The Ohio Bobcats men's basketball team is an intercollegiate varsity sports program of Ohio University. The team is a member of the Mid-American Conference competing in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The Bobcats have played their home games in the Convocation Center since 1968.
The first Ohio basketball game occurred in 1907 when the Bobcats defeated the Parkersburg YMCA 46–9. Through the 2022–23 season, Ohio has posted a .573 winning percentage over its 116-year history and a .559 winning percentage in its 77 years in the Mid-American Conference. The Bobcats have won seven Mid-American Conference tournament titles (1983, 1985, 1994, 2005, 2010, 2012, and 2021), as well as 10 MAC regular-season titles (1960, 1961, 1964, 1965, 1970, 1972, 1974, 1985, 1994 and 2013). Prior to joining the MAC, the Bobcats won an Ohio Athletic Conference title in 1921 and three Buckeye Athletic Association championships (1931, 1933, and 1937). In addition, Ohio has played in the NCAA tournament 14 times (second most in the MAC), appearing in 1960, 1961, 1964, 1965, 1970, 1972, 1974, 1983, 1985, 1994, 2005, 2010, 2012, and 2021. The Bobcats have been selected for the National Invitation Tournament five times: in 1941 (runner-up), 1969, 1986, 1995, and 2013. Ohio also appeared in the College Basketball Invitational in 2008, 2016, and 2022 and the CollegeInsider.com Tournament in 2011 and 2014. The program was ranked 86th in Street & Smith's 100 Greatest Basketball Programs of All Time, published in 2005.
History
The first intercollegiate men's basketball game involving an Ohio University team was played in Athens in 1907 against the Parkersburg YMCA. Under the direction of coach James Jones, the Bobcats won the game by a score of 46–9 and continued their victories with a 5-game winning streak to start the season. The 'Cats would go on to lose 4 games that season and earn a 7–4 record.
Coach Jones would only be at Ohio for two more seasons, leading the team to records of 1–1 in the 1908–09 campaign and 2–5 during the 1909–10 season. Over the next three seasons, the basketball program was in a state of flux, with a new coach taking over the reins every year. Ohio joined the Ohio Athletic Conference in 1911, and started out poorly under coach Arthur Hinaman with a 2–9 record.
A bit of stability arrived to Athens with the hiring of coach Mark Banks in 1913. Banks would lead the program to a 3–10 season in his first year, but the 'Cats surged to 11–4 in Bank's second year at the helm. That 1914–1915 squad beat the Cincinnati Bearcats and the Miami Redskins twice, while also impressively defeating Wooster by a score of 51–20. Banks teams would fall off over the next several seasons, with the low point being a 2–14 mark in the 1916–1917 campaign. Banks would coach only one more year, with the Bobcats posting a 4–8 record in the 1918–1919 season.
Bank's successor was Frank Gullum, who in his two years at the helm was 5–4 and 5–6, respectively. Gullum was succeeded by Russell Finsterwald, who led the team to an outstanding 15–2 season in his first year at the helm. That 1920–1921 team defeated the Miami Redskins and Cincinnati Bearcats each twice, and also earned Ohio's first Ohio Athletic Association title. Finsterwald's 1921–1922 squad was equally impressive, posting a 19–4 mark with two wins against the Bowling Green Falcons. Though Finsterwald would only last these two seasons, his work cannot be underestimated in steering the 'Cats towards a legacy of success.