Less than a week after Tim O'Shea's resignation, Ohio has named John Groce the new head basketball coach. Groce comes to the Bobcats after being an assistant to Thad Matta at Butler, Xavier and Ohio State. The 36-year-old Indiana native is noted for his strong recruiting in Ohio and Indiana. Although terms of the contract were not announced, it's believed to be a 5-year deal with annual compensation around $250,000.

The rumored move of Ohio head coach Tim O'Shea to Bryant University became official today when the Bulldogs held a press conference to make the announcement. O'Shea gets an 8-year deal while he helps the school transition to Division 1. Bryant, located in Smithfield, Rhode Isalnd, will begin the first year of a 4-year transition to Division 1 this Fall becoming an official member of the Northeast Conference upon completion.

O'Shea, 120-95 during his time at Ohio, replaces Max Good who left after seven seasons to become an assistant at Loyola Marymount. Good posted a 132-86 record with five consecutive NCAA appearances. Ohio Athletics made a subsequent announcement thanking O'Shea for his time in Athens and announcing that a national... <Read More>

ESPN.com is reporting that Ohio head basketball coach Tim O'Shea has signed an 8-year deal to take the same position at Bryant University.

On the last day of the late signing period, Ohio announced the signing of Bridgton Prep Academy (ME) shooting guard Stacey Waters. The 6-4, 180-pounder averaged 22 points and 6 boards in his senior campaign at Bridgton. Waters played his sophomore and junior seasons at Detroit's Renaissance High School where he earned all-city and all-state honors.

Waters, rated a 3-star recruit by Rivals.com, chose Ohio over Central Michigan, Western Kentucky and Providence. Coupled with the signing of Cleveland St. Edward point guard Frankie Dobbs in April, the Bobcats have now filled the scholarships of Bert Whittington IV and Allen Hester. Whittington and Hester left the program after one year of play following their transfer from Ohlone (CA) Junior... <Read More>

Bradley charged back from a 14-point second-half deficit to down visiting Ohio 79-73 in the second round of the College Basketball Invitational Monday night. Leon Williams scored 20 points to lead the Bobcats who finished the season 20-13. Andrew Warren led four Braves in double figures with 22 points.

B Shoemaker Photo Bobcats huddle after beating Brown University at the Convo

The Ohio Bobcats reached the twenty win mark for the first time since the 2004-05 season when they beat the Brown University Bears Tuesday night at the Convocation Center. Seniors Leon Williams and Bubba Walther ended the games with double doubles in the offensively dominated game. Williams scored 20 points and had 12 rebounds on the game, while Walther had 10 points and 12 assists. Jerome Tillman also gave the Bobcats a double double performance, leading the team in scoring (21) and pulled down 11 rebounds. The Bears were led by Damon Huffman, with 39 points and shooting an amazing 60% (9 for 15) from three point range. The Bear's hot three point shooting, (16 for 31), kept Brown ahead much of the game. Notably absent from the game was... <Read More>

Ohio has been selected to host Brown in the first College Basketball Invitational. The two teams will square off Tuesday night with the starting time yet to be announced. The winner would face the winner of the Cincinnati/Bradley matchup on March 24th.

Ohio saw its NCAA hopes end with a 74-61 loss to Miami in the MAC Tournament quarterfinals Thursday night in Cleveland. Jerome Tillman and Leon Williams led Ohio with 17 and 15 points respectively. Michael Bramos led four RedHawks in double figures with 23 points. The Bobcats will now await word regarding an invite to the NIT or CBI Tournaments.

B Shoemaker Photo Leon Williams was 10 for 11 at the free throw line on Senior Day.

Ohio earned a 4-seed and 1st-round bye in the MAC Tourney with a 94-80 win over Buffalo Sunday afternoon at the Convocation Center. Seniors Leon Williams and Bubba Walther ended their Convo careers with 30 and 17 points respectively. Jerome Tillman chipped in with 25 points. Andy Robinson had 23 points to lead the Bulls (10-19, 3-13 MAC). Buffalo now is winless in 10 games at the Convo.

The Bobcats (19-11, 9-7) will play in the 9:30 game Thursday night at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. The game is scheduled to be televised on FoxSports Ohio. Ohio faces the winner of Wednesday's Miami/Buffalo matchup.

Akron shot a blistering 60% to down Ohio 80-77 at the Convo Tuesday night. The loss was the Bobcats (18-11, 8-7 MAC) first at home this season. Leon Williams battled foul problems but still led Ohio with 23 points. Bubba Walther and Jerome Tillman added 22 and 18 points respectively. Cedrick Middleton and Jeremiah Wood had 19 points apiece to lead four Zips (21-8, 11-4) in double figures.

The loss knocks Ohio out of contention for the 3-seed in the MAC Tournament. But the Bobcats still can secure the 4-seed and a 1st-round bye with a win at home Sunday against Buffalo.

Ohio managed just 25% shooting in losing at Miami 73-49 Saturday night. The Bobcats (18-10, 8-6 MAC) struggled to score from the outset with only six first-half baskets as the RedHawks (14-13, 8-6) opened up a 37-14 halftime lead. Leon Williams posted a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Michael Bramos led three Miami players in double figures with 31 points.

B Shoemaker Photo O Zone was ready to face the Patriots

The Ohio Bobcats won in exciting style Saturday afternoon, in comeback fashion on ESPN2. Ohio shot poorly early in the first half, which contributed to a 17 point deficit before halftime. At the half, George Mason led by 13. The much anticipated battle between George Mason's William Thomas, and Leon Williams seemed to be in jeopardy of being anticlimactic. After the first twenty minutes, the Cats trailed by 13 points and could get nothing to fall.

After the half, seniors Leon Williams and Bubba Walther brought Ohio storming back, and Ohio took the lead for good with about 5 minutes to go in the game. Leon Williams completed his 13th double-double of the season, and Bubba Walther led all scorers with 21 points. Walther also finished the... <Read More>

Ohio used a 16-4 run to break a halftime tie on the way to a 69-48 win over Bowling Green at the Convo Tuesday night. Jerome TIllman led the Bobcats (17-9, 8-5 MAC) with 14 points. Nate Miller and Joe Jakubowski had 12 points each for the Falcons (11-14, 6-7). An active Ohio defense forced 19 turnovers that led to 31 points and held BG to 35.6% shooting.

Next up for Ohio is a BracketBuster matchup with George Mason Saturday at the Convocation Center. The 1 PM contest will be televised on ESPN2.

Kent St. solidified its hold on the MAC East lead with a 72-62 win over visiting Ohio Saturday afternoon. Al Fisher and Chris Singletary led the Flashes with 17 and 16 points respectively. Bubba Walther led four Bobcats in double figures with 22 points. Leon Williams recorded his 39th career double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds. The win gives Kent St. (21-5, 10-2 MAC) a 2-game lead over Akron in the East and three games over Ohio (16-9, 7-5) and Miami.

The Bobcats return home Tuesday night against Bowling Green. The 7 PM contest is televised on GTN locally and ESPN Full Court nationally.

Toledo scored the last six points of the game in the final 30 seconds to edge Ohio 54-52 Wednesday night at Savage Hall. The Bobcats (16-8, 7-4 MAC) were led in scoring by Bubba Walther's 15 points. Leading scorer Leon Williams, saddled with foul problems, had just six points before fouling out with 3:29 to play. The Rockets (8-15, 5-6) placed four players in double figures. Tyrone Kent and Jerrah Young led the way with 13 points each.

Ohio has now lost four MAC road games by a total of 13 points. The Bobcats will stay on the road when they travel to Kent St. Saturday. The 3:00 game will be televised on FoxSports Ohio.

Ohio rallied late to take down Western Michigan 57-54 at the Convo Saturday afternoon. The Bobcats (16-7, 7-3 MAC) rode another huge effort from Leon Williams who scored 26 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. Ohio took a 7-6 lead and didn't lead again until two Williams' free throws gave his team a 54-52 lead with 1:19 to play. Bubba Walther was the only other Bobcat in double figures with 13 points. David Kool led the Broncos (13-10, 7-3) with 17 points.

The win keeps Ohio a perfect 9-0 at home this season. Next up is a road contest vs. Toledo Wednesday night.

Additional Coverage: Game Statistics  (Ohio Bobcats.com) Williams, Ohio Score Comeback Win over Broncos  (Ohio Bobcats.com) Tough loss at Ohio offers 'nothing positive' for WMU  (Kalamazoo Gazette) Broncos Replay  (Kalamazoo Gazette) Williams saves the day for Ohio  (Athens Messenger) Exclusive BobcatAttack.com Multimedia:   Western Michigan at Ohio

Ohio struggled shooting the ball in a 63-56 loss at Eastern Michigan (813, 4-5 MAC) Wednesday night. The Bobcats (15-7, 6-3) converted on only 34.7% of its shots including just 26.9% on 26 three-point attempts. Leon Williams, Justin Orr and Bubba Walther led Ohio scoring with nine points apiece. The Eagles' Jarred Axon led all scorers with 18 points.

The loss snaps Ohio's 5-game winning streak. The Cats are back in action Saturday when they host Western Michigan in a 2:30 PM contest televised on FoxSports Ohio.

Ohio will host George Mason in an ESPN BrackBuster game on Saturday, February 23rd. Game times and ESPN broadcast plans will be announced later. The Patriots, a 2006 Final Four team, are 16-6 this season and tied for second in the Colonial Athletic Association with an 8-3 record.

Ohio raced out to a 40-20 halftime lead and was never headed in a 73-55 win at Northern Illinois on Saturday. Leon Williams posted a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Jerome Tillman added 17 points and Bubba Walther chipped in with 15. Sean Smith and Darion Anderson had 19 and 16 points respectively for the Huskies (5-15, 2-6 MAC). The Bobcats (15-6, 6-2) again held an opponent under 40% shooting as Northern shot just 39.2% from the field.

Ohio has now won five straight and is back in action at Eastern Michigan Wednesday night.

Additional Coverage: Game Statistics  (Ohio Bobcats.com) Ohio Cruises in Win over Northern Illinois  (Ohio Bobcats.com) Seven 3-pointers help Bobcats beat Northern Illinois  (The Post) Bobcats breeze past Huskies  (DeKalb Daily Chronicle) Bobcats thump Huskies for fifth straight win  (Athens Messenger) Exclusive BobcatAttack.com Multimedia:   Ohio at Northern Illinois

Leon Williams and the Ohio defense were too much for Central Michigan as the Bobcats beat the Chippewas 62-47 at the Convo Tuesday night. Williams recorded a double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds. The stingy Ohio D held CMU (8-11, 3-4 MAC) to 29.6% shooting and forced 24 turnovers. Giordan Watson was high man for Central with 18 points. The Bobcats (14-6, 5-2) have now won four straight and go on the road for two games starting Saturday at Northern Illinois.

Jerome Tillman's only basket of the game came with 4.2 seconds left and gave a Ohio a 61-59 win over Ball St. Saturday afternoon at the Convo. Leon Williams scored 18 of his 23 points in the second half to lead the Bobcats (13-6, 4-2 MAC) back from a 12-point halftime deficit. Anthony Newell had a game-high 24 points to top the Cardinals (3-15, 2-4) in scoring.

Ohio used another big Bert Whittington IV offensive performance and solid defense to win 68-59 at Buffalo Wednesday night. Whittington, coming off a 26-point night against Kent St., hit five 3-pointers on the way to 22 points. Tommy Freeman added a career-high 13 points. For the second straight game, Ohio (12-6, 3-2 MAC) held its opponent under 40% shooting as Buffalo connected on just 36.8% of its shots. Andy Robinson had a game-high 23 points for the Bulls (6-11, 0-5).

The Bobcats return to the Convo Saturday to host Ball St. in a 2 PM contest.

Bert Whittington IV poured in a career-high 26 points to lead Ohio past Kent State 71-59 Saturday at the Convocation Center. Jerome Tillman also had a big game for the Bobcats (11-6, 2-2 MAC) with 23 points. Al Fisher had 15 points to pace the Golden Flashes (14-4, 3-1) who shot just 37.3% from the floor.

A Nate Linhart tip-in with five seconds left lifted Akron to a 55-54 win over Ohio Thursday night at James A. Rhodes Arena.

Strong play from Leon Williams and Jerome Tillman led Ohio to a 72-63 win over Miami Saturday afternoon the Convocation Center. Tillman scored 19 points and Williams 18 as the Bobcats (10-5, 1-1 MAC) evened their Mid-American Conference record. Tim Pollitz led all RedHawks (6-8, 0-2) with 13 points.

The Bobcats bounced back offensively after scoring just 49 points last Saturday against Bowling Green. Ohio became just the second team to reach the 70-point mark in the last 47 games against Miami. The other team was #3 Kansas earlier this season.

Ohio is back in action on Thursday night at Akron in a 9:00 game that will be televised on ESPNU.

Ohio struggled to shoot the ball for a second straight game in losing at Bowling Green 52-49 to open Mid-American Conference play. The Bobcats (9-5, 0-1 MAC) shot just 38.8% from the floor including 22.7% (5-for-22) from 3-point land. The Falcons (6-7, 1-0) had shooting woes as well hitting on just 30.2% of their shots. But BG was able to outrebound Ohio 39-33 with 17 offensive boards and get to the free throw 22 times compared to just nine for the Bobcats.

The Cats were led by Leon Williams' 14 points. Bowling Green had four double figure scorers paced by Nate Miller's 13 points. Ohio returns to action next Saturday against Miami at the Convo.

Bert Whittington IV had 20 points to lead visiting Ohio over Bucknell Wednesday night. Jerome Tillman added a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Justin Castleberry was the lone Bison (5-8) player in double figures with 11 points. The Bobcats limited Bucknell to just 26.2% shooting from the field. Ohio (9-4) begins Mid-American Conference play Saturday at Bowling Green

A 16-0 run sandwiched around halftime led St. Mary's to a 70-63 win over Ohio (8-4) in the Rainbow Classic Championship Game. For the third straight game in the tourney, Leon Williams posted a double-double with 20 points and 13 rebounds. Jerome Tillman also got in on the act with 23 points and 10 boards. Williams and Tillman were named to the all-tournament team.

Patrick Mills, named the Classic's Most Outstanding Player, had 23 points to top the Gaels (10-1). Ohio struggled to shoot the ball, hitting just one of 14 3-point attempts (7.1%). Other than Williams and Tillman, the Bobcats were 6-of-32 shooting (18.8%). Ohio now takes some time off before playing at Bucknell on January 2nd.

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Leon Williams' 3-point play with 1:02 to go put Ohio ahead to stay in a 74-68 win over Louisiana-Lafayette at the Rainbow Classic in Honolulu. The frontline of Williams (23 points), Justin Orr (20) and Jerome Tillman (16) combined for 59 of Ohio's 74 points. Williams' 23 points and 10 rebounds against the Ragin' Cajuns followed a 24-point, 10-rebound performance against St. John's. Louisiana-Lafayette, who erased a 15-point second-half deficit before falling to 3-7, were led by Chris Gradnigo's 22 points. Ohio (8-3) faces St. Mary's for the Rainbow Classic Championship at 12:30 AM early Sunday morning.

Additional Coverage: Game Statistics  (Ohio Bobcats.com) Williams, Orr Send Ohio to Rainbow Classic Championship Game  (Ohio Bobcats.com) Exclusive BobcatAttack.com Multimedia:   Rainbow Classic - Game 2, Louisiana - Lafayette

stub Photo

Leon Williams' layup with .2 seconds remaining lifted Ohio to a 71-69 win over St. John's in the Rainbow Classic. The basket capped his 24-point, 10-rebound night. Bubba Walther chipped in 15 points for Ohio (7-3). D.J. Kennedy had 17 points to lead the Red Storm (4-3). The Bobcats will meet Louisiana-Lafayette Friday night at 12:30 AM. The Ragin' Cajuns knocked off host Hawaii 61-59 to move into the winner's bracket.

Additional Coverage: Game Statistics  (Ohio Bobcats.com) Ohio Edges St. John's on Wild Finish  (Ohio Bobcats.com) Bobcats win on last-second Hail Mary  (Athens Messenger) Exclusive BobcatAttack.com Multimedia:   Rainbow Classic - Game 1, St. John's

Mario Chalmers' 17 points led four Kansas scorers in double figures as the #3 Jayhawks posted an 88-51 win over Ohio at the Sprint Cent in Kansas City. Kansas (10-0) held the Bobcats (6-3) to 28.3% shooting and dominated on the glass by a 46-27 margin. Bert Whittingtin IV led the Cats in scoring with 10 points. Ohio now leaves the mainland to face St. John's Wednesday in the opening round of the Rainbow Classic.

Ohio built a 17-point second-half lead and hung on to defeat Maryland 61-55 Wednesday night at College Park. Jerome Tillman scored 20 points to lead the Bobcats (6-2) to their fourth straight win. Leon Williams, playing aginst the team he watched growing up, recorded a double-double with 15 points and 15 rebounds. Ohio next travels to Kansas Saturday for a 5 PM ESPN2 matchup with the 3rd-ranked Jayhawks.

Bubba Walther was 7-for-7 shooting, including 4-for-4 from 3-point range, as Ohio laid waste to the Delaware Blue Hens 78-59 Saturday in Athens. Walther with 22 points was just one of four Bobcats to reach double digits, along with Leon Williams (19), Jerome Tillman (17), and Justin Orr (10).

While the contest was close at times in the first half, the game was never really in doubt. All in attendance were treated to multiple dunks my Jerome Tillman, and other slams by Leon Williams and DeVaughn Washington, in addition to Walther's shooting clinic. This game is the last for Ohio in the Convocation Center in 2007.

Ohio's schedule next week includes games at Maryland and #3 ranked Kansas. The Maryland game will be homecoming of sorts for... <Read More>

Ohio started the second half with an 18-2 run on the way to a 77-58 win over St. Bonaventure at the Convo Wednesday night. Justin Orr and Allen Hester had 13 points apiece to lead the hot-shooting Bobcats. Ohio (4-2) shot 60.8% from the floor and outrebounded the Bonnies 33-17. Michael Lee topped St. Bonaventure (4-5) with 17 points. The 'Cats will host Delaware in a 2 PM game on Saturday.

Ohio struggled to hit free throws in the game's final minute but was able to withstand host St. Francis College and post a 67-63 win. The Bobcats (3-2) were led by Leon Williams and Kenneth Van Kempen with 14 points. Ohio returns home to host St. Bonaventure Wednesday night.

A Chris Clark 3-pointer with 1.9 seconds left lifted Temple to a 90-88 win over Ohio Thursday night at the Liacouras Center. Leon Williams led the Bobcats with 31 points.

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