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LGHL Gene Smith voices support for Chris Holtmann, Anthony Schlegel (temporarily) returns to OSU
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Gene Smith voices support for Chris Holtmann, Anthony Schlegel (temporarily) returns to OSU
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
All the Buckeye news thats fit to re-print.
Look, we get it. Your days are busy and you don’t have time to read all of the stories and tweets from the three dozen websites dedicated to covering Ohio State athletics, or the 237 Buckeye beat writers churning out hot takes and #content on a daily basis. But that’s ok, that’s what your friends at Land-Grant Holy Land are here for.
Monday through Friday, we’ll be collecting all of the articles, tweets, features, interviews, videos, podcasts, memes, photos, and whatever else we stumble across on the interwebz and putting them in our daily “Why is this News?” article. That way, you’ll have a one-stop shop for all of the most important Buckeye news, jokes, and analysis.
You’re welcome!
Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
Where Ohio State might look to add in the next transfer portal window (paywall)
Patrick Murphy, Bucknuts
Buckeyes wise to add Anthony Schlegel to offseason staff, even if that’s temporary (paywall)
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row
Michigan coach Sherrone Moore addresses Ohio State rivalry
Colin Gay, The Columbus Dispatch
Ohio State, Michigan offseasons setting up shift in rivalry power (paywall)
Austin Ward, Dotting the Eyes
Ohio State quarterbacks: Will Howard 2024 outlook, transfer candidates, Julian Sayin, Air Noland to battle
Grant Hughes, 247Sports
Analyzing impact as offensive lineman Carter Lowe commits to Ohio State (paywall)
Jeremy Birmingham, Dotting the Eyes
Ohio State’s creating ‘a really competitive environment’ but has to put in the work to be successful in 2024
Patrick Murphy, Bucknuts
Transfer portal team rankings: Ohio State surges into top 10 with Julian Sayin, Ole Miss retakes No. 1
Brad Crawford, 247Sports
A Super Bowl rooting guide for Ohio State football fans
Michael Citro, Land-Grant Holy Land
Ohio State’s Gene Smith reaffirms commitment to Chris Holtmann
Adam Jardy, The Columbus Dispatch
Chris Holtmann contract buyout if Ohio State fires basketball coach
Craig Meyers, The USA Today Network
Ohio State women’s basketball moves to No. 8 in AP poll
Thomas Costello, Land-Grant Holy Land
You’re Nuts: When will Ohio State mens basketball finally end its B1G road losing streak
Josh Dooley and Gene Ross, Land-Grant Holy Land
Cotie McMahon’s switch from pure scorer to do-it-all forward for Ohio State women’s basketball
Thomas Costello, Land-Grant Holy Land
Women’s Tennis: No. 13 Buckeyes Headed to ITA Division I Championships After Defeating Arizona State
Caroline Hebert, The Lantern
Women’s Gymnastics: No. 12 Buckeyes Earn First B1G Win of the Season, Score 197.100 Against Illinois
Ohio State Athletics
Women’s Ice Hockey: No. 1 Buckeyes Earn Third-Straight Top-10 Sweep at St. Cloud State
Reid Murray, The Lantern
Men’s Golf: Buckeyes in 8th After Round 1 of Southwestern Invitational
Ohio State Athletics
I’m reading this book specifically for the movie, but it is awful. It might have just been written by AI.
Continue reading...
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
All the Buckeye news thats fit to re-print.
Look, we get it. Your days are busy and you don’t have time to read all of the stories and tweets from the three dozen websites dedicated to covering Ohio State athletics, or the 237 Buckeye beat writers churning out hot takes and #content on a daily basis. But that’s ok, that’s what your friends at Land-Grant Holy Land are here for.
Monday through Friday, we’ll be collecting all of the articles, tweets, features, interviews, videos, podcasts, memes, photos, and whatever else we stumble across on the interwebz and putting them in our daily “Why is this News?” article. That way, you’ll have a one-stop shop for all of the most important Buckeye news, jokes, and analysis.
You’re welcome!
For your Earholes...
Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
On the Gridiron
Where Ohio State might look to add in the next transfer portal window (paywall)
Patrick Murphy, Bucknuts
Buckeyes wise to add Anthony Schlegel to offseason staff, even if that’s temporary (paywall)
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row
Michigan coach Sherrone Moore addresses Ohio State rivalry
Colin Gay, The Columbus Dispatch
Ohio State, Michigan offseasons setting up shift in rivalry power (paywall)
Austin Ward, Dotting the Eyes
Ohio State quarterbacks: Will Howard 2024 outlook, transfer candidates, Julian Sayin, Air Noland to battle
Grant Hughes, 247Sports
Analyzing impact as offensive lineman Carter Lowe commits to Ohio State (paywall)
Jeremy Birmingham, Dotting the Eyes
Ohio State’s creating ‘a really competitive environment’ but has to put in the work to be successful in 2024
Patrick Murphy, Bucknuts
Transfer portal team rankings: Ohio State surges into top 10 with Julian Sayin, Ole Miss retakes No. 1
Brad Crawford, 247Sports
A Super Bowl rooting guide for Ohio State football fans
Michael Citro, Land-Grant Holy Land
On the Hardwood
Ohio State’s Gene Smith reaffirms commitment to Chris Holtmann
Adam Jardy, The Columbus Dispatch
Chris Holtmann contract buyout if Ohio State fires basketball coach
Craig Meyers, The USA Today Network
Ohio State women’s basketball moves to No. 8 in AP poll
Thomas Costello, Land-Grant Holy Land
You’re Nuts: When will Ohio State mens basketball finally end its B1G road losing streak
Josh Dooley and Gene Ross, Land-Grant Holy Land
Cotie McMahon’s switch from pure scorer to do-it-all forward for Ohio State women’s basketball
Thomas Costello, Land-Grant Holy Land
Outside the Shoe and Schott
Women’s Tennis: No. 13 Buckeyes Headed to ITA Division I Championships After Defeating Arizona State
Caroline Hebert, The Lantern
Women’s Gymnastics: No. 12 Buckeyes Earn First B1G Win of the Season, Score 197.100 Against Illinois
Ohio State Athletics
Women’s Ice Hockey: No. 1 Buckeyes Earn Third-Straight Top-10 Sweep at St. Cloud State
Reid Murray, The Lantern
Men’s Golf: Buckeyes in 8th After Round 1 of Southwestern Invitational
Ohio State Athletics
And now for something completely different...
I’m reading this book specifically for the movie, but it is awful. It might have just been written by AI.
Continue reading...
LGHL Terrence Shannon Jr., No. 14 Illinois out-class and out-shoot Ohio State, 87-75
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Terrence Shannon Jr., No. 14 Illinois out-class and out-shoot Ohio State, 87-75
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
The pit of misery! Dilly dilly!
Well beyond “must-win” games, the Ohio State men’s basketball team (13-8, 3-7) welcomed the Illinois Fighting Illini (16-5, 7-3) to Columbus Tuesday night in desperate need of a winning streak, not just one win.
Opposing them was an Illinois team that entered tonight’s game ranked seventh in the country in adjusted offense, averaging 120.4 points per 100 possessions. Comparatively, Ohio State entered tonight’s game No. 48 in adjusted offense, averaging 115 points per 100 possessions. The Illini also slotted into the AP Top 25 Poll at No. 14 on Monday afternoon.
Despite recent struggles, Chris Holtmann did not deviate from the starting lineup he’s used all season long, going with Bruce Thornton, Roddy Gayle, Evan Mahaffey, Felix Okpara, and Jamison Battle. Brad Underwood countered with Marcus Domask, Terrence Shannon Jr., Ty Rodgers, Quincy Guerrier, and Coleman Hawkins.
The Buckeyes and Illini traded makes for the first several minutes, with Gayle knocking down each of his first three shots for the good guys and Rodgers scoring twice for Illinois. Since there was only one foul called over the first eight minutes, the initial media timeout didn’t even happen until the 12:12 mark of the first half — at that point, it was a 14-14 tie. While both teams came out hitting shots early, the two leading scorers — Thornton and Shannon — combined to shoot 1-of-9 during that first portion of the game leading into the first media timeout.
With the game tied at 23 and just under eight minutes remaining, Mahaffey took advantage of his matchup with Goode, turned his back to the basket, power dribbled twice, and went up with it. He scored through contact, as the whistle blew and Goode picked up his first foul of the game. Mahaffey’s basket made it 25-23 at the under-eight timeout with 7:39 left to go in the first half.
Illinois outscored Ohio State 8-2 over the final 4:06 of the first half to take a 41-34 lead into the locker room at halftime. Domask was the catalyst for the visiting Illini, scoring 11 points on 3-of-6 shooting in the first half. Gayle had 11 points for Ohio State in the first half and never came out of the game during the first 20 minutes. Illinois was 5-of-11 from three-point range in the first half, while Ohio State was 1-of-4.
Illinois extended its lead to a dozen points early in the second half, and following a Roddy Gayle layup that cut the deficit to 60-50, Chris Holtmann used one of his timeouts. The Buckeyes’ offense was getting quite a few good looks, but the continuous deterioration of its defense on a game-by-game basis continued Tuesday night. Even when the Buckeyes scored on two out of three possessions or three out of four, they refused to stop Illinois on the other end. That makes coming back from even the most minor deficit quite difficult.
Illinois extended its lead to 75-60 by the under-eight timeout, and the route was on. The Buckeyes continued to make shots at a level that would win quite a few games, but not this one — not on a night when nine different Illinois players scored, and Terrence Shannon Jr. outscored all Ohio State players in the second half alone. The Buckeyes were simply not up to the task on the defenive end, once again.
By the time all was said and done, Illinois had wrapped up a 87-75 win over Ohio State at the Schottenstein Center on Tuesday evening in front of a sparser than normal crowd.
If you weren’t around tonight to see Illinois deal Ohio State another loss and send us all further down into the pit of despair, here are a few key moments and plays that ultimately led to an Illini win:
Ohio State won the opening tip on Tuesday night, with Okpara tipping the ball out to Gayle, who underhand flipped the rock to Thornton to initiate the offense. Shannon slid over to guard Thornton bringing the ball up, which meant one team’s leading scorer guarding the other right away.
What was poised to be great theatre turned out to be a whole lot of nothing in the first half, as both teams’ leading scorers had a hard time putting the ball in the basket during the first 20 minutes. Thornton finished the first half with two points on 1-of-4 shooting over 12 minutes and was saddled to the bench for the final six minutes or so of the half after picking up his second foul.
Shannon finished the first half with five points on 1-of-7 shooting over 14 minutes and also spent the last several minutes of the first half on the bench with two fouls.
Teams have absolutely torched Ohio State from beyond the arc over their last four games, while the Buckeyes have struggled to confidently take and knock down shots from distance. Even when nearly everything else is held constant, it’s usually the three-point shooting of the Buckeyes’ opponents that has been the difference.
On Tuesday night, the Illini knocked down five of their 11 first-half attempts from downtown, good for a 45.5% mark. Ohio State, on the other hand, hit one of four, which is 25%. The Buckeyes essentially abandoned the three-point shot in the first half Tuesday night, yet they still shot nearly 50% in the first half.
Oddly enough, this shows that this team could probably survive if they mostly abandoned the three-point shot, but they would need to play defense and prevent so many easy looks at the basket.
Ohio State has been a pretty solid free throw shooting team this season, with its 75.1% free throw percentage making it the fourth-best free throw shooting team in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes were 7-of-10 from the line in the first half of Tuesday night’s game, but two of those three misses were huge ones on the front end of two one-and-one’s that potentially left four points at the line.
With 3:49 left in the first half and Ohio State trailing 35-32, Mahaffey was fouled away from the basket by Illinois’ Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, who got too handsy with Evan after knocking the ball out of his hands twice. Mahaffey, a 66% free throw shooter, missed the front of the one-and-one, and Illinois grabbed the rebound.
40 seconds later with Illinois now leading 37-32, Key corralled an offensive rebound off of a miss from Battle. Key tried to go back up with it, but was fouled by Amani Hansberry. Key is a 72% free throw shooter, and missed the front of that one-and-one, as well.
With Illinois already up 65-52 and 10:19 remaining in the game, Terrence Shannon Jr. sprinted down the court and tried to get Ohio State on its heels in transition. True to form, Shannon’s quick burst got him going downhill with Scotty Middleton on his hip, and the undersized, under-prepared, and under-seasoned freshman had no option but to swipe at Shannon’s arm as he got to the basket.
The grab caused Shannon to fall down, and as the whistle blew the 6-foot-6 senior was able to toss the ball up into the bucket while flying through the air. The ball went in, the foul counted, and Shannon completed the old-fashioned three-point play to put Illinois up , 68-52.
It’s another quick turnaround for the Buckeyes (13-8, 3-7), as they head to Iowa City at the end of the week to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes (12-8, 4-5) on Friday night. The battle between two NCAA Tournament bubble team-hopefuls will tip off at 7:00 p.m. on FS1.
Continue reading...
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
The pit of misery! Dilly dilly!
Well beyond “must-win” games, the Ohio State men’s basketball team (13-8, 3-7) welcomed the Illinois Fighting Illini (16-5, 7-3) to Columbus Tuesday night in desperate need of a winning streak, not just one win.
Opposing them was an Illinois team that entered tonight’s game ranked seventh in the country in adjusted offense, averaging 120.4 points per 100 possessions. Comparatively, Ohio State entered tonight’s game No. 48 in adjusted offense, averaging 115 points per 100 possessions. The Illini also slotted into the AP Top 25 Poll at No. 14 on Monday afternoon.
Despite recent struggles, Chris Holtmann did not deviate from the starting lineup he’s used all season long, going with Bruce Thornton, Roddy Gayle, Evan Mahaffey, Felix Okpara, and Jamison Battle. Brad Underwood countered with Marcus Domask, Terrence Shannon Jr., Ty Rodgers, Quincy Guerrier, and Coleman Hawkins.
The Buckeyes and Illini traded makes for the first several minutes, with Gayle knocking down each of his first three shots for the good guys and Rodgers scoring twice for Illinois. Since there was only one foul called over the first eight minutes, the initial media timeout didn’t even happen until the 12:12 mark of the first half — at that point, it was a 14-14 tie. While both teams came out hitting shots early, the two leading scorers — Thornton and Shannon — combined to shoot 1-of-9 during that first portion of the game leading into the first media timeout.
With the game tied at 23 and just under eight minutes remaining, Mahaffey took advantage of his matchup with Goode, turned his back to the basket, power dribbled twice, and went up with it. He scored through contact, as the whistle blew and Goode picked up his first foul of the game. Mahaffey’s basket made it 25-23 at the under-eight timeout with 7:39 left to go in the first half.
Illinois outscored Ohio State 8-2 over the final 4:06 of the first half to take a 41-34 lead into the locker room at halftime. Domask was the catalyst for the visiting Illini, scoring 11 points on 3-of-6 shooting in the first half. Gayle had 11 points for Ohio State in the first half and never came out of the game during the first 20 minutes. Illinois was 5-of-11 from three-point range in the first half, while Ohio State was 1-of-4.
Illinois extended its lead to a dozen points early in the second half, and following a Roddy Gayle layup that cut the deficit to 60-50, Chris Holtmann used one of his timeouts. The Buckeyes’ offense was getting quite a few good looks, but the continuous deterioration of its defense on a game-by-game basis continued Tuesday night. Even when the Buckeyes scored on two out of three possessions or three out of four, they refused to stop Illinois on the other end. That makes coming back from even the most minor deficit quite difficult.
Illinois extended its lead to 75-60 by the under-eight timeout, and the route was on. The Buckeyes continued to make shots at a level that would win quite a few games, but not this one — not on a night when nine different Illinois players scored, and Terrence Shannon Jr. outscored all Ohio State players in the second half alone. The Buckeyes were simply not up to the task on the defenive end, once again.
By the time all was said and done, Illinois had wrapped up a 87-75 win over Ohio State at the Schottenstein Center on Tuesday evening in front of a sparser than normal crowd.
If you weren’t around tonight to see Illinois deal Ohio State another loss and send us all further down into the pit of despair, here are a few key moments and plays that ultimately led to an Illini win:
Thornton, Shannon first half non-factors
Ohio State won the opening tip on Tuesday night, with Okpara tipping the ball out to Gayle, who underhand flipped the rock to Thornton to initiate the offense. Shannon slid over to guard Thornton bringing the ball up, which meant one team’s leading scorer guarding the other right away.
What was poised to be great theatre turned out to be a whole lot of nothing in the first half, as both teams’ leading scorers had a hard time putting the ball in the basket during the first 20 minutes. Thornton finished the first half with two points on 1-of-4 shooting over 12 minutes and was saddled to the bench for the final six minutes or so of the half after picking up his second foul.
Shannon finished the first half with five points on 1-of-7 shooting over 14 minutes and also spent the last several minutes of the first half on the bench with two fouls.
Buckeyes continue to struggle guarding the three-point line, and can’t hit one themselves
Teams have absolutely torched Ohio State from beyond the arc over their last four games, while the Buckeyes have struggled to confidently take and knock down shots from distance. Even when nearly everything else is held constant, it’s usually the three-point shooting of the Buckeyes’ opponents that has been the difference.
On Tuesday night, the Illini knocked down five of their 11 first-half attempts from downtown, good for a 45.5% mark. Ohio State, on the other hand, hit one of four, which is 25%. The Buckeyes essentially abandoned the three-point shot in the first half Tuesday night, yet they still shot nearly 50% in the first half.
Oddly enough, this shows that this team could probably survive if they mostly abandoned the three-point shot, but they would need to play defense and prevent so many easy looks at the basket.
Leaving points at the stripe in the first half
Ohio State has been a pretty solid free throw shooting team this season, with its 75.1% free throw percentage making it the fourth-best free throw shooting team in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes were 7-of-10 from the line in the first half of Tuesday night’s game, but two of those three misses were huge ones on the front end of two one-and-one’s that potentially left four points at the line.
With 3:49 left in the first half and Ohio State trailing 35-32, Mahaffey was fouled away from the basket by Illinois’ Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, who got too handsy with Evan after knocking the ball out of his hands twice. Mahaffey, a 66% free throw shooter, missed the front of the one-and-one, and Illinois grabbed the rebound.
40 seconds later with Illinois now leading 37-32, Key corralled an offensive rebound off of a miss from Battle. Key tried to go back up with it, but was fouled by Amani Hansberry. Key is a 72% free throw shooter, and missed the front of that one-and-one, as well.
Shannon’s and-one gives Illinois a 16-point second-half lead
With Illinois already up 65-52 and 10:19 remaining in the game, Terrence Shannon Jr. sprinted down the court and tried to get Ohio State on its heels in transition. True to form, Shannon’s quick burst got him going downhill with Scotty Middleton on his hip, and the undersized, under-prepared, and under-seasoned freshman had no option but to swipe at Shannon’s arm as he got to the basket.
The grab caused Shannon to fall down, and as the whistle blew the 6-foot-6 senior was able to toss the ball up into the bucket while flying through the air. The ball went in, the foul counted, and Shannon completed the old-fashioned three-point play to put Illinois up , 68-52.
Up Next:
It’s another quick turnaround for the Buckeyes (13-8, 3-7), as they head to Iowa City at the end of the week to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes (12-8, 4-5) on Friday night. The battle between two NCAA Tournament bubble team-hopefuls will tip off at 7:00 p.m. on FS1.
Continue reading...
LGHL Big Ten announces expanded basketball tournaments; How Ohio State would fare
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Big Ten announces expanded basketball tournaments; How Ohio State would fare
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by David Berding/Getty Images
The new format and how it impacts Ohio State
On Tuesday, the Big Ten announced details surrounding the 2024-25 basketball schedule for both the men's and women’s sides of the conference. Tuesday’s announcement provides a look into how the conference is changing with the addition of four Pac-12 schools. The focus of the announcement is on changes coming to the Big Ten Tournament for next season when the conference will go from 14 teams to 18.
Starting next season, the tournament goes from including all 14 programs to accepting only the top 15 schools, keeping the five-day tournament schedule. Also, instead of two games on the first day of the tournament, the additional team creates three Wednesday matchups, giving seeds 5-9 a single bye and the top four teams still receiving the double-bye.
Taking a look at the current 2023-24 season conference standings for all 18 teams, the No. 8 ranked Ohio State women’s basketball team would have no issues with the tournament format, entering as a No. 1 seed after beating the Iowa Hawkeyes, who in turn beat the Indiana Hoosiers.
For the programs on the outside looking in, the winless-in-Big-Ten-play Rutgers Scarlet Knights would sit in 18th place. Then, two out of a three-team group including the Purdue Boilermakers, Northwestern Wildcats, and Oregon Ducks would join Rutgers.
On the men’s basketball side, it’d be close, but head coach Chris Holtmann’s Buckeyes would enter as the No. 14 seed. That’s thanks to the USC Trojans sitting at the bottom of the Pac-12 currently with a 2-7 record. The Buckeyes of last year might not have made the tournament at all under the new format. In the current standings, the Trojans would be in a three-team group including the Rutgers Scarlet Knights men and Michigan Wolverines.
Schedule-wise, the Big Ten announced that the number of conference games will remain the same next season, with the men playing 20 games and women playing 18. However, the breakdown of that schedule is changing. Single-play home/away matchups would rotate each season, with “competitive balance, geography and rivalries” determining annual two-play opponents.
While next year's schedules and beyond are still unknown — and unlikely to come out until the summer — games like Ohio State vs. Michigan and USC against the UCLA Bruins are as close to locked in for two games a season as anything.
What is likely to fall by the wayside are games that a 14-team conference has given more opportunities to play. For example, Ohio State and the Iowa Hawkeyes on the women’s basketball side; on top of playing in the largest NCAA regular season crowd of the season on Sunday, Jan. 21 at the Schottenstein Center, the Scarlet and Gray face superstar guard Caitlin Clark again to end the regular season in Iowa City.
To read the full announcement, click here. It's the first competitive change for the soon-to-be 18-team Big Ten conference, but likely not the last.
Continue reading...
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by David Berding/Getty Images
The new format and how it impacts Ohio State
On Tuesday, the Big Ten announced details surrounding the 2024-25 basketball schedule for both the men's and women’s sides of the conference. Tuesday’s announcement provides a look into how the conference is changing with the addition of four Pac-12 schools. The focus of the announcement is on changes coming to the Big Ten Tournament for next season when the conference will go from 14 teams to 18.
Starting next season, the tournament goes from including all 14 programs to accepting only the top 15 schools, keeping the five-day tournament schedule. Also, instead of two games on the first day of the tournament, the additional team creates three Wednesday matchups, giving seeds 5-9 a single bye and the top four teams still receiving the double-bye.
Taking a look at the current 2023-24 season conference standings for all 18 teams, the No. 8 ranked Ohio State women’s basketball team would have no issues with the tournament format, entering as a No. 1 seed after beating the Iowa Hawkeyes, who in turn beat the Indiana Hoosiers.
For the programs on the outside looking in, the winless-in-Big-Ten-play Rutgers Scarlet Knights would sit in 18th place. Then, two out of a three-team group including the Purdue Boilermakers, Northwestern Wildcats, and Oregon Ducks would join Rutgers.
On the men’s basketball side, it’d be close, but head coach Chris Holtmann’s Buckeyes would enter as the No. 14 seed. That’s thanks to the USC Trojans sitting at the bottom of the Pac-12 currently with a 2-7 record. The Buckeyes of last year might not have made the tournament at all under the new format. In the current standings, the Trojans would be in a three-team group including the Rutgers Scarlet Knights men and Michigan Wolverines.
Schedule-wise, the Big Ten announced that the number of conference games will remain the same next season, with the men playing 20 games and women playing 18. However, the breakdown of that schedule is changing. Single-play home/away matchups would rotate each season, with “competitive balance, geography and rivalries” determining annual two-play opponents.
While next year's schedules and beyond are still unknown — and unlikely to come out until the summer — games like Ohio State vs. Michigan and USC against the UCLA Bruins are as close to locked in for two games a season as anything.
What is likely to fall by the wayside are games that a 14-team conference has given more opportunities to play. For example, Ohio State and the Iowa Hawkeyes on the women’s basketball side; on top of playing in the largest NCAA regular season crowd of the season on Sunday, Jan. 21 at the Schottenstein Center, the Scarlet and Gray face superstar guard Caitlin Clark again to end the regular season in Iowa City.
To read the full announcement, click here. It's the first competitive change for the soon-to-be 18-team Big Ten conference, but likely not the last.
Continue reading...
LGHL Ohio State men’s hockey set to take on Michigan in Columbus this weekend
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Ohio State men’s hockey set to take on Michigan in Columbus this weekend
Megan.Husslein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
@OhioStAthletics Twitter
The Wolverines have had the upper hand so far this year...
It’s been a rough year for the Ohio State/TTUN rivalry, as a lot of Buckeye sports have taken the L — football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball and men’s ice hockey just to name a few. However, the hockey Bucks are hopeful to change that when they host the No. 14 Wolverines this weekend in a two-game series.
This year, the men are 9-13-4, and 1-13-2 in conference play. Not good! This is a big switch up from last year, when they finished the season 21-16-3, and 10-9-1 in conference play. The struggle is somewhat expected, as the team did lose two of their star defenders to the AHL and NHL, and goaltender Jakub Dobes, the 2022 Big Ten Goalie of the Year, to the NHL.
Losing those players, combined with 15 new faces and a difficult schedule, has not fared well for the Buckeyes. One of their biggest problems has been the amount of goals they give up. Only five teams in the NCAA have given up more goals than Ohio State, largely due to the fact that they have a whole new defensive core and goalies.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25255320/Screen_Shot_2024_01_29_at_4.14.07_PM.png)
Brad Rempel
Now riding a five-game losing streak, they have to square off against the No. 14 Wolverines. Seven teams in the Big Ten play NCAA men’s ice hockey, and Ohio State is dead last, while TTUN is fifth, with a 12-9-3 overall record and 5-7-2 record in conference play.
TTUN has been pretty mediocre all season, but are recently playing some of their best hockey. On Jan. 26, they took down No. 3 Wisconsin, then lost to them in overtime the following day.
One of the major things to watch in the Wolverines’ matchup with the Buckeyes will be the penalty kill versus the power play. TTUN ranks first in the Big Ten in power-play percentage at 36.6%. Meanwhile, Ohio State’s penalty kill has given up seven goals in its last seven games.
So, will this be the weekend the Buckeyes finally snap their losing streak? Anything is possible against TTUN, and it helps that the scarlet and gray will have home ice advantage. Hopefully this will be the turning point of the season for them.
The series begins on Friday night, with puck drop scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET with the game being broadcast on Big Ten Plus. Game two will be at 8:00 p.m. ET on Saturday night, and can be watched on Big Ten Network.
Continue reading...
Megan.Husslein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
@OhioStAthletics Twitter
The Wolverines have had the upper hand so far this year...
It’s been a rough year for the Ohio State/TTUN rivalry, as a lot of Buckeye sports have taken the L — football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball and men’s ice hockey just to name a few. However, the hockey Bucks are hopeful to change that when they host the No. 14 Wolverines this weekend in a two-game series.
This year, the men are 9-13-4, and 1-13-2 in conference play. Not good! This is a big switch up from last year, when they finished the season 21-16-3, and 10-9-1 in conference play. The struggle is somewhat expected, as the team did lose two of their star defenders to the AHL and NHL, and goaltender Jakub Dobes, the 2022 Big Ten Goalie of the Year, to the NHL.
Losing those players, combined with 15 new faces and a difficult schedule, has not fared well for the Buckeyes. One of their biggest problems has been the amount of goals they give up. Only five teams in the NCAA have given up more goals than Ohio State, largely due to the fact that they have a whole new defensive core and goalies.
Now riding a five-game losing streak, they have to square off against the No. 14 Wolverines. Seven teams in the Big Ten play NCAA men’s ice hockey, and Ohio State is dead last, while TTUN is fifth, with a 12-9-3 overall record and 5-7-2 record in conference play.
TTUN has been pretty mediocre all season, but are recently playing some of their best hockey. On Jan. 26, they took down No. 3 Wisconsin, then lost to them in overtime the following day.
One of the major things to watch in the Wolverines’ matchup with the Buckeyes will be the penalty kill versus the power play. TTUN ranks first in the Big Ten in power-play percentage at 36.6%. Meanwhile, Ohio State’s penalty kill has given up seven goals in its last seven games.
So, will this be the weekend the Buckeyes finally snap their losing streak? Anything is possible against TTUN, and it helps that the scarlet and gray will have home ice advantage. Hopefully this will be the turning point of the season for them.
The series begins on Friday night, with puck drop scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET with the game being broadcast on Big Ten Plus. Game two will be at 8:00 p.m. ET on Saturday night, and can be watched on Big Ten Network.
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#14 Illinois at Ohio State, Tuesday, January 30, 2024, 7 PM ET, Peacock
- By ScriptOhio
- Buckeye Basketball
- 61 Replies
Basketball Preview: Illinois’ Scoring Proficiency, Rebounding Dominance Will Make It Difficult for Ohio State to Stop Its Skid
With the Buckeyes reeling off two emphatic road losses, a top-15 Illinois team with a high-scoring offense and dominant rebounding numbers comes to Value City Arena on Tuesday.
BASKETBALL PREVIEW: ILLINOIS’ SCORING PROFICIENCY, REBOUNDING DOMINANCE WILL MAKE IT DIFFICULT FOR OHIO STATE TO STOP ITS SKID
Preventing a second three-game losing streak within a seven-game span isn’t going to be an easy task for Ohio State on Tuesday.The Buckeyes’ opponent coming off of back-to-back losses is No. 14 Illinois, a 15-5 team tied for third in the Big Ten. Ohio State is tied for third-to-last in the Big Ten.
It’s a matchup that comes three days after the Buckeyes suffered their most lopsided defeat of the season, a 25-point blowout loss to Northwestern on the road that was even more lopsided than the final scoring margin.
Regardless of any negativity surrounding his team or the daunting nature of playing a top-15 team, Chris Holtmann remains committed to keeping his squad’s focus internal and centered on improvement.
"Our only focus is today," Holtmann said. "Even though it is a quick turnaround against a really good Illinois team, I think, in some ways, that can be a good thing, and we're excited to see how our guys respond. So much of athletics is about how you respond and we have an opportunity to respond."
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HOW IT PLAYS OUT
LINE: ILLINOIS -3, O/U 150.5
It’s hard to see Ohio State’s losing skid stopping in this one. The Buckeyes have struggled defensively of late, giving up 83 points to both Nebraska and Northwestern and allowing those teams to shoot a combined 53.3% from three-point range. That doesn’t bode well against an offense as prolific as the Fighting Illini’s.Prediction: Illinois 84, Ohio State 71
Ohio State basketball vs. Illinois: Odds, preview, prediction, lineups, TV
Ohio State basketball will face No. 14 Illinois on Tuesday.
www.cleveland.com
Prediction
Stephen’s pick: OSU’s problems have often come on the road regardless level of the opponent. But it’s also just not a better team than the Fighting Illini which is enough reason to think it’ll get its sixth loss in tight games. 78-70, Illinois.
Illinois vs Ohio State Prediction College Basketball Picks 1/30/24
David’s free pick on the Illinois vs Ohio State game and why I think Illinois will cover. Get my free pick!
pickdawgz.com
Illinois vs Ohio State Betting Prediction
Ohio State comes into this game after losing five of their last six contests and they have allowed 83 points in each of their last two games. The Buckeyes will look to turn things around in conference play and they will be at home for this game. Illinois has won three of their last four games, with the one loss coming on the road in overtime against Northwestern. Illinois is the much better team in this matchup and they are scoring over 82 points per game. I know Ohio State is at home and it’s never easy to win on the road in conference play, but I can’t trust this Ohio State team at all. Take Illinois here.
Ohio State men’s basketball vs. Illinois: Game preview and prediction
The Buckeyes look to forget their loss to Northwestern with a repeat of last season’s upset against Illinois tonight.
www.landgrantholyland.com
Just sayin': I couldn't find any site that predicted Ohio State would win this one. Hell, I was even thinking of putting a few vDollars on the Illini (-3); but I couldn't find the game on Buckeye Planet's "Sportsbook".
This team really needs to step up with another "Matt Sylvester moment" game:
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LGHL Ohio State men’s basketball vs. Illinois: Game preview and prediction
- News
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Ohio State men’s basketball vs. Illinois: Game preview and prediction
Jami Jurich via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports
The Buckeyes look to forget their loss to Northwestern with a repeat of last season’s upset against Illinois tonight.
Following Saturday’s 83-58 smackdown road loss to Northwestern, Ohio State returns home tonight to face off against the No. 10 Illinois Fighting Illini in Columbus in the only matchup this season between the two teams.
Saturday’s loss to the Wildcats was the Buckeyes’ second consecutive loss (their fifth in their last six games), and the best they can hope for now is a 3-5 record in January. The Wildcats went into the game hot off their own victory over Illinois, and OSU was down 41-30 by halftime, saddled with shooting struggles.
By the under-8 media timeout, the Buckeyes trailed by 35 points — their largest deficit of the season — and they simply couldn’t find a way to shut down the Wildcats, particularly from three-point range. In the first half alone, Northwestern hit 7-for-13 from deep. Senior guard Boo Buie, whose team-high 29 points helped lead the Wildcats to victory over Illinois earlier in the week, put up 19 points in the win over the Buckeyes.
Memories of last season’s brutal January and February, when the Buckeyes lost 14 of 15 games, are bubbling to the surface as the team looks to keep themselves from further spiraling.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25255818/usa_today_22392341.jpg "NCAA Basketball: Ohio State at Northwestern")
Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports
The Illini, for their part, head to Columbus after a hard-fought 70-62 victory against Indiana, a game in which the Illini were bolstered to a win by star guard Terrence Shannon Jr.’s six free throws in the final minute of the game, after a late-game surge by the Hoosiers.
Illinois currently sits two games behind Wisconsin in the conference standings, and Ohio State desperately needs this marquee win to close out January on a high note.
Entering tonight’s game, Illinois leads the all-time series, 110-82, though Ohio State has taken six of the last 10.
The last time Ohio State and Illinois faced off, back in February of last year, the Illini were expected to win easily on the road in Columbus. The Buckeyes were on a nine-game losing streak, the season was looking more and more disastrous by the day, and the Illini had their top player (Shannon) back at full strength after an injury.
The Buckeyes had other plans, and on the back of 20 points from then-freshman Bruce Thornton and 14 points from Brice Sensabaugh, OSU walked away with a 72-60 win, staving off a second-half Illinois run and making every one of their shots in the final 6:21 of the game.
Now, the Buckeyes will need to pull themselves out of a shooting slump if they’re going to have any shot at winning this game.
In Saturday’s game against Northwestern, the Buckeyes started the game just 1-for-5 from the field, with five of their first nine points coming from the free throw line. They finished the game shooting just 14-for-39 from the field and 5-for-19 from the three-point line.
The Buckeyes have been particularly unreliable from three-point range, shooting just 24.3% on three-pointers over the last five games. While Jamison Battle is 14-for-29 (48%), the rest of the team is shooting just 15.9% (13-for-82). They must knock in some threes if they have any hope of beating Illinois, a team averaging 82.1 points per game.
It won’t be easy against a team that, in their last outing, kept Indiana from making a single three-pointer all game. The Hoosiers shot 0-for-9 from three-point range. And three-pointers won’t be the only key to victory.
Thornton, who currently leads the team with an average of 16.1 points per game and 4.3 assists, along with Roddy Gayle and Battle, who are each averaging 13.8 points per game, will need to make their shots — be they threes or otherwise — against an Illini team who ranks 13th in the nation in effective field goal defense and 14th in 2-point field goal defense, according to KenPom.
Look to sophomore Bowen Hardman to potentially add some much-needed spark to the Buckeyes’ shooting. He finished the Northwestern game 1-for-2 on three pointers, but he was electric in only eight minutes of playing time against Nebraska, hitting 3-of-7 from downtown and finishing with 11 points. If Hardman can maintain accuracy and put up some big numbers in small pockets of time, he could be a major playmaker and momentum-shifter for the Buckeyes against an extremely talented Illinois team.
The Illini aren’t going to make it easy. They lead the Big Ten in rebounds per game (43.3), and they have out-rebounded their opponents in 14 of their 19 games this season. The Buckeyes are unlikely to get second chances if they can’t sink their shots against the Fighting Illini.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25255821/usa_today_22388023.jpg "NCAA Basketball: Indiana at Illinois")
Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
And as for playing defense, Ohio State will need to play next-to-perfect basketball if they hope to do enough to hold off the Illini.
Led by Shannon Jr., a senior guard averaging 19.9 points per game, and senior forward Marcus Domask, who is putting up 15.2 points per game and 3.5 assists, the Illini are capable of putting up big numbers.
Tonight’s game will mark Shannon’s fourth game back after a university-imposed suspension, as he faces a rape charge in Kansas. He was reinstated to the team after a federal judge granted him a preliminary injunction forcing them to do so.
Domask led the Illini in their outing against Indiana, putting up 16 points and 10 rebounds. Senior forward Coleman Hawkins and junior guard Luke Goode each put up 11 points in the win. Shannon, who got himself into foul trouble early, played only eight minutes in the first half but still acted as a playmaker, with 12 points, six rebounds and some clutch late-game free throws.
It was an ugly victory for a team that has played with style for much of the season (even in their overtime loss to Northwestern two games ago), but it was a testament to the Illini’s grit and resilience, something the Buckeyes will need to be prepared for come this evening. This presents a challenge for an Ohio State team that has struggled with three-point defense, and particularly in their losses to Indiana and Wisconsin, failed to execute defensively in the second half.
Still, the Buckeyes have performed better at home than on the road in the last year (the understatement of the century, given that they are on a 14-game road loss streak), and they will need to capitalize on their home court to repeat last season’s upset and right their ship before it goes further off course.
As the Buckeyes’ season has continued to nose dive throughout the month, January has felt like constant insult on top of injury, with their spot in the NCAA Tournament on the bubble — and that bubble on the brink of bursting. Missing the tournament for a second-consecutive season, particularly given how promising this team looked even a month ago, would be hugely disappointing, to say the least.
And yet, those are the stakes heading into February. Having dropped a few games they should have been able to win this month, the Buckeyes will have to dig deep and play near-perfect basketball against the Illini to keep their hopes alive.
Illinois has executed better in almost every facet of the game recently. The Buckeyes are not incapable of doing so—we saw glimpses of this in early-season marquee wins, but the sloppy errors and shooting woes of late will need to disappear to keep the Illini at bay.
Though Illinois leads steadily in points per game (82.1 to OSU’s 75.2), the teams are almost evenly matched on paper where turnovers and points allowed are concerned. Ohio State is averaging 10.1 turnovers per game to Illinois’ 10.9, and the Buckeyes have allowed an average of 68.2 points per game to Illinois’ 68.7.
But paper and performance under pressure are two different things, and the numbers on paper won’t mean much for the Buckeyes if they can’t pull out a big win to keep their postseason hopes from dying out completely. It’s not an impossible task, but they will need to play near-perfect basketball on all fronts, and they might also need a little bit of magic on their side against a top-10 Illinois team that has executed brilliantly for most of this season.
ESPN BPI: Illinois 67.1%
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
TV: Peacock
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Jami Jurich via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports
The Buckeyes look to forget their loss to Northwestern with a repeat of last season’s upset against Illinois tonight.
Following Saturday’s 83-58 smackdown road loss to Northwestern, Ohio State returns home tonight to face off against the No. 10 Illinois Fighting Illini in Columbus in the only matchup this season between the two teams.
Saturday’s loss to the Wildcats was the Buckeyes’ second consecutive loss (their fifth in their last six games), and the best they can hope for now is a 3-5 record in January. The Wildcats went into the game hot off their own victory over Illinois, and OSU was down 41-30 by halftime, saddled with shooting struggles.
By the under-8 media timeout, the Buckeyes trailed by 35 points — their largest deficit of the season — and they simply couldn’t find a way to shut down the Wildcats, particularly from three-point range. In the first half alone, Northwestern hit 7-for-13 from deep. Senior guard Boo Buie, whose team-high 29 points helped lead the Wildcats to victory over Illinois earlier in the week, put up 19 points in the win over the Buckeyes.
Memories of last season’s brutal January and February, when the Buckeyes lost 14 of 15 games, are bubbling to the surface as the team looks to keep themselves from further spiraling.
The Illini, for their part, head to Columbus after a hard-fought 70-62 victory against Indiana, a game in which the Illini were bolstered to a win by star guard Terrence Shannon Jr.’s six free throws in the final minute of the game, after a late-game surge by the Hoosiers.
Illinois currently sits two games behind Wisconsin in the conference standings, and Ohio State desperately needs this marquee win to close out January on a high note.
Preview
Entering tonight’s game, Illinois leads the all-time series, 110-82, though Ohio State has taken six of the last 10.
The last time Ohio State and Illinois faced off, back in February of last year, the Illini were expected to win easily on the road in Columbus. The Buckeyes were on a nine-game losing streak, the season was looking more and more disastrous by the day, and the Illini had their top player (Shannon) back at full strength after an injury.
The Buckeyes had other plans, and on the back of 20 points from then-freshman Bruce Thornton and 14 points from Brice Sensabaugh, OSU walked away with a 72-60 win, staving off a second-half Illinois run and making every one of their shots in the final 6:21 of the game.
Now, the Buckeyes will need to pull themselves out of a shooting slump if they’re going to have any shot at winning this game.
In Saturday’s game against Northwestern, the Buckeyes started the game just 1-for-5 from the field, with five of their first nine points coming from the free throw line. They finished the game shooting just 14-for-39 from the field and 5-for-19 from the three-point line.
The Buckeyes have been particularly unreliable from three-point range, shooting just 24.3% on three-pointers over the last five games. While Jamison Battle is 14-for-29 (48%), the rest of the team is shooting just 15.9% (13-for-82). They must knock in some threes if they have any hope of beating Illinois, a team averaging 82.1 points per game.
It won’t be easy against a team that, in their last outing, kept Indiana from making a single three-pointer all game. The Hoosiers shot 0-for-9 from three-point range. And three-pointers won’t be the only key to victory.
Thornton, who currently leads the team with an average of 16.1 points per game and 4.3 assists, along with Roddy Gayle and Battle, who are each averaging 13.8 points per game, will need to make their shots — be they threes or otherwise — against an Illini team who ranks 13th in the nation in effective field goal defense and 14th in 2-point field goal defense, according to KenPom.
Look to sophomore Bowen Hardman to potentially add some much-needed spark to the Buckeyes’ shooting. He finished the Northwestern game 1-for-2 on three pointers, but he was electric in only eight minutes of playing time against Nebraska, hitting 3-of-7 from downtown and finishing with 11 points. If Hardman can maintain accuracy and put up some big numbers in small pockets of time, he could be a major playmaker and momentum-shifter for the Buckeyes against an extremely talented Illinois team.
The Illini aren’t going to make it easy. They lead the Big Ten in rebounds per game (43.3), and they have out-rebounded their opponents in 14 of their 19 games this season. The Buckeyes are unlikely to get second chances if they can’t sink their shots against the Fighting Illini.
And as for playing defense, Ohio State will need to play next-to-perfect basketball if they hope to do enough to hold off the Illini.
Led by Shannon Jr., a senior guard averaging 19.9 points per game, and senior forward Marcus Domask, who is putting up 15.2 points per game and 3.5 assists, the Illini are capable of putting up big numbers.
Tonight’s game will mark Shannon’s fourth game back after a university-imposed suspension, as he faces a rape charge in Kansas. He was reinstated to the team after a federal judge granted him a preliminary injunction forcing them to do so.
Domask led the Illini in their outing against Indiana, putting up 16 points and 10 rebounds. Senior forward Coleman Hawkins and junior guard Luke Goode each put up 11 points in the win. Shannon, who got himself into foul trouble early, played only eight minutes in the first half but still acted as a playmaker, with 12 points, six rebounds and some clutch late-game free throws.
It was an ugly victory for a team that has played with style for much of the season (even in their overtime loss to Northwestern two games ago), but it was a testament to the Illini’s grit and resilience, something the Buckeyes will need to be prepared for come this evening. This presents a challenge for an Ohio State team that has struggled with three-point defense, and particularly in their losses to Indiana and Wisconsin, failed to execute defensively in the second half.
Still, the Buckeyes have performed better at home than on the road in the last year (the understatement of the century, given that they are on a 14-game road loss streak), and they will need to capitalize on their home court to repeat last season’s upset and right their ship before it goes further off course.
Prediction
As the Buckeyes’ season has continued to nose dive throughout the month, January has felt like constant insult on top of injury, with their spot in the NCAA Tournament on the bubble — and that bubble on the brink of bursting. Missing the tournament for a second-consecutive season, particularly given how promising this team looked even a month ago, would be hugely disappointing, to say the least.
And yet, those are the stakes heading into February. Having dropped a few games they should have been able to win this month, the Buckeyes will have to dig deep and play near-perfect basketball against the Illini to keep their hopes alive.
Illinois has executed better in almost every facet of the game recently. The Buckeyes are not incapable of doing so—we saw glimpses of this in early-season marquee wins, but the sloppy errors and shooting woes of late will need to disappear to keep the Illini at bay.
Though Illinois leads steadily in points per game (82.1 to OSU’s 75.2), the teams are almost evenly matched on paper where turnovers and points allowed are concerned. Ohio State is averaging 10.1 turnovers per game to Illinois’ 10.9, and the Buckeyes have allowed an average of 68.2 points per game to Illinois’ 68.7.
But paper and performance under pressure are two different things, and the numbers on paper won’t mean much for the Buckeyes if they can’t pull out a big win to keep their postseason hopes from dying out completely. It’s not an impossible task, but they will need to play near-perfect basketball on all fronts, and they might also need a little bit of magic on their side against a top-10 Illinois team that has executed brilliantly for most of this season.
ESPN BPI: Illinois 67.1%
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
TV: Peacock
LGHL score prediction: Illinois 80, Ohio State 71
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LGHL Silver Bullets Podcast: Jim Harbaugh’s departure, OSU coaching staff changes and more
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Silver Bullets Podcast: Jim Harbaugh’s departure, OSU coaching staff changes and more
Michael Citro via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
As Harbaugh scurries out of Ann Arbor ahead of the NCAA investigation, things are going well for Ohio State.
We’ve got a lot to discuss on this episode of the Silver Bullets Podcast at the end of an eventful January. We start with a discussion of the biggest Big Ten news of the month, as Jim Harbaugh has departed Ann Arbor and will no longer have to face the consequences of his actions. He’s even taking the assistant most likely to share in the penalties.
We break down the possible ramifications awaiting Michigan when the NCAA investigation is complete and discuss the possibility that Sherrone Moore could also face sanctions and may not be being set up for success. Who is to say which base he was actually born on and how he thought he got there? We are to say, and we do.
Ohio State has made some coaching staff changes since the season ended and we run through those and discuss some the changes that may still come.
After talking about the coaches, we turn our attention to the players. Ohio State got tons of good news this month from players deciding to return for the 2024 season. Aside from a few guys, almost everyone who could come back is going to do so. Plus, there are some big-time transfers coming to Columbus is well.
In addition, Ohio State has a new athletic director, and we touch on some of the pros and cons of Ross Bjork’s appointment to the position. Sure, he’s the guy who gave Jimbo Fisher a ridiculous extension, but he’s also a guy who can help Ohio State get to the next level with fundraising for NIL issues.
Finally, there are a lot of incoming freshmen enrolling early this year, which is exciting because it’s an excellent recruiting class.
We’ll continue coming at you monthly in the college football off-season, with plans to return to our weekly schedule in August 2024. We’d love to hear from you, so please reach out with your feedback and questions below in the comments section or send us an email.
Be sure to subscribe, rate, review, share, and follow the show over on Twitter at @SilvrBulletsPod.
As always, thanks for listening!
Continue reading...
Michael Citro via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
As Harbaugh scurries out of Ann Arbor ahead of the NCAA investigation, things are going well for Ohio State.
We’ve got a lot to discuss on this episode of the Silver Bullets Podcast at the end of an eventful January. We start with a discussion of the biggest Big Ten news of the month, as Jim Harbaugh has departed Ann Arbor and will no longer have to face the consequences of his actions. He’s even taking the assistant most likely to share in the penalties.
We break down the possible ramifications awaiting Michigan when the NCAA investigation is complete and discuss the possibility that Sherrone Moore could also face sanctions and may not be being set up for success. Who is to say which base he was actually born on and how he thought he got there? We are to say, and we do.
Ohio State has made some coaching staff changes since the season ended and we run through those and discuss some the changes that may still come.
After talking about the coaches, we turn our attention to the players. Ohio State got tons of good news this month from players deciding to return for the 2024 season. Aside from a few guys, almost everyone who could come back is going to do so. Plus, there are some big-time transfers coming to Columbus is well.
In addition, Ohio State has a new athletic director, and we touch on some of the pros and cons of Ross Bjork’s appointment to the position. Sure, he’s the guy who gave Jimbo Fisher a ridiculous extension, but he’s also a guy who can help Ohio State get to the next level with fundraising for NIL issues.
Finally, there are a lot of incoming freshmen enrolling early this year, which is exciting because it’s an excellent recruiting class.
We’ll continue coming at you monthly in the college football off-season, with plans to return to our weekly schedule in August 2024. We’d love to hear from you, so please reach out with your feedback and questions below in the comments section or send us an email.
Be sure to subscribe, rate, review, share, and follow the show over on Twitter at @SilvrBulletsPod.
As always, thanks for listening!
Continue reading...
LGHL Ohio State offers pair of 2026 recruits out of Georgia
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Ohio State offers pair of 2026 recruits out of Georgia
Dan Hessler via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
2026 four-star cornerback Dorian Barney via Cory Fravel, 247Sports
Ohio State took the recruiting trail to Georgia on Monday, offering two recruits in the 2026 class from the Peach State.
Ohio State had an incredible recruiting run to start off 2024. The Buckeyes saw huge wins in both the transfer portal and in the traditional sense. Ohio State is instantly a national favorite heading into next season as a result of this run, and the coaching staff is hoping the run is a premonition of things to come.
Ohio State’s 2024 recruiting class is all but finalized, although there is always a possibility of a late add through the transfer portal with coaching staffs changing across the country. As such, Ryan Day and the Buckeyes’ coaching staff are able to put more focus on both the 2025 and 2026 classes. This continued as Ohio State took the recruiting trail to Georgia on Monday, offering two recruits in the 2026 class from the Peach State.
The first prospect to announce his Ohio State offer to begin the week was athlete Xavier Griffin (Gainesville, GA / Gainesville) .
Griffin does not yet hold a 247Sports Composite ranking, but his impressive offer sheet shows that may change in the next ranking update. Griffin holds offers from the likes of Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Duke, Florida State, Appalachian State, Mississippi State, USF, etc.
Griffin has not yet been able to take many visits to schools he is interested in, being as he is two years away from graduating high school, but he will likely look to change that this spring and summer. Look for Ohio State to try and get him on campus at least once in the coming months for a recruiting camp.
The other Peach State recruit to receive a scholarship offer from the Buckeyes on Monday was four-star cornerback Dorian Barney (Suwanee, GA / Peachtree Ridge).
Ohio State secondary coach Tim Walton has been a huge catalyst in bringing the Ohio State cornerback room back to the level of expectation held by Buckeye Nation. He has also been on an incredible run of recruiting wins both in the traditional sense and in the transfer portal.
The Buckeyes brought in multiple blue-chip prospects at the position in the 2024 class with Aaron Scott, Bryce West and Miles Lockhart. They also already hold verbal commitments from Devin Sanchez and Blake Woodby in the 2025 class. In addition, the Buckeyes brought in the top defensive back in the transfer portal, and the No. 1 player overall in the transfer portal, Caleb Downs. Ohio State would love to continue this trend into 2026, and Barney would be a big first step in achieving that goal.
However, the Buckeyes are not alone in recruiting Barney, as he holds offers from the likes of Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Kentucky, LSU, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Florida State, Colorado, Georgia Tech, Indiana, USC, etc.
Similar to Griffin, Barney has not yet been able to make many visits to schools he is interested in and the Buckeyes will look to change that this Spring or Summer. Barney is the No. 6 CB and the No. 49 overall prospect in the the 247Sports Composite Rankings. He is also the No. 8 recruit out of Georgia.
Continue reading...
Dan Hessler via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
2026 four-star cornerback Dorian Barney via Cory Fravel, 247Sports
Ohio State took the recruiting trail to Georgia on Monday, offering two recruits in the 2026 class from the Peach State.
Ohio State had an incredible recruiting run to start off 2024. The Buckeyes saw huge wins in both the transfer portal and in the traditional sense. Ohio State is instantly a national favorite heading into next season as a result of this run, and the coaching staff is hoping the run is a premonition of things to come.
Ohio State offers pair of 2026 recruits
Ohio State’s 2024 recruiting class is all but finalized, although there is always a possibility of a late add through the transfer portal with coaching staffs changing across the country. As such, Ryan Day and the Buckeyes’ coaching staff are able to put more focus on both the 2025 and 2026 classes. This continued as Ohio State took the recruiting trail to Georgia on Monday, offering two recruits in the 2026 class from the Peach State.
The first prospect to announce his Ohio State offer to begin the week was athlete Xavier Griffin (Gainesville, GA / Gainesville) .
Griffin does not yet hold a 247Sports Composite ranking, but his impressive offer sheet shows that may change in the next ranking update. Griffin holds offers from the likes of Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Duke, Florida State, Appalachian State, Mississippi State, USF, etc.
Griffin has not yet been able to take many visits to schools he is interested in, being as he is two years away from graduating high school, but he will likely look to change that this spring and summer. Look for Ohio State to try and get him on campus at least once in the coming months for a recruiting camp.
The other Peach State recruit to receive a scholarship offer from the Buckeyes on Monday was four-star cornerback Dorian Barney (Suwanee, GA / Peachtree Ridge).
Ohio State secondary coach Tim Walton has been a huge catalyst in bringing the Ohio State cornerback room back to the level of expectation held by Buckeye Nation. He has also been on an incredible run of recruiting wins both in the traditional sense and in the transfer portal.
The Buckeyes brought in multiple blue-chip prospects at the position in the 2024 class with Aaron Scott, Bryce West and Miles Lockhart. They also already hold verbal commitments from Devin Sanchez and Blake Woodby in the 2025 class. In addition, the Buckeyes brought in the top defensive back in the transfer portal, and the No. 1 player overall in the transfer portal, Caleb Downs. Ohio State would love to continue this trend into 2026, and Barney would be a big first step in achieving that goal.
However, the Buckeyes are not alone in recruiting Barney, as he holds offers from the likes of Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Kentucky, LSU, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Florida State, Colorado, Georgia Tech, Indiana, USC, etc.
Similar to Griffin, Barney has not yet been able to make many visits to schools he is interested in and the Buckeyes will look to change that this Spring or Summer. Barney is the No. 6 CB and the No. 49 overall prospect in the the 247Sports Composite Rankings. He is also the No. 8 recruit out of Georgia.
Quick Hits
- Speaking of Ohio State secondary coach Tim Walton and recruiting wins, the Buckeyes are moving closer to securing another one with the No. 1 safety in the 2025 class, Faheem Delane (Olney, MD / Our Lady Good Counsel HS). Delane spoke with 247Sports following a weekend visit to Oregon, and said that Ohio State and Oregon are currently his top two schools.
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