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2014 CollegeInsider.com Tournament: Ohio Will Face Cleveland State In Athens On Wednesday, March 19

The Ohio Bobcats will host an opening round game in the 2014 CIT on Wednesday, against in-state rival Cleveland State.

Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports

The Ohio Bobcats 2013-2014 season isn't over quite yet as the team announced Sunday night that it has accepted a bid in the 2014 College Insider Tournament and will host Cleveland State Wednesday, March 19 at 7 p.m. ET (CORRECTION: This article incorrectly stated that the game would be on CBS Sports Network. Only the semifinals and finals of this tournament will be on CBS Sports Network). The tournament does not list teams by seeds.

This marks the fifth straight season that Ohio has made it to a post-season tournament. The 'Cats made the NIT in 2013, falling in the first round to denver, and made the NCAA Tournament the year before, falling to North Carolina in the Sweet 16.

Ohio finished the season 23-11 (11-7 MAC), and third in the MAC East. The Bobcats had a strong non-conference season, albeit against mostly weak competition. The 'Cats biggest non-conference game came in the first week of the season at then No. 12 Ohio State. The 'Cats lost by 10. Ohio lost to No. 22 UMass in Athens on December 18 to go 0-for-2 vs. ranked opponents this season. The Bobcats' best non-conference win came against Richmond in a one-point overtime win on Dec. 22.

In conference play the 'Cats bounced up and down. The team finished fifth in the league, with wins over Toledo, Akron, EMU and Buffalo, but also lost twice to WMU, once each to Buffalo, Akron, Toledo, Kent State and Bowling Green, the last two teams finished the season at the bottom of the MAC East.

Jim Christian's Bobcats earned a five seed in the MAC Tournament and made it to the quarterfinals where they were bounced out by rival Akron for the second time in two years. Ohio controlled the game for most of regulation, but fatigue and mental mistakes doomed it in the final seven minutes and Akron went on to win 83-77.

Ohio features a calculated half-court offense, and a balanced attack overall. The team finished in the top 50 in the nation in assists per game, and has little problem moving the ball around. It also fifth in scoring and defense in the conference, while third in scoring margin and field goal percentage.

Ohio likes to pound the inside, while letting the MAC's career 3-point leader, senior Nick Kellogg, attack from outside. Kellogg averaged 15.7 points a game this season. The 'Cats feature a match up nightmare in junior wing Maurice Ndour. The first-year Ohio player finished in the top 10 in the MAC in scoring and rebounding and was among the top 5 in blocks per game. Ndour is a game-changing talent who can lead the team in 3-pointers one night, and blocks the next.

The 'Cats first-round opponent, Cleveland State went 22-11 (12-4 Horizon League), had a terrible non-conference season losing to fellow MAC teams, Toledo, Akron and EMU (all teams Ohio beat at least once). The Vikings rebounded strong in conference play, but lost in the Horizon League semifinals to Wright State on March 8. Cleveland State features a high-efficiency offense and is among the nations best in 3-point shooting. Second-team All-Horizon League guard Bryn Forbes leads the Vikings with 15.4 points per game.  Senior forward Jon Harris, the Horizon League Sixth Man of the Year, averages 10.4 points and 6 rebounds per game.

Cleveland State and Ohio have met 11 times in their history, with Ohio winning nine times.