Men’s Basketball: Ohio Northern (6-3 Overall) vs. Ohio Wesleyan (5-4 Overall) and Olivet (Mich.) (3-5 Overall) at Smokey Ballenger Classic
Wednesday, December 29, 2021, 5 p.m. - Rike Center, Westerville, Ohio
Thursday, December 30, 2021, 5 p.m. - Rike Center, Westerville, Ohio
| Smokey Ballenger Classic Program (.pdf) |
Event Preview: Ohio Northern is playing in the four-team, two-day Smokey Ballenger Classic on Wednesday and Thursday at Otterbein University … ONU will face Ohio Wesleyan on Wednesday and Olivet (Mich.) on Thursday with both games starting at 5 p.m. … The event's other two games will feature Otterbein against Olivet (Mich.) on Wednesday and Otterbein against Ohio Wesleyan on Thursday with both games starting at 7 p.m. … The Polar Bears last played on Dec. 11 in a 72-56 home loss to No. 17 Mount Union … The Dec. 18 game against Capital was declared a no contest due to Ohio Athletic Conference COVID protocols … ONU is averaging 70.6 points per game and allowing 76.1 points per contest … The Polar Bears are shooting 43.7% from the field, 33.1% on 3-pointers and 64.2% from the foul line … Northern currently has four players averaging double figures in scoring with junior C.J. Napier (13.8 points per game), senior Brandon Waugh (12.1) and juniors Landen Long (11.9) and Adam Scott (10.6) … Napier ranks 13th in the OAC in scoring average and his team-high 7.9 rebounds per game ranks fifth in the conference … Napier also leads ONU in steals with 11 … Freshman Ethan Bell leads the team in assists with 25, which ranks ninth in the OAC … Waugh currently ranks 16th on the program's all-time career steals list with 119 … His 209 career assists are 29 shy of breaking into the top 20 on the ONU leaderboard in that category … Following the Smokey Ballenger Classic, Northern will return to OAC play with a game at Otterbein on Jan. 5 at 7 p.m. … Ohio Wesleyan is coming off a 79-70 win over Allegheny (Pa.) on Dec. 17 … OWU is averaging 71.1 points per game while allowing 73.8 points per contest … The Battling Bishops are shooting 43.6% from the floor, 32.4% on 3-pointers and 69.5% from the foul line … OWU is led in scoring by Jack Clement (17.1 points per game), Henry Hinkle (15.2) and Grant Spicer (12.9) … Tony Carter leads the team in rebounding at 6.7 per game … Hinkle has tallied a team-high 36 assists … Olivet (Mich.) is coming off an 88-70 loss to North Central (Ill.) on Dec. 22 … OC is averaging 75.5 points per game while allowing 78.5 points per contest … The Comets are shooting 42% from the floor, 34.4% on 3-pointers and 62.4% from the foul line … Olivet is led in scoring by Eddie Thigpen (17.4 points per game), Derrick Johnson (13.5) and Tevin Ali (10.5) … Patrick Hollis leads the team in rebounding with 7.1 per game … Johnson leads the team in assists with 29 and has made a team-high 24 3-pointers.
ONU Statistical Leaders:
| Scoring | Rebounding | 3FGs | Assists | Steals | ||||||||||||||
| 1. | Napier | 13.8 | 1. | Napier | 7.9 | 1. | Waugh | 16 | 1. | Bell | 25 | 1. | Napier | 11 | ||||
| 2. | Waugh | 12.1 | 2. | Long | 4.6 | 2. | Long | 13 | 2. | Long | 24 | 2. | Bell | 8 | ||||
| 3. | Long | 11.9 | 3. | Scott | 4.0 | 3. | Bell | 5 | 3. | Waugh | 22 | 3. | Waugh | 7 |
All-Time Series: Ohio Northern is 18-19 in the all-time series with Ohio Wesleyan and 9-2 all-time against Olivet (Mich.).
Head Coach Rich Bensman: Bensman is in his sixth season at ONU with a 61-63 record, a winning percentage of .492.