Bobcats win a thriller
Walther zips his former team
By Corey Ryan, Sports Editor
January 7, 2007 | midnight
Student sections dressed in harmony, jumping up and down in unison while watching the players on the floor, give it everything they got for the good of the team. Although the game is neither perfect nor flawless, college basketball is one of the greatest games in American sports.
Saturday night in the Convocation Center, students, alumni and Bobcat Nation alike were not only treated with a 77-72 Ohio victory over Mid-American Conference foe Akron, but with a game that brought together a variety of key components to remind fans how greatly entertaining and dramatic sports and college basketball can be.
"If you like college basketball, this was your game," said Ohio coach Tim O'Shea after the game. "Too bad this game wasn't on TV because there are so many bad games on TV, this was a game that really would have been good."
Not only did the match-up, the first conference game of the season, hold tremendous importance in the MAC standings, it also had an off the court controversy.
Ohio junior guard Bubba Walther transferred last year from Akron. Walther, who put the dagger in the Zips heart with his 3-pointer after a disheartening shot fake that left Romeo Travis off-balance and out of the way, is always emotional during games.
"I had too many emotions coming into tonight," Walther said. "I was nervous. This was like playing in a state championship for me."
The only comment made Saturday about the reason Walther transferred came from O'Shea who simply stated "[Walther] didn't fit into their system there."
Akron coach Keith Dambrot admitted after the game to not responding well to Walther transfer. Dambrot did have only nice things to say about the 6'4 guard he recruited out of Moeller high school in Cincinnati. "I've always like Bubba, as a player and as a kid," he said. "He's a nice kid and that's probably why I took it a little hard when he left."
Walther, who is the most emotional Ohio player, finished the game with 16 points as the Bobcats improved to 10-4 this season.
"I thought [Walther] played solid," O'Shea said. "I think Bubba's so past all that other stuff. People make it a story, but Bubba found a place where he fits in better, he's happy." A devastating 70-60 loss at Marshall Wednesday night made Akron an even more important game. Back-to-back losses would have been devastating.
"That would have been the type of loss at home that can put you in a real tailspin," O'Shea said.
On the court
All off court issues aside, what was going on between the lines was worth the price of admission, not just the free ticket price students get, but the actual price fans pay for a seat in the Convo.
"That was about as good as it gets," said O'Shea. "That would rank with any league any place in the country as far as an exchange in a game. I could detach myself enough from the emotion of the moment to say "boy am I lucky to be here for this one"
The height of the action occurred in the second half. First came an acrobatic, alley-oop slam by Ohio forward Jerome Tillman off a lob pass from Antonio Chatman. Then Akron came storming down the court like it was the beach at Normandy and Cedric Middleton fired a 3-pointer from the corner. In retaliation, Sonny Troutman fired a 3-pointer of his own on the next Bobcat possession, connecting for three of his 14 points. The up-and-down battle ended with an Akron timeout after the Zips turned the ball over on their next possession, leading to a Leon Williams basket.
The crowd was on their feet the entire time during this 45 second, eye popping display of basketball euphoria, during which the game's leader changed with every basket.
Williams led all scorers with 19 points to go along with nine rebounds. Tillman had 12 points and six rebounds as four Bobcats reached double figures. Akron was led by Middleton who finished with a game-high 20 points on 8-12 shooting from the field.
Bobcat fans and college basketball fans can see the rematch at Akron on Feb. 13 or wait until the MAC tournament where with any luck, basketball fans will see the two elite MAC teams play for chance to go to the big dance.