Given how the NCAA Tournament wrapped up, I wanted to take the opportunity to talk about what we saw this year from the Buckeyes, and what we might have to look forward to in the future.

This Season

I will be the first to admit that I was particularly worried about this team going into Big Ten play. Seeing the Buckeyes meltdown against Duke, struggle with Kansas at home, and generally perform lackadaisically in the first half of every game, I was quite pessimistic on the night of January 4th. I knew the team was growing, I could see their development, … [Read More]

Shocked

There really is no better word for the majority of Buckeye Nation’s overriding feeling on Saturday night after the final horn sounded. They were shocked, me included.

How could Wichita State seemingly blow the doors off of our beloved Buckeyes for the better part of 30 minutes and hang on to eliminate the West region’s number 2 seed? How could a Buckeye team that only two weeks ago in Chicago appeared to be finally hitting its stride look so terrible in a regional final with a trip to the Final Four on the line?

There are plenty of reasons for both questions. After some long reflection and recollection on not just the Elite 8 … [Read More]

Starting Wednesday of last week, I was fortunate to get an “up close” look at the team as they prepared for and worked to earn a right to head to Atlanta for the championships. And while the weekend didn’t end with the Buckeye’s cutting down the nets, it was a memorable one for many reasons.

Due to my relationship with the host institution for the event (hence the Malibu in MaliBuckeye), I was lucky enough to be given the responsibility of assisting the teams with any logistic issues that might come up. I jokingly referred to myself as a “concierge” for the weekend- working with coaches and other university athletic staff to ensure that the Staples Center felt like a … [Read More]

Another Tuesday, another week, another month. Grab your coffee and let’s dive in.

Welcome to a special Ohio State men’s basketball edition. Now that, as far as we’re concerned, basketball season is on, it may be time for some reflection. This article is in two parts; first some commentary on the Ohio State – Wichita State game, then thoughts on the season in general.

Ohio State – Wichita State

Before I get too far into this, I want to acknowledge the beautifully conceived and executed game plan on the part of Gregg Marshall and his WSU team. They clearly identified OSU’s weaknesses and exploited them.

On to Part the First. I was in Ohio over Easter weekend getting some high quality family time, so I did not participate in the ingame live blog, which was probably good, all things considered. What follows are some comments/questions that arose … [Read More]

Some weekend, eh? Grab your coffee and let’s get right to it.

Men’s Basketball

A week that started out fairly well, then crashed and burned. In the NCAA’s, they’ve managed to dust Iowa State 78-75, Arizona 73-70 and then fell flat against Wichita State 66-70.  I don’t have much to add to the fine recaps, above, however you can bet that after some musing on my part, I’ll have something to say next week. It seemed that Thad was pushing the right buttons and the team responded in the first two games. On Saturday, things were pretty disjointed. I’d hoped the 2nd half effort against Arizona would carry into the WSU game, but alas, no. Although the offense gott significant points from senior junior DeShaun Thomas and LQR, that was it, unfortunately.

General Thoughts

I hate to do this, but let’s start with a definition: to dislike intensely or passionately; … [Read More]

The Buckeyes came out flat from the very beginning.  They didn’t shoot well, they didn’t play good defense, and most importantly, they didn’t play like a team which led to a halftime deficit of 35-22 behind 8-33 shooting.  The second half started out just like the horrific first half.  The Shockers continued to hit shots and make plays and was able to hold a 20 point lead at one point in the second half.  A big part of the Wichita State success was freshman Fred Van Fleet.  He hit key shots down the stretch and finished the game with 12.  Ohio … [Read More]

He’s Crafty

The range of emotions regarding feelings toward Buckeye point guard Aaron Craft hit the highest of highs and the lowest of lows during Sunday’s 3rd round matchup with Iowa State. The nations best defender was on his game, went through a folly of errors, missed the front ends of two one-and-one free throw attempts, then made the games two biggest defensive plays, drove in for a layup and finally proceeded to drop a bomb to seal the deal.

Everyone, from Buckeye faithful to NBA stars to Buckeye haters were weighing in on Craft and his afternoon. Tweets ranging … [Read More]

School: University of Arizona
Location: Tucson, AZ
Founded: 1885
School Type: Public
Student Population: 39,236 total, 30,867 undergrad
Stadium: McKale Center
Seating: 14,545
Opened: 1973
Head Coach: Sean Miller
Experience: 4th year

So, here we are, the Sweet Sixteen, the fourth consecutive year for Thad Matta and his teams to reach this level. The winner of this game continues on to the Elite Eight and play the winner of the Wichita State (#9 seed) / LaSalle (#13 seed) on March 30th. After sending Iowa State University home (barely), Ohio State moves on to the PAC 12 to play the Wildcats of University of Arizona. They are coached by Sean Miller, and if he sounds familiar to you, ht should. He spent the 2001 – 2004 seasons as an assistant coach to our very own Thad Matta at Xavier.

The Wildcats, ranked #21 and seeded #6, currently sit at (27-7, 12-6). … [Read More]