunter is averaging 16.4 points and 4.6 rebounds, while shooting .393 from the field. He followed that up with a 19-point and five-assist night on Dec. 9 against Marshall.
Overall, this season Hunter is averaging 15.3 points a game and 5.0 assists per game.
HADAWAY SEEING MORE TIME
Sophomore forward Aidan Hadaway has been seeing his minutes increase as the season has gone on.
On Nov. 25 against MTSU, Hadaway grabbed a season-high four rebounds in the win.
On Dec. 2 against Delaware, Hadaway put together 22 solid minutes on the court, scoring a season-high seven points, while grabbing a career-high seven rebounds in the win.
Hadaway continued his strong play on Dec. 6 against Delaware, scoring a career-high 14 points in 24 minutes.
Hadaway made his first career start on Dec. 18 against Defiance, scoring 11 points and going 5-for-5 from the field.
CLAYTON TAKES THE NEXT STEP
Junior forward AJ Clayton has moved back into his starting roll with ease.
He has recorded double figure scoring numbers in three-straight games to open the season.
On Nov. 18 against Detroit Mercy, Clayton led Ohio with 18 points, while also grabbing six rebounds and tying his career-high with four made threes.
On Nov. 24 against George Washington, Clayton recorded a double double, scoring 13 points and grabbing a career-high 12 rebounds, while also recording a career-high five blocks.
On Nov. 25 against Middle Tennessee State, Clayton scored 15 points, while going 5-of-6 from three, setting a new career mark in three-pointers made in a game.
Clayton tied his career mark in blocks in a game on Dec. 2 against Delaware, recording five once again in the win. He added another five-block night against Marshall on Dec. 9.
Against Defiance, Clayton scored 17 points, going 7-for-7 from the field, 3-for-3 from three and grabbed five rebounds.
So far this season, Clayton averages 11.4 and 5.3 boards a game, while registering 2.1 blocks per game.
ONE LAST TRIP FOR MILES
Fifth year guard Miles Brown is looking to make the most of his final season in the Green and White.
Brown was steady in his season debut, adding nine points, a steal and a block in Ohio's win over Troy.
After missing a month, Brown made is return to the lineup on Dec. 18 against Defiance, scoring 12 points in 12 minutes on the court.
CORNISH GETTING INTO THE GROOVE
Redshirt sophomore Ike Cornish was started to gather momentum in his first season in the Green and White, getting more comfortable as the year continues.
On Nov. 18 against Detroit Mercy, Cornish had a career day, scoring 12 points, while going 4-of-9 from the field, grabbing four rebounds and dishing out two assists with one block in the win.
On Dec. 18 against Defiance, Cornish scored a career-high 17 points, going 5-of-11 from the field, 2-for-4 from three, while grabbing seven rebounds and recording two steals.
A NIGHT OF HIGHS
The Bobcats win on Dec. 18 against Defiance saw a number of individual and team records.
Ike Cornish, Quinn Corna and Ben Estis all scored a career high in points, while Ajay Sheldon dished out a career high in assists.
AJ Clayton went 7-for-7 from the field, while Aidan Hadaway went 5-for-5 from the field.
As a team, Ohio set a program record with 31 assists, while Ohio's 16 threes were fifth most in program history.
UP NEXT
Up next, the Bobcats have a few days off for the holidays before heading to Cleveland, Ohio on Dec. 30 for the Legends of Basketball Showcase where Ohio will face off with Davidson. Tip-off is set for 1:30 p.m. inside Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
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