ST. LOUIS – As a No. 13 seed, Ohio was not expected to win even its first game, but now in the Sweet 16, the Bobcats still do not feel like a Cinderella as they prepare to take on No. 1 seed North Carolina. They feel like they belong.

“Nobody in our locker room feels like we're a Cinderella team,” Ohio guard D.J. Cooper said. “We feel like we can compete with anybody on the national stage.”

The Tar Heels have five players who could project to be NBA lottery picks this summer if all enter t...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – One of the stingiest defenses in the nation was no match for D.J. Cooper, Walter Offutt and an Ohio basketball team determined to reach the school’s second-ever Sweet 16.

Offutt and Cooper combined for 40 points to lead the Bobcats past South Florida, 62-56, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday night.

Against the nation’s second-best field goal percentage defense team, Ohio (29-7) recovered from a slow start to shoot 50 percent in the second half, coming b...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Two of the top defenses in the nation will square off with the winner carrying the title of Cinderella into the Sweet 16.

No. 13 Ohio (28-7) facing No. 12 South Florida (20-13) guarantees a double-digit seed will make it out of the first week of play in the NCAA Tournament, and both teams have gotten where they are through defense. Both rank in the top 50 nationally in defensive efficiency.

South Florida does it by putting a long team on the court across the board with i...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Cinderallas again, but this time Ohio did it with defense.

The Bobcats held Michigan scoreless the final four minutes and finally got steal and two Walter Offutt free throws with six seconds left to clinch its second NCAA Tournament upset victory in the last three years, with the No. 13 Bobcats knocking off the No. 4 Wolverines, 65-60, on Friday night at Bridgestone Arena.

Two years ago, a huge shooting night helped Ohio shock Georgetown, 97-83.

Michigan (24-10) misse...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Ohio’s defense has risen to the occasion throughout most of the season, but it faces one of its toughest challenges of the year in the second round of the NCAA Tournament against Michigan.

The Wolverines rank as the most efficient offense the Bobcats have played against this season.

“They've got great personnel,” Ohio coach John Groce said. “They space the floor, as you just said. They really spread you out. They've got guys who play off ball screens very well and make g...

Ohio was seeded No. 13 in the Midwest region, drawing a second-round NCAA Tournament match-up against No. 4 seed Michigan on Friday in Nashville.

The Mid-American Conference champion Bobcats (27-7) and the Big Ten regular season tri-champion Wolverines (24-9) will battle at 7:20 p.m.

Also playing in the same session will be No. 5 seed Temple (24-7) against the winner of a first-round game between California (24-9) and South Florida (20-13).

Other games at the same site are from the East...

CLEVELAND – It appeared for the second time in three years Saturday night that Ohio and Akron might need overtime to settle the Mid-American Conference championship at Quicken Loans Arena.

However, a tip-in call was overturned and the Bobcats hung on for a 64-63 victory against the Zips to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

Tournament MVP D.J. Cooper led the way with 23 points, six assists and four steals.

“It’s a great feeling,” Cooper said. "I haven’t had this feeling since two years...

CLEVELAND – Ohio was hot from the outside early and survived four free throw misses in the final 25 seconds and 32 points from Mid-American Conference Player of the Year Mitchell Watt, holding on to knock off Buffalo for the third time this season, 77-74, in the tournament semifinals Friday night at Quicken Loans Arena.

Led by Cooper’s five makes, the No. 3 Bobcats (26-7) knocked down 10 of 19 3-point tries in the first half to build a 46-35 halftime lead and pushed that advantage to 15 early...

CLEVELAND – Ohio opened the second half with an 11-0 run and cruised the rest of the way to a 65-57 Mid-American Conference tournament quarterfinal victory against Toledo on Thursday night at Quicken Loans Arena.

Leading by just two, the Bobcats blew open the game in the first two and a half minutes of the second half, taking a 37-24 advantage on a Walter Offutt steal and layup. From there, the Rockets got no closer than seven.

D.J. Cooper finished with 18 points, dished out five assists a...

OXFORD, Ohio – D.J. Cooper had 14 points and Jon Smith scored 13 as Ohio led nearly from start to finish in a 63-54 victory against Miami that clinched a Mid-American Conference tournament bye at Millet Hall on Saturday.

The Bobcats (24-7, 11-5 MAC) had 15 offensive rebounds, including six by Smith, who tied for the team-lead with seven total rebounds. Ivo Baltic had seven boards and scored all eight of his points in the first half. Cooper had four rebounds, four assists and five steals, brea...