OU’s Clayton selected to the Blue Ribbon Preseason All-Conference Team

Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook announced they have selected the Ohio men's basketball team to finish atop the Mid-American Conference in this year's MAC Blue Ribbon Forecast, while senior forward AJ Clayton was selected to the Preseason All-Conference team.
 
Clayton (Roseville, Ohio) finished the 2023-24 regular season third on the Bobcats with 12.4 points a game and a team-leading 4.5 rebounds a game. He finished the regular season shooting 51.4 percent from the field, 33.7 percent from three and 82.1 percent from the line. He also averaged 1.8 blocks a game.

In MAC play, Clayton averaged 12.8 points and 4.0 rebounds a game. He shot 47.6 percent from the field, 40.2 percent from the three and 80.0 percent from the line, while averaging 1.5 blocks a game. Clayton also earned a spot on the 2024 All-MAC Team.
 
Clayton finished the season sixth in the MAC in field goal percentage, fourth in three-point field goal percentage and second in blocks and blocks per game. Nationally, Clayton ranks 50th in blocks and 51st in blocks per game.

On the season. Clayton recorded 23 double-figure scoring games, two 20-point games and led Ohio in scoring eight times during the season. Clayton matched his career-high 23 points twice during the season, once on Jan. 6 against NIU and again on March 5 at Buffalo. Also, in that game against Buffalo, Clayton hit a career-high seven three pointers in 31 minutes on the court.
 
With Boals entering his sixth year at the helm of the Bobcats, Ohio returns five starters from last year's squad, while adding seven newcomers, including transfers Jackson Paveletzke from Iowa State and Vic Searls from Ashland.
 
MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE BLUE RIBBON FORECAST
1. Ohio
2. Akron
3. Toledo
4. Kent State
5. Bowling Green
6. Ball State
7. Central Michigan
8. Miami
9. Northern Illinois
10. Western Michigan
11. Eastern Michigan
12.  Buffalo
 
ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
F-VonCameron Davis, SR, Kent State
F-AJ Clayton, SR, Ohio
C-Payton Sparks, SR, Ball State
C-Javan Simmons, SO, Toledo
G-Anthony Pritchard, SR, Central Michigan
 
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Anthony Pritchard, SR, Central Michigan
 
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Payton Sparks, C, Ball State.
 
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