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ATHENS, Ohio -- The Ohio men's basketball team (15-14, 9-7 MAC) is back in action on Tuesday, March 3 for their final regular season home game when they head to Amherst, Mass. to take on UMass (15-15, 6-11MAC). Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET and can be seen on ESPN+.

The Bobcats' matchup can also be heard on the Ohio Sports Network from Learfield, presented by Holzer Health System. Jason Toy begins his second season on the mic for the Bobcats and will be joined by veteran college basketball analyst Dave Cecutti. WXTQ (Power 105) in Athens returns as the 11-station net- work's flagship and can be heard on the Varsity Network App. 

TIP-OFF
This is the fifth all-time meeting between Ohio and UMass.
UMass leads the all-time series, 3-1.
Ohio and UMass met on Jan. 6, 2026 in Athens, with Ohio winnings, 86-83.
Prior to the January meeting, Ohio and UMass met on Dec. 18, 2013, falling to the then 20th-ranked Minutemen, 83-71 in Athens.
The Bobcats are currently ranked 222 in the latest NET rankings, with opponent UMass in at 204.
Last time out, the Bobcats fell to Toledo, 79-67 at home on Feb. 28.
In that game, redshirt junior forward Javan Simmons scored a team-high 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, while senior forward Aidan Hadaway added another double double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.
On Feb. 21 at NIU, redshirt junior forward Javan Simmons scored a game-high 23 points , going 9-of-10 from the line with seven rebounds in the road win.
Against Ball State, senior forward Aidan Hadaway scored 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while senior guard Jackson Paveletzke added 18 points, six assists and four rebounds.
Against #23 Miami on Friday, senior guard Jackson Paveletzke scored a game-high 22 points.
Redshirt junior forward Javan Simmons recorded a career-high 24 points and grabbed a season-high 13 rebounds on Jan. 31 in Ohio's win at Buffalo.
In the Bobcats game at Kent State on Jan. 27, Ohio forced the Flashes to turn over the ball 20 times, recording 13 steals in the process.
Freshman guard JJ Kelly finished the game against NIU with a career-high 17 points and nine rebounds.
Against Buffalo on Jan. 10, senior forward Aidan Hadaway had 27 points and 10 rebounds, while senior guard Jackson Paveletzke finished with 23 points, six rebounds and eight assists.
Redshirt junior forward Javan Simmons is recorded his 1,000 career point on Jan. 6 against UMass.
Redshirt freshman guard Jesse Burris recorded a career-high 13 points and hit three 3-pointers against UMass on Tuesday, playing 17 minutes off the bench for the Bobcats.

SCOUTING UMASS
UMass is currently 15-15 overall and 6-11 in MAC play. UMass is coming off an 81-62 home win over Northern Illinois on Tuesday. 

Overall, UMass averages 80.2 points per game, while shooting 46.7 percent from the field, 35.6 percent from three and 66.9 percent from the line. Meanwhile, opponents are averaging 77.3 points per game, while shooting 44.9 percent from the field, 32.7 percent from three and 72.8 percent from the line. 

UMass is averaging 37.4 rebounds, 17.3 assists, 6.7 steals and 2.3 blocks a game, while forcing opponents to turn the ball over an average of 12.6 times a game, scoring 13.3 points off them. UMass opponents are averaging 32.4 rebounds, 14.7 assists, 7.6 steals and 3.0 blocks a game, while forcing 13.1 turnovers a contest, scoring 14.3 points off them. 

UMass is led by Leonardo Bettiol with 17.8 points and 8.0 rebounds a game, while shooting 60.1 percent from the field and 71.5 percent from the line. Marcus Banks, Jr. adds 16.4 points, while shooting 41.5 percent from the field and 80.3 percent from the line, while Daniel Hankins-Sanford adds 11.6 points and 7.2 rebounds.  

SCOUTING OHIO
Ohio is 15-14 overall and 9-7 in MAC play and are coming off a 79-67 loss at home on Feb. 28 against Toledo

Ohio is averaging 76.8 points a game, while shooting 46.3 percent from the field, 31.0 percent from three and 69.6 percent from the line. The Bobcats also add 33.7 rebounds a game, while dishing out 13.5 assists and recording 6.4 steals a contest. Ohio is also forcing opponents to turn the ball over 12.2 times a game, scoring on average 14.0 points off them. 

Meanwhile, Ohio opponents are averaging 76.7 points a game, while shooting 45.7 percent from the field, 36.2 percent from three and 72.4 percent from the line. Opponents are averaging 35.9 rebounds, 13.1 assists and 6.0 steals a game, while forcing Ohio to turn the ball over an average of 11.1 times a game, while scoring on average 11.7 points off them. 

Individually, Ohio is led by senior guard Jackson Paveletzke with 16.5 points and 5.1 assists a game, while shooting 47.9 percent from the field and 32.1 percent from three. Senior forward Aidan Hadaway averages 14.0 points and a team-leading 7.6 rebounds a game, while shooting 48.1 percent from the field, while redshirt junior froward Javan Simmons adds 14.3 points and 5.6 rebounds, while shooting 52.2 percent from the field. 

ALL-TIME AGAINST UMASS
This is the fifth all-time meeting between Ohio and UMass.

UMass leads the all-time series, 3-1.

Ohio and UMass met on Jan. 6, 2026 in Athens, with Ohio winnings, 86-83. 

Prior to the January meeting, Ohio and UMass met on Dec. 18, 2013, falling to the then 20th-ranked Minutemen, 83-71 in Athens.

LAST TIME AGAINST UMASS
Ohio and UMass met on Jan. 6, 2026 in Athens, with Ohio winnings, 86-83. 

Ohio's offense was led by 12 total threes on 51.7 percent shooting from the field. 19 total assists set up a good shooting night, while a good defensive performance kept the Bobcats in the game with 11 steals and 12 total turnovers.   

Redshirt junior forward Javan Simmons (Columbus, Ohio) led the Bobcats as he recorded a game-high 20 points, including his 1,000th career point. Simmons is the first Bobcat to achieve the 1,000-point mark since Jackson Paveletzke at the end of last season. Simmons also added five rebounds in the win. 

OHIO IN THE MAC
Senior guard Jackson Paveletzke is currently eighth in the conference in scoring (16.5), fourth in assists (5.1) and first in minutes (36.4). 

Senior forward Aidan Hadaway is fourth in the league in rebounding (7.6).

Senior guard Ajay Sheldon is eighth in the MAC in steals (1.5). 

OHIO IN NET
The Bobcats are currently ranked 222 in the latest NET rankings, with UMass ranked at 204

Miami leads the conference in NET this week at 52. 

BOBCATS IN THE NCAA
Senior guard Jackson Paveletzke is currently 21st in the nation in minutes per game, 62nd in assists, 79th in free throws, 94th in free throw attempts and 55th in assists per game. 

Redshirt junior forward Javan Simmons is 88th in the nation in free throw attempts and 95th in field goal percentage. 

Senior forward Aidan Hadaway is 97th in rebounds, 66th in defensive rebounds per game and 81st in double doubles.  

UP NEXT
Ohio closes out the 2025-26 regular season at home on Friday, March 6 when the Bobcats host No. 19 Miami. Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. ET inside the Convocation Center and can be seen on ESPN2

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