Associated Press
 Akron's Jimmy Conyers (32) goes in for a shot between Ohio's Reggie Keely and Tommy Freeman, right, in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the Mid-American Conference men's finals Saturday, March 13, 2010, in Cleveland. |
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CLEVELAND — Freshman D.J. Cooper scored 23 points and made three big plays in overtime as Ohio capped a stunning run through the Mid-American Conference tournament by beating defending champion Akron 81-75 in the final Saturday night to earn an NCAA tourney bid.
The ninth-seeded Bobcats (21-14) became the lowest-seeded team to win the MAC title. They did it by knocking off top-seeded Kent State, fourth-seeded Miami (Ohio) and finally the third-seeded Zips (24-10).
This wasn’t supposed to be Ohio’s year, yet the Bobcats overcame injuries, player suspensions and rash of close losses to win their first title since 2005.
Ohio’s Armon Bassett scored 25 to earn tournament MVP honors. He finished with 116 points in four games.
Jimmy Conyers led Akron with 19 points and 12 rebounds, and Chris McKnight scored 18 with 10 boards. The Zips were making their fourth straight title game appearance.
As is almost always the case, the MAC final delivered.
There were 13 ties, 24 lead changes, countless crucial plays and five extra minutes of heart-pounding action.
Bassett’s two free throws gave Ohio a 68-65 lead with 13.5 seconds to go in regulation, but just as he did in the Zips’ double-overtime win in the quarterfinals against Eastern Michigan, Akron junior guard Steve McNees came down and buried a 3-pointer from the top of the key to tie it.
Ohio had the last shot, but Cooper was long with a 12-foot jumper as the horn sounded.
He more than made up for it in overtime.
The MAC’s freshman of the year drained a 3-pointer to give Ohio a 73-70 lead, and moments later, he blocked a layup by McNees under the basket. McNees did make another 3 to tie it 75-all, but Bassett hit a soft bank shot, and after a missed 3 by Akron, Cooper drained two free throws to make it 79-75 with 24.9 seconds left.
Down by four and out of timeouts, the Zips were forced to launch from the outside but badly missed both attempts. The loose ball found its way into the hands of Bassett, who went in for a dunk, providing an exclamation point on Ohio’s improbable title.
When the horn sounded, Ohio’s players swarmed in front of their bench, celebrating something only they thought was possible.
The Bobcats opened the tourney on the road at Ball State, where they found themselves trailing by 10 with 10 minutes to go. They rallied to win that one in overtime, earning a trip to Cleveland. In three days inside Quicken Loans Arena, they defied the odds by upsetting three of the league’s top four seeds.
Ohio’s conference season began with four consecutive losses, and there were other obstacles along the way. Steven Coleman, the team’s top returning player, broke his hand in December and didn’t play again. Forward DeVaughn Washington was suspended for five games in midseason for team violations. Freshman guard Jay Kinney was suspended twice and dismissed from the team by coach John Groce last month.
When the tourney began, the Bobcats, with only one senior on their roster, were an afterthought.
Now, they’re champions.
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