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ATHENS, Ohio -- The Ohio men's basketball team (13-12, 7-5 MAC) returns to Athens for the first time in 17 days on Tuesday, Feb. 20 when the Bobcats host Kent State (13-12, 6-6 MAC). Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. inside the Convocation Center.  The game can be seen on ESPN+ where Marty Bannister, Dave Cecutti and Sam Hyman 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 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
• This is Ohio's first home game since Feb. 3's win over Miami. 
• This is the 157th all-time meeting between Ohio and Kent State.
• Ohio leads the all-time series, 98-58
• Ohio is 13-19 against Kent State since 2009-10, while the Bobcats are 4-6 against the Flashes under Jeff Boals.  
• Ohio and Kent State met on Jan. 26 in Kent, with Ohio winning, 71-64, giving Ohio it's first win in the M.A.C. Center since 2014. 
• The Bobcats and Kent State met twice last season, with the Flashes winning both games. 
• Ohio last defeated Kent State in Athens on Jan. 7, 2022. 
• Ohio is ranked 171st in the latest NET Ranking as of Feb. 19.
• Ohio has registered an impressive 563-182 (.756) all-time record at the Convocation Center, which opened in 1968.
• Ohio finished 14-1 in the Convo this season.
• This season Ohio 9-3 in the Convo. 
• Ohio is 58-14 in the Convo under Boals in the last five seasons. 
• Ohio is ranked 23rd in the NCAA in assist/turnover ratio.
• The Bobcats are also 44th in the country in scoring offense and 13th in three-pointers per game, 19th in 3-pt field goal percentage and  71st in steals per game. 
• Ohio is also 54th in blocks per game and 51st in effective field goal percentage. 
• Individually, AJ Clayton is 53rd in three-point field goal percentage, 10th in three-pointers per game and 80th in points per game. 
• Jaylin Hunter ranks 42nd in assists per game, 35th in three-point percentage and 34th in three-pointers per game. 
• Miles Brown in ranked 30th in steals per game, while Aidan Hadaway in 85th in the country in rebounds a game. 
• Jaylin Hunter was named the MAC Co-Player of the week on Feb. 12 for his performance the week of Feb. 5. 
• Sophomore Ajay Sheldon scored a new career-high 17 points and hit five threes at Arkansas State on Feb. 10.
• Jaylin Hunter recorded a career-high 32 points in Ohio's 84-79 overtime win at Ball State on Tuesday. 

SCOUTING KENT STATE
Kent State is 13-2 and 6-6 in MAC play after defeating NIU on Saturday. 

Overall, Kent State averages 76.8 points a game, while shooting .450 from the field, .358 from three and .760 from the line. Kent State also averages 34.9 rebounds a game, 13.2 assists and 7.3 steals a game. Kent State also forces 14.0 turnovers a game. 

Meanwhile, Opponents average 71.9 points and 32.6 rebounds a game. Opponents also shoot .451 from the field, .329 from three and .713 from the line. Opponents also dish out 13.1 assists and grab 6.9 steals a game, while also forcing 12.8 turnovers a game. 

Individually, Jalen Sullinger averages 14.6 points and 2.4 rebounds a game, while shooting .440 from the field, .390 from three and .849 from the line. VonCameron Davis averages 12.9 points and is shooting .483 from the field, while grabbing 4.7 rebounds a contest. Chris Payton, Jr. adds 12.8 points and 7.7 boards a game, while shooting .502 from the field.

SCOUTING OHIO
Ohio enters the matchup with Kent State with a 13-12 overall record and a 7-5 mark in MAC play and are coming off an 85-83 loss at Toledo on Feb. 16 in Toledo. 

Overall, Ohio is averaging 79.0 points per game, while shooting .463 from the field, .365 from three and 72.2 percent from the line. The Bobcats also add 35.2 rebounds, 14.2 assists and 6.6 steals per game, while forcing opponents to turn the ball over 13.0 times a game.

Meanwhile, Opponents are averaging 72.9 points a game, while shooting .435 from the field, .339 from three and .709 from the line. They also average 36.2 rebounds, 11.6 assists, 4.9 steals and force the Bobcats to turn the ball over an average of 9.7 times a game. 

Individually, Jaylin Hunter leads Ohio with 14.9 points per game, while shooting .438 from the field and averaging 4.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game. Shereef Mitchell adds 13.0 points a game, while shooting 48.6 percent from the field, while AJ Clayton averages 12.2 points and 4.6 rebounds a game, while shooting .522 from the field and .419 from three. 

ALL TIME VS. KENT STATE
This is the 157th all-time meeting between Ohio and Kent State.

Ohio leads the all-time series, 98-58.

Ohio is 13-19 against Kent State since 2009-10, while the Bobcats are 4-6 against the Flashes under Jeff Boals.  

Ohio and Kent State met on Jan. 26 in Kent, with Ohio winning, 71-64, giving Ohio it's first win in the M.A.C. Center since 2014. 

The Bobcats and Kent State met twice last season, with the Flashes winning both games. 

Ohio last defeated Kent State in Athens on Jan. 7, 2022. 

LAST TIME VS. KENT STATE
Ohio and Kent State met on Jan. 26 on the road, defeating the Golden Flashes, 71-64. 

Overall, Ohio shot 44.6 percent from the field, 37.9 percent from three and were 8-of-13 from the line, while Kent State shot 42.4 percent from the field, 17.4 percent from three and were 10-of-18 from the line. Kent State outrebounded the Bobcats 41-33, however the Bobcats dished out 16 assists, had 11 steals and forced 15 Kent State turnovers, scoring 16 points off them. 

Jaylin Hunter led Ohio with 17 points, going 6-of-10 from the field, while grabbing five rebounds and dishing out five assists. Graduate Shereef Mitchell added 16 points, had five assists and forced four steals, while Ajay Sheldon added 12 points, going 4-of-5 from three. Aidan Hadaway added 11 points and a team-leading eight rebounds and three steals, while AJ Clayton scored 11 points and had five rebounds.

For Kent State, Tyem Freeman led with 16 points and nine rebounds, while Chris Payton, Jr. Scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds. 

PROTECT THIS HOUSE
Ohio has registered an impressive 563-182 (.756) all-time record at the Convocation Center, which opened in 1968.

Ohio finished 14-1 in the Convo this season.

This season Ohio is 9-3 in the Convo. 

Ohio is 58-14 in the Convo under Boals in the last five seasons. 

OHIO IN THE MAC
Jaylin Hunter is first in the MAC in assists, first in assist/TO ratio and sixth in steals. 

AJ Clayton is second in the MAC in total blocks and second in blocks per game. He is also fifth in field goal percentage and sixth in 3-point field goal percentage. 

Aidan Hadaway is ranked sixth in field goal percentage.

Ajay Sheldon is first in the MAC in three-point shooting percentage. 

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. 

He followed that up with a 19-point and five-assist night on Dec. 9 against Marshall. 

On Jan. 6 against NIU, Hunter scored 20 points, going 5-of-8 from the field, 2-of-2 from three and was a perfect 8-of-8 from the line. He also led Ohio with eight rebounds and six assists in the win. 

Hunter rebounded from a rough couple games on Jan. 16 when he led the Bobcats with 19 points in their win over CMU. Hunter also dished out eight assists and grabbed five rebounds in the win. 

Hunter followed by that performance with a 14-point performance in Ohio's win over EMU, where he also added five rebounds and dished out five assists. 

In Ohio's win at Kent State on Jan. 26, Hunter scored a team-high 17 points, while grabbing five rebounds and dishing out five assists.

Hunter had a near triple double on Jan. 30 against Buffalo, scoring 10 points, grabbing nine rebounds and dishing out six assists in the win. 

Hunter was stellar on Feb. 3 against Miami, scoring a game-high 22 points, while grabbing three rebounds, dishing out eight assists and hitting four threes. 

Hunter scored a career-high 32 points on Feb. 6, in Ohio's 84-79 thrilling overtime win over Ball State in Muncie. 

He then added another 20-point performance on Feb. 10 at Arkansas State and was named the MAC Co-Player of the Week on Feb. 12. 

Hunter added 16 points against Toledo on Feb. 16, hitting four threes, while also grabbing five rebounds and dishing out six assists. 

Overall, this season Hunter is averaging 14.9 points, 5.1 assists and 4.5 rebounds a game. 

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. 

Mitchell had a solid game on Jan. 9 at Bowling Green, scoring 17 points, recording two blocks and grabbing four rebounds. 

On Jan. 16 against CMU, Mitchell scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds in the win. 

He followed that up on Jan. 20 with a 14-point performance, going 6-of-9 from the field and grabbed five rebounds in Ohio's win over EMU. 

On Jan. 24 against Akron, Mitchell recorded a career-high seven rebounds. Mitchell followed that up with another solid game on Jan. 26 in the Bobcats' win at Kent State, scoring 16 points, while grabbing four rebounds, dishing out five assists and grabbing four steals. 

Mitchell added another strong game to his resume on Jan. 30 against Buffalo, scoring 15 points, grabbing five rebounds and dishing out three assists. 

Mitchell put together a 16-point performance on Feb. 3 against Miami, while also grabbing six rebounds, dishing out four assists and going 3-for-3 from three. 

So far this season, Mitchell is second on the Bobcats in scoring with 13.0 points and 4.0 rebounds a game, while shooting .486 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. 

Clayton tied his career-high with 23 points in Ohio's win against NIU on Jan 6. Clayton went 9-of-13 from the field, 3-of-6 from three and 2-of-2 from the line. 19 of his 23 points came in the second half. 

Clayton had a near double double on Jan. 16 against CMU, scoring seven points and grabbing 10 rebounds. 

Clayton had a monster day on Jan. 30 against Buffalo, scoring a team-high 16 points, going 6-of-11 from the field and grabbing three rebounds. 

Clayton tied his career-high with five made threes on Feb. 3 against Miami, scoring 15 points in the win. 

Clayton had a stellar game at Toledo on Feb. 16. Clayton scored 22 points, hit a season-tying five three pointers, grabbed five rebounds and did not commit a foul. 

So far this season, Clayton averages 12.2 and 4.6 boards a game, while registering 1.7 blocks per game. He is also shooting 52.2 percent from the field and 41.9 percent from three

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. 

On Dec. 30 against Davidson, Brown nearly recorded a double double, with nine points and nine rebounds in 28 minutes off the bench. 

Brown had his best game of the season on Jan. 16 against CMU, scoring 17 points in the win. 

Brown was back in action on Jan. 20, scoring seven points, while grabbing nine rebounds and dishes out five assists. 

Brown had a solid game at Toledo on Feb. 16, scoring 12 points, recorded two steals and went 7-of-9 from the line.

As Brown sees his minutes increase in MAC play, he currently averages 8.4 points and 3.9 rebounds a game. 

SHELLY GETTING MINUTES
Sophomore guard Ajay Sheldon is working to get more minutes in his second season in the Green and White.

Sheldon had a career-high seven points on Nov. 11 at Cleveland State, going 2-of-2 from three in 19 minutes. 

Sheldon matched his career high on Nov. 25 against MSTU. 

On Dec. 18 against Defiance, Sheldon scored seven points and dished out a career-high five rebounds in the win. 

Sheldon scored a career-high 13 points against Toledo on Jan. 2, hitting a career-high four threes. He then added a 10-point performance on Jan. 9 at BGSU. 

Sheldon put together a solid game at Kent State on Jan. 26, scoring 12 points and going 4-of-5 from three in 12 minutes on the court in Ohio's win. 

Sheldon had a career day on Jan. 30 against Buffalo, scoring a career-high 15 points. Sheldon went 4-of-6 from the field, 2-of-4 from three and 5-of-5 from the line. 

Sheldon set a new career-high on Feb. 10 at Arkansas State, scoring 17 points and hitting a career-high five  made three-pointers. 

This season as Sheldon gets more playing time, he is averaging 5.9 points a game, while shooting a team-high 52.8 percent from the field and 52.2 percent from three.

UP NEXT
Up next, the Bobcats are back on the road on Saturday, Feb. 24 when they head to DeKalb, Ill. to take on Northern Illinois. Tip-off is set for 4:30 p.m. ET inside the NIU Convocation Center and can be seen on ESPN+. 

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