McDay is the key along with Ogbonda. Ogbonda has had two duds to start league play. We will need him to assert himself more or Foster will nab more of his minutes. Love Vest but he has been non-existent. McDay makes plays all over. Takes charges, dives...hes an all around great player.

I know I will get lambasted by some on here but I think we missed McMurray the last 2 games. I really think his energy is something we need at least 5 to 10 minutes per game.

 

😼📹 @jordy_dartis35 hit 8⃣ threes and scored 26 points, while @lundenm15 hit the three to seal the 74-68 victory for the Bobcats over EMU. Check out the highlights here! #BleedGreen pic.twitter.com/quibmuMLDH

— Ohio Men's Basketball (@OhioMBasketball) January 8, 2020

Enjoyed from the front row of the student section last night for the winter break seat upgrade.

Before the final meaningless 2 free throws with just a few seconds left, we were 7 for 15 on free throws. That was painful. Would have been a comfortable win with them staying 10+ most all the game if it wasn't for that.

Where would we be without Dartis? Where would we have been last year with Dartis? Where will we be next year without Dartis? That last one scares me a bit if I am being honest...I don't really see any other sharpshooters on this roster. Hoping Roderick & the incoming Jalen White develop into it.

I am not convinced Ogbonda should be starting and logging 25-30 minutes at this point. I'm not one of those people who suggest you should bench seniors and build for the future, but it can be a tiebreaker. There is an upside to Foster/Murrell that there isn't with Ogbonda and if I am Boals, I think I start Foster until I see some results suggest otherwise.

Murrell is a fluid strong player, I would like to see more of him. Roderick had a rough run last night but I hope his playing time goes up not down. The ability is there, he just needs the experience. DNP for Springs, wondering if he is on the outside looking in now that we are healthy?

I think EMU plays good defense. Preston really struggled with his court vision and ball handling last night...Think they got to him early and he didn't seem to have the same confidence as usual. Took some good shots though.

After starting 6 of 8 from 3, BVP is 11 for 51 since. Fair to wonder if he should start taking less 3s? Love his defense and overall positioning and think he can score more in the paint and less on the perimeter.

I'm confident the underclassmen are getting good experience and improving and think we will better in March than we are now. But we are definitely relying on Dartis draining 3s right now.

Too much movement in his free throw routine. Would like to see him come to more of a set position with elbows slightly widened.

Other than the obvious players, McDay and Murrell need to spend lots of time on the floor. The former is a "silent assassin" which comes from playing in a good program that expects excellence and playing against outstanding competition every night. The latter has a motor that won't stop. Talked with th kid once in Kroger. He's a very respectful young man and one I'm glad to see represent the Bobcats.

Preston has to learn to stay on his feet. He got lucky many times last night finding someone to throw the ball to. Unfortunatley many of those passes were desperation passes.

As a side note, I'm not sure how players handle and deal with ref inconsistency. They seemed all over the board, both ways, last night. There were periods of heavy contact and players hitting the floor with no whistles...then periods of time hand checks 20' from the rim were being called. If it's consistent, swallowing whistles or calling it tight, I can see players adjusting. But last night, from my seat, they seemed to be all over the place with what was called and what wasn't.

We've been saying that for years, haven't we? Guards/Wings are what wins in March (and late Feb when the going gets tough for seeding).

Assuming Roderick and Murrell get themselves into game form over the next few weeks, Ohio has a lot of guard/wing weapons to contend with when things are going well. And for me, there are enough big bodies to get the dirty work done. Cleaning up late game FT shooting would go a long ways as well.

I disagree with the "unathletic" thoughts others may have, and instead think there are enough pieces here, assuming all remain healthy, for good things to come together as the season progresses. I'm enjoying watching with optimism, and without expectation.

What difference does it make? There are a thousand terms in basketball that aren't in the rulebook. People may roll their eyes when someone says it but you know exactly what they are talking about.

Disagree slightly - you're *supposed* to have made contact to be called for a foul. Sometimes the stripes lacking vision makes seeing that contact be difficult for them. ;)

I'm trying to find a recent comparison to McDay without doing a disservice to either player but the first two guys that come to mind are Whitney Davis and Mychal Green. More polished than Whit was in his freshman year, but has the big shot confidence of Agent 00.

No comparison. Perhaps Jaivon Harris and Michael Allen. Stevie, while a good player, was a bit of a showboat. None of the folks mentioned including McDay fall in that category.

How about Walter Offutt? They both do the little things and play hard.

Regarding McDay I really like the Offut and Green comparisons. Those guys were not true freshman when they arrived though.