ATHENS, Ohio -- Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook announced they have selected the Ohio men's basketball team to fourth in the Mid-American Conference in this year's MAC Blue Ribbon Forecast, while senior guard Jackson Paveletzke was selected to the Preseason All-Conference team.

Paveletzke (Kimberly Wis.) earned a spot on the All-MAC Third Team after his first season in the Green and White. Paveletzke played and started all 31 games for Ohio during the regular season and averaged 13.4 points a game. Paveletzke shot 51.2 percent from the field, 32.3 percent from three and 76.3 percent from the line. He averaged 4.1 rebounds and a team-high 4.9 assists per game. In MAC play, Paveletzke averaged 14.4 points a game and shot 57.3 percent from the field, 35.3 percent from three and 75.4 percent from the line. He also added 3.9 rebounds and 4.2 assists a game during the conference season. 

Paveletzke scored in double figures 24 times in the regular season and recorded four double doubles. Paveletzke scored a career-high 28 points at Eastern Michigan on Jan. 21 and recorded his 1,000th career point in Athens on March 4 against Eastern Michigan. At the 2024 Myrtle Beach Invite, Paveletzke recorded 23 assists in three games, recording a new MBI assists record, surpassing the 22 set by Villanova's Collin Gillespie in 2019.

In the MAC Tournament against Toledo, Paveletzke tied a career-high with 28 points, going 9-of-16 from the field, 1-of-3 from three and 9-of-11 from the line, while grabbing three rebounds and dishing out three assists.

With Boals entering his seventh year at the helm of the Bobcats, Ohio returns three starters from last year's squad, while adding seven newcomers, including transfers Javan Simmon, Jalen Breath and Dior Conners and three freshmen, JJ Kelly, Jordan Fisher and Zay Mosley.

The 2025-26 season opens on Monday, Nov. 3 against Arkansas State in the Convo. Fans interested in purchasing season tickets can do so here. 
 
MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE BLUE RIBBON FORECAST
1.   Akron
2.   Miami (Ohio)
3.   Kent State
4.   Ohio
5.   Toledo
6.   Massachusetts
7.   Bowling Green
8.   Eastern Michigan
9.   Buffalo
10.  Western Michigan
11.  Ball State
12.  Central Michigan
13.  Northern Illinois
 
ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
F - Delrecco Gillespie, SR, Kent State
G - Javontae Campbell, SR, Bowling Green
G - Tavari Johnson, SR, Akron
G - Jackson Paveletzke, SR, Ohio
G - Peter Suder, SR, Miami (Ohio)

PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Peter Suder, SR, Miami

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Daniel Freitag, SO, Buffalo

#OUohyeah