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Playing for the Golden Rock
Time really seems to be flying by these days. Here we are in the middle of the Big Ten conference basketball schedule and it feels like just yesterday that we were getting excited to get this season underway. Amazing.
As a whole, the Big Ten season has been packed with incredibly exciting games. There have also been more than a few surprises that have made the conference seem impossible to predict. Several teams (I’m looking at you Purdue) have pulled some very strange Jekyll and Hyde routines that defy understanding. All in all, it’s made for one excellent year of Big Ten basketball.
You may recall that JoeD and I (along with Robby Donoho and JoeL) previewed each team Big Ten team during the preseason. I wanted to take a moment* to look at how each team has done compared with our expectations; and with the information we now have at hand, attempt to predict how they might finish out going forward. You will find links to our previews with each team below.
We also put together this Q&A with the Minnesota basketball blog From the Barn that aggregates a lot of our ideas. You may find that a humorous look at where our thoughts were prior to the season. We weren’t completely off-base, thankfully.
I won’t make predictions of who will make the NCAA tournament just yet – that will depend a lot on how strong the conference is viewed by the selection committee. We’ll just have to set that discussion aside for a future date.
Samantha Prahalis shows that you cannot stop her dribble drive.
After overcoming a tough test on Sunday against an Illinois team that was winless in the conference at the time, the Illini got their first Big Ten win of the year when they beat MSU tonight, Ohio State traveled to Bloomington to face the only other team who came into tonight without a conference win. The Buckeyes last visited Bloomington two years ago and were ranked #6 in the country at the time but that did not stop the Hoosiers from pulling off the upset. Tonight the #9 Buckeyes looked to do a better job.
Indiana jumped out to a quick 7-2 and flashbacks to that game two years ago, or the Illinois-MSU game earlier tonight, immediately came to mind. Both teams struggled to score but the Hoosiers managed to slowly extend their lead, going up 20-12 with six and half minutes remaining in the half. After looking a step slow and out of rhythm to start the game, the Buckeyes finally showed a bit of a spark, going on an 8 to 2 run to cut the Indiana lead to 22-20 with two minutes on the clock. An Indiana basket followed by an empty OSU possession halted the run but a Hoosier turnover on the ensuing possession led to open three-pointer from the corner by freshman guard Raven Ferguson which cut the lead to 24-23. Each team would hit one more basket in the half and the two teams headed into the locker room with Indiana leading 26-25.
 Ready For Rookie Coach Hazing Rituals A bit of a departure from the usual “welcome to Columbus” news that we’ve had hereabout over the past month, as Ohio State is reporting that former Miami Dolphins linebackers coach Bill Sheridan has been hired to fill the open defensive coaching position with Coach Meyer’s staff. Sheridan, a Detroit native who played linebacker at Grand Valley State University has coached at Maine, Cincinnati, West Point, Michigan State and Notre Dame prior to a stint at shudder Mich1gAAn, where he coached alongside current Wolverine head man Brady Hoke. Once he wised up and left Ann Arbor, his next responsibilities were with the New York Giants franchise; he served as their linebackers coach and defensive coordinator prior to taking his current role with the Dolphins. Buckeye fans are already thankful for Sheridan’s work, albeit unknowingly: His progeny was quarterback at TTUN during the first Rich Rod administration, and split time with Steven Threet. Sheridan is known as a tenacious recruiter (a common thread for new Ohio State coaches), and it is expected that he will be coaching in the secondary although a formal announcement has yet to be made. Welcome to the Buckeye Family, Coach Sheridan… we’re glad you’ve come to your senses. |
Joe D and WVaBuckeye bring you another round of the tBBC All-Time Tourney! Today pits Evan Turner and the 2010 Buckeyes versus the Diaper Dandy 2007 squad featuring Greg Oden and Mike Conley. Enjoy!
As the seeding’s were finished and Joe and I prepared to do our match up research, this game became the most intriguing. Both teams feature National POY candidates in Greg Oden and Evan Turner and of course Evan walked away with every major award during his junior season in Columbus. Both teams feature a star from our previous match up in David Lighty who has the distinction of being on three of the nine teams we are featuring. The 2007 team came close to being only the second Buckeye team to bring home the big dance hardware since 1960. They had attempted to go through a Florida team that had their number during the regular season 86-60. The 2007 squad never lost at home going 27-0 and lost just three on the road to UNC, the Gators and Wisconsin. They finished the season ranked #1 in the AP poll and in the RPI. The 2010 team was led by quite possibly the best all around player to ever don the Scarlet and Gray. Evan Turner led this team to a second place Big Ten finish behind great single season stats that made the rest of the starting line up better. Almost averaging a double/double at 20.4 PPG and 9.2 RPG as well as 6 assists a game the rest of the starters averaged in double digits.
What are to follow will be several comparisons of each team’s makeup. We will be including our opinions of each comparison with who has the advantage and at the end will be guest appearances. We hope you enjoy our tournament as we look forward to the outcome!
Jared Sullinger won the battle inside against PSU's Sasa Borovnjak.
The Buckeyes made short work of the Penn State Nittany Lions by a tally of 78-54 in their first and only meeting for the regular season. It was the 17th straight win for Ohio State over Penn State, and the 37th straight home victory, the second longest streak in the country. Jared Sullinger led all scorers with 20 points, and picked up a double-double with 13 rebounds. He was joined by William Buford and Aaron Craft with double digit scoring for the Buckeyes with 15 and 11 respectively. Tim Frazier led Penn State with 16 points and 4 assists.
Neither team seemed particularly on-the-ball to start the game. The Buckeyes miscued on several possessions, including a palming call on Lenzelle, and a poor entry pass from Buford. On the other end, Penn State committed an ugly turnover at the top of the key, and couldn’t seem to get the ball to drop through the hoop. The Nits even picked up a cheap early shooting foul, but couldn’t convert the free-throws into points.
After the first timeout, both teams began to pick up the energy. Penn State had already been attacking the basket and fighting for offensive rebounds, but finally started to pass the ball effectively to find the open looks against OSU’s defense. The Buckeyes, on the other hand, began to attack more aggressively. In particular, Aaron Craft began to feed his teammates in better positions to score quickly.
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The Nittany Lions, our old friends, are coming to town to play some basketball with our Ohio State Buckeyes! The game is set to tip at 6:30 PM in Value City Arena, and is being aired on the Big Ten Network.
While you wait, you should check out the websites of our Buckeye Blogger Buddies! the Buckeye Blog, OSU Silver Bullet, Scarlet and Game, Buckeye House Call, Our Honor Defend, Men of the Scarlet and Gray, and Fox Sports Ohio. They will all be joining us at 6 pm for the start of our liveblog.
If you’re looking for web-video for the game, try First Row Sports (warning: pop-up ads). Click the basketball tab, and you shouldn’t have any trouble finding the right game. I’ve heard people having issues with this website recently – if that’s still the case, let me know and we’ll hunt around for another source.
Go Bucks!
It's almost time for signatures.
With NLOID on February 1st fast approaching, the 2012 class is really starting to wind down.
The number of recruits with the Buckeyes at the top of their list has narrowed, and most players will announce their decisions in the coming days.
Here is a final rundown of potential additions to Ohio State’s 2012 class.
Kyle Dodson (OL)
Dodson is in the midst of hosting numerous coaches in his home this week and is set to announce his college decision on Saturday.
As we have been saying for awhile, we are hopeful that Ohio State has and continues to be his top choice. Read More
Weekly updates and miscellany from around the world of college sports…
Urban Meyer's Secret Identity?
Buckeye 411
“To be able to lead, you have to serve first,” Posey said. “I feel like being on scout team, helping the younger guys and being in the meeting room and telling them the little tips that I have allowed me to understand the game more and it humbled me as well. That’s what I needed going into this process and going to the next level. Through this process, everything you hear is what you can’t do and everyone’s tearing you down. Going through the draft, you’re going to hear a lot of negative things and then, when you get into camp as well, you have to be humble as well. You have to serve the team and show them you can play. I felt like I learned all those lessons this past year.”
“Every day at practice was a challenge, so I definitely think that will pay dividends,” Brewster said of Ohio State. “It really comes in the preparation the last couple weeks and really, four years of college. Now, it’s just show time and it’s time to go out there and do it. Anytime you get a chance to go against the best, you want to measure yourself.”
