The 2009–10 Ohio Bobcats

Ohio Bobcats

Ohio University features 16 varsity sports teams called the Bobcats. The Bobcats compete in the Mid-American Conference in all sports. The Bobcats were a charter member of the Mid-American Conference in 1946 and are the only team still in the conference from the original 5 team league that...

 basketball team

Ohio Bobcats men's basketball

The Ohio Bobcats men’s basketball team is an intercollegiate varsity sports program of Ohio University. The team represents the university as a member of the Mid-American Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, playing at the Division 1 level...

represented Ohio University

Ohio University

Ohio University is a public university located in the Midwestern United States in Athens, Ohio, situated on an campus...

 in the college basketball season of 2009–10

2009–10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season

The 2009–10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 9, 2009, and ended with the 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament's championship game on April 5, 2010 on the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The opening round occurred on Tuesday, March 16, 2010, followed by first...

. The team was coached by John Groce

John Groce

John Groce is an American college basketball coach and the current head coach of the Ohio University men's basketball team...

 and played their homes game at the Convocation Center

Convocation Center (Ohio University)

Convocation Center is a 13,080-seat multi-purpose arena that is home to the Ohio Bobcats basketball, volleyball, and wrestling teams. The first men's basketball game in the arena featured an 80–70 Ohio victory over the Indiana Hoosiers on December 3, 1968.The Convocation Center,...

.

At the end of the regular season Ohio was seeded 9th in the 2010 MAC Men's Basketball Tournament

2010 MAC Men's Basketball Tournament

The 2010 Mid-American Conference men's basketball tournament is the post-season basketball tournament for the Mid-American Conference 2009–2010 season...

 with a conference record of 7–9. However, the Bobcats reeled off four straight wins to win the MAC Tournament, including an overtime win over Akron

2009–10 Akron Zips men's basketball team

The 2009–10 University of Akron Zips basketball team represented the University of Akron in the college basketball season of 2009–10. The Zips, led by head coach Keith Dambrot, are members of the Mid-American Conference and played their home games at James A. Rhodes Arena...

 in the championship game. The victory earned them an automatic bid to the 2010 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. On Selection Sunday they were given the 14 seed in the Midwest region and slated to play the 3 seed Georgetown

2009–10 Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team

The 2009–10 Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team represented Georgetown University in the 2009–2010 NCAA Division I basketball season. The Hoyas were coached by John Thompson III and played their home games at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. The Hoyas are members of the Big East Conference....

.

In a huge upset, the Bobcats dominated the Hoyas almost the whole game in the first round of the NCAA tournament, beating them 97–83. The win was Ohio's first NCAA Tournament win since 1983, when they toppled Illinois State in the first round. The Bobcats advanced to face the #6 seed Tennessee

2009–10 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team

The 2009–10 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team represented the University of Tennessee in the 2009-10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. This was the fifth season for Bruce Pearl as the Volunteers' head coach. The team, a member of the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference,...

. They were knocked off by Tennessee 83–67 to finish the season 22–15.

Roster changes

The Ohio Bobcats lost six players from last year's team. Out of those six players, three were starters and two players recorded over 10 points per game. Jerome Tillman, who averaged 17.7 points and 8.1 rebounds per game for the Bobcats, now plays for the French team ÉS Chalon-sur-Saône  The other two starters that departed from last year's team were Justin Orr and Michael Allen. Ohio has recruited six players to replace those players for the current season.

Recruiting

Following Ohio's exhibition win against Ashland on November 13, John Groce announced that Marquis Horne had left the team for, "personal reasons." Horne accrued 15 points and 10 rebounds in his two exhibition games as a Bobcat.

James (Jay) Kinney was dismissed from the team on February 12, 2010 due to repeated violation of team rules and policies.

Roster

Coaching staff

Name	Position	College	Graduating year
John Groce John Groce John Groce is an American college basketball coach and the current head coach of the Ohio University men's basketball team...	Head Coach	Taylor University Taylor University Taylor University is a private, interdenominational, evangelical Christian college located in Upland, Indiana. Founded in 1846, it is one of the oldest evangelical Christian colleges in America....	1994
Chris Holtmann	Assistant Coach	Taylor University Taylor University Taylor University is a private, interdenominational, evangelical Christian college located in Upland, Indiana. Founded in 1846, it is one of the oldest evangelical Christian colleges in America....	1994
Dustin Ford	Assistant Coach	Ohio University Ohio University Ohio University is a public university located in the Midwestern United States in Athens, Ohio, situated on an campus...	2001
Ramon Williams	Assistant Coach	Virginia Military Institute Virginia Military Institute The Virginia Military Institute , located in Lexington, Virginia, is the oldest state-supported military college and one of six senior military colleges in the United States. Unlike any other military college in the United States—and in keeping with its founding principles—all VMI students are...	1990
Aaron Fuss	Director of Operations	Ohio State University Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...	2005

Schedule

|-
!colspan=9| Exhibition
|-
!colspan=9| Regular Season

2009–10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season

The 2009–10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 9, 2009, and ended with the 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament's championship game on April 5, 2010 on the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The opening round occurred on Tuesday, March 16, 2010, followed by first...

|-
!colspan=9| Mid-American Conference Tournament

2010 MAC Men's Basketball Tournament

The 2010 Mid-American Conference men's basketball tournament is the post-season basketball tournament for the Mid-American Conference 2009–2010 season...

|-
!colspan=9| NCAA Tournament

2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament

The first and second round games were played at the following sites:*March 18 / 20*March 25 / 27*March 26 / 28Each regional winner advanced to the Final Four, held on April 3 and 5 in Indianapolis, Indiana at Lucas Oil Stadium, hosted by the Horizon League and Butler University, as per the NCAA's...

|- style="background:#f9f9f9;"
| colspan=10 | *Non-Conference Game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll

AP Poll

The Associated Press College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation...

. All times are in Eastern Time Zone

Eastern Time Zone

The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...

.
|}

Statistics

Player	GP	Min	FG	3P	FT	Reb	Ast	Blk	Stl	Pts

Legend: GP = Games Played; Min = Minutes Played; FG = Field Goals

Field goal (basketball)

In basketball, the term field goal refers to a basket scored on any shot or tap other than a free throw, worth two or three points depending on the distance of the attempt from the basket. "Field Goal" is the official terminology used by the National Basketball Association in their rule book,...

; 3P = Three Pointers

Three-point field goal

A three-point field goal is a field goal in a basketball game, made from beyond the three-point line, a designated arc radiating from the basket...

; FT = Free Throws

Free throw

In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points from a restricted area on the court , and are generally awarded after a foul on the shooter by the opposing team...

; Reb = Rebounds

Rebound (basketball)

A rebound in basketball is the act of successfully gaining possession of the basketball after a missed field goal or free throw. Rebounds in basketball are a routine part in the game, as all possessions change after a shot is successfully made...

; Ast = Assists

Assist (basketball)

In basketball, an assist is attributed to a player who passes the ball to a teammate in a way that leads to a score by field goal, meaning that he or she was "assisting" in the basket. There is some judgment involved in deciding whether a passer should be credited with an assist...

; Blk = Blocks

Block (basketball)

In basketball, a block , not to be confused with blocking, occurs when a defensive player legally deflects a field goal attempt from an offensive player. The defender must not touch the offensive player's hands or otherwise a foul is called. In order to be legal, the block must occur while the shot...

; Stl = Steals

Steal (basketball)

In basketball, a steal occurs when a defensive player legally causes a turnover by his positive, aggressive action. This can be done by deflecting and controlling, catching, or batting to a teammate a pass or dribble of an offensive player...

; Pts = Points

Point (basketball)

Points in basketball are used to keep track of the score in a game. Points can be accumulated by making field goals or free throws ....