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ATHENS, Ohio -- The three seeded Ohio men's basketball team opens play at the 2022 Roman College Basketball Invitational (CBI) in Daytona,Fla., on Saturday, March 19 when they take on No. 13 Rice (15-15). Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. inside the Daytona Beach Ocean Center. The Bobcats matchup will be seen on FloHoops where Tom James and former Ohio men's basketball coach Jim Christian will have the call.
The Bobcats' matchup can also be heard on the Ohio Sports Network from Learfield. Russ Eisenstein returns for his 14th season as the "Voice of the Bobcats" and will be joined by Ohio alum Rob Cornelius, who has been a part of the broadcasts for two decades. WXTQ (Power 105) in Athens returns as the 11-station network's flagship.
STORYLINES
• This is the Bobcats first appearance in the CBI since 2016.
• Overall, Ohio is 3-2 all-time in the CBI
• The Bobcats competed in the CBI in 2008 where they advanced to the second round, defeating Brown before falling to Bradley.
• Ohio against competed in the CBI in 2016, advancing to the quarterfinals after defeating Albany and UNCG, before falling to Morehead State.
• All games in this year's CBI will take place March 19-24 in the Daytona Beach Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Fla.
• This is the first all-time meeting between Ohio and Rice.
• Ohio's 24 wins is the fifth-most in program history.
• Mark Sears and Ban Vander Plas were named First Team All-MAC, while Jason Carter was named Third Team All-MAC.
• Mark Sears was named to the NABC District 14 First Team, while Ben Vander Plas and Jason Carter were named to the NABC District 14 Second Team.
• Ben Vander Plas has been named to the 2021-22 Academic All-America® Division I Men's Basketball Team selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and has been named the Division I Academic All-America® of the Year
• Mark Sears has been named the MAC Player of the Week five times this season, with the most recent coming on Jan. 31.
• Ohio is ranked 113th in the latest NET rankings released on March 13.
• Ohio is the second-highest-ranked MAC school, behind Toledo at 75.
• Meanwhile, Rice is ranked 216th.
• The Bobcats rank 14th in the country in turnover margin.
• Mark Sears is ninth in the country in free throw percentage and fourth in free throws made (176-of-194). He is also tied for 31st in the country in points per game.
SCOUTING No. 13 RICE
No. 13 Rice enters the matchup with the Bobcats with a 15-15 record.
As a team, Rice averages 75.2 points a game, while shooting 46.1 percent from the field, 37.6 percent from three and 71.1 percent from the line. The Owls average 35.7 rebounds, 16.3 assists and 5.1 steals a game. Rice also averages 1.7 blocks a game and turn the ball over an average of 12.6 times a game.
Opponents average 73.8 points and are shooting 44.9 percent from the field, 33.9 percent from three and 71.7 percent from the line. Rice's opponents also average 34.4 rebounds and 14.2 assists per game, while adding 6.8 steals and 3.4 blocks. Opponents also turn the ball over an average of 10.3 times a game.
Individually, Carl Pierre averages 15.5 points per game, while shooting .469 from the field, .412 from three and grabs 4.7 rebounds a game. Travis Evee adds 13.9 points and shoots .432 from the field. Max Fielder adds 10.1 points a game and 7.9 rebounds a game.
SCOUTING No. 3 OHIO
No. 3 Ohio enters the matchup with No. 13 Rice with a 24-9 record overall after falling to No. 2 Kent State, 67-61 in the MAC Semifinals.
The Bobcats average 73.9 points a game, while shooting .431 from the field, .340 from three and .733 from the line. The Bobcats grab 34.2 rebounds a game, while dishing out an average of 12.8 assists and registering 7.5 steals a game. Ohio is averaging 10.4 turnovers a game.
Meanwhile, opponents are averaging 67.4 points a game, while shooting .440 from the field, .313 from three and .755 from the line. Opponents are averaging 35.0 rebounds, 11.0 assists and 14.3 turnovers a game.
Individually, Ohio is led by guard Mark Sears who is averaging 19.5 points a game, while shooting .446 from the field, .421 from three and .907 from the line. Forward Jason Carter is adding 13.7 points and 6.7 rebounds a game, while forward Ben Vander Plas is averaging 14.1 points a game, 6.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists.
ALL-TIME IN THE CBI
This is the Bobcats first appearance in the CBI since 2016.
Overall, Ohio is 3-2 all-time in the CBI
The Bobcats competed in the CBI in 2008 where they advanced to the second round, defeating Brown before falling to Bradley.
Ohio against competed in the CBI in 2016, advancing to the quarterfinals after defeating Albany and UNCG, before falling to Morehead State.
All games in this year's CBI will take place March 19-24 in the Daytona Beach Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Fla.
ALL TIME VS. RICE
This is the first all-time meeting between Ohio and Rice.
SMARTEST MAN IN DI BASKETBALL
Ben Vander Plas has been named to the 2021-22 Academic All-America® Division I Men's Basketball Team selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and has been named the Division I Academic All-America® of the Year
With his recognition on the Academic All-America® Men's Basketball Team First Team, Vander Plas becomes the first Ohio's men's basketball player since Steve Skaggs in 1977 and 1978 to be named to an Academic All-America® Men's Basketball Team twice in his career.
Vander Plas, who is earning his second master's degree, this one in Management, sports a 3.96 GPA. He is a three-time Academic All-District® Men's Basketball Team selection. After earning his undergraduate degree in communications, Vander Plas earned his Masters of Sport Administration in 2020-21 with a 4.0 GPA.
NABC ALL-DISTRICT HONORS
Sophomore guard Mark Sears was named to the NABC All-District First Team, while redshirt senior forward Ben Vander Plas and redshirt fifth year forward Jason Carter were both named to the NABC All-District 14 Second Team.
This is the second-straight season that the Bobcats have had a representative on the All-District 14 First Team.
A MARCH TO REMEMBER
Last season, the Bobcats entered the MAC Tournament as the 5th seed and won three games in three days en route to their seventh league title.
The Bobcats defeated Kent State in the quarterfinals, Toledo in the semis and Buffalo in the finals.
Jason Preston was named the MAC Tournament MVP.
Ohio then entered the NCAA Tournament as the 13th seed and defeated No. 4 Virginia before falling to No. 5 Creighton.
ALL-MAC HONORS
Three members of the Ohio men's basketball team were named to the 2022 All-MAC Teams.
Mark Sears and Ben Vander Plas earned a spot on the All-MAC First Team, while Jason Carter was named to the All-MAC Third Team.
LAST TIME OUT
The Bobcats are coming off of a 67-61 loss over No. 2 Kent State in the MAC Semifinals Friday (March 11) night.
Overall, the Bobcats shot 40.4% from the field, 33.3% from beyond the arc, and 62.5% from the free throw line. Kent State finished the game having shot 45.6% overall, 35.3% from three, and 69.2% from the charity
stripe.
Ohio was led on offense Ben Vander Plas (Ripon, Wis.) and Mark Sears (Muscle Shoals, Ala.). Vander Plas scored a team-high 20 points on 6 of 9 shooting from the field, while Sears played all 40 minutes and finished with 15 points. Jason Carter (Johnstown, Ohio) was the team's leading rebounder, grabbing seven total boards.
Kent State was led by Malique Jacobs, who recorded a double-double with team-highs in points (19) and rebounds (10).
OHIO IN THE NET
Ohio is ranked 113th in the latest NET rankings released on March 13.
Ohio is the second-highest-ranked MAC school, behind Toledo at 75.
Meanwhile, Rice is ranked 216th.
OHIO IN THE NCAA
The Bobcats rank 14th in the country in turnover margin.
Mark Sears is ninth in the country in free throw percentage and fourth in free throws made (176-of-194). He is also tied for 31st in the country in points per game.
CARTER REBOUNDS TO CAREER HIGH
Jason Carter continued to create new career highs late in his career.
On March 10 against No. 6 Ball State in the MAC Quarterfinals, Carter grabbed a career0high 18 rebounds in the 77-67 victory.
BVP TRIPLE DOUBLE
On Feb. 22 against CMU, Ben Vander Plas recorded his first career triple double, scoring 10 point, grabbed 10 boards and dished out 10 assists.
It is the fourth triple double in men's basketball history (DJ Cooper(1), Jason Preston (2)).
It is overall the sixth triple double in Ohio basketball history with women's basketball players CeCe Hooks and Erica Johnson who each have one.
ACADEMIC ALL DISTRICT
Ben Vander Plas has been named 2020-21 Academic All-District® Men's Basketball Team, selected by CoSIDA, the organization announced (Feb. 17). It is the third-straight year that Vander Plas has been named to the District 5 list.
Vander Plas who was selected as one of six honorees in District 5, is working on his MS in Management and currently sports 3.96 GPA.
First-team Academic All-District® honorees advance to the CoSIDA Academic All-America® ballot. First-, second- and third-team (if applicable) Academic All-America® honorees will be announced March 15.
23 FROM 22 ON 2/22/22
On Feb. 22 against CMU, Tommy Schmock had a career night, scoring a DI career-high 23 points while draining seven made threes in the victory.
SEARS AT THE LINE
Mark Sears continues his solid season at the free throw line. The sophomore is shooting 90.7 percent (176-of-194), which ranks him first in the MAC and ninth in the country in free throw percentage and fourth in free throws made.
MILES STEPPING UP
Junior guard Miles Brown is stepping up in his new starting role.
In 31 games, Brown is averaging 7.0 points and is shooting .420 from the field, .382 from three and is .732 from the line.
Brown scored a career-high 19 points on Nov. 26 against Concordia.
Brown had the best game of his career on Feb. 12 at Eastern Michigan, recording his first career double double, scoring 15 points and grabbing a career-high 12 rebounds.
On March 10 in the MAC Quarters, Brown hit three made threes in the first half of the 77-67 victory.
IT'S LIKE HE NEVER LEFT
In his first game back in Athens, Jason Carter was back to his old self.
Carter registered his first double double of the season, scoring 20 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in the victory over Belmont.
After 32 games, Carter is averaging 13.7 points and 6.7 rebounds a game. He is also shooting .463 from the field and .247 from three.
He also has three double doubles this season.
On Jan. 11 against BGSU, Carter scored a season-high 22 points in the victory.
Carter scored a career-high 27 points against Western Michigan on Feb. 5.
He was named the MAC Player of the Week on Feb. 7 and the MAC Male Scholar Athlete of the Week on Feb. 8.
Named All-MAC Third Team and to the NABC All-District 14 Second Team.
On March 10 against No. 6 Ball State in the MAC Quarterfinals, Carter grabbed a career0high 18 rebounds in the 77-67 victory.
SEARS LEADING THE WAY
Since taking over point guard duties at the start of the season, Sears has quickly proven that he belongs.
In 33 games, Sears is leading Ohio with 19.5 points per game. He is shooting .446 from the field, .421 from three and .907 from the line.
He also averages 6.0 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.6 steals a game.
After opening the season with a 27-point performance against Belmont, Sears also added a 24-point game against St. Francis on Dec. 4, where he grabbed a career-high eight rebounds.
Sears had another 20-point performance on Dec. 15 against Marshall, scoring 24 points in the 75-65 victory.
Sears set another career-high on Dec. 21 when he scored 33 points against USC Upstate inside the Convo.
He has been named the MAC Player of the Week five times this season, the most recent coming on Jan. 31.
Sears had another noteworthy performance on Feb. 12 against EMU, scoring 27 points and grabbing eight rebounds, while dishing out five assists in Ohio's 74-56 victory.
On March 10 against No. 6 Ball State in the MAC Quarterfinals,Sears scored 224 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the double double.
Sears was named to the All-MAC First Team and the NABC All-District 14 First Team.
BVP STILL STEADY
Ben Vander Plas picked up right where he left on in 2021-22.
On Nov. 9 the forward scored 19 points and grabbed six boards in Ohio's win against Belmont. He also tied a career-high, dishing out seven assists.
BVP added another 19-point performance against Kentucky.
BVP is second on the team in scoring with 14.1 points per game. He also averages 6.7 rebounds, while dishing out 3.0 assists a game. Vander Plas is shooting .463 from the field and .344 from three.
BVP also made a splash on Dec. 1 at LSU. With the Bobcats trailing entering the second, Vander Plas hit three-straight threes for Ohio, helping tie the game early in the second half. He finished the game with 12 points.
BVP hit a career-high six made three pointers on Jan. 7 against Kent State, while also scoring season-high 20 points in the victory.
On Jan. 18 at Miami, Vander Plas scored a season-high 23 points in 29 minutes. 20 of those points came in the first half.
BVP recorded his second double double of the season at Buffalo on Jan. 28, scoring 12 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
BVP's third double double came Feb. 5 against WMU, scoring 15 points and grabbing 11 boards.
BVP once again own CMU, scoring a season-high 24 points on Feb. 10 in Mount Pleasant.
BVP set another career-high on Feb. 15 against Miami, Scoring 30 points in the 91-78 victory.
BVP recorded his first career triple double on Feb. 22 against CMU, scoring 10 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and dishing out 10 assists.
Vander Plas was named to the All-MAC First Team, NABC All-District 14 First Team and was named to the 2021-22 Academic All-America® Division I Men's Basketball Team selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and has been named the Division I Academic All-America® of the Year
CLAYTON FOR THREE
In 32 games in the green and white, freshman AJ Clayton has made at least one three in 17 of those games.
Clayton recorded his first two-point basket on Nov. 26 against Concordia.
Clayton has scored six points in three games this season - two against SEC opponents and one at Stetson on Dec. 11.
Clayton set a career-high with seven points on Dec. 21 vs. USC Upstate.
Clayton set a career-high on Jan. 11 against BGSU, scoring 12 points and going 2-of-6 from three.
The newly minted 18-year old (as of Feb. 12), is averaging 3.0 points a game and 9.7 minutes.
SIXTH MAN SCHMOCK
Senior transfer guard Tommy Schmock has a career day on Nov. 26 against Concordia, scoring 11 points and going from 3-of-7 from three.
Against LSU, Schmock snagged a career-high three steals.
Schmock got his first start in the Green and White on Jan. 7 against Kent State.
In his second start of the season on Jan. 11 against BGSU, Schmock was sensational, scoring 17 points, going 5-of-10 from the field, 4-of-7 from three and grabbed seven boards in the victory.
Schmock had another stellar game on Feb. 8 at Toledo, scoring 17 points, going 6-of-12 from the field and 5-of-10 from three.
Schmock helped lead the Bobcats in the next game, scoring 16 points and hitting four threes in the Bobcats' win at CMU.
On Feb. 15 against Miami, Schmock scored a DI career-high 18 points in the victory.
This season. Schmock is averaging 6.8 points in 21.5 minutes off the bench.
Schmock continues to see is production increase over the last few weeks, with the best game of his DI career coming on Feb. 22. In the game, Schmock scored 23 points and bagged seven threes in the victory.
UP NEXT
With a win, the Bobcats will take on the winner of No. 6 Abilene Christian and No. 11 Troy on Monday, Match 21 at 8:30 p.m.
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