The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary » William Buford

Tuesday Thoughts: OSU Men’s Hoops Edition

Ken — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 16:00:55 +0000

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]

tBBC Basketball Roundtable – Guest Edition

WVaBuckeye — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 17:00:57 +0000

For today’s basketball roundtable, I share questions and answers with Eric and Gary of tBBC, and two guests: Eric invited a blog friend Jordan, and I invited liveblog regular CeMoBuckeye. Enjoy!

What were your favorite moments of the 2011-12 season and why?

Gary. My favorite moments of last year both happened on the road. First the victory on Madison. My distaste for Wisconsin runs beyond just football. Anytime you go in and knock off Bo Ryan in Madison always puts a smile on my face. Second was the victory at Michigan State. I respect Tom Izzo and his teams. They are always tough and always tough at home. Beating them in East Lansing, I believe, have them the confidence for their run in the postseason.

Eric. The best moment had to be the win over Wisconsin in the Kohl Center. Nothing gives me a warmer or fuzzier feeling than beating … [Read More]

Thank You William Buford

Gary Russell II — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 12:35:16 +0000

Ohio State basketball came to a bitter end Saturday night with their 64-62 loss to the Kansas Jayhawks. There is always next season for the fans, current underclassmen, and the coaching staff. Unfortunately for one young man the dream of winning a national title has come to an end. We take a look back at the lone senior, William Buford, and his four unforgettable years as a Buckeye.

In 2008, William Buford was named Mr. Ohio in basketball and the player of the year. The Toledo Libbey graduate took his team on a run through the Ohio High School State Tournament, leading them all the way to the state championship game. Libbey faced a very quick and talented Chillicothe team for the Division II title. In a back and forth game in which neither team pulled away, Buford scored a game high 29 points. However, it was not quite enough … [Read More]

Kansas Advances to National Championship, Defeats Buckeyes 64-62

Eric — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 03:21:05 +0000

Ohio State and Kansas met for the second time this year, this time on the neutral court of the Superdome in New Orleans. Both teams played tough basketball, but the Buckeyes were unable to maintain their nine point halftime lead, falling to the Jayhawks for the second time 64-62. William Buford’s game high 19 points were not enough to lift the Bucks over Kansas’s Thomas Robinson, who matched Buford with 19. Travis Releford scored a critical 15 for the Jayhawks, including four free throws at the end to seal the game.

Neither team started the game with their heads quite in the right place offensively for the first few possessions. While Kansas did score a quick duece on their first possession, they spent their next seven possessions taking atrocious shots. That was matched by the Buckeyes on the other end of the court early. Only when Lenzelle Smith dropped a … [Read More]

Pregame Glance: Kansas II

Joe Dexter — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 08:51:12 +0000

We’re just hours away from the start of the Final Four! The Ohio State Buckeyes and Kansas Jayhawks will meet in the second game of the day today, tip-off set for 8:49 PM. I still don’t know what’s stranger. The fact that both teams will be playing basketball inside a Superdome, or that the floor that both teams will be playing on is made in the small “unicorporated community” of Amasa – A small part of Hematite Township in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Though all 250 citizens of the city are upset that either Wisconsin or Michigan State isn’t in the Final Four, they will be among the millions of fans with their eyes fixed on what could be one hell of a Saturday.

According to the folks at the Worldwide ~~Failure~~ Leader, this is the first time since 2005 that all playing on the final weekend of college basketball have … [Read More]

Ohio State Advances to Final Four in Instant Classic, Outlasts Syracuse 77-70

Eric — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 01:27:27 +0000

The Ohio State Buckeyes and Syracuse Orange met in Boston this evening to decide who would represent the East Region in the Final Four. After a tight, hard-fought battle, the Buckeyes succeeded in picking up the 77-70 victory over the 1-seeded Syracuse Orange. Every single Buckeye contributed a key piece to this tough victory, but Jared Sullinger led all scorers with 19 points and 7 rebounds. He was followed closely by Lenzelle Smith’s 18 points, most scored in the 2nd half with the game coming down to the wire. On Syracuse’s side of the ball Brandon Triche and Scoop Jardine combined for 29 points and a pair of rebounds.

Both teams started off hot attacking the paint with extreme aggression. That may have been a surprise to many who suspected the Buckeyes were going to have to use the long ball to attack the Syracuse 2-3 zone. However, as the … [Read More]

Pregame Glance: Syracuse Orange

Eric — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 17:41:03 +0000

The Syracuse Orange, under Jim Boeheim since the beginning of time, have had a surprisingly difficult path to the Elite Eight this year. The Orange have struggled against all three of their opponents (at least at times), but have managed to scrape out victories in each game, often in the last seconds.

First up was the 16-seeded Bulldogs of UNC-Asheville. Coming into the tournament Ken Pomeroy excitedly told everyone that this might be the year for the fabled 16/1 upset. We very nearly got it from the Bulldogs, as they carried a lead against the Orange for much of the game, until a back and forth affair (with some questionable rules interpretation issues) ended up in Syracuse’s favor 72-65.

The Orange followed that win with a more lopsided victory over the Kansas State Wildcats. Despite the 75-59 final score, the Wildcats had the game within one at the half … [Read More]

Ohio State Heads to Elite 8 to Face Syracuse after 81-66 Victory

Joe Dexter — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 04:10:00 +0000

You can say what you want to about this sweet sixteen match-up between two instate teams. Buckeye Nation, I hope you still feel great about putting senior William Buford on blast.

To be honest, I was so upset with how you handled this game that I didn’t want to finish writing this recap. What ever happened to rooting for and pulling for those in the Scarlet and Grey? Are we at a time in sports fandom where that doesn’t matter anymore?

In a game that the Buckeyes WON, Ohio State fans wiped their pride right off their sleeves. Instead, they took to every social media provider possible to rip one of the most celebrated players in school history.

Well Buckeye Nation, when it comes down to it – I hope you don’t choke on your words when the Buckeyes move onto the elite 8. Hopefully you swallow them down the stretch and … [Read More]