It’s not often Ohio University has a better basketball team than rival Big Ten powerhouse Ohio State.
That could be the case in the 2007-08 season, however.
The Bobcats will take an impressive 6-2 record – compared to the Greg Oden-less Buckeyes’ 5-3 mark – into Saturday’s 4 p.m. battle against Kansas at Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo.
“They are two possessions from being undefeated,” KU coach Bill Self said of an Ohio U. team that fell by two points at Holy Cross and Temple in a three-day span in late November. “They are talented, balanced, have a very good team. It will be a challenge for us.”
Before Self’s comments are dismissed as typical coachspeak, consider what Ohio accomplished on Wednesday night.
The Bobcats, who had defeated New Mexico State, Cornell, St. Francis, St. Bonaventure and Delaware, stunned Maryland, 61-55, in College Park, Md.
Entering the game, Maryland had won 44 of its past 45 nonconference games at home and had won 131 of 133 nonconference home games under coach Gary Williams.
The loss sent shock waves through the state of Maryland despite the fact the Terps (6-5) may be in a rebuilding phase this season.
“I mean, this is super embarrassing. I can’t even go out there and go home (after this),” Maryland guard Greivis Vasquez told the Diamondback newspaper. “This is just horrible. We didn’t play hard. They outworked us.”
“For Ohio to come in here, being in the MAC, and coming in here and beating us on our home floor – it’s definitely embarrassing,” Terps’ guard Eric Hayes said.
Ohio, which was led by preseason all-MAC frontcourt players Jerome Tillman (20 points) and Leon Williams (15 points, 15 rebounds), outrebounded the ACC team, 37-27. The Bobcats led by 17 points midway through the final half.
“What can you say? It’s a win at Maryland. It’s a big win,” Ohio coach Tim O’Shea said. “But we have a great opportunity to play the No. 3 team in the country next, and we need to get ready for it right away.”
Self said the (9-0) Jayhawks, who have had their minds on final exams all week, will need to focus fully on Ohio starting today if they hope to win their annual holiday game in K.C., which will be shown nationally on ESPN2.
“They play fast. They are averaging over 78 points a game (76 points after Maryland game to KU’s 84.7 mark). They switch defenses, go from matchup zone, to 2-3, to man. We’ve not played many teams that have done that. That will be a good game for us,” Self said.
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Ohio powerful in hoops: Fans at Xavier, Miami and Dayton might argue they have the best team in the hoops-happy state of Ohio this year.
Miami, which will visit Allen Fieldhouse on Dec. 22, is 4-3 with victories over Xavier, South Alabama and Mississippi State and losses to Dayton, Louisville and USC by just one, three and four points respectively. Xavier is ranked No. 17 nationally at 8-1, while Dayton is 7-1.
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Recruiting: Elijah Johnson, a 6-2 junior guard from Las Vegas, who is ranked No. 38 in the Class of 2009 by Rivals.com, plans on attending a KU game on an unofficial visit sometime in January. Johnson is being recruited by KU, North Carolina, Duke, Florida, Texas, USC, UCLA and many others.
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Giles struggles: Former KU forward C.J. Giles had a tough debut at his new school, Oregon State. The 6-11 Giles, in the words of the Oregonian newspaper, was “an utter flop, playing just six minutes before fouling out” of a 77-53 victory Wednesday at Cal State Bakersfield. Giles had two points, both on free throws, two rebounds, a blocked shot and no field-goal attempts.
“I’m not mad about it. Basketball is just a game. You’re supposed to have fun,” Giles told the Oregonian. “I just took it, and I didn’t want to be negative. I had to laugh about it.”
The Beavers play host to Tennessee Tech on Sunday in Giles’ home debut.
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Langford shines: Former KU guard Keith Langford is off to a great start for the Austin (Texas) Toros of the NBA Developmental League. The 6-4 guard is averaging 25.0 points, 3.0 assists and 1.8 steals a game. He’s made 53.3 percent of his shots, but just 54.7 percent of his free throws. The Toros are affiliated with the San Antonio Spurs and coached by former Missouri coach Quin Snyder.
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Boschee ball: Former KU guard Jeff Boschee’s Barstow High basketball team is off to a 5-0 start.
“Kids tend to get fat and happy,” Boschee told Sun Publications. “Sometimes you have to let them know they haven’t done anything yet. But we are playing well.”
Of coaching he said: “It’s a whole different competitive side. As a player you can get out there and do stuff. As a coach all you can do is say stuff. I found myself last night kicking the chair and screaming under my breath. There’s not much you can do.”
