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ATHENS, Ohio -- The Ohio men's basketball team (18-12, 12-5 MAC) wraps up the 2023-24 regular season on Friday, March 8 when the Bobcats head to Oxford, Ohio to take on Miami (15-15, 9-8) in the second round of the 'Battle of the Bricks.' Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. inside Millett Hall. The game can be seen on ESPN+.  

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 214th all-time meeting between Ohio and Miami.
• Ohio leads the all-time series, 118-95.
• Ohio and Miami met on Feb. 3 in the Convo, with Ohio winning, 78-69.
• The Bobcats and Miami met twice last season, with the teams splitting the two matchups. 
• Ohio is 24-7 against Miami since 2009-10, while the Bobcats are 7-1 against the RedHawks under Jeff Boals.   
• Ohio is ranked 149th in the latest NET Ranking as of March 7.
• Ohio is ranked 44th in the NCAA in assist/turnover ratio and 19th in turnover margin. 
• The Bobcats are also 72nd in the country in scoring offense and 36th in three-pointers per game and 69th in 3pt field goal percentage.
• Ohio is 61st in effective field goal percentage and 75th in scoring margin. 
• Individually, AJ Clayton is 48th in blocks and 49th in blocks per game. 
• Jaylin Hunter ranks 46th in assists per game, 48th in total assists and 70th in assist/TO ratio. 
• AJ Clayton tied his career-high of 23 points on March 5 against Buffalo, hitting a career-high seven three pointers in the process. 
• Head coach Jeff Boals earned his 150th career win on March 1 against BGSU. 
• Jaylin Hunter scored 23 points in Ohio's win over Akron on Feb. 27, including hitting the game-tying three. 

SCOUTING MIAMI
Miami is 15-15 and 9-8 in MAC play after falling to Toledo on Tuesday. 

Overall, Miami averages 71.2 points a game, while shooting .447 from the field, .364 from three and .714 from the line. Miami also averages 33.0 rebounds a game, 14.8 assists and 6.2 steals a game. Miami also forces 12.4 turnovers a game. 

Meanwhile, Opponents average 69.8 points and 36.0 rebounds a game. Opponents also shoot .428 from the field, .317 from three and .727 from the line. Opponents also dish out 11.8 assists and grab 6.2 steals a game, while also forcing 11.5 turnovers a game. 

Individually, Anderson Mirambeaux leads the RedHawks with 12.5 points a game, while shooting .495 from the field. Darweshi Hunter adds 11.9 points a game, while grabbing 4.5 rebounds and Bryce Bultman averages 7.4 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists a game

SCOUTING OHIO
Ohio enters the matchup with Miami with an 18-12 overall record and a 12-5 mark in MAC play and are coming off 78-66 win over Buffalo on Tuesday night in Buffalo. 

Overall, Ohio is averaging 77.8 points per game, while shooting .461 from the field, .361 from three and 73.1 percent from the line. The Bobcats also add 34.4 rebounds, 14.2 assists and 6.9 steals per game, while forcing opponents to turn the ball over 13.4 times a game.

Meanwhile, Opponents are averaging 71.0 points a game, while shooting .431 from the field, .331 from three and .712 from the line. They also average 35.7 rebounds, 11.1 assists, 5.1 steals and force the Bobcats to turn the ball over an average of 9.8 times a game.

Individually, Jaylin Hunter leads Ohio with 14.1 points per game, while shooting .426 from the field and averaging 4.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game. Shereef Mitchell adds 13.0 points a game, while shooting 47.3 percent from the field, while AJ Clayton averages 12.5 points and 4.5 rebounds a game, while shooting .518 from the field and .419 from three. 

ALL TIME VS. MIAMI
This is the 214th all-time meeting between Ohio and Miami.

Ohio leads the all-time series, 118-95.

Ohio and Miami met on Feb. 3 in the Convo, with Ohio winning, 78-69.

The Bobcats and Miami met twice last season, with the teams splitting the two matchups. 

Ohio is 24-7 against Miami since 2009-10, while the Bobcats are 7-1 against the RedHawks under Jeff Boals.   

LAST TIME VS. MIAMI
The Ohio men's basketball team (12-10, 6-4 MAC) returned to action on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 3) for the Battle of the Bricks, defeating the Miami RedHawks (11-11, 5-5 MAC), 78-69 inside the Convocation Center. 

Overall, Ohio shot 52.9 percent from the field, 51.7 percent from three and were 9-of-14 from the line, while Miami shot 39.0 percent from the field, 35.0 percent from three and went 9-of-14 from the line. Miami outrebounded Ohio 34-31 and both teams snagged seven steals. The Bobcats also forced 10 turnovers against the RedHawks and scored 15 points off them. Entering the matchup, Miami was first in the MAC in defensive three-point percentage at 29.6 percent. Despite Miami holding the MAC lead in three-point field goal percentage defense, the Bobcats drained fifteen three pointers on the day, their second most this season.

Individually, Ohio was led by Jaylin Hunter  with 22 points, three rebounds, eight assists and two steals. Shereef Mitchell with 16 points, six rebounds and four assists. AJ Clayton with 15 points and four rebounds. Miles Brown also added 12 points, eight rebounds and one assist. 

For Miami, Anderson Mirambeaux led with 16 points, while Eian Elmer scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds.

OHIO IN NET
Ohio is ranked 149th in the latest NET Ranking as of March 7.

OHIO IN NCAA
Ohio is ranked 44th in the NCAA in assist/turnover ratio and 19th in turnover margin. 

The Bobcats are also 72nd in the country in scoring offense and 36th in three-pointers per game and 69th in 3pt field goal percentage.

Ohio is 61st in effective field goal percentage and 75th in scoring margin. 

Individually, AJ Clayton is 48th in blocks and 49th in blocks per game. 

Jaylin Hunter ranks 46th in assists per game, 48th in total assists and 70th 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 sixth in field goal percentage and fifth in 3-point field goal percentage. 

Aidan Hadaway is currently fifth in FG%. 

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

THE RACE TO CLEVELAND
Ohio clinched a sport to Cleveland for the 2024 MAC Tournament on Feb. 24 with the Bobcats' win at NIU. 

Ohio moved into third place in the MAC standings after defeating Akron on Feb. 27 and is set to take that spot into the MAC Tournament next week. 

THREES FOR DAYS
AJ Clayton set a new career-high on Tuesday at Buffalo, hitting seven threes on the way to tying his career-high 23 points in the Bobcats win. 

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. 

Hunter scored a game-high 23 points on Feb. 27 in Ohio's win against Akron, going 4-of-7 from three, while also dishing out six assists. 

Overall, this season Hunter is averaging 14.1 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. 

Mitchell helped lead the Bobcats on Tuesday, March 5 at Buffalo, scoring 21 points, grabbing five rebounds and snagging three steals in the process. 

So far this season, Mitchell is second on the Bobcats in scoring with 13.0 points and 4.2 rebounds a game, while shooting .473 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. 

Clayton added an 18-point performance against Akron on Feb. 27, recording four blocks in the victory. 

 Clayton set a new career-high on Tuesday at Buffalo, hitting seven threes on the way to tying his career-high 23 points in the Bobcats win. 

So far this season, Clayton averages 12.5 and 4.5 boards a game, while registering 1.8 blocks per game. He is also shooting 51.8 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.

Brown tied his season high with 17 points at NIU on Feb. 24, going 6-of-8 from the field, 3-of-4 from three and had three steals. 

On his Senior Night against BGSU on March 1, Brown scored 16 points, going 6-of-11 from the field, 3-0f-3 from the line and grabbed four rebounds in the win. 

Since returning to the starting lineup, Brown averages 9.2 points and 3.8 rebounds a game. 

UP NEXT
Up next, the Bobcats head to Cleveland for the 2024 Mid-American Conference Tournament March 14-16 inside Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. At the moment, the Bobcats are the three seed and would play the sixth seed at approximately 6:30 p.m. on Thursday on ESPN+.  Official bracket will be announced following all of Friday's matchups 

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