Ohio uses reputation, contacts to get North Carolina

by Eric Pfahler
Staff Writer

Though mid-major conference teams might have trouble scheduling high-caliber opponents with national reputations, Ohio basketball coach Tim O’Shea said picking up North Carolina on the schedule depended on making a simple phone call.

“I picked up the phone, and I got the college directory out,” O’Shea said. “I looked up a phone number because I know (North Carolina basketball coach) Matt Doherty, and I called him up.”

O’Shea said connections are the most important factor in competing against big-name teams.

“It also comes down to the fact that we’re a good mid-major,” O’Shea said. “North Carolina needs to put some games like that on its non-conference plate. They don’t want to play a bunch of cream puffs. They have to play legitimate mid-major teams.”

North Carolina has played a tough non-conference schedule this season. The Tar Heels lost to Indiana, Kentucky and Connecticut earlier this season. But North Carolina also scheduled mid-major opponents such as Hampton, Charleston and Ohio.

O’Shea said mid-major teams searching for opponents from the major conferences must accept provisions.

“When you pick up the phone to schedule these games, you know that you’re not going to get a return game at The Convo,” O’Shea said. “You willingly put yourself at a disadvantage, but in the big picture the positive of getting to play this game, the excitement it brings to our student body, outweighs the fact that we may pick up a loss against one of the great programs in college athletics.”

Ohio’s non-conference home games included Wisconsin and Duquesne. Ohio Director of Athletics Thomas Boeh said money can lure quality teams, but Ohio does not have the funding.

“We’re getting $40,000 to go to North Carolina,” Boeh said. “If Tim O’Shea was given say $200,000 or even $150,000 to give for guarantees to come in here, then that would be a real important resource to getting more home games, but the problem is we don’t have that money.”

Ohio originally slated the game against the Tar Heels for November, but a television contract prompted the game to be rescheduled.

“The ESPN folks were contracted with the ACC to do another North Carolina game, and they looked at their non-conference schedule who North Carolina had in mind to play this week. ESPN wasn’t satisfied with that opponent so they said, ‘Well who else do you have to play?’ and they looked at it, and they picked us.”

Boeh said Ohio had no problem changing the date.

“Carolina then called here and said ‘Would you move this game to February and play on ESPN?’ and we took about a nanosecond to say yes,” Boeh said.

With the date set, the Bobcats are set to face one of the most prestigious programs in college basketball history. Ohio guard Jason Crawford said playing at Chapel Hill is a dream for any college basketball player.

“As a kid all of us grow up watching North Carolina basketball, so just to get the opportunity to play there in our careers is once in a lifetime, especially if you’re not a player in the ACC,” Crawford said.