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Ohio State Travels to Allen Fieldhouse to Face Kansas

Two of the top teams nationally, Ohio State and Kansas, and two of the top players in the country, Jared Sullinger and Thomas Robinson, could face off against each other this coming Saturday in Allen Fieldhouse. The non-conference game will have the 2nd ranked Ohio State Buckeyes, an undefeated team, travelling to no. 13 Kansas matching up against the 6-2 Jayhawks who have only lost to Duke and Kentucky. Florida has been the only team to not fall to Ohio State by more than 20 points this season so far.

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Miami Heat Duo Show Up For Ohio State Duke Tonight

NBA megastars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are merely a few of the stars at court-side for the enormous varsity basketball clash between No. Two Ohio State and No. Four Duke tonight in Columbus Ohio. Also on hand were former Buckeyes Greg Oden, Mike Conley, Michael Redd, and Evan Turner. The Big 10 / ACC match-up has been discussed in the last few weeks and the Miami Heat stars made a decision to come and take this one in live. Both sides will actually be hunting for rights, with experts believing the winner of this fixture will possibly move up to take over the No. One slot from North Carolina when the next ranking is released.

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Florida Gators Visiting Ohio State Buckeyes Tonight

The #7 ranked Florida Gators basketball team comes to Value City Arena tonight to face the third ranked Buckeyes in a non-conference match that will be highly watched nationally. Ohio State is favored in the Big Ten this season with the return of Jared Sullinger (nationally the best player), a great group of sophomores, one seasoned veteran in William Buford, and a top rated 5 member 2011 freshman squad. They beat Wright State over the weekend 73-42. Sullinger scored 19 points and also pulled down 9 rebounds.

Last summer, the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers added yet another stunning chapter to the greatest rivalry in National Basketball Association history, as they wrapped up another epic war at the 2010 NBA Finals. This marked the 12th time these two historic franchises have met to decide who is the top dog in all of basketball. The Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant was handed the Finals MVP Award after leading an epic comeback from a 13-point third quarter deficit.

Think March Madness is Lunacy?

First, you should know:  I am NOT a basketball fan.  Outside of the NCAA March Madness tournament and the years my sons played youth basketball, I probably average watching about 20 minutes of basketball per year.  So why do I look forward to and plan on tuning in to experience some March Madness every year?

Some non-basketball fans like the NCAA tournament for their chance to win a betting pool of one form or another.  That sounds like it might be fun, but I’ve never done one.

Ohio State Enters the NCAA Tournament as a No 1 Seed

Ohio State completed the Big Ten tournament the same way they completed the regular season, on top of the conference. Beating Northwestern, Michigan and Penn State allowed Thad Matta’s team to claim the tournament title this afternoon in Indianapolis.

Ohio State Jon Diebler Shoots Out the Nittany Lions

The No 1 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes went to University Park last night to complete their 2011 road season and got a big lift from a different player, similar to recent games. This time it wasn’t David Lighty, Jared Sullinger or DeShaun Thomas. Jon Diebler made 10 3-point shots during the course of the game (82-61 Ohio State) placing the 15-13 Penn State team one more step away from a post-season opportunity.

DeShaun Thomas Leads the Buckeyes past Indiana

Last season’s Indiana Mr. Basketball, DeShaun Thomas, showed why he was a high rated recruit coming out of high school by taking over the Indiana v Ohio State game yesterday in Value City Arena. He put up 22 points with 14 points coming consecutively during the first half to put Ohio State ahead. William Buford also was impressive with 15 points in a 82-61 victory. Center Jared Sullinger played limited minutes due to foul trouble.

David Lighty Lifts Ohio State Past Illinois

Jared Sullinger gets much of the attention when it comes to Ohio State Basketball 2011, but according to Illinois Head Coach Bruce Weber the ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Buckeyes is David Lighty. And that was apparent last night when Lighty put in 13 consecutive points with 3 steals in a three minute period to put Illinois away.

The Gold Age of Intercollegiate Sports

The feeling across the country exists that Intercollegiate Sports were pure and innocent before the professional sports field erupted with television. But history shows that college sports were born out of commercialization and continue to this day to be a money making machine that only provides limited opportunities for athletes. With the popularity of athletes allowing schools to sell custom school sports gear while the student athletes do not benefit beyond their scholarship and living expense allotments. Many choose to leave school early to earn a living in the professional field and support their families.

Ohio State Basketball Team Earns Top Rank

It took nearly four years for the Ohio State Buckeyes to climb back up to the top. Duke lost its stronghold to the Gators mid-week, and left an opening that Ohio State had been waiting to claim against Penn State. 

All major polls now grant the Buckeyes their No. 1 spot.

But the Ohio State Basketball team was not focused on the No. 1 ranking.

Crazy with March Madness? How’s Your Bracket?

I look forward to March Madness every year, and drink in the games and study the stats afterward. If you are like me, you had your March Madness bracket filled out as soon as the teams were finalized.  My bracket is always the subject of much frustration, though. Of the millions of Americans who fill out their own picks, no one to this point has gotten a perfect bracket. (That’s not surprising, considering the odds are one in 9,223,372,036,854,775,808).

By AJ Wilcox

I always go through the same process of weighing my own favorite team against what will likely actually happen. Then I go through and pick 5 upsets (just my process, and I know that some predict as high as 10). Finally, I watch the games on my Dish TV package and track the stats as much as I can – sick days anyone? – and finally watch my bracket fail completely in the 2^nd round.  Sound familiar?

I hope that someone fares far better than me this year. At the time of writing, it looks like a 17 year old has a perfect bracket all the way through the second round. All I know is that I feel like I am constantly losing with my bracket, but for some reason I still can’t get enough.

My brother throws the best game day parties. We all pitch in a few bucks and eat, cheer, and the best bracket gets a prize. I can tell you that it’s a blast for everyone involved. So invite your friends over, order pizzas and drinks, and watch your favorite team. Compare brackets and pool together a prize for the best bracket. There is never a better time to get excited than the present.

If you have Dish network, you can catch all the action on the CBS Sports Channel if you have the “America’s Top 200” package.

Evan Turner - First Team All American

Evan Turner of the Ohio State University has been named the first All-American of the team and was a key player in leading the team to their Big Ten title. Turner plays as the small forward, shooting guard, and point guard for the team, and he was named the first team All-American and the National Player of the Year in 2010.

By Mark Ramos

Most recently, he was one of the five out of the Big Ten players who was in the top 10 in assists, rebounds, and points scored within the same season. Even better, he was named on the watch list of nominees for the 2010 Wooden Award, as well as on the watch list for the Naismith College Player of the Year award.

In short, it is easy to expect the best from Turner, who is a 6’7” point guard with an excellent record. Many experts anticipate that he will rank as high as number two in the NBA draft for the summer, and he has successfully led his team in high point scores, assists, and rebounds. From the field, he has been reported to shoot at 53.8%, and he is also recovered successfully from his hiatus to the game after breaking six bones in his back.

2 Ohio State defeats 10 Georgia Tech 75-66 in the NCAA 2nd Round

Sunday in Milwaukee Wisconsin in the 2nd round of the Mid-West NCAA Region Ohio State defeated the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 75-66 with a great second half shooting effort and a defensive strategy that limited Georgia Techs big front court. Ohio State now moves on to the Sweet 16 and is matched up against the 27-8 Tennessee Volunteers.

By Steve Patterson

Going into the match-up, Ohio State feared the play of the big front court from GT. Gani Lawal and Derrick Favors had proved that they could dominate the boards and make enough points to upset any team this season. The Buckeyes came out in a 1-3-1 zone on defense to not allow the ball to be moved into the low post. This limited the touches for the big men, who only scored 21 points with 8 rebounds combined. And Ohio State didn't have to double-team when playing the zone which allowed them break-away points at the other end of the court.

On the offensive side of the ball, OSU penetrated the gaps in the GT defense to put pressure on the big guys down low. The GT players had foul trouble in the first half that continued during of the game. Ohio State led by 2 points at half-time and they shot 65% in the second half, opening up a decent lead that Georgia Tech could not overcome. Jon Diebler played well for a second straight tournament game, finishing with 4 shots from behind the arc and 20 points total.

Georgia Tech
Gani Lawal 11 points, 4 rebounds
Derrick Favors 10  points, 4 rebounds
Glen Rice Jr 10 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists

Ohio State
Evan Turner, 24 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists
Jon Diebler 20 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists
David Lighty 18 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists

Sweet 16

The Mid-West Sweet 16 currently features both Ohio State and the Michigan State Spartans which makes the outcome of this weeks first games intriguing. The Elite 8 could feature another matchup of the two Big Ten schools. The Spartans need to defeat Northern Iowa to take the next step in the Big Dance. In related news, Evan Turner was named today as a finalist for the Player of the Year award.

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Ohio State Wins the Big Ten Tournament and Enters the NCAA as a Two Seed

Ohio State had no problem in the 2nd half of the Big Ten Championship game against Minnesota on Sunday after struggling with Michigan and Illinois. Yet the Buckeyes completed the tournament on top securing their second goal of the year which includes winning the Big Ten, wining the Big Ten Tournament, and winning the National Title. They begin work on their final goal this Friday in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

By Steve Patterson

Minnesota and Tubby Smith had a chance to secure a spot in the NCAA by winning the Big Ten title but fell short. Luckily for them the selection committee felt they deserved entrance in the field of 65 and awarded them an 11 seed Sunday night. Illinois, also a Big Ten bubble team, was as fortunate and was left out of the Big Dance.

Minnesota played competitively against Ohio State Sunday remaining within 3 points throughout the first half. But David Lighty caught fire and had a great 2nd half, driving the lane, playing defense and getting rebounds. He finished the game with 20 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Leading OSU was Evan Turner who scored 31 points, had 11 rebounds, and 6 assists. Jon Diebler was also instrumental scoring 19 points. The Buckeyes made the game ugly for Minnesota with a final score of 90-61.

Final Stats for the Game:

Lawrence Westbrook 17 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists
Devoe Joseph 14 points
Damian Johnson 7 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists

Evan Turner 31 points*, 11 rebounds, 6 assists
David Lighty 20 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists
Jon Diebler 19 points

* Championship Game Record

NCAA Tournament

Five Big Ten teams were selected after the tournament completion to enter the NCAA tournament. Minnesota received an at-large 11 seed, Ohio State is a 2 seed, Purdue and Wisconsin are 4 seeds, and Michigan State is a 5 seed. Ohio State will face UC Santa Barbara in the first round on Friday in Milwaukee. The Gauchos have a 20-9 record out of the Big West. They play strong defense and shoot well from behind the arc. If Ohio State can defend the long range shots and rebound most of the misses, they should prevail.

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