NCAA Bracket 2012: How Ohio Basketball Got To March Madness

March 10, 2012; Cleveland, OH, USA: Ohio Bobcats guard Stevie Taylor (center) with his teammates after defeating the Akron Zips 64-63 in the finals of the 2012 MAC Tournament at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Eric P. Mull-USPRESSWIRE

The Ohio Bobcats, champions of the MAC, will be a participant in the NCAA Tournament. Here's everything you need to know about them.

The Ohio Bobcats stunned many a bracketologist when they upset the heavily favored Akron Zips in the final of the MAC tournament. The Zips are relegated to the NIT, while the 27-7 Bobcats will face fourth-seeded Michigan as the Midwest region's No. 13 seed.

The Bobcats didn't beat any non-conference foes of particular note — they beat Lamar, who will be in the tournament as well, and Northern Iowa, an NIT team — but blew out Akron on Feb. 26 before beating them again a few weeks later in the MAC final. They also lost by just five points to the then-No. 7 Louisville Cardinals, displaying the ability to compete with elite teams.

D.J. Cooper is the dynamic point guard who is the engine of this team. He leads the team in points, assists and steals with 14.6, 5.7 and 2.4, respectively, functioning as the general of the team, which averages a hair over 70 points a game. He's going to need to have a monster game against Michigan point Trey Burke if the Bobcats want to pull off the upset.

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