Use this thread to talk about anything game-related.

Date: February 5th, 2011  3:00 PM

Opponent:  Northern Illinois   (7-13, 3-5 MAC)

Site: Convocation Center

TV: None

Webcast: Free at OhioBobcats.com

Northern Illinois media guide, roster and statistics.

Fan site:  The Dog Pound

We've played a string of defensive teams to start out with in the West, but now we're playing a team that is much on the offensive end thant he defensive end.

Xavier Silas (6-5) is among the NCAA leaders in scoring at 24.2 ppg. He's always been a scorer, and this year he's finally became an efficient scorer shooting good percentages (47% FG, 42% 3PT, 86% FTs).

Tim Toler is 6-7, 270! Yet he has shot 41 percent on 3s and has averaged just 4.8 rebounds. Nate Rucker, 6-6, 245, is the leading rebounder at 5.0 per game.

Bryan Hall is the point guard but averages only 3.0 apg. Jeremy Landers is the two, but didn't play in the last game. They have combined to make just 9 3-pointers tihs year, though. Hall has only attempted two.

6-5 Lee Fisher is their best rebounder (4.7 per game in just 18 minutes per game) and he got his first start in their last game. Guards Michael Patton and Tony Nixon shoots almost exclusively 3-pointers and not real well (28 and 29 percent). Guard Antone Christian had 15 points in their last game and actually took more shots than Silas, but is averaging just 4.3 on the year and shooting 20 percent on 3s. They have a few other bigs (Bolin, Madlock and Storm) that get some time but really haven't contributed much.

They score a lot, but based on the fast pace they play, their offense is actually kind of average. They get to the free throw line a lot, especially Silas. But thier shooting percentages rank around 200.

Defensively, they've been really bad, even for the pace they play. They force very few turnovers and teams have shot better than 50 percent on 2-point shots against them. They don't block shots and they foul quite a bit.

Obviously, this should be a high-scoring game. Again, it's one we should win, but so was Central Michigan, even on the road. If Silas gets help, their offense is really good. And if they play half-way decent defense, that easily could be enough for them to win.

I'm having a real hard time convincing myself to spend 6 hours in the car to attend this game.

Only if they can guarantee full pans of food and nothing that's been steaming out there for 4 hours or more.

OHIO favored by 10.  Vegas continues to have confidence in us.

Ivo Baltic: Wheaties Eater

With the MAC being down the way it is, 9-7 with a victory over Wintrop would give us a home game going into the MAC tourney and an overall record of 17-14. It strange as it may seem just maybe Ohio can pull it together and make another run. If we have Ivo putting 31 in the hole that gives the program another dimension to work with.

I don't agree that Kellogg, Freeman and D.J. struggled today.  NIU geared their defense to shut down the perimeter, that left them vulnerable inside and to driving to the bucket, and we took advantage of it.  That's why Ivo was able to go off for 31 today. 

D.J. played a solid floor game overall.