OHIO 65, Marshall 64: MAC Power Invades The CIT

This is uncanny. At home on December 4, the Ohio Bobcats were pushed around at home by their former MAC rivals, the Marshall Thundering Herd. Fast forward past the conference season, and the conference tournament — this part takes a while — and suddenly another Athens-on-Huntington blood feud is on our hands. But this time, OHIO prevailed by a singular point.

In a game with 13 lead changes and five ties, the Bobcats really showed the type of resilience that, gee, woulda been nice to see in the MAC Tournament against Ball State, a team with an inflated conference record who looked like Northern Illinois against the East division. The only way they can redeem this puzzling loss is, I guess, to get as far in the CIT as they can.

And with that, MAC teams are now 2-0 in this goofy little tournament, with Western Michigan's home game against Tennessee Tech as the only obstacle between perfection and .667.

Numbers: DeVaughn Washington had 17 points, but the key stat here is three #omgdunx. Reggie Keely, hell of a time for it, had a season-high 13 rebounds off the bench (six offensive) to go with 10 points. The obligatory D.J. Cooper line: 10 points (5-of-12 shooting), nine assists, six rebounds, three steals, five turnovers. Pretty much all he does.

Much like Buffalo, OHIO awaits their second-round opponent based on who advances. They might get a bye. They might play at home. They might have to play Buffalo, if those CITers have a warped sense of humor.