Welcome to the calm before the storm… unless you’re an NIT junkie, then your Madness has already started.  In honor of Coach Calipari’s fantastic coaching job on Tuesday night, today’s soundtrack channels the thoughts of Wildcat fans as they get to watch the rest of the tournament. Hey… you think they’ll have time to join our Bracket Challenge?

It’s What We Do

Buckeye 411

• We Talkin’ About Practice? Tuesday was a return to the WHAC for the Buckeyes after Spring Break, and it sounds as if it was a bit of a “rusty day” for the Scarlet and Gray. No need to panic, though- this is typical for teams the first time they put the pads on in the spring or in the fall.
• Injury Update- Barrett, Shazier, Wood, and Bogard were in “orange” jerseys today, although JT was taking mental reps behind Braxton as the practice went along. Jordan Hall had a hamstring strain as well, but Coach Meyer said that there was nothing to be overly concerned about with his progress.
• TP Again- Tyvis Powell seems to, at least for now, locked in on the #1 Star position, with Roby and Doran Grant at corner.
• Committee- Rod Smith and Warren Ball ran the ball really well Tuesday, although Smith caught the ire of Coach Drayton with his nonchalant flip of the ball in the endzone.  Anything to help break the fumble-itis, right?
• Caffeinated- Apparently Kerry Coombs is in mid-season form, screaming at what he perceived to be a horrible call by an official helping monitor the scrimmages.
• los ‘Los- After practice, Carlos Hyde talked about his decision to return, and his desire to help Coach Meyer get his first 1K yard runner. He also was honest about the fact that he had some work to do in order to be NFL ready, a sentiment that his coach agreed with. Read More

Tags: Aaron Craft, B1G Conference, Carlos Hyde, Devin Smith, Dontre Wilson, Frank Epitropoulos, Jack Mewhort, Jim Delany, Jim Foster, Jordan Hall, Kerry Coombs, Mekka Don, Men's Hockey, Rod Smith, SBP, Spring Practice, Tyvis Powell, Warren Ball
Categories: College Football, Ohio State Basketball, Ohio State Football

Quick reflections on the Ohio State Spring Game…

• I’ve Solved Your Problem- You know how the NFL is worried about lawsuits concussions and keeps monkeying with the kickoffs? Well, what if we just got rid of the kickoff and did the Hoot And Holler between five position players on each of the two team; most “victories” gets possession at the 25 to start the game/overtime. It used to be that the NBA did a jump ball after each basket; now there’s just the one at the beginning of the game- this would be like that. Sure, it’s a little XFL, but who’s to say we can’t all learn from each other? You’re welcome.
• Whereforeart Thou Woody?  Saint Hayes of the Clouds Of Dust would have certainly been less than excited to watch yesterday’s action, as the teams focused primarily on the passing game. Given the desire to protect the quarterbacks, a true “zone read” look was off the table and Coach Meyer seemed to be most interested in assessing the play of the wide receivers. Michael Thomas continued the connection that he built with Braxton at the Under Armor game and during the spring, with 12 catches and 135 yards total (More catches than the total leader for last season). For the Gray team, Corey Brown’s 7 catches were good for an additional 90 as well. Braxton ended up taking every snap for the Scarlet and went 24-31 with one INT and and 258 yards passing; Kenny G was 17-26 with one pick, one TD, and 191 yards passing. Read More

Tags: Braxton Miller, Brionte Dunn, Chris Carter, Corey Brown, Corey Linsley, Hoot And Holler, Jake Stoneburner, John Simon, Kenny Guiton, Kerry Coombs, Michael Thomas, Rod Smith, Spring Football 2012, Spring Game 2012, Tyvis Powell, Urban Meyer
Categories: College Football, Ohio State Football

Bumped back a day to cover today’s press access- one more day means even more news, notes, and inanity.

Would look great in the man cave- and Father's Day is coming up...

Buckeye 411

• You (will be) looking live… at a brand new, super hugemongous, HD capable scoreboard in Ohio Stadium in the fall of 2012. In addition to this addition, the ‘Shoe is getting HDTVs throughout the concourses and a brand new sound system. Pluses: great view of hard hits and controversial plays, as well as being able to enjoy the schadenfreude on the other sideline with more definition. Minuses: they still won’t show the plays you want to see, they’ll probably use most of that space for advertising, and the sound system will encourage them to play stuff rather than letting TBDBITL bring the heat.
• Meyer’s Musings- Coach Meyer was in front of the media twice today; once with the B1G conference call and then again after practice. And, as surprising as this might be for folks who are used to Ohio State press interviews… he actually answered questions and gave his honest opinion.  Whew, lawdy… almost got a case of the vapors.
• Topic du jour- Coach was asked about a Sporting News piece regarding his time at Florida (more after the break), and was adamant that any alleged NCAA issues were blatantly not true. His exact quote-

There was no NCAA violation. If you could bold and underline that for me, please.

Done and done, coach.

• Also, on the phone- Coach Meyer talked a bit about the process that the team was going through in learning the offense, and said that Braxton has been having success with the perimeter running game. While the passing game still behind, he’s seen that Stoneburner and Hall are playmakers and that John Simon is a  “Warhorse”. Hopefully this won’t mean he’ll be snubbed during Oscar season.
• This Week In Injuries- In the teleconference, Coach Meyer revealed that Jacoby Boren had surgery for a torn labrum suffered during his senior season, and that the surgery was done now to ensure that he would be ready for the fall. He will remain the #2 center, in spite of missed time.  Later, we heard that Se’Von Pittman will also miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. Today in practice, CJ Barnett and Rod Smith were dinged up a bit, and several folks were still recovering from earlier issues and were in limited action. Read More

Tags: Adidas, Arkansas, Baylor, Bobby Petrino, Braxton Miller, Brionte Dunn, Carlos Hyde, Chris Carter, Chris Wormley, Gene Smith, Jacoby Boren, John Simon, Kerry Coombs, Ohio Stadium, Rod Smith, SBP, Se'Von Pittman, Spring Football 2012, Taver Johnson, The Game, The Shoe, TTUN, UCLA, Urban Meyer, Zach Boren
Categories: College Basketball, College Football, Humor, Michigan Football, Ohio State Football, Recruiting

Lots of excitement in your Wednesday updates…

Ah, balloons...

Buckeye Hoops 411

• Congrats are in order! Not only are the Buckeyes headed to the Final Four, but Jared Sullinger was named an All American this week, the first back-to-back honor of that kind since 2009.  His booty was named Honorable Mention as well… nice work.
• This is the most Aaron Craft thing ever-  It just is… trust me.  #Swoon
• Revenge, of sorts- No, I’m not talking about the “payback” angle for this week’s Kansas game, I want to talk about officiating. Since Ohio State has made the final four, that means that officials from their region are disqualified from officiating those games. So, in other words, Ted Valentine and Ed Hightower are benched for Championship weekend.  I’m sure they’ll join the BBN livechat for all the excitement, though.
• Bon Voyage- If you’re in Columbus, you’ve got no reason not to head down to High Street this afternoon to wish the Hoopsters well as they begin their journey to the National Title.  If you don’t want to actually say “bon voyage”, signs and other stuff are appropriate; this alternate moment in French, though, is not.

Buckeye Football 411

• The Wait Is Over! As you’re reading this, the Ohio State football team is preparing for it’s first practice of the spring; and the coaches are as excited as the fans are, it seems. Be on the lookout for news and notes from today’s open practice, as well as a great preview from the Athletic Department later Wednesday. As happy as Buckeye fans are to see the new regime, I’d have to say Badger cheerleaders were even more excited.
• Tonight! We Dine In The WHAC!!!! Monday was the “Champion’s Dinner” as a reward for hard work during spring conditioning, and while details are still forthcoming we know that there was a relatively small number of Buckeyes who were honored for their efforts in the classroom, weightroom, and on the practice field. Sounds as if the “winners” were treated to filet and other goodies, while the rest of the team had “grilling” fare- hot dogs, burgers, etc.  Please note that I said “grilling”…

Read More

Tags: 2012 Final Four, Aaron Craft, Brady Hoke, Champion's Dinner, Ed Hightower, Illinois, Jared Sullinger, Jeff Boals, John Groce, Kansas Jayhawks, Kerry Coombs, Mark Titus, Nick Saban, Ohio University, Penn State, Rick Pitino, Spring Football 2012, Ted Valentine, Urban Meyer, Woody Hayes
Categories: College Basketball, Humor, Ohio State Basketball, Ohio State Football