John Groce pushes Bobcats into basketball golden age

It wasn’t too long ago that ‘life on the road in the MAC’ was an all too common mantra for Ohio Bobcats fans to hear. In 2012, the only road Ohio is worried about is the one they have paved to the Sweet 16.

As a freshman latching onto Ohio Bobcats basketball for the first time, I witnessed a talented but disappointing team in 2007-08. They beat George Mason in a nationally televised Bracketbuster game. But they got bounced from the MAC Tournament in the quarterfinals.

That was just the beginning of what I would see in my first two years as a student in Athens.

The image that best defines that time is Ohio head coach Tim O’Shea looking frazzled on the sideline, not knowing what to do next.

After the 2008-09 season, O’Shea moved to greener pastures (if you want to call it that), heading to Bryant University (who knew it played basketball).

It was O’Shea’s departure that set in motion the beginning of this golden age of Ohio basketball.

With a savvy new athletic director, Jim Schaus, in place, the Bobcats hired John Groce, an Ohio State assistant with a great pedigree, coaching under Thad Matta and credited with recruiting stars like Greg Oden.

Groce’s first regular season had its ups and downs. The Bobcats finished 7-9 in the MAC and were the 9th seed going into the 2010 MAC Tournament. It took overtime for the Bobcats to defeat Ball State and even make it to Cleveland.

That was where the Groce magic began.

Two years ago, about this same time in March, we saw a new type of Bobcats team, one  that didn’t fold in March but rose to the occasion. Armon Bassett lit up the scoreboard setting the record for most points in a MAC Tournament. D.J. Cooper and company landed the Bobcats on the front page of USA Today with a stunning 14 over 3 upset of Georgetown.

2010’s journey ended in the round of 32, a game away from a trip to the Sweet 16 in St. Louis, with a loss against a good Tennessee team.

Last season was a blip. A disappointing quarterfinal collapse to Ball State ended the Bobcats’ campaign with a bitter aftertaste. However, it wasn’t one that carried over into 2012.

Ohio opened this season on fire. December had the Bobcats on the cusp of the top 25, narrowly losing at Louisville and beating Northern Iowa. But a loss to Robert Morris ended that talk, then two straight February losses to low RPI Eastern Michigan and Toledo in February killed any hopes they had at an at-large.

All said, Ohio finished the regular season 27-7, most regular season victories in school history. They won the MAC Tournament again in thrilling fashion, one-point victors over rival Akron.

The win meant another automatic berth in the tournament. But this time the mentality was different. It wasn’t just about getting there. The Bobcats had their sights set on winning multiple games.

Just beating Michigan wasn't enough. They didn't celebrate as if that was their championship game. It was taking care of business which they did again Sunday night against South Florida.

Now, Ohio has reached the Sweet 16 as a No. 13 seed, the lowest seed left and the first to do that since 2006.

A lot has changed for this program since I first stepped foot on the red bricks of Athens as a freshman.

No longer is the ho-hum business of making excuses acceptable. John Groce does not stand for that.

No longer do the Bobcats underachieve. In fact, they now overachieve.

Think about this – in Groce’s three years, Ohio has won three tournament games. Before that, the program had four tournament wins in 50 years.

Groce has put together a scrappy bunch that thrives on tough defense. Most importantly he has instilled in them an innate belief that they can beat anyone and simply getting to the big dance is not the ultimate goal.

They have bought in. The culture has changed in Athens. With Groce and Cooper leading the way, it’s ‘Attack U’ instead of ‘Whimper at U.’

Cooper drips with swagger, while Groce radiates intensity.

So, as big of an underdog as Ohio may be come Friday night against No. 1 seed North Carolina, don’t count them out.

And if you’re a Bobcat fan, savor every moment of it. This could last for years, like a Gonzaga or Xavier, or it could end Friday night.

Live in this incredible time, and stand up and cheer, cheer loud and long for old Ohio.