If, every once in awhile, college basketball appears on your television or some NCAA hoops news crosses your Twitter timeline and you wonder how your hometown Cleveland State Vikings are doing, maybe ignore the urge to actually check next time. Because things seem pretty bad, but at least comically so.
The Vikings yesterday played the Bobcats of Ohio University and during the course of play gave up a record-setting 40-0 run. Forty points. Without a bucket.
The historic drought began with just under a minute left in the first half, with the Vikings already trailing by a sizable margin (46-25), and it continued into the second half until just 8:03 remained in the game. By that point, Ohio had extended the lead, as you might have guessed based on arithmetic, to 86-25, a diff so severe it would have broken the jumbotron at the Rocket Mortgage Field House.
In between, CSU missed 17 straight shots and after finally ending the run with a free throw, it would still be another three minutes before the Vikings hit a field goal.
Poor CSU coach Dennis Gates was, as is customary, forced to say something to reporters after the game, which ended in a 101-46 final score.
“I thought Ohio was well-prepared. They won the first five possessions and we never really recovered as a team emotionally. I thought our guys fought,” Gates said. “They had great intentions, but when you have a veteran team that you’re playing against, you have to respond because they will go on a run at some point and time. I thought in the second half, we were able to get some free throws and that was a bright spot – 18 free throw attempts in the second half.”
Always look on the bright side, or something.
Watch the historic display of ineptitude below.
This article appears in Dec 2-15, 2020.
