Final Kent State 82, Ohio 56. The halftime score was 35-30 in favor of the Flashes, and the Bobcats played pretty well in stretches. But Kent put on a scoring burst in the third quarter while Ohio couldn't make a shot, and that decided the game.

The MAC is neatly divided into the top four teams, and everyone else. The top four (including Kent State) have 10 wins or more, and everyone else has 6 wins or less. Ohio is at the bottom with 4 wins, so with 3 games to play has a chance to get to 7 wins and maybe into the tournament. Even with 7 wins, they may not get in. But if there was ever a part of the schedule that gives them a chance to win three in a row, this is it. They play at Western on Saturday. Western beat Ohio in January, but since then lost their leading scorer Lauren Ross to injury and has gone 1-8. After that, Ohio plays at home against Miami and Eastern Michigan, and Ohio has beaten them both this season. The Bobcats are down to 8 players, and fatigue probably played a part in their second half collapse today. But they may still have a chance to get to Cleveland.

I'm not sure that we have seen what the potential is for these players, because they're either young or inexperienced. I remember watching some of the players on that Kent State team two or three years ago, and they were nowhere near as good as they are now. Their hard hands got softer with experience, and they look quicker now that they have had enough repetitions to anticipate plays and react to them. It has been tough to watch this Ohio team play at times, and it drives me nuts that they're not stronger with the ball, that they keep dribbling into double teams, and that some of their shots look like they can't possibly have been aimed attempts. But they've also played well at times, and have showed skills that I didn't think they had. Who knew that Abby Garnett has a rifle arm, for example? As the core group accumulates minutes, I'm expecting that a lot of the rough edges will get smoothed out.

I don't look for a lot of help from the transfer portal next year, because Ohio has already signed an incoming class of five freshmen. As far as I can tell, all of them are still committed. I think Caitlyn Kroll is the only player who will exhaust her eligibility this season, so there may not be room for anyone else.