FOLLOW OHIO MEN'S BASKETBALL: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

ATHENS, Ohio --  The Ohio men's basketball team (14-12, 8-5 MAC) are back on the road on Saturday, Feb. 24 when they head to DeKalb, Ill. to take on Northern Illinois (9-17, 3-10 MAC). Tip-off is set for 4:30 p.m. ET inside the NIU Convocation Center. The game can be seen on ESPN+ where Mark Lindo and Peter Ferreri 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 the 64th all-time meeting between Ohio and NIU.
• Ohio leads the all-time series, 40-23. 
• Ohio and NIU met on Jan. 6, 2024 in Athens, with the Bobcats winning, 78-66. 
• The Bobcats and NIU met twice last season, with the Bobcats taking both matchups
• The Bobcats took the first game, 82-76 in DeKalb, before taking the second matchup two weeks later, 77-68, in Athens. 
• Ohio is 14-7 against NIU since 2009-10, while the Bobcats are 8-2 against the Huskies under Jeff Boals.  
• Ohio is ranked 165th in the latest NET Ranking as of Feb. 22.
• Ohio has registered an impressive 564-182 (.756) all-time record at the Convocation Center, which opened in 1968.
• Ohio finished 14-1 in the Convo this season.
• This season Ohio 10-3 in the Convo. 
• Ohio is 59-14 in the Convo under Boals in the last five seasons. 
• Ohio is ranked 43rd in the NCAA in assist/turnover ratio.
• The Bobcats are also 66th in the country in scoring offense and 39th in three-pointers per game and 50th in 3pt field goal percentage.
• Ohio is 75th in effective field goal percentage. 
• Individually, AJ Clayton is 55th in blocks and 51st in blocks per game. 
• Jaylin Hunter ranks 50th in assists per game, 52nd in total assists and 91st in assist/TO ratio. 
• Shereef Mitchell grabbed a career-high nine rebounds against Kent State on Tuesday. 
• With Ohio's win over Kent State on Tuesday, Ohio has completed the season sweep of the Flashes for the first time since 2013. 

SCOUTING NORTHERN ILLINOIS
Northern Illinois is 9-17 and 3-9 in MAC play after falling to Ball State on Tuesday night.  

Overall, NIU averages 73.9 points a game, while shooting .443 from the field, .330 from three and .679 from the line. NIU also averages 35.7 rebounds a game, 10.2 assists and 5.4 steals a game. NIU also forces 11.1 turnovers a game. 

Meanwhile, Opponents average 78.1 points and 37.4 rebounds a game. Opponents also shoot .449 from the field, .366 from three and .691 from the line. Opponents also dish out 14.2 assists and grab 6.8 steals a game, while also forcing 12.7 turnovers a game. 

Individually, David Coit averages 19.3 points a game, while shooting .411 from the field and .898 from the line. Zarique Nutter adds 15.4 points and 5.7 rebounds a game, while shooting .474 from the field. Xavier Amos averages 14.1 points and 5.8 rebounds a game, while shooting .498 from the field and .392 from the line. 

SCOUTING OHIO
Ohio enters the matchup with Northern Illinois with a 14-12 overall record and a 8-5 mark in MAC play and are coming off a 63-57 win against Kent State  on Feb. 20 in Athens. 

Overall, Ohio is averaging 78.3 points per game, while shooting .459 from the field, .365 from three and 72.9 percent from the line. The Bobcats also add 35.2 rebounds, 14.0 assists and 6.5 steals per game, while forcing opponents to turn the ball over 12.8 times a game.

Meanwhile, Opponents are averaging 72.3 points a game, while shooting .431 from the field, .339 from three and .710 from the line. They also average 36.3 rebounds, 11.4 assists, 4.8 steals and force the Bobcats to turn the ball over an average of 9.6 times a game. 

Individually, Jaylin Hunter leads Ohio with 14.8 points per game, while shooting .439 from the field and averaging 4.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game. Shereef Mitchell adds 12.8 points a game, while shooting 46.9 percent from the field, while AJ Clayton averages 12.0 points and 4.6 rebounds a game, while shooting .522 from the field and .421 from three. 

ALL TIME VS. NORTHERN ILLINOIS
This is the 64th all-time meeting between Ohio and NIU.

Ohio leads the all-time series, 40-23. 

Ohio and NIU met on Jan. 6, 2024 in Athens, with the Bobcats winning, 78-66. 

The Bobcats and NIU met twice last season, with the Bobcats taking both matchups

The Bobcats took the first game, 82-76 in DeKalb, before taking the second matchup two weeks later, 77-68, in Athens. 

Ohio is 14-7 against NIU since 2009-10, while the Bobcats are 8-2 against the Huskies under Jeff Boals.  

LAST TIME VS. NORTHERN ILLINOIS
Ohio and NIU last met on Jan. 6, 2024 in Athens, with Ohio winning, 78-66. 

AJ Clayton led Ohio in points overall with 23 on 9-for-13 from the field, including three 3-pointers, and a perfect 2-for-2 from the line. Jaylin Hunter followed him with 20 points on 5-for-8 shooting, including a perfect 2-for-2 performance beyond the arc and 8-for-8 at the line. Hunter also tied with Shereef Mitchell for the most assists Saturday evening with six a piece. 

As a team, the Bobcats shot above 50% for the first time since mid-December. They have shot 50% or above five times this season thus far. Also, the Bobcats shot above 40% from the 3-point line for the fourth time this season. 

OHIO IN NET
Ohio is ranked 165th in the latest NET Ranking as of Feb. 22.

OHIO IN NCAA
Ohio is ranked 43rd in the NCAA in assist/turnover ratio.

The Bobcats are also 66th in the country in scoring offense and 39th in three-pointers per game and 50th in 3pt field goal percentage.

Ohio is 75th in effective field goal percentage. 

Individually, AJ Clayton is 55th in blocks and 51st in blocks per game. 

Jaylin Hunter ranks 50th in assists per game, 52nd in total assists and 91st in assist/TO ratio. 

OHIO IN THE MAC
Jaylin Hunter is first in the MAC in assists, first in assist/TO ratio and fifth 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 fourth in 3-point 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 14.8 points, 5.0 assists and 4.4 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. 

Mitchell recorded a career-high nine rebounds against Kent State on Feb. 20. 

So far this season, Mitchell is second on the Bobcats in scoring with 12.8 points and 4.2 rebounds a game, while shooting .469 from the field. 

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. 

In his second career start against Austin Peay on Dec. 22, Hadaway grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds and dished out a career-high five assists. 

Hadaway added another solid performance on his resume on Jan. 16 in Ohio's win over CMU, scoring 11 points and grabbing five rebounds. 

Hadaway had a career night on Jan. 20 in Ohio's win over EMU. Hadaway scored a career-high 20 points, while going 3-for-3 from three and 8-of-10 from the field. 

Hadaway recorded his first career double double on Feb. 6 at Ball State, scoring 14 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in the win. 

As Hadaway continues to see more minutes on the floor, he currently averages 7.5 points and 4.5 rebounds, while shooting 50.0 percent 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 12.0 and 4.6 boards a game, while registering 1.8 blocks per game. He is also shooting 52.2 percent from the field and 42.1 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 8.5 points and 3.8 rebounds a game. 

UP NEXT
Up next, the Bobcats are back in Athens for the final two home games of the 2023-24 regular season starting on Tuesday, Feb. 27 when the Bobcats host Akron. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. inside the Convocation Center and can be seen on ESPN+. 

#OUohyeah