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Ohio earns its dancing shoes with OT triumph, 81-75, over Akron in MAC men’s final

The Bobcats (21-14) will find out Sunday evening who they will play in next week's NCAA tournament.

UPDATED: 10:24 p.m.

Marvin Fong / The Plain DealerDeVaughn Washington dunks against Akron in the first half Saturday. But it was Armon Bassett's short jumper in overtime that gave the Bobcats the lead for good in the MAC title game victory at The Q.

• Bowling Green wins women's title

FOUR THINGS I THINK
1. Three one-time flagship programs have paid on the court for their coaching missteps, all involving men who once played at Ohio University, Ball State and Toledo.
In 2000 Ball State was the MAC’s elite program with Ray McCallum coaching his alma mater. Internal administrative conflicts nudged McCallum out the door following a 22-9 season and MAC tournament title. In 2001, OU thought it could do better and fired hometown hero Larry Hunter after a 19-win season. Toledo, a consistent contender under Stan Joplin, fired him one season after winning the 2007 title and earning Coach of the Year honors. A gambling investigation — still ongoing — within the football and basketball programs helped lead to Joplin's ouster.
All three programs have struggled since. BSU and UT still fail to climb above .500 while Ohio has had sporadic success. Three iconic MAC hoops programs made rash coaching decisions and the whole league has suffered since.
2. The tournament is stuck one more year with the women also at The Q before MAC presidents decide to move to a site potentially more cost-effective (Toledo/Fort Wayne, Ind). That hopefully brings all the men's teams back to Cleveland for the entire event in 2012, instead of holding first-round games on campus sites.
3. If, as Keith Dambrot and Akron have proven, regular-season titles mean little, perhaps dramatic changes should be considered by the MAC. Play just one round of conference games and the rest non-conference. Then roll the dice for three or four games at the MAC Tournament. Playing four tourney games, with three days rest between the first and second, is no hardship. Teams that want to play for 20 wins can do so while teams that want to schedule aggressively for NCAA at-large chances can do so as well. Then seed the tournament based on RPI.
4. Ohio is the fifth straight champion from the East Division (OU in 2005, followed by Kent, Miami, Kent, Akron and the Bobcats). Only once in those five seasons (2006, Toledo) did a West team make the finals.
— Elton Alexander
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- For the second time in six seasons, Ohio University went into overtime and pulled out a Mid-American Conference Tournament men's basketball title.

This time, the Bobcats grabbed an 81-75 victory over the Akron Zips on Saturday night at The Q. With that, Ohio earned a dance ticket to the 2010 NCAA Tournament. The Bobcats (21-14) will find out Sunday night whom they will play. The NCAA selection show is on WOIO Ch. 19 at 6 p.m.

In 2005, the Bobcats went into overtime before defeating Buffalo for a MAC title on a Leon Williams tip-in. This time, it was some clutch free-throw shooting and a big 3-pointer from MAC Freshman of the Year D.J. Cooper that lifted Ohio over Akron, after a 3-pointer from the Zips' Steve McNees sent the game into overtime.

A Cooper 3 dropped through the net with 3:44 to go in the extra session, giving OU a 73-70 lead. Moments later, McNees would hit another 3-pointer to tie it, 75-75, but Armon Bassett, who obliterated the old tournament scoring record (89) with 116 points, knocked in 25 on the night, including a driving pull-up just off the baseline to give OU the lead for good.

Akron's hopes began to unravel when Brett McKnight's 3-pointer was off the mark and the Bobcats rebounded. Cooper's two free throws with 24.9 seconds left made it a two-possession game, with the following Akron miss effectively ending the Zips' season at 24-10.

For OU, the tournament road was a long and rough one as the No. 9 Bobcats began with a first-round overtime road win at eighth-seeded Ball State, then a quarterfinal upset over top-seeded Kent State, a knockout of fourth-seeded Miami of Ohio in the semifinals then the win over third-seeded and defending MAC Tournament champion Akron.

"I knew it would take a bazooka to knock them out," OU coach John Groce said.

"We earned the right to be [in the NCAA Tournament]," said Bassett, a transfer from UAB by way of Indiana who has played in two previous NCAA Tournaments with the Hoosiers.

"I couldn't ask for nothing better than this," the 6-0 guard said. "This one might be more special for everything we've been through, for everything I've been through."

The game was close from the outset, played inside and out early on before 9,533 fans in a comfortably packed lower bowl in the arena. But if there was a sign the Zips might not have all their magic for this one, it showed at the end of the opening half.

The Bobcats' last four points came pretty easily as forward Ivo Baltic got a backside rebound and layup. Then after a pair of Chris McKnight free throws with 5.1 seconds left, Cooper drove down the sidelines against Akron's 6-8 Nik Cvetinovic, then turned to the hoop toward 7-0 Zeke Marshall, who made no effort to block the freshman guard's shot at the buzzer for a 36-34 OU lead.

That gave Cooper his 14th of 23 points on the night. He offset Bassett, who came into the game averaging 30 points in three previous MAC Tournament games but only had five at the break.

Cooper kept his hand warm early into the second half with a floater off the baseline and a pair of free throws for a quick 44-41 OU lead. But the Bobcats cost themselves a few possessions after that with a bit too much fruitless one-on-one. Yet that was only momentary.

Suddenly both teams started to freelance, and the pace picked up. Akron would hold a one-possession lead for several minutes, but an 8-2 run gave the lead back to OU, 46-43, and it was a nail-biter from then on.

The margin stayed close with the Bobcats still holding a slim advantage, 63-59, at the last media timeout with 3:59 to play. Then the game became downright sloppy leading to a tension-filled final 90 seconds with no less than a combined five turnovers and culminating with a 3-pointer from McNees (12 points) with 6.8 seconds to go to tie it, 68-68, sending it into overtime.

"I woke up last night and said if we're up three late, we're going to foul," OU coach John Groce said. "And I didn't do it."

It didn't matter.

"We dodged some bullets the whole tournament," Akron coach Keith Dambrot said. "But not this one."

Akron survived 42 points from Eastern Michigan's Carlos Medlock in the quarterfinals, then 39 points from Western Michigan's David Kool in the semifinals. But the combined 48 points from Cooper and Bassett were too much for the Zips to overcome.

After years of closed doors, there’s a lot to admire about Mike Holmgren’s fresh air with Browns: Bud Shaw’s Sunday Sports Spin

Mike Holmgren's approach in Berea is refreshing as long as you're not Brady Quinn. But now he has to be right, Bud Shaw says in his Sunday Spin.

Peggy Turbett / The Plain DealerAfter years of couched responses, hidden meanings and general obfuscation, Mike Holmgren's willingness to openly share his thoughts about the Browns isn't simply fresh air to fans -- it's almost too good to believe, says Bud Shaw.CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Time for another trip through the sports world's spin cycle.

Hearing Mike Holmgren share his plans for the Browns, this must be what the Soviets felt like when Mikhail Gorbachev introduced the concept of "glasnost" after decades of secrecy.

If Holmgren insists on being forthcoming, if he keeps communicating with fans through the media in such respectful ways, he's going to have a hard time matching the management styles of the top men who've gone before him.

What gives with this guy?

Where's the camouflage?

Simple personnel matters and the reasons behind them were communicated by past regimes with all the detail found in the plume of white smoke signifying a new Pope in the Vatican.

Where's the absolute silence for weeks at a time?

Here's Holmgren on quarterback Brady Quinn's future:

"It all depends on what else we can do," Holmgren told the PD's Tony Grossi Friday. "We are continuing to look for and evaluate quarterbacks."

Tracy Boulian / The Plain DealerBrady Quinn may be disheartened by his fading status with the Browns, but he can never complain that he was blindsided by Mike Holmgren's interest in a new face behind center.Even before the Browns signed Jake Delhomme on Saturday, Quinn had to read that and know it's time to move on. The boss, who is especially versed in quarterbacks, hasn't seemed the least bit intrigued by you.

If you're Quinn, you finish your 150th bench press of the morning, give your Shaun Smith voodoo doll one last wiggle with a well-placed needle, and turn the page on your Cleveland career.

Here's what Holmgren said on Friday about Delhomme:

"Delhomme is an ongoing discussion ... he still is on radar," Holmgren said. "But I did tell this to Jake: 'While you're debating what you want to do, I've got to keep going.' We're not just sitting on our hands waiting for something to happen.

"I don't want to be left standing at the altar."

Delhomme apparently got the message.

Hey, people here know the feeling. They've been at the altar for decades now, waiting for the Browns to live up to promises, waiting for a forever relationship built on sharing and caring.

If Holmgren isn't careful, he's going to make lasting connections with the people who've been buying tickets and living and dying with this team since 1964. Of course, to do so will require more than being up front and meaning what he says. He'll have to be right about Seneca Wallace and Delhomme. He'll have to be right far more than he's wrong.

So far, Wallace isn't moving the PR needle. Delhomme was so bad last year he won't either. But quarterbacks are what Holmgren knows.

He has to get that right, or the team and fans will be in immediate need of more counseling. But at least they might feel like they're in this together for the first time in a while.

Baseball is no longer on steroids, but now it's suspected of mind-altering ideas.

Chuck Crow / The Plain DealerIndians fans have long said they want to see the Yankees and Red Sox more often in Cleveland. Would "floating realignment" be a good idea for the Tribe and baseball?For so long, baseball was America's dinosaur sport. Passed up by the NFL. Out-glitzed by the NBA.

Now Commissioner Bud Selig has ordered a brainstorming committee to address anything and everything as far as the on-field product goes. The most radical idea getting kicked around is floating realignment, which would allow teams to switch divisions annually -- maybe even leagues.

The Indians were used as an example. In rebuilding with a smaller payroll, the Indians of 2010 could for instance opt to play in the AL East, take their lumps competitively as they build toward legitimate contention and cash in on 18 home dates with the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.

Maybe Baltimore, Toronto or Tampa would trade places with them in hopes of having a clearer path to the postseason from the AL Central instead of continually getting whacked over the head by the payrolls of the Yankees and Red Sox every year.

It's just an idea for now.

Look, the best thing competitively speaking that ever happened to the Indians was moving to the AL Central. Extra dates with the Yankees and Boston aren't going to transform the payroll as much as a pennant race would.

Meanwhile, there's no truth to the rumor that ESPN has proposed a radically unbalanced schedule:

Boston vs. New York 162 times a year.

What, Baghdad Bob was unavailable?

AP file photoIf you can spin from the White House, taking care of a reclusive golfer should be a breeze. Right, Ari Fleischer?Whenever Tiger Woods returns, former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer will instruct him on how to handle the crush of media he'll face.

Fresh off a public appearance in Florida not long ago in which he rigged the audience, read from a prepared statement and refused to take questions, Tiger might just manage the impossible.

With Fleischer's help, his next appearance -- whether it's at Bay Hill or The Masters -- might actually be even more orchestrated.

That didn't seem possible.

Fleischer recently managed the coming-out of Mark McGwire, who knew he had to address the steroids issue in returning to the St. Louis Cardinals lest he become an untenable distraction.

McGwire stood up and apologized for his steroid use. Good so far. Then he said he couldn't remember the names of the steroids he took.

Ah, well, people do forget. You know, he'd probably recognize 'em if he saw 'em but he's just not good with names.

Then he said taking steroids didn't help him hit home runs.

Ho ... ha ... seriously, what? Say that again.

It's easy to blame Fleischer for that travesty. But my guess is there were just some things McGwire refused to talk about and still others he can't even admit to himself.

Fleischer will be similarly restricted in advising the control freak Woods, who in his only two public addresses since the incident has been unable to stop himself from lecturing the media on its behavior.

Rich, that.

The surest way for Woods to get back in the good graces of golf fans is to stay off the tabloid front pages and be more genuine with people over time.

In basketball, they say you can't coach height. In life, the same goes for sincerity.

YOU SAID IT

(The Expanded Sunday Edition)

"Bud:

"Derek Anderson said Browns fans are ruthless. Based on the way the team has played since returning, do you blame us?" -- Angelo.

Not at all. Based on that, anything short of murderous was a tremendous show of restraint.

"Bud:

"Graham, Ryan, Sipe, Kosar ... and Wallace. Even Joe from the Three Stooges thinks something is amiss with that lineage." -- Steve

How 'bout Wynn, Pederson, Dorsey, McCown ... Wallace. Feel better?

"Bud:

"With all the rich endorsement deals in sports today, could there be an opportunity in your future with Lay-Z-Boy recliners?" -- Tom H.

Not if I have to get up to make it happen.

"Voice of Reason:

"I missed the games [last] weekend. Is it true LeBron hurt his ankle tripping over the ref who was kissing his feet at the time?" -- Dan

No. That was Knicks president Donnie Walsh.

"Bud:

"After watching Cleveland football for 57 years, I've learned one thing: What's the difference between a Browns' Draft and a Miller Draft? One's less fulfilling, the other tastes great." -- Jack

First-time You Said It winners receive a T-shirt from the Mental Floss collection.

"Hey Bud:

"Is the PGA's recent ban of Ping's deep-groove wedge a cautionary message to Tiger that he might be banned unless he stops using his groove thing?" -- Tiny Tim

Repeat You Said It winners get serious street cred.

Masterson striking in start vs. Rangers

Justin Masterson was masterful on the mound against Texas, giving up one unearned run on three hits while striking out six in 3 2/3 innings.

Wood held out of action due to soreness

Indians pitcher Kerry Wood was scheduled to pitch Saturday but was held out as a precautionary measure because of arm soreness, manager Manny Acta said following the club's 5-0 loss to the Rangers.

Cabrera sits with mild groin strain

Asdrubal Cabrera has strained left groin that will keep him out of action for a few days. The shortstop said he does not know when he is going to play in a game again but is optimistic about a quick return.