Buckeye Blogger NetworkSome rough news for Buckeye basketball fans this Monday night, as it has become official that guards J.D. Weatherspoon and Jordan Sibert have officially decided to transfer out of the program, in favor of a better chance at playing time down the road at new universities.
 Jordan Sibert and J.D. Weatherspoon (pictured with David Lighty) were the future of the program. Now they look to the future ahead at a different program. Bob Baptist reported last week that Sibert has planned to take his talent down the road to play for Dayton under former Ohio State assistant Archie Miller. It is unclear if that is still his intentions, but the Flyers present a prime opportunity for a three point threat like Sibert. The Cincinnati product will have to sit a year before regaining eligibility. In his two seasons at Ohio State, he averaged 2.5 points per game, while shooting less than 30 percent from the floor and averaging nearly 10 minutes a game. A teammate of Trey Burke and Jared Sullinger at Northland High School in Columbus, J.D. Weatherspoon has been made it pretty clear even before the final four that he was not happy with his playing time. In the weeks after the Buckeyes lost to Kansas in New Orleans, the soon to be Junior let his feeling be known on his twitter account that he felt upset with his role on the team and his possible role in the future. After being ruled academically ineligible the second half of his freshman season, it seemed that #23 was a favorite to see increased playing time to start the season. After struggles defensively early in the year, Weatherspoon saw his playing time dip to just 6 minutes a game. He averaged three points per game, but only saw the floor if the back court was in constant foul trouble. Weatherspoon is expected to sit down with his family and discuss what is next for his playing career. One school that I wouldn’t be surprised to see making a push for his talents would be Xavier, where they are currently looking for backcourt help. Head coach Chris Mack, who falls under the Thad Matta Tree, is definitely not afraid to take in talent from other ranks and turn them into players who can contend at a high level. |
 Jordan Sibert will sit out a year before suiting up for the Dayton Flyers. UPDATE: According to Sibert’s Brother, Sibert will discuss his future with Head Coach Thad Matta today. —— This story is apparently not as cut and dried as reported. Jordan Sibert just tweeted the following,
Stay tuned as we continue to follow this story. ——– It looks like rumblings that started as soon as the Buckeyes exited the NCAA Tournament are actually true. After stating that he hasn’t thought about transferring but was going to explore all options at the end of the season, it looks like sophomore Jordan Sibert will take his skills to Dayton and become a member of the Flyers basketball program. According to the Dispatch’s Bob Baptist, A source has comfirmed that Sibert will be released from his scholarship as early as this week and plans to transfer down the road. Former Ohio State Assistant Archie Miller, who recruited Sibert out of Cincinnati is heading into his second season as the Flyers head coach and really could use some shooting depth. Of course, it was Sibert’s struggles to shoot the long ball that led to him sitting on the bench for the second half of the season. After a successful season during his first year on campus, the slated starter shot just 30% from the floor this season, and really struggled on the defensive side of the floor. Eventually in camp, Lenzelle Smith Jr. won his spot on the floor, and Sibert really never rebounded from that. Alongside Jared Sullinger, J.D. Weatherspoon, and Aaron Craft, Sibert was a national champion at the AAU level as a member of the All-Ohio Red. What looks to be the start of an already interesting off-season, Baptist also notes that Weatherspoon is also considering a transfer now that Sullinger has declared for the NBA. Thad Matta has three open scholarships for the 2012 season at this point. With the signing period on it’s way tomorrow, we’ll learn more from potential recruits on their intent. Stay tuned as we’ll break down some of those possibilities later this evening. |
Wouldn't You Rather Have A Rifle?
An Easter basket full of Ohio State and college sports news and notes, as we await one of the sacred holidays of the year. That’s right- “Easter Chocolate On Clearance Monday”.
Buckeye 411
Ohio State and Michigan State meet today at 3:30 PM EST on CBS for the Big Ten Tournament Championship Game! First seeded Michigan State defeated the Wisconsin Badgers to earn their way into the final game.
After the Buckeyes and Spartans play, we will continue to run the liveblog until and through the NCAA Selection Show! So stick around and share your thoughts about the bracket with us!
While you wait for the game, go check out our friends in the Buckeye Bloggers Network! the Buckeye Blog, OSU Silver Bullet, Buckeye House Call, Our Honor Defend, and Men of the Scarlet and Gray. Fox Sports Ohio also joins us as usual.
Go Bucks!
Only two teams remain in the season-ending tournament of the toughest conference in the country. The Ohio State Buckeyes, fresh off a strong victory over the Michigan Wolverines, are set to do battle with the Michigan State Spartans for the second time in a week. Again, much like the previous duel, championship implications ride on the result, making the game significantly more important than it already would have been.
Overall, the Spartans have only participated in two Tournament Championship games in the 15 years the tournament has run. Michigan State last played for the championship in 2000 where they defeated the 4th seeded Fighting Illini 76-61. They also won in 1999 over the 11th seeded Illini 67-50. When the Spartans make it to the final game, they certainly make the most of the opportunity.
The Buckeyes are only the third team holding the number three seed to make it to the tournament final. The first occurrence was in 1998, the first year of the tournament, when #3 Purdue lost to #4 Michigan 76-67. The second time was in 2009 when #3 Purdue defeated fifth seeded Ohio State 65-61.
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For the first time ever the top four seeds of the Big Ten tournament have advanced to the semi-finals. The three co-champions are still in, and still have an opportunity to prove that they are indeed the best team in the Big Ten.
Ohio State and Michigan get to prove it on the court today.
Today is the rubber game in this season’s series. Both teams split the regular season meetings, with the Buckeyes taking a 64-49 win at home, while Michigan emerged victorious in Ann Arbor 56-51.
But this game has even more historical significance. The Buckeyes and Wolverines have encountered each other repeatedly over the last several years in the Big Ten Tournament. Last season, the Bucks handled Michigan in the semi-finals 68-61 by opening up a significant lead halfway through the second half and coasting to the win. The year before saw Evan Turner’s last second buzzer beater sink Michigan’s hopes of upsetting the #1 seed in the quarterfinals, ending a fairly close game 69-68.
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Jared Sullinger scored 30 to lead all scorers.
Following an overtime victory from the Michigan Wolverines, the Buckeyes and Purdue locked horns for the right to face the Maize and Blue. Jared Sullinger lead all scorers with an impressive 30 points, and picked up a double double with 12 rebounds, as the Buckeyes defeated the Purdue Boilermakers 88-71. All of Ohio State’s starters scored in double digits tonight, while DJ Byrd led Purdue with 20 points on 4-10 from three point range. Robbie Hummel scored only 6 points and 10 rebounds in what may be his last Big Ten game.
Ohio State started the game playing their style of basketball. After a rough opening tip, the Bucks took advantage of numbers and attacked the rim giving Jared Sullinger an easy layup. William Buford also found an easy high bucket, setting up Deshaun Thomas later for a wide open trey. They coupled the strong offense with tough defense and excellent rebounding that prevented Purdue from finding a basket until more than three minutes had ellapsed.
As a team, the Buckeyes looked renewed following their two away wins. Where the team had struggled to find their groove early in away games, they found traction in this game early and raced ahead of the surprised Boilermakers. Robbie Hummel’s three pointer ended the drought, but failed to open up the OSU defense in any meaningful way. With Purdue’s offense sputtering, Matt Painter was forced to dig deep into his bench looking for some kind of production from his team.
Thad Matta continued to look to his bench early despite this being the late season when most coaches shorten the bench. Sam Thompson came in for Lenzelle Smith early and quickly established himself on the scoreboard with a nice 15 foot jumper from the left side. He was soon joined on the court by fellow bench-mate Evan Ravenel, who subbed in at the five after Jared Sullinger picked up his first foul.
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The Buckeyes and Purdue meet tonight at around 9:00 PM EST on BTN for the second round of the Big Ten Tournament! Purdue, the six seed, defeated 11-seeded Nebraska last night to advance to play the Buckeyes, who enter on a round 1 bye.
While you wait for the game, go check out our friends in the Buckeye Bloggers Network! the Buckeye Blog, OSU Silver Bullet, Buckeye House Call, Our Honor Defend, and Men of the Scarlet and Gray. Fox Sports Ohio also joins us as usual. The liveblog will kickoff at 8:30 PM EST.
Go Bucks!
