Category: OSU Basketball (Page 5 of 11)

The Ohio State Buckeyes led by J. J. Sullinger’s 19 points and 13 rebounds held off a late Indiana rally to win 52-51 and head to the Big Ten Championship game against the Iowa Hawkeyes. The Buckeyes won again, despite shooting a miserable 18% from 3 point range. This is the second game in a row Ohio State has struggled from long range.

The Buckeyes are pretty much assured at least a number 2 seed in the tournament, but many feel with a victory against Iowa, Ohio State will be a number 1 seed. The Bucks defense has lead them through this Big Ten tournament. They will need a strong showing on both sides of the ball to defeat the Hawkeyes and match the ladies Buckeyes, who were Champions in both the regular season and the tournament.

What a relief. The Buckeyes will be able to play in the NCAA tournament, and next year they’ll be able to enjoy the top recruiting class in the country. The NCAA has placed the Buckeyes on three years of probabtion, and they have to take down some banners from the past, but Thad Matta and the boys will not have to pay for the sins of the past.

“To have this burden lifted off us, the smoke cleared, my wife cried tears of joy,” Matta said, “because I have been tough to deal with for a long, long time.”

“It’s wonderful,” said David Lighty, a senior at Villa Angela-Saint Joseph who is part of Ohio State’s 2006-07 recruiting class. “I don’t have to worry about it anymore. People can move on.”

The price to save the future is to erase part of the past.

Ohio State also will have to take down its 1999 Final Four banner, but that’s a trade OSU is more than willing to make when two other successful seasons were on the line: The current 24-4 team is gunning for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and the 2006-07 team will feature one of the top two recruiting classes in the country.

Meanwhile, the Buckeyes are still fighting for a possible #1 seed in NCAA tournament after a tough 63-56 wi over Penn State in the Big Ten tournament.

Go Bucks!

The Ohio State Buckeyes started the Big Ten tournament with some cold shooting, missing 11 of their first 13 shots. They needed a hot shooting second half to eliminate Penn State 63-56. The Bucks were led by Ron Lewis with 17 points, while Big Ten player of the year Terrance Dials pitched in with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Ohio State never led until a 3-point shot with less than 6 minutes left by Jamar Butler put them up 60-59. The Nittany Lions eliminated a top seeded Ohio State team six years ago in the Big Ten tournament and the Buckeyes were determined to not let this happen again.

Ohio State continues to struggle with zone defenses and teams that like to slow the ball down on offense. This is something they should expect to see in the NCAA tournament. The positive is that this team and coach are very determined to succeed and refused to accept the preseason projection of finishing 5th in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes will face the Indiana Hoosiers tomorrow, a 61-56 winner over Wisconsin. A win in the semifinal game will almost already assure them of at least a number 2 seed in the NCAA tournament.

According to Dick Vitale, the Buckeyes have a shot at a #1 seed:

“I really believe Thad Matta and his kids, if they make it to at least the semifinals, will end up as a No. 1 seed,” he said Tuesday in Dayton. “You can look at Memphis, but I give the edge to Ohio State (because) winning the regular-season title in the Big Ten shows you have durability.”

Duke, UConn and Villanova are virtual locks, so it might come down to Ohio State and Memphis for the final slot.

The Ohio State Buckeyes walked off with the top two awards yesterday. Thad Matta took home coach of year and Terrance Dials was player of the year in the Big Ten. The coaches and media both agreed on Dials, recognizing the fact that he dominated the Big Ten this year.

Coach Matta has now won the coach-of-the-year honor in three NCAA Division I conferences. He has directed four teams in six seasons to regular-season championships. He also has three conference tournament titles to his credit. These types of accomplishments are why Matta’s decision to remain at OSU has the university feeling good about its future.