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LGHL Despite spirited comeback, Ohio State falls to Wisconsin at home, 65-60
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Despite spirited comeback, Ohio State falls to Wisconsin at home, 65-60
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
Welp, at least they made it interesting down the stretch,
Certainly, you’ve heard the phrase “an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object.” In sports it typically describes two teams — or players — at the top of their game, rolling on all cylinders, getting ready to collide.
Thursday night’s game between the Buckeyes (11-11, 3-8) and Badgers (13-8, 5-6) is whatever you’d call the exact opposite of that. Ohio State and Wisconsin have both bottomed out, losing 13 of their last 15 games combined. Both teams needed a win in the worst way Thursday night, yet the exact same phrase has been used for both over the past three weeks and it hasn’t changed anything for either!
Whether you consider Wisconsin the “unstoppable force” or the “immovable object” is up to you, but Greg Gard’s Badgers were able to snag a big road win Thursday night in Columbus, 65-60.
After a tough game at Indiana, Justice Sueing went back to the bench for Ohio State. In his place was Isaac Likekele, as well as Bruce Thornton, Sean McNeil, Brice Sensabaugh, and Zed Key. Wisconsin went with a starting five of Chuckie Hepburn, Connor Essegian, Max Klesmit, Tyler Wahl, and Steven Crowl down low.
The Badgers jumped out to a quick 8-0 lead just 90 seconds into the game, courtesy of three-pointers from Essegian and Klesmit, as well as an Essegian layup. After Klesmit’s three from just in front of the bench dropped to make it 8-0, the junior transfer from Wofford turned and talked to Ohio State’s bench. Chris Holtmann immediately called timeout, using his first less than two minutes into the game. The Buckeyes bounced back immediately after the timeout, going on an 8-0 run to tie the game over the next 1:20. Sensabaugh scored all eight points on just three shots, naturally, and the teams went into the first media timeout tied 8-8.
The Badgers broke open a 10-point lead by the under-eight timeout, 26-16. Ohio State aided the Badgers by turning the ball over on four-consecutive possessions, three of which came after Wisconsin did not score at their end. Crowl was a big problem for the Buckeyes in the first half especially, nearly reaching his season average of 12 points after 13 minutes of play.
Following some dramatics in the final seconds of the first half, Wisconsin went to the halftime locker room up 43-27 — the second consecutive game Ohio State trailed by 16 at halftime. Down 10 points with a chance to make it a single-digit deficit in the closing seconds, Chris Holtmann was ejected after Sueing was called for an offensive foul on Wahl. Wahl began to fall before the contact came, and the Ohio State bench wanted a block — or a flop — called. Wisconsin turned that foul call into a six-point possession (four free throws and a bucket) and went to the halftime break up 16.
The freshman Essegian led Wisconsin with 14 first-half points, four of which were from the technical free throws. Sensabaugh had 11 first-half points for the Buckeyes and was their only double-digit scorer in the opening stanza.
Ohio State cut Wisconsin’s lead to 52-41 with 12 minutes remaining, but Carter Gilmore scored through contact on the ensuing possession. The junior big man was fouled by Roddy Gayle as well but missed the free throw to keep the score at 54-41 Wisconsin.
The Buckeyes got within 10 once more with just under nine minutes to go, but Wisconsin had an answer in the form of another Klesmit three-burger to make it a 13 point game yet again. However, the Buckeyes went on a late 9-0 run starting at the 6:09 mark, getting back within six points of the Badgers at one point, 62-56.
However, the spirited comeback was not enough, and this team simply does not play good enough defense to come back from a 16-point deficit. Ohio State ultimately fell, 65-60.
If you weren’t around tonight to see Ohio State lose yet another Big Ten contest, here are a few of the key plays and runs that helped lead Wisconsin to their fifth win in the B1G:
The Badgers came out of the locker room and immediately popped Ohio State in the mouth, scoring eight-straight points over the first 90 seconds, forcing Ohio State to take a timeout. After Klesmit hit a three-pointer right in front of Chris Holtmann to make it 8-0, the junior guard turned around and politely told the Buckeye bench what he’d just done. Holtmann called his first timeout of the game right away.
After the Ohio State timeout, freshman star Brice Sensabaugh went on an 8-0 run of his own to tie the game. He hit back-to-back three-pointers and followed them up with a contested baseline floater over the head of Klesmit to tie things at eight-all going into the first media timeout. Sensabaugh scored eight points in exactly 80 seconds.
Trailing 21-16 with just under 11 minutes remaining in the first half, Klesmit missed a three, and Ohio State secured the rebound. At the other end, Bruce Thornton missed a three-pointer, but Sueing was able to secure the long offensive rebound. The ball worked its way to Key, but he traveled.
Wisconsin’s Crowl scored on the ensuing possession to make it 23-16, but Sueing lost the ball out of bounds for a turnover on the next possession — Ohio State’s second-straight turnover.
Klesmit missed a three-pointer on the following Wisconsin possession, and Ohio State turned the ball over again — this time it was Tanner Holden who lost the ball as he tried to get going downhill towards the right side of the basket.
Hepburn missed a layup on Wisconsin’s next possession, but Sueing traveled in a crowd of Badgers — Ohio State’s fourth consecutive turnover. Essegian knocked down another three-pointer on the next Wisconsin turnover, making it 26-16 Badgers with 7:41 remaining in the half.
After Wisconsin stretched their lead to 33-23, Bruce Thornton missed a long three but was able to grab his own rebound. After he grabbed the board, a Brutus beach ball that was being smacked around behind the basket by students made its way onto the court, halting play. Security took the ball away and both teams went to their benches with the Badgers up 10.
Moments after Hepburn gave Wisconsin a 30-18 lead on a floater, Hepburn came down the court and drilled a three from the left wing to give the Badgers a 33-18 lead — their biggest of the game to that point with 4:06 remaining.
Down 37-27 and holding for the final possession of the half, Likekele missed a layup but Sueing was able to corral the rebound. Sueing tried to back down Wahl in the post to score before the buzzer but was whistled for an offensive foul on what appeared to be a clear flop by Wahl.
For the second-straight game, Holtmann lost his mind at the officials and was issued a double-technical foul. Holtmann was ejected from the game, and Wisconsin hit all four free throws earned from the two technicals. Wisconsin then scored a bucket on a Chuckie Hepburn floater at the buzzer to make it 43-27 Badgers at the break.
Both the Badgers and the officiating crew ran to the tunnel with a chorus of boos reigning down on them from the crowd. Wisconsin, however, was all smiles, knowing this game was all but wrapped up.
With 8:59 remaining in the game, Key grabbed Likekele’s missed layup and scored to get the Buckeyes back within 10 points, 57-47. It was the closest they’d been in over 11 minutes, but Klesmit answered with a triple at the other end to put the Badgers back in front again, 60-47.
After falling behind by 15 points with just over six minutes remaining, the Buckeyes went on a quick 9-0 run without Sensabaugh, who fouled out of the game with 9:20 remaining. McNeil, Key, Thornton, and Felix Okpara all scored during the run, which ignited a crowd that was already jeering loudly at the officiating crew from how the first half of the game ended.
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Ohio State (11-11, 3-8) heads north to take on the Michigan Wolverines (12-10, 6-5) this weekend in Ann Arbor. Heading into Thursday night’s game against Northwestern, the Wolverines had lost three of their last four and were two games ahead of Ohio State in the Big Ten standings. The Buckeyes’ showdown in Ann Arbor is set to tip off at 1 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on CBS.
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
Welp, at least they made it interesting down the stretch,
Certainly, you’ve heard the phrase “an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object.” In sports it typically describes two teams — or players — at the top of their game, rolling on all cylinders, getting ready to collide.
Thursday night’s game between the Buckeyes (11-11, 3-8) and Badgers (13-8, 5-6) is whatever you’d call the exact opposite of that. Ohio State and Wisconsin have both bottomed out, losing 13 of their last 15 games combined. Both teams needed a win in the worst way Thursday night, yet the exact same phrase has been used for both over the past three weeks and it hasn’t changed anything for either!
Whether you consider Wisconsin the “unstoppable force” or the “immovable object” is up to you, but Greg Gard’s Badgers were able to snag a big road win Thursday night in Columbus, 65-60.
After a tough game at Indiana, Justice Sueing went back to the bench for Ohio State. In his place was Isaac Likekele, as well as Bruce Thornton, Sean McNeil, Brice Sensabaugh, and Zed Key. Wisconsin went with a starting five of Chuckie Hepburn, Connor Essegian, Max Klesmit, Tyler Wahl, and Steven Crowl down low.
The Badgers jumped out to a quick 8-0 lead just 90 seconds into the game, courtesy of three-pointers from Essegian and Klesmit, as well as an Essegian layup. After Klesmit’s three from just in front of the bench dropped to make it 8-0, the junior transfer from Wofford turned and talked to Ohio State’s bench. Chris Holtmann immediately called timeout, using his first less than two minutes into the game. The Buckeyes bounced back immediately after the timeout, going on an 8-0 run to tie the game over the next 1:20. Sensabaugh scored all eight points on just three shots, naturally, and the teams went into the first media timeout tied 8-8.
The Badgers broke open a 10-point lead by the under-eight timeout, 26-16. Ohio State aided the Badgers by turning the ball over on four-consecutive possessions, three of which came after Wisconsin did not score at their end. Crowl was a big problem for the Buckeyes in the first half especially, nearly reaching his season average of 12 points after 13 minutes of play.
Following some dramatics in the final seconds of the first half, Wisconsin went to the halftime locker room up 43-27 — the second consecutive game Ohio State trailed by 16 at halftime. Down 10 points with a chance to make it a single-digit deficit in the closing seconds, Chris Holtmann was ejected after Sueing was called for an offensive foul on Wahl. Wahl began to fall before the contact came, and the Ohio State bench wanted a block — or a flop — called. Wisconsin turned that foul call into a six-point possession (four free throws and a bucket) and went to the halftime break up 16.
The freshman Essegian led Wisconsin with 14 first-half points, four of which were from the technical free throws. Sensabaugh had 11 first-half points for the Buckeyes and was their only double-digit scorer in the opening stanza.
Ohio State cut Wisconsin’s lead to 52-41 with 12 minutes remaining, but Carter Gilmore scored through contact on the ensuing possession. The junior big man was fouled by Roddy Gayle as well but missed the free throw to keep the score at 54-41 Wisconsin.
The Buckeyes got within 10 once more with just under nine minutes to go, but Wisconsin had an answer in the form of another Klesmit three-burger to make it a 13 point game yet again. However, the Buckeyes went on a late 9-0 run starting at the 6:09 mark, getting back within six points of the Badgers at one point, 62-56.
However, the spirited comeback was not enough, and this team simply does not play good enough defense to come back from a 16-point deficit. Ohio State ultimately fell, 65-60.
If you weren’t around tonight to see Ohio State lose yet another Big Ten contest, here are a few of the key plays and runs that helped lead Wisconsin to their fifth win in the B1G:
Wisconsin jumps out early, Klesmit starts talking
The Badgers came out of the locker room and immediately popped Ohio State in the mouth, scoring eight-straight points over the first 90 seconds, forcing Ohio State to take a timeout. After Klesmit hit a three-pointer right in front of Chris Holtmann to make it 8-0, the junior guard turned around and politely told the Buckeye bench what he’d just done. Holtmann called his first timeout of the game right away.
Sensabaugh goes on a quick 8-0 run
After the Ohio State timeout, freshman star Brice Sensabaugh went on an 8-0 run of his own to tie the game. He hit back-to-back three-pointers and followed them up with a contested baseline floater over the head of Klesmit to tie things at eight-all going into the first media timeout. Sensabaugh scored eight points in exactly 80 seconds.
Four-consecutive turnovers for the Buckeyes — a record?
Trailing 21-16 with just under 11 minutes remaining in the first half, Klesmit missed a three, and Ohio State secured the rebound. At the other end, Bruce Thornton missed a three-pointer, but Sueing was able to secure the long offensive rebound. The ball worked its way to Key, but he traveled.
Wisconsin’s Crowl scored on the ensuing possession to make it 23-16, but Sueing lost the ball out of bounds for a turnover on the next possession — Ohio State’s second-straight turnover.
Klesmit missed a three-pointer on the following Wisconsin possession, and Ohio State turned the ball over again — this time it was Tanner Holden who lost the ball as he tried to get going downhill towards the right side of the basket.
Hepburn missed a layup on Wisconsin’s next possession, but Sueing traveled in a crowd of Badgers — Ohio State’s fourth consecutive turnover. Essegian knocked down another three-pointer on the next Wisconsin turnover, making it 26-16 Badgers with 7:41 remaining in the half.
Let’s go to the beach, beach
After Wisconsin stretched their lead to 33-23, Bruce Thornton missed a long three but was able to grab his own rebound. After he grabbed the board, a Brutus beach ball that was being smacked around behind the basket by students made its way onto the court, halting play. Security took the ball away and both teams went to their benches with the Badgers up 10.
Hepburn gives Wisconsin a 15-point lead
Moments after Hepburn gave Wisconsin a 30-18 lead on a floater, Hepburn came down the court and drilled a three from the left wing to give the Badgers a 33-18 lead — their biggest of the game to that point with 4:06 remaining.
Holtmann ejected following Sueing’s offensive foul
Down 37-27 and holding for the final possession of the half, Likekele missed a layup but Sueing was able to corral the rebound. Sueing tried to back down Wahl in the post to score before the buzzer but was whistled for an offensive foul on what appeared to be a clear flop by Wahl.
For the second-straight game, Holtmann lost his mind at the officials and was issued a double-technical foul. Holtmann was ejected from the game, and Wisconsin hit all four free throws earned from the two technicals. Wisconsin then scored a bucket on a Chuckie Hepburn floater at the buzzer to make it 43-27 Badgers at the break.
Both the Badgers and the officiating crew ran to the tunnel with a chorus of boos reigning down on them from the crowd. Wisconsin, however, was all smiles, knowing this game was all but wrapped up.
Ohio State gets back within 10 points for 21 seconds
With 8:59 remaining in the game, Key grabbed Likekele’s missed layup and scored to get the Buckeyes back within 10 points, 57-47. It was the closest they’d been in over 11 minutes, but Klesmit answered with a triple at the other end to put the Badgers back in front again, 60-47.
Buckeyes go on 9-0 run, cut deficit to six points
After falling behind by 15 points with just over six minutes remaining, the Buckeyes went on a quick 9-0 run without Sensabaugh, who fouled out of the game with 9:20 remaining. McNeil, Key, Thornton, and Felix Okpara all scored during the run, which ignited a crowd that was already jeering loudly at the officiating crew from how the first half of the game ended.
Up Next:
Ohio State (11-11, 3-8) heads north to take on the Michigan Wolverines (12-10, 6-5) this weekend in Ann Arbor. Heading into Thursday night’s game against Northwestern, the Wolverines had lost three of their last four and were two games ahead of Ohio State in the Big Ten standings. The Buckeyes’ showdown in Ann Arbor is set to tip off at 1 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on CBS.
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LGHL This season is Taylor Mikesell’s most impressive yet
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This season is Taylor Mikesell’s most impressive yet
1ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Joseph Scheller/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
The Ohio State women’s basketball guard is playing her best basketball inside a tough Buckeyes season.
Last season, the Ohio State women’s basketball team received a monumental boost from the transfer portal when guard Taylor Mikesell joined the Scarlet & Gray. Mikesell started for the Buckeyes following a two-year stint with the Maryland Terrapins and a tough single year with the Oregon Ducks. Immediately, Mikesell made an impact with scoring and leadership that led to a Big Ten regular season conference championship. This season, Mikesell is even better.
Wednesday, the Massillon, Ohio native scored 21 points against the Wisconsin Badgers. An above-average scoring night but within those ticks on the stat sheet was an important individual milestone. In the third quarter, with 31 seconds remaining, Mikesell hit the 1,000 points mark as a member of the Buckeyes. You can imagine her excitement.
“It’s pretty cool,” said Mikesell. “I had no idea.”
The response is in line with who Mikesell’s been since joining the Buckeyes. Individual accomplishments aren’t part of her vocabulary. Mikesell found out because head coach Kevin McGuff told her.
How the achievement was reached made sense for Mikesell too, hitting the mark on a three-point shot.
Since joining Ohio State, Mikesell has made a name for herself from beyond the arc. In the 2021-22 title season, Mikesell hit 114 three-point attempts, a career-high. At one point, the guard was hitting them with 50% efficiency, leading the nation in three-point percentage.
This season though, those other-worldly numbers aren’t there for the Jackson High School graduate. Actually, most of Mikesell’s scoring numbers are down but it’s by no means a down year.
Overall, Mikesell is scoring .7 points less per game and shooting 4% and 8% worse from the field overall and from deep, respectively. The guard is doing it as the Buckeyes' only consistent three-point threat.
What made Mikesell even more effective in her introduction season as a Buckeye was getting open looks on the perimeter. Next to currently injured guard Jacy Sheldon and now-LSU guard Kateri Poole, Mikesell received passes with room to get off a shot, something the quick-releasing guard doesn’t necessarily need.
It hasn’t hurt the Buckeyes until late, but three-point shooting as a team is top-heavy for Ohio State without Sheldon. Mikesell’s 186 attempts this year, the most in the Big Ten and third most in the NCAA, match the total of six other Buckeyes who play regular minutes. That’s not including forward Rebeka Mikulasikova’s 101 shots from three, the next closest on the roster.
Defenses know this, with Mikesell now rarely without a defender or two in her face. It was exploited in Ohio State’s three-game losing streak. Against the then No. 10 Iowa Hawkeyes, No. 6 Indiana Hoosiers, and unranked Purdue Boilermakers, Mikesell scored six threes total, mostly from quick releases in the second or two the guard had off screens.
Mikesell’s decreased offensive numbers are an example of how vital she is to the Buckeyes. Look elsewhere around the NCAA and South Carolina Gamecocks forward Aliyah Boston is another good example of this downturn. Boston’s 12.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per game this season is her lowest since her freshman year, but nobody is going to say Boston isn’t one of the best players in the game.
When there’s a clear threat on a team, the open looks from years past become much more narrow. For opposing coaches, Mikesell’s name is likely near or at the top of their list in preparation. With Mikesell receiving all that added attention, others are benefiting.
Forwards Cotie McMahon and Taylor Thierry have room to move into the paint and exploit teams who can’t afford to take someone away from Mikesell. On Wednesday, Thierry hit a career-high 25 points against Wisconsin.
Their productivity and ability to read defenses and take advantage of lanes has kept the Buckeyes in games of late, including scoring the first 13 points of Ohio State’s third quarter as the Wisconsin Badgers were fighting back from an 11-point halftime deficit.
It’s through Mikesell’s leadership, along with other senior members of the team, that McMahon and Thierry are learning from before the guard is done at the end of the season. It’s cliche, but true in Mikesell’s case that she’s the first one in the gym for practice and on the court before games.
“She’s doing a fantastic job, having a great year,” said head coach Kevin McGuff about Mikesell before Ohio State’s trip to Nebraska. “And just no surprise to me, she works so incredibly hard.
That hard work ethic is echoed by coach McGuff when he talks about Thierry and McMahon. That motivation isn’t all based on Mikesell, but the guard shows how much hard work in practice pays off on the court.
This season, Mikesell is having her best assists year in her five NCAA seasons. The graduate senior’s shifted to a point guard for parts of games, with Madison Greene going out with a season-ending knee injury.
So, Mikesell might not be scoring as much, but her assists are making up for it and then some. If Sheldon returns, remains healthy, and makes her pre-injury impact, Mikesell receives more freedom and can truly be unleashed in this Buckeyes lineup, but the guard isn’t doing it alone.
“It was cool to hear that,” said Mikesell about her 1,000th Buckeye point. “But credit to my teammates and the position that they’ve put me in to score and credit to coach McGuff and the coaching staff.”
Continue reading...
1ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Joseph Scheller/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
The Ohio State women’s basketball guard is playing her best basketball inside a tough Buckeyes season.
Last season, the Ohio State women’s basketball team received a monumental boost from the transfer portal when guard Taylor Mikesell joined the Scarlet & Gray. Mikesell started for the Buckeyes following a two-year stint with the Maryland Terrapins and a tough single year with the Oregon Ducks. Immediately, Mikesell made an impact with scoring and leadership that led to a Big Ten regular season conference championship. This season, Mikesell is even better.
Wednesday, the Massillon, Ohio native scored 21 points against the Wisconsin Badgers. An above-average scoring night but within those ticks on the stat sheet was an important individual milestone. In the third quarter, with 31 seconds remaining, Mikesell hit the 1,000 points mark as a member of the Buckeyes. You can imagine her excitement.
“It’s pretty cool,” said Mikesell. “I had no idea.”
The response is in line with who Mikesell’s been since joining the Buckeyes. Individual accomplishments aren’t part of her vocabulary. Mikesell found out because head coach Kevin McGuff told her.
How the achievement was reached made sense for Mikesell too, hitting the mark on a three-point shot.
Since joining Ohio State, Mikesell has made a name for herself from beyond the arc. In the 2021-22 title season, Mikesell hit 114 three-point attempts, a career-high. At one point, the guard was hitting them with 50% efficiency, leading the nation in three-point percentage.
This season though, those other-worldly numbers aren’t there for the Jackson High School graduate. Actually, most of Mikesell’s scoring numbers are down but it’s by no means a down year.
Overall, Mikesell is scoring .7 points less per game and shooting 4% and 8% worse from the field overall and from deep, respectively. The guard is doing it as the Buckeyes' only consistent three-point threat.
What made Mikesell even more effective in her introduction season as a Buckeye was getting open looks on the perimeter. Next to currently injured guard Jacy Sheldon and now-LSU guard Kateri Poole, Mikesell received passes with room to get off a shot, something the quick-releasing guard doesn’t necessarily need.
It hasn’t hurt the Buckeyes until late, but three-point shooting as a team is top-heavy for Ohio State without Sheldon. Mikesell’s 186 attempts this year, the most in the Big Ten and third most in the NCAA, match the total of six other Buckeyes who play regular minutes. That’s not including forward Rebeka Mikulasikova’s 101 shots from three, the next closest on the roster.
Defenses know this, with Mikesell now rarely without a defender or two in her face. It was exploited in Ohio State’s three-game losing streak. Against the then No. 10 Iowa Hawkeyes, No. 6 Indiana Hoosiers, and unranked Purdue Boilermakers, Mikesell scored six threes total, mostly from quick releases in the second or two the guard had off screens.
Mikesell’s decreased offensive numbers are an example of how vital she is to the Buckeyes. Look elsewhere around the NCAA and South Carolina Gamecocks forward Aliyah Boston is another good example of this downturn. Boston’s 12.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per game this season is her lowest since her freshman year, but nobody is going to say Boston isn’t one of the best players in the game.
When there’s a clear threat on a team, the open looks from years past become much more narrow. For opposing coaches, Mikesell’s name is likely near or at the top of their list in preparation. With Mikesell receiving all that added attention, others are benefiting.
Forwards Cotie McMahon and Taylor Thierry have room to move into the paint and exploit teams who can’t afford to take someone away from Mikesell. On Wednesday, Thierry hit a career-high 25 points against Wisconsin.
Their productivity and ability to read defenses and take advantage of lanes has kept the Buckeyes in games of late, including scoring the first 13 points of Ohio State’s third quarter as the Wisconsin Badgers were fighting back from an 11-point halftime deficit.
It’s through Mikesell’s leadership, along with other senior members of the team, that McMahon and Thierry are learning from before the guard is done at the end of the season. It’s cliche, but true in Mikesell’s case that she’s the first one in the gym for practice and on the court before games.
“She’s doing a fantastic job, having a great year,” said head coach Kevin McGuff about Mikesell before Ohio State’s trip to Nebraska. “And just no surprise to me, she works so incredibly hard.
That hard work ethic is echoed by coach McGuff when he talks about Thierry and McMahon. That motivation isn’t all based on Mikesell, but the guard shows how much hard work in practice pays off on the court.
This season, Mikesell is having her best assists year in her five NCAA seasons. The graduate senior’s shifted to a point guard for parts of games, with Madison Greene going out with a season-ending knee injury.
So, Mikesell might not be scoring as much, but her assists are making up for it and then some. If Sheldon returns, remains healthy, and makes her pre-injury impact, Mikesell receives more freedom and can truly be unleashed in this Buckeyes lineup, but the guard isn’t doing it alone.
“It was cool to hear that,” said Mikesell about her 1,000th Buckeye point. “But credit to my teammates and the position that they’ve put me in to score and credit to coach McGuff and the coaching staff.”
Continue reading...
LGHL Column: Chris Holtmann needs to coach for his job over the next four weeks
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Column: Chris Holtmann needs to coach for his job over the next four weeks
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
This is a big month for the coach and the program.
We here at Land-Grant Holy Land have mostly been a pretty pro-Chris Holtmann bunch since the coach came to Columbus in 2018 to succeed the legendary Thad Matta. There have been a lot of fairly enjoyable highs under Holt, including teams that have far exceeded preseason expectations, but when his program has ebbed the other way, boy has it ebbed to depths that nobody would wish on their worst enemy.
Not only has the annual January slump become a recurring theme for Holtmann’s program, but then there are the painful postseason defeats to the likes of Oral Roberts. In fairness, while the Buckeyes have yet to make it out of the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament under Holtmann, aside from losing to Mouth Bob in 2021, their exits were against teams that were at least their equals, and in most cases, their betters: No. 8 Gonzaga in 2018, No. 11 Houston in 2019, No. 8 Villanova in 2022.
Those facts notwithstanding, it is fair to ask if the men’s basketball program has reached its ceiling under Holtmann. While the analytics (for some reason) still like the Buckeyes this season, there is no arguing that they have essentially been hot garbage for over a month, going 1-7 since narrowly losing to then-No. 1 Purdue on Jan. 5.
However, now that the calendar has flipped to February, the Buckeyes have the opportunity to turn the page on an absolutely embarrassing and horrific month. And, despite all logic, they have a chance to play themselves back into the NCAA Tournament.
But, I think there is something more important at stake over the next four weeks as OSU wraps up its regular season on March 4 against Michigan State. I think that Chris Holtmann is essentially coaching for his job.
I think that Gene Smith and the Ohio State administration would like to keep Holtmann on as coach if he gives them any reason to down the stretch. They currently have the No. 6 recruiting class in the country, featuring three top-50 players, and still have a (very unlikely in my estimation) shot at landing the No. 33 player in the country, Bronnie James. If you fire Holtmann, there is every reason to assume that most of those players will decide to play elsewhere. Of course, some or all of them might stay, but there’s no real way of knowing that when you pull the plug on Holtmann’s tenure, unless you announce his replacement immediately.
So, if the Buckeyes show a pulse over the next month, I think Holtmann is safe; whether he should be or not is a discussion for another day. But, Ohio State can’t lose six or seven of its remaining nine regular season games. If they do, that will put them at 14-16 or 13-17 and so far from the NCAA bubble that even an unsuccessful run to the finals of the Big Ten Tournament couldn’t send them dancing.
But, if they go 5-4, or 6-3, the rest of the way, they would be 16-14 or 17-13 with a chance to not only reach the 20-win plateau, but make the tournament as well. Currently, the Buckeyes have the third-worst odds to win the Big Ten regular season crown at +50,000 according to DraftKings Sportsbook, but even that feels generous. In terms of cutting down the nets in Houston this April, they are tied with six other also-ran teams for the 30th-best odds at +10,000.
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Look, we all know that the Buckeyes aren’t going to win the Big Ten and they aren’t winning the NCAA Tournament, but just something approach competency would be a step in the right direction for this team. I have always felt that Holtmann’s squads have been well-coached and after the January doldrums have played their best ball down the stretch — despite a rash of disappointing injuries over the years.
That’s what Holtmann needs more than anything else to save his job. He has to prove that he is the man to right the ship. He has to prove that he can get his team and his athletes to play far better than they did in January. He has to prove that he has not lost his locker room.
If Holt can do those things, I think he gets one more shot at the Schott. The problem is, I’m no longer sure that he can actually do those things; but I’m certainly hoping he can. I like Holtmann — both as a person and as a coach. I think he is the type of person built to lead a basketball program at a blue-blood football school. He is level-headed, (theoretically) a talent developer, and seems like a genuinely good person. Ohio State could do a lot worse.
However, at some point, he has to get over the hump. Coming into the new year, I really thought this team had all of the makings of a squad capable of breaking the Sweet 16 drought, but those fantasies are so long gone that making it past the first two rounds of the NIT would be an accomplishment at this point.
I don’t think that the Buckeyes have to make the tournament to save Holtmann’s job, but they have to show signs of life, something they haven’t done much of since the calendar turned to 2023.
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Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
This is a big month for the coach and the program.
We here at Land-Grant Holy Land have mostly been a pretty pro-Chris Holtmann bunch since the coach came to Columbus in 2018 to succeed the legendary Thad Matta. There have been a lot of fairly enjoyable highs under Holt, including teams that have far exceeded preseason expectations, but when his program has ebbed the other way, boy has it ebbed to depths that nobody would wish on their worst enemy.
Not only has the annual January slump become a recurring theme for Holtmann’s program, but then there are the painful postseason defeats to the likes of Oral Roberts. In fairness, while the Buckeyes have yet to make it out of the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament under Holtmann, aside from losing to Mouth Bob in 2021, their exits were against teams that were at least their equals, and in most cases, their betters: No. 8 Gonzaga in 2018, No. 11 Houston in 2019, No. 8 Villanova in 2022.
Those facts notwithstanding, it is fair to ask if the men’s basketball program has reached its ceiling under Holtmann. While the analytics (for some reason) still like the Buckeyes this season, there is no arguing that they have essentially been hot garbage for over a month, going 1-7 since narrowly losing to then-No. 1 Purdue on Jan. 5.
However, now that the calendar has flipped to February, the Buckeyes have the opportunity to turn the page on an absolutely embarrassing and horrific month. And, despite all logic, they have a chance to play themselves back into the NCAA Tournament.
But, I think there is something more important at stake over the next four weeks as OSU wraps up its regular season on March 4 against Michigan State. I think that Chris Holtmann is essentially coaching for his job.
I think that Gene Smith and the Ohio State administration would like to keep Holtmann on as coach if he gives them any reason to down the stretch. They currently have the No. 6 recruiting class in the country, featuring three top-50 players, and still have a (very unlikely in my estimation) shot at landing the No. 33 player in the country, Bronnie James. If you fire Holtmann, there is every reason to assume that most of those players will decide to play elsewhere. Of course, some or all of them might stay, but there’s no real way of knowing that when you pull the plug on Holtmann’s tenure, unless you announce his replacement immediately.
So, if the Buckeyes show a pulse over the next month, I think Holtmann is safe; whether he should be or not is a discussion for another day. But, Ohio State can’t lose six or seven of its remaining nine regular season games. If they do, that will put them at 14-16 or 13-17 and so far from the NCAA bubble that even an unsuccessful run to the finals of the Big Ten Tournament couldn’t send them dancing.
But, if they go 5-4, or 6-3, the rest of the way, they would be 16-14 or 17-13 with a chance to not only reach the 20-win plateau, but make the tournament as well. Currently, the Buckeyes have the third-worst odds to win the Big Ten regular season crown at +50,000 according to DraftKings Sportsbook, but even that feels generous. In terms of cutting down the nets in Houston this April, they are tied with six other also-ran teams for the 30th-best odds at +10,000.
Look, we all know that the Buckeyes aren’t going to win the Big Ten and they aren’t winning the NCAA Tournament, but just something approach competency would be a step in the right direction for this team. I have always felt that Holtmann’s squads have been well-coached and after the January doldrums have played their best ball down the stretch — despite a rash of disappointing injuries over the years.
That’s what Holtmann needs more than anything else to save his job. He has to prove that he is the man to right the ship. He has to prove that he can get his team and his athletes to play far better than they did in January. He has to prove that he has not lost his locker room.
If Holt can do those things, I think he gets one more shot at the Schott. The problem is, I’m no longer sure that he can actually do those things; but I’m certainly hoping he can. I like Holtmann — both as a person and as a coach. I think he is the type of person built to lead a basketball program at a blue-blood football school. He is level-headed, (theoretically) a talent developer, and seems like a genuinely good person. Ohio State could do a lot worse.
However, at some point, he has to get over the hump. Coming into the new year, I really thought this team had all of the makings of a squad capable of breaking the Sweet 16 drought, but those fantasies are so long gone that making it past the first two rounds of the NIT would be an accomplishment at this point.
I don’t think that the Buckeyes have to make the tournament to save Holtmann’s job, but they have to show signs of life, something they haven’t done much of since the calendar turned to 2023.
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LGHL Ohio State and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad month of January
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Ohio State and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad month of January
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images
The first month of 2023 was definitely one that the Ohio State athletic department would love to forget.
It seems like at the end of every calendar year people say, “Good riddance to this year! Next year is going to be our year!” I’m always skeptical when I hear things like that. Then again, I’m just a curmudgeon.
Just because the year changes then everything else is supposed to magically get better? I’m sorry, but I know things don’t work that way. It’s probably not healthy to have such a pessimistic view, but at least I’m setting the bar low so the inevitable disappointment doesn’t hurt so much.
Even with expecting the worst, I still wasn’t prepared for just how dreadful the month of January was for Ohio State. Even though there was a couple bright spots, the month as a whole was terrible from the first few minutes of 2023. Honestly, I’m in awe of just how bad the month was, so I had to put it in writing just to marvel at how much of a trainwreck it has been.
Ohio State loses 42-41 to Georgia in College Football Playoff Semifinal
Even though pretty much the whole game took place in 2022, the only part that truly matters took part in 2023. Ohio State led 38-24 heading into the fourth quarter, and the Buckeyes couldn’t make the lead stick. Georgia took the lead with just under a minute left in the game when Adonai Mitchell caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from Stetson Bennett.
What makes the loss even more infuriating is Ryan Day thought it was a smart decision to settle for a 50-yard field goal. C.J. Stroud ran 27 yards down to Georgia’s 31 with 28 seconds left on the clock. The Buckeyes didn’t gain another yard after that over the next three plays. Noah Ruggles would go on to miss the possible game-winning field goal badly. It’s hard to blame Ruggles though, since Day put his kicker in a really tough position.
Ohio State men’s basketball defeats Northwestern 73-57
After a rough start to the new year of the athletic department, the Buckeyes didn’t have to wait too long to pick up a win. Ohio State earned a 73-57 win in Evanston on New Year’s Day evening. The Buckeyes weren’t threatened in the game, leading by double digits for pretty much the whole contest. The victory looks a lot better now than it did a month ago since Northwestern has been playing really well this year.
Ohio State men’s basketball loses to Purdue 71-69
Ohio State hosted the top team in the country a few days later. Even though the Buckeyes suffered a big loss just a few minutes into the game when Zed Key sustained a shoulder injury, his teammates were able to build double-digit leads over the Boilermakers a couple times in the first half before Purdue closed the gap to 36-33 at halftime.
The second half was a back-and-forth affair with a number of ties and lead changes. The Boilermakers took the lead for good when Fletcher Loyer hit a three-pointer with 12 seconds left to give Purdue a 71-69 edge. Ohio State wasn’t able to do anything with their last possession, falling just short of pulling the upset. The Buckeyes did a pretty good job at holding Zach Edey in checking, only allowing the giant to score 16 points and grab 11 rebounds.
Ohio State men’s basketball loses at Maryland 80-69
Even if Ohio State had beaten Purdue a few nights before, it was going to be tough for the Buckeyes to win a tough road test at Maryland. The task increased in difficulty without Zed Key available because of the shoulder injury he suffered against Purdue. Even without Key, Ohio State held a 39-34 lead at halftime.
The Buckeyes couldn’t make the lead stick, as Maryland opened up the second half with a 14-0 run. Ohio State would cut the lead of the Terrapins down to three points on a couple occasions, but they weren’t able to take the lead back. Brice Sensabaugh and Justice Sueing did all they could, with each player scoring over 20 points. The duo didn’t get much help, as no other Buckeye scored more than eight points in the loss.
Ohio State men’s basketball loses to Minnesota 70-67
On a two-game losing streak entering the game, this looked like an opportunity to get back on the winning track. Unfortunately, the Buckeyes came out of the gates sleepy, with Minnesota opening up a nine-point lead in the first half. Ohio State would at least start to right the ship a bit, heading into halftime trailing the Golden Gophers by just two points.
The momentum from the end of the first half wouldn’t carry over to the second half, as Minnesota led by as many as 11 points with just over five minutes left in the game. The Buckeyes would fight back to tie the game with eight seconds left when Brice Sensabaugh hit two free throws. The Golden Gophers would benefit from a foul that was later deemed by the conference as one that shouldn’t have been called.
Minnesota would go on to win 70-67, earning their first Big Ten win this season.
Ohio State men’s basketball loses 68-64 in overtime at Rutgers
These two teams met in December in Columbus, with Ohio State winning 67-66 thanks to a buzzer beater by Tanner Holden. This contest in New Jersey was as close as expected.
Much like the first meeting between the schools, most of the second half was a one-possession game. After Sensabaugh tied the game at 57 with 49 seconds left, he wasn’t able to snap Ohio State’s losing streak, missing a three-pointer with two seconds to go in regulation.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24402650/1456972393.jpg "Ohio State v Rutgers")
Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images
The Buckeyes ran out of steam in overtime, with Rutgers taking the lead for good with 1:34 left. The Scarlet Knights went on a 7-0 run after Ohio State took a 61-60 lead to secure the victory. Even though the loss was tough to swallow, the Buckeyes did get some good news with Zed Key being available to play in the game. Key came off the bench to play 28 minutes, nearly notching a double-double in the contest, finishing with 11 points and nine rebounds.
C.J. Stroud declares for the 2023 NFL Draft
Even though it seemed like only a matter of time before the Ohio State quarterback declared for the NFL Draft, there was some optimism creeping in that Stroud would return to the Columbus as the deadline to declare got closer. The possibility of Stroud coming back for another season gained traction when there was a tweet from a noted NIL grifter.
It turns out the “big news” was a stupid gender reveal. I have plenty more I could say on how bad it was, but I’ll be the bigger man. Even right there I had to check myself so I didn’t make a short joke.
Ohio State men’s basketball loses 63-60 at Nebraska
Even though there is no such thing as an easy win on the road in the Big Ten, this is a game that Ohio State really should win. With Zed Key at less than 100 percent or not, the Buckeyes have more talent than the Cornhuskers.
Ohio State was dreadful from the field, shooting just 35.7 percent. While I’m not sure whether this loss or the setback against Minnesota was more devastating, this feels like I really started to realize Chris Holtmann isn’t the right guy at head coach for the Buckeyes.
Ohio State men’s basketball beats Iowa 93-77
I guess even a broken team is right twice a month. Sensabaugh was outstanding, going 10-for-12 from the field and finishing with a team-high 27 points. Issac Likekele had his best game as a Buckeye, scoring 18 points, grabbing 10 rebounds, and dishing out seven assists. The win at least gave Ohio State a little bit of confidence heading into two tough road contests.
Ohio State women’s basketball loses to Iowa 83-72
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24402636/1459530967.jpg "Iowa v Ohio State")
Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images
After starting the season 19-0, the second-ranked team in the country suffered their first loss of the season, losing to Iowa 83-72. The teams headed into the fourth quarter with Iowa holding a 56-54. Unfortunately, Ohio State didn’t have an answer for Caitlin Clark and the Hawkeyes.
Clark finished with a triple-double in the game, scoring 28 points, registering 15 assists, and pulling down 10 rebounds.
Ohio State men’s basketball loses 69-60 at Illinois
So much for the men’s team being able to build off the win over Iowa a few days before.
Ohio State showed little life in the loss to the Fighting Illini. The Buckeyes were dominated in all facets of the game. The biggest discrepancy was on the glass, with Illinois outrebounding Ohio State 44-30. While it’s never easy to win in Champaign, it would have been nice to see a little more effort and urgency from the Buckeyes.
Ohio State women’s basketball loses at Indiana 78-65
Things looked good for the Buckeyes getting back on the winning track early on, as Ohio State went into halftime with a 36-32 lead in Bloomington. Then the third quarter happened.
The Hoosiers dominated the Buckeyes 27-6 in the quarter following halftime. The poor performance in the quarter was even tougher to swallow considering how well Ohio State played in the other three quarters. The loss allowed Indiana to jump the Buckeyes in the conference standings.
Ohio State men’s basketball loses at Indiana 86-70
For as bad as the game at Illinois was a few days prior, the performance from Ohio State was even worse on Saturday night at Assembly Hall. The Buckeyes allowed the Hoosiers to open up a 46-30 lead at halftime, and they weren’t able to cut into the deficit in the second half.
While Trayce Jackson-Davis came into the game with all the headlines, freshman Jalen Hood-Schifino did Ohio State in, hitting six three-pointers in the first half.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24402632/1460383485.jpg "Ohio State v Indiana")
Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images
With the loss, Ohio State finished the month with a 2-7 record, and currently has an 11-10 record on the season with a 3-7 record in the Big Ten. Unless the Buckeyes put together a serious run in February and early March, it doesn’t look like Ohio State will be making the NCAA Tournament this year.
Ohio State women’s basketball loses 73-65 to Purdue
The first two losses of the season by the Ohio State women’s basketball team were understandable because of the quality of competition they played. The loss to the Boilermakers on Sunday in Columbus was a lot more puzzling.
The Buckeyes fell behind 27-13 in the first quarter, and they weren’t able to make up the ground, falling 73-65 to Purdue. The third consecutive loss by Ohio State dropped them to 10th in the latest rankings that were released on Monday.
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Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images
The first month of 2023 was definitely one that the Ohio State athletic department would love to forget.
It seems like at the end of every calendar year people say, “Good riddance to this year! Next year is going to be our year!” I’m always skeptical when I hear things like that. Then again, I’m just a curmudgeon.
Just because the year changes then everything else is supposed to magically get better? I’m sorry, but I know things don’t work that way. It’s probably not healthy to have such a pessimistic view, but at least I’m setting the bar low so the inevitable disappointment doesn’t hurt so much.
Even with expecting the worst, I still wasn’t prepared for just how dreadful the month of January was for Ohio State. Even though there was a couple bright spots, the month as a whole was terrible from the first few minutes of 2023. Honestly, I’m in awe of just how bad the month was, so I had to put it in writing just to marvel at how much of a trainwreck it has been.
Jan. 1
Ohio State loses 42-41 to Georgia in College Football Playoff Semifinal
Even though pretty much the whole game took place in 2022, the only part that truly matters took part in 2023. Ohio State led 38-24 heading into the fourth quarter, and the Buckeyes couldn’t make the lead stick. Georgia took the lead with just under a minute left in the game when Adonai Mitchell caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from Stetson Bennett.
What makes the loss even more infuriating is Ryan Day thought it was a smart decision to settle for a 50-yard field goal. C.J. Stroud ran 27 yards down to Georgia’s 31 with 28 seconds left on the clock. The Buckeyes didn’t gain another yard after that over the next three plays. Noah Ruggles would go on to miss the possible game-winning field goal badly. It’s hard to blame Ruggles though, since Day put his kicker in a really tough position.
Ohio State men’s basketball defeats Northwestern 73-57
After a rough start to the new year of the athletic department, the Buckeyes didn’t have to wait too long to pick up a win. Ohio State earned a 73-57 win in Evanston on New Year’s Day evening. The Buckeyes weren’t threatened in the game, leading by double digits for pretty much the whole contest. The victory looks a lot better now than it did a month ago since Northwestern has been playing really well this year.
Jan. 5
Ohio State men’s basketball loses to Purdue 71-69
Ohio State hosted the top team in the country a few days later. Even though the Buckeyes suffered a big loss just a few minutes into the game when Zed Key sustained a shoulder injury, his teammates were able to build double-digit leads over the Boilermakers a couple times in the first half before Purdue closed the gap to 36-33 at halftime.
The second half was a back-and-forth affair with a number of ties and lead changes. The Boilermakers took the lead for good when Fletcher Loyer hit a three-pointer with 12 seconds left to give Purdue a 71-69 edge. Ohio State wasn’t able to do anything with their last possession, falling just short of pulling the upset. The Buckeyes did a pretty good job at holding Zach Edey in checking, only allowing the giant to score 16 points and grab 11 rebounds.
Jan. 8
Ohio State men’s basketball loses at Maryland 80-69
Even if Ohio State had beaten Purdue a few nights before, it was going to be tough for the Buckeyes to win a tough road test at Maryland. The task increased in difficulty without Zed Key available because of the shoulder injury he suffered against Purdue. Even without Key, Ohio State held a 39-34 lead at halftime.
The Buckeyes couldn’t make the lead stick, as Maryland opened up the second half with a 14-0 run. Ohio State would cut the lead of the Terrapins down to three points on a couple occasions, but they weren’t able to take the lead back. Brice Sensabaugh and Justice Sueing did all they could, with each player scoring over 20 points. The duo didn’t get much help, as no other Buckeye scored more than eight points in the loss.
Jan. 12
Ohio State men’s basketball loses to Minnesota 70-67
On a two-game losing streak entering the game, this looked like an opportunity to get back on the winning track. Unfortunately, the Buckeyes came out of the gates sleepy, with Minnesota opening up a nine-point lead in the first half. Ohio State would at least start to right the ship a bit, heading into halftime trailing the Golden Gophers by just two points.
The momentum from the end of the first half wouldn’t carry over to the second half, as Minnesota led by as many as 11 points with just over five minutes left in the game. The Buckeyes would fight back to tie the game with eight seconds left when Brice Sensabaugh hit two free throws. The Golden Gophers would benefit from a foul that was later deemed by the conference as one that shouldn’t have been called.
Minnesota would go on to win 70-67, earning their first Big Ten win this season.
Jan. 15
Ohio State men’s basketball loses 68-64 in overtime at Rutgers
These two teams met in December in Columbus, with Ohio State winning 67-66 thanks to a buzzer beater by Tanner Holden. This contest in New Jersey was as close as expected.
Much like the first meeting between the schools, most of the second half was a one-possession game. After Sensabaugh tied the game at 57 with 49 seconds left, he wasn’t able to snap Ohio State’s losing streak, missing a three-pointer with two seconds to go in regulation.
The Buckeyes ran out of steam in overtime, with Rutgers taking the lead for good with 1:34 left. The Scarlet Knights went on a 7-0 run after Ohio State took a 61-60 lead to secure the victory. Even though the loss was tough to swallow, the Buckeyes did get some good news with Zed Key being available to play in the game. Key came off the bench to play 28 minutes, nearly notching a double-double in the contest, finishing with 11 points and nine rebounds.
Jan. 16
C.J. Stroud declares for the 2023 NFL Draft
Even though it seemed like only a matter of time before the Ohio State quarterback declared for the NFL Draft, there was some optimism creeping in that Stroud would return to the Columbus as the deadline to declare got closer. The possibility of Stroud coming back for another season gained traction when there was a tweet from a noted NIL grifter.
It turns out the “big news” was a stupid gender reveal. I have plenty more I could say on how bad it was, but I’ll be the bigger man. Even right there I had to check myself so I didn’t make a short joke.
Jan. 18
Ohio State men’s basketball loses 63-60 at Nebraska
Even though there is no such thing as an easy win on the road in the Big Ten, this is a game that Ohio State really should win. With Zed Key at less than 100 percent or not, the Buckeyes have more talent than the Cornhuskers.
Ohio State was dreadful from the field, shooting just 35.7 percent. While I’m not sure whether this loss or the setback against Minnesota was more devastating, this feels like I really started to realize Chris Holtmann isn’t the right guy at head coach for the Buckeyes.
Jan. 21
Ohio State men’s basketball beats Iowa 93-77
I guess even a broken team is right twice a month. Sensabaugh was outstanding, going 10-for-12 from the field and finishing with a team-high 27 points. Issac Likekele had his best game as a Buckeye, scoring 18 points, grabbing 10 rebounds, and dishing out seven assists. The win at least gave Ohio State a little bit of confidence heading into two tough road contests.
Jan. 23
Ohio State women’s basketball loses to Iowa 83-72
After starting the season 19-0, the second-ranked team in the country suffered their first loss of the season, losing to Iowa 83-72. The teams headed into the fourth quarter with Iowa holding a 56-54. Unfortunately, Ohio State didn’t have an answer for Caitlin Clark and the Hawkeyes.
Clark finished with a triple-double in the game, scoring 28 points, registering 15 assists, and pulling down 10 rebounds.
Jan. 24
Ohio State men’s basketball loses 69-60 at Illinois
So much for the men’s team being able to build off the win over Iowa a few days before.
Ohio State showed little life in the loss to the Fighting Illini. The Buckeyes were dominated in all facets of the game. The biggest discrepancy was on the glass, with Illinois outrebounding Ohio State 44-30. While it’s never easy to win in Champaign, it would have been nice to see a little more effort and urgency from the Buckeyes.
Jan. 26
Ohio State women’s basketball loses at Indiana 78-65
Things looked good for the Buckeyes getting back on the winning track early on, as Ohio State went into halftime with a 36-32 lead in Bloomington. Then the third quarter happened.
The Hoosiers dominated the Buckeyes 27-6 in the quarter following halftime. The poor performance in the quarter was even tougher to swallow considering how well Ohio State played in the other three quarters. The loss allowed Indiana to jump the Buckeyes in the conference standings.
Jan. 28
Ohio State men’s basketball loses at Indiana 86-70
For as bad as the game at Illinois was a few days prior, the performance from Ohio State was even worse on Saturday night at Assembly Hall. The Buckeyes allowed the Hoosiers to open up a 46-30 lead at halftime, and they weren’t able to cut into the deficit in the second half.
While Trayce Jackson-Davis came into the game with all the headlines, freshman Jalen Hood-Schifino did Ohio State in, hitting six three-pointers in the first half.
With the loss, Ohio State finished the month with a 2-7 record, and currently has an 11-10 record on the season with a 3-7 record in the Big Ten. Unless the Buckeyes put together a serious run in February and early March, it doesn’t look like Ohio State will be making the NCAA Tournament this year.
Jan. 29
Ohio State women’s basketball loses 73-65 to Purdue
The first two losses of the season by the Ohio State women’s basketball team were understandable because of the quality of competition they played. The loss to the Boilermakers on Sunday in Columbus was a lot more puzzling.
The Buckeyes fell behind 27-13 in the first quarter, and they weren’t able to make up the ground, falling 73-65 to Purdue. The third consecutive loss by Ohio State dropped them to 10th in the latest rankings that were released on Monday.
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Wisconsin at Ohio State, Feb 2nd, 7 PM EST, FS1
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- Buckeye Basketball
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Two teams in need of a Big Ten will collide tonight as Ohio State hosts Wisconsin at Value City Arena. Fox Sports 1 will have national coverage at 7 p.m. Eastern.
The Buckeyes (11-10, 3-7) just wrapped a stretch where they played four of their last five games on the road. OSU has also lost seven of its last eight games to fall to 12th in the conference standings.
The most recent loss was on Saturday night at Indiana, where OSU suffered its worst loss of the season by margin in an 86-70 defeat. The Hoosiers went on 15-0 run in the last minutes of the first half to grab control of the game.
Freshman forward Brice Sensabaugh had 23 points and six rebounds to lead OSU. Center Zed Key added 12 points.
Wisconsin (12-8, 4-6) has lost its last three games to fall to 11th in the Big Ten.
This is the lone scheduled match-up between OSU and Wisconsin this season.
The Buckeyes are wearing “This Game is No Secret” shirts on Thursday night vs. Wisconsin. The third annual event is organized by the coaches behind ERACISM and is in honor of the legacy of John McLendon. He led his team to a win over Duke in 1944 in a game that had to be played in secret due to Jim Crow laws.
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* Where: Value City Arena
* Date, Time: Tonight, 7 p.m. (Eastern)
* TV: Fox Sports 1 (announcers: Gus Johnson and Jim Jackson)
* Radio: OSU Radio Network (64 stations); WBNS-FM (97.1 The Fan) in Columbus (announcers: Paul Keels and Ron Stokes; click here for affiliates).
* 2022-23 Records: Ohio State, 11-10 overall, 3-7 Big Ten; Wisconsin, 12-8 overall, 4-6 Big Ten.
* Poll Rankings: Ohio State, unranked; Wisconsin, unranked.
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Like Ohio State, Wisconsin has been beset by injuries. Star forward Tyler Wahl missed three games due to an ankle injury and the Badgers lost them all. Even with him, they’ve dropped their last three games coming into this one. They were outright humbled at home by Illinois on Saturday, losing by 10 points and only scoring 51 points.
Now comes Ohio State, which is also coming off its worst loss of the season (at least by margin) with Saturday’s 16-point loss at Indiana. The story of OSU’s season is the Buckeyes have played nearly everybody even but have found ways to lose tight games. That was true to a degree at Indiana, where the teams were even for 35 minutes. But Indiana outscored OSU by 15 points in the final five minutes of the first half.
And it’s been like that all season in the losses (and even in some of the wins) where the Buckeyes go five or six minutes without scoring or without a made field goal.
It’s common sense that the team that makes the most shots will win this game. I think Ohio State is better equipped to do that, particularly if Wisconsin can’t find a way to deter OSU freshman phenom Brice Sensabaugh. It could be on Wahl to try and defend him.
OSU center Zed Key seems to be working his way back from a shoulder injury. He was finally finishing some plays in the loss at Indiana. He should have the edge against 7-footer Steven Crowl in the middle.
OSU may go with Justice Sueing to defend Wahl. The Buckeyes need to get the ball out of his hands or deny him as much as possible. He is clearly Wisconsin’s best player.
Bruce Thornton could have his hands full with UW veteran point guard Chucky Hepburn. My guess is Sueing or Sensabaugh will be on UW guard Max Klesmit, who can be a three-point threat. Sean McNeil likely takes on UW freshman guard Connor Essegian, who broke out for a career-high 19 points in a recent game against Maryland.
In short, I just don’t think Wisconsin has the offense or shot making ability to win this game. OSU will need to find through a lot of contact because UW defends like heck. But the Buckeyes, playing at home, will put this one in the win column.
* I’ve got it: Ohio State 71, Wisconsin 65 (Ohio State is favored by 7-1/2 points on the early line; the over/under is 132-1/2 points)
What To Watch: Buckeyes host Wisconsin in battle of struggling squads
Two teams in need of a Big Ten will collide tonight as Ohio State hosts Wisconsin at Value City Arena. Fox Sports 1 will have national coverage at 7 p.m. Eastern.
The Buckeyes (11-10, 3-7) just wrapped a stretch where they played four of their last five games on the road. OSU has also lost seven of its last eight games to fall to 12th in the conference standings.
The most recent loss was on Saturday night at Indiana, where OSU suffered its worst loss of the season by margin in an 86-70 defeat. The Hoosiers went on 15-0 run in the last minutes of the first half to grab control of the game.
Freshman forward Brice Sensabaugh had 23 points and six rebounds to lead OSU. Center Zed Key added 12 points.
Wisconsin (12-8, 4-6) has lost its last three games to fall to 11th in the Big Ten.
This is the lone scheduled match-up between OSU and Wisconsin this season.
The Buckeyes are wearing “This Game is No Secret” shirts on Thursday night vs. Wisconsin. The third annual event is organized by the coaches behind ERACISM and is in honor of the legacy of John McLendon. He led his team to a win over Duke in 1944 in a game that had to be played in secret due to Jim Crow laws.
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WHAT TO WATCH: WISCONSIN AT OHIO STATE
* Opponent: Wisconsin* Where: Value City Arena
* Date, Time: Tonight, 7 p.m. (Eastern)
* TV: Fox Sports 1 (announcers: Gus Johnson and Jim Jackson)
* Radio: OSU Radio Network (64 stations); WBNS-FM (97.1 The Fan) in Columbus (announcers: Paul Keels and Ron Stokes; click here for affiliates).
* 2022-23 Records: Ohio State, 11-10 overall, 3-7 Big Ten; Wisconsin, 12-8 overall, 4-6 Big Ten.
* Poll Rankings: Ohio State, unranked; Wisconsin, unranked.
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HOW WE SEE IT
After one of the worst January showings in years, Ohio State has a chance to resurrect its season with a big stretch run. The Buckeyes will play six of their last 10 games at home, including three of the next four. This stretch begins with tonight’s home game against a Wisconsin team which is scuffling every bit as much as Ohio State has been.Like Ohio State, Wisconsin has been beset by injuries. Star forward Tyler Wahl missed three games due to an ankle injury and the Badgers lost them all. Even with him, they’ve dropped their last three games coming into this one. They were outright humbled at home by Illinois on Saturday, losing by 10 points and only scoring 51 points.
Now comes Ohio State, which is also coming off its worst loss of the season (at least by margin) with Saturday’s 16-point loss at Indiana. The story of OSU’s season is the Buckeyes have played nearly everybody even but have found ways to lose tight games. That was true to a degree at Indiana, where the teams were even for 35 minutes. But Indiana outscored OSU by 15 points in the final five minutes of the first half.
And it’s been like that all season in the losses (and even in some of the wins) where the Buckeyes go five or six minutes without scoring or without a made field goal.
It’s common sense that the team that makes the most shots will win this game. I think Ohio State is better equipped to do that, particularly if Wisconsin can’t find a way to deter OSU freshman phenom Brice Sensabaugh. It could be on Wahl to try and defend him.
OSU center Zed Key seems to be working his way back from a shoulder injury. He was finally finishing some plays in the loss at Indiana. He should have the edge against 7-footer Steven Crowl in the middle.
OSU may go with Justice Sueing to defend Wahl. The Buckeyes need to get the ball out of his hands or deny him as much as possible. He is clearly Wisconsin’s best player.
Bruce Thornton could have his hands full with UW veteran point guard Chucky Hepburn. My guess is Sueing or Sensabaugh will be on UW guard Max Klesmit, who can be a three-point threat. Sean McNeil likely takes on UW freshman guard Connor Essegian, who broke out for a career-high 19 points in a recent game against Maryland.
In short, I just don’t think Wisconsin has the offense or shot making ability to win this game. OSU will need to find through a lot of contact because UW defends like heck. But the Buckeyes, playing at home, will put this one in the win column.
* I’ve got it: Ohio State 71, Wisconsin 65 (Ohio State is favored by 7-1/2 points on the early line; the over/under is 132-1/2 points)
LGHL Michigan fans didn’t want him to start, now they claim the G.O.A.T: Tom Brady
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Michigan fans didn’t want him to start, now they claim the G.O.A.T: Tom Brady
Chris Renne via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Harry How/Getty Images
Former Ohio State rival and Michigan quarterback Tom Brady announced his retirement from the NFL after an illustrious career.
Tom Brady of the New England Patriots and Tampa Buccaneers retired this week at the age of 45 years old as a 7-time Super Bowl champion and a list of records as long as his career. In his time in the NFL, Brady established himself as a model of consistency after coming into the league as an overlooked 6th round pick.
The reason Brady was a sixth round pick comes down to a situation a lot of Michigan fans ignore, and the fact of the matter is, Lloyd Carr and the Michigan faithful wanted Drew Henson as their starting quarterback. Henson was an incredible athlete coming out of high school and a blue chip recruit from the state.
There are tons of reasons Michigan was excited about having Henson at the helm. As a high school quarterback, he was a Parade All-American. As a baseball player, he was four-time All-State selection and national record holder for home runs. This wasn’t a reason they cared about him as a football player, but it added to the lure of the world class athlete coming into play football.
Brady was an immobile, strong-armed quarterback from Northern California who had to send video tapes across the country to get recruited. He landed at Michigan and won the backup job on the national championship team behind incumbent starter Brian Griese. This was not a reward in hindsight. Brady had doubters of if he was capable of following in the footsteps or had the upside to win another shared national title.
There will be a lot of denial, but the evidence is clear with a now iconic – and a little infamous – story of an autograph day in Ann Arbor.
As the story goes, lines of Michigan fans awaited for the signature of the next great Michigan quarterback — the next player who was going to bring the Wolverines championship glory. That player was not Tom Brady, it was freshman supernova Drew Henson.
This story is the beginning to why the Michigan faithful should not act as high and mighty about the “G.O.A.T” attending the University of Michigan.
Brady waited that autograph day out all the way until the conclusion like a professional, signing few autographs that day and staring off into the distance taking in the scene. His first competition wasn’t with Henson; It was against the Michigan faithful. With Henson standing in the wings – or I guess at the 50-yard line signing autographs – the story of underdog Brady began for the world. This was the pathway to Mr. 199, and he only has Lloyd Carr and impatient Michigan fans to blame.
In an archived article from Sports Illustrated, Tom Brady Sr. was asked about the quarterback battle. His response tells the story of the younger Brady’s Michigan tenure, “It’s a pretty sore spot, to be honest with you,” Brady’s father said. “He wasn’t treated very kindly by the head coach.”
Carr was not against Brady, but to Carr the feeling from the outside is he wanted an influx of talent to the position. Brady wanted to transfer, but the quarterback room cleared up. The competition was still there even before Henson, but there were no guarantees made for Brady, unlike the ones made for Henson who forced all the coaches recruiting him to take one quarterback in his recruiting class.
The tale of the tape was not more clear. It was either Brady was going to earn every snap he played, or Drew Henson was going to start following any real slip-up. After Brady was the starter for a season, the Wolverines wanted to get Henson more playing time. To the ire of the fanbase, Brady was still playing well enough to warrant not passing the torch to a not completely proven commodity at the college level.
At the time of Brady coming into becoming the starter at Michigan, the fans, and more precisely the students at Michigan were not pleased. According to a story recounted in the Providence Journal, a group of fraternity members were engaging into a level of trash talk at an intramural basketball game that divulged into the likelihood of Brady starting at quarterback for the Wolverines.
“You suck,” they shouted. “You’ll never be the quarterback here,” another said.
These quotes from that story paint the picture clear as day how many of the campus members saw Brady — a kid who didn’t even warrant enough respect to even be thought of as a starting quarterback. Brady got back at them later, setting a hard screen on a kid who told him to his face that Henson would be the starting quarterback and that Brady would never start.
Seems like a place that really respected Brady, and deserves to claim him as their own.
In Henson’s first year on campus, many did believe that Carr would give him a shot at the job immediately due to his level of talent and pedigree. The beginning of fall practices saw that was the case, Henson was rotating in with the ones the minute he stepped foot on campus. Looking into this story deeper, an article from The Daily News of Newburyport, a fellow quarterback in the room, Jason Kapsner had a lot to say on the matter:
“Tom had clearly won the job, outright, in the spring, ahead of myself and Dreisbach” recalled Kapsner in Bill Burt’s article. “Then we open camp, Day 1 of two-a-days, and Drew is splitting reps with Tom. Normally, it’s a given at Michigan that a freshman has to earn his reps. This was a unique situation.”
There is a good reason Michigan fans were mislead. If the head coach himself and the rest of the staff aren’t believers, why should they be? That is a valid question, and to no fault of their own, the Wolverine faithful latched onto the hot new thing. I can think back to a time Ohio State fans did that with a certain mullet-ed kid from Texas. There is a distinct level of excitement when the best quarterback in the country declares they are coming to your school.
Where all of the parties from Tom Brady’s dad to his closest friends at the time have credited Michigan, is in how they turned him into the psychotic winner that owned the NFL for over two decades. But is being so dismissive and outright disrespectful to the quarterback from San Mateo, Calif. deserve the ability to say he’s a Michigan man?
“I’m staying,” Brady said, “And I’m going to prove to you I am a great quarterback.”
Brady won over his teammates on a daily basis, as we saw with Kapsner’s conversation. The fact he wasn’t given the reigns cost Michigan a few games in Brady’s two seasons. Carr decided to platoon Henson and Brady. In this scenario, one player would get the first quarter and the other the second. Whoever had the hot hand that day would get the second half — it was usually Brady.
Even when he proved it time and time again, his performances still weren’t enough to fully win over the coaching staff and fans until the platoon cost them a game.
Ohio State and Michigan will always be rivals, and that means when the greatest NFL player of all-time was treated like Joe Bauserman, people can’t let Michigan fans forget. They had the greatest quarterback of all-time, turned him into 6th-round pick, and now claim him as the GOAT.
This might be a personal experience, but my formative years as a football fan were when Brady was first winning Super Bowls. There was not a moment where Brady outright discussed how proud he was to be a Michigan Wolverine. The story with Brady always started at with the combine picture and ended wherever Brady was at in his career.
For many players, the school they played at defines their current stature in the league and the praise is placed back to the alma mater. Patrick Mahomes shares love for Texas Tech, Josh Allen for Wyoming, and even quarterbacks like Baker Mayfield always credited the alma mater for getting them to where they were.
I know those three underdog stories ring a little different. Mahomes took Mayfield’s job as three-star recruit, Mayfield ended up leaving his school to go on to having an iconic career at Oklahoma, and Allen went from JUCO to Laramie, Wyoming to prove he was an FBS level quarterback.
Brady was not invited back, or did not accept an invite back to Michigan until 2016. That day he was an honorary captain. It was the first time Michigan as a university showed real gratitude and a connection to their former quarterback. Even on that day, there was a weird feeling in the air. There definitely was feeling of distance. The memories of the fans wanting Henson and the coaches not giving him respect were significant talking points surrounding the ceremonial honorary captaincy.
This strained relationship adds to the list of reason Michigan fans should evaluate their relationship with Brady. It is strained and always will be. As a fan of neither, there just needs to be a middle ground meeting in reality of how Brady’s career really went at Michigan.
Michigan fans wanted Drew Henson. This drove Brady to finding the competitive fire that defined his NFL career. Tom Brady was 1-1 against Ohio State, he beat Alabama in the Orange Bowl, and finished his career 20-5 as a starter. His collegiate performance was incredibly solid, but at the same time, he will always be connected to the more heralded Henson.
Looking back the choice is probably obvious, Michigan fans would absolutely have handed the keys to the future greatest quarterback of all-time. That’s not how it works though, and the legacy has left a sour relationship for everyone involved. The story of Tom Brady has always been about being overlooked. That fire created continued at Michigan and set him on a path in the NFL that is now history.
Michigan fans will have to live with their history with Tom Brady, and that history is one that disregarded the future NFL Hall of Famer. They will always claim him, but they are lying to themselves and history when they do.
Michigan fans can be salty all they want, history shows that they wanted Drew Henson. And that will always be funny in hindsight.
Continue reading...
Chris Renne via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Harry How/Getty Images
Former Ohio State rival and Michigan quarterback Tom Brady announced his retirement from the NFL after an illustrious career.
Tom Brady of the New England Patriots and Tampa Buccaneers retired this week at the age of 45 years old as a 7-time Super Bowl champion and a list of records as long as his career. In his time in the NFL, Brady established himself as a model of consistency after coming into the league as an overlooked 6th round pick.
The reason Brady was a sixth round pick comes down to a situation a lot of Michigan fans ignore, and the fact of the matter is, Lloyd Carr and the Michigan faithful wanted Drew Henson as their starting quarterback. Henson was an incredible athlete coming out of high school and a blue chip recruit from the state.
There are tons of reasons Michigan was excited about having Henson at the helm. As a high school quarterback, he was a Parade All-American. As a baseball player, he was four-time All-State selection and national record holder for home runs. This wasn’t a reason they cared about him as a football player, but it added to the lure of the world class athlete coming into play football.
Brady was an immobile, strong-armed quarterback from Northern California who had to send video tapes across the country to get recruited. He landed at Michigan and won the backup job on the national championship team behind incumbent starter Brian Griese. This was not a reward in hindsight. Brady had doubters of if he was capable of following in the footsteps or had the upside to win another shared national title.
There will be a lot of denial, but the evidence is clear with a now iconic – and a little infamous – story of an autograph day in Ann Arbor.
As the story goes, lines of Michigan fans awaited for the signature of the next great Michigan quarterback — the next player who was going to bring the Wolverines championship glory. That player was not Tom Brady, it was freshman supernova Drew Henson.
This story is the beginning to why the Michigan faithful should not act as high and mighty about the “G.O.A.T” attending the University of Michigan.
Brady waited that autograph day out all the way until the conclusion like a professional, signing few autographs that day and staring off into the distance taking in the scene. His first competition wasn’t with Henson; It was against the Michigan faithful. With Henson standing in the wings – or I guess at the 50-yard line signing autographs – the story of underdog Brady began for the world. This was the pathway to Mr. 199, and he only has Lloyd Carr and impatient Michigan fans to blame.
In an archived article from Sports Illustrated, Tom Brady Sr. was asked about the quarterback battle. His response tells the story of the younger Brady’s Michigan tenure, “It’s a pretty sore spot, to be honest with you,” Brady’s father said. “He wasn’t treated very kindly by the head coach.”
Carr was not against Brady, but to Carr the feeling from the outside is he wanted an influx of talent to the position. Brady wanted to transfer, but the quarterback room cleared up. The competition was still there even before Henson, but there were no guarantees made for Brady, unlike the ones made for Henson who forced all the coaches recruiting him to take one quarterback in his recruiting class.
The tale of the tape was not more clear. It was either Brady was going to earn every snap he played, or Drew Henson was going to start following any real slip-up. After Brady was the starter for a season, the Wolverines wanted to get Henson more playing time. To the ire of the fanbase, Brady was still playing well enough to warrant not passing the torch to a not completely proven commodity at the college level.
At the time of Brady coming into becoming the starter at Michigan, the fans, and more precisely the students at Michigan were not pleased. According to a story recounted in the Providence Journal, a group of fraternity members were engaging into a level of trash talk at an intramural basketball game that divulged into the likelihood of Brady starting at quarterback for the Wolverines.
“You suck,” they shouted. “You’ll never be the quarterback here,” another said.
These quotes from that story paint the picture clear as day how many of the campus members saw Brady — a kid who didn’t even warrant enough respect to even be thought of as a starting quarterback. Brady got back at them later, setting a hard screen on a kid who told him to his face that Henson would be the starting quarterback and that Brady would never start.
Seems like a place that really respected Brady, and deserves to claim him as their own.
In Henson’s first year on campus, many did believe that Carr would give him a shot at the job immediately due to his level of talent and pedigree. The beginning of fall practices saw that was the case, Henson was rotating in with the ones the minute he stepped foot on campus. Looking into this story deeper, an article from The Daily News of Newburyport, a fellow quarterback in the room, Jason Kapsner had a lot to say on the matter:
“Tom had clearly won the job, outright, in the spring, ahead of myself and Dreisbach” recalled Kapsner in Bill Burt’s article. “Then we open camp, Day 1 of two-a-days, and Drew is splitting reps with Tom. Normally, it’s a given at Michigan that a freshman has to earn his reps. This was a unique situation.”
There is a good reason Michigan fans were mislead. If the head coach himself and the rest of the staff aren’t believers, why should they be? That is a valid question, and to no fault of their own, the Wolverine faithful latched onto the hot new thing. I can think back to a time Ohio State fans did that with a certain mullet-ed kid from Texas. There is a distinct level of excitement when the best quarterback in the country declares they are coming to your school.
Where all of the parties from Tom Brady’s dad to his closest friends at the time have credited Michigan, is in how they turned him into the psychotic winner that owned the NFL for over two decades. But is being so dismissive and outright disrespectful to the quarterback from San Mateo, Calif. deserve the ability to say he’s a Michigan man?
“I’m staying,” Brady said, “And I’m going to prove to you I am a great quarterback.”
Brady won over his teammates on a daily basis, as we saw with Kapsner’s conversation. The fact he wasn’t given the reigns cost Michigan a few games in Brady’s two seasons. Carr decided to platoon Henson and Brady. In this scenario, one player would get the first quarter and the other the second. Whoever had the hot hand that day would get the second half — it was usually Brady.
Even when he proved it time and time again, his performances still weren’t enough to fully win over the coaching staff and fans until the platoon cost them a game.
Ohio State and Michigan will always be rivals, and that means when the greatest NFL player of all-time was treated like Joe Bauserman, people can’t let Michigan fans forget. They had the greatest quarterback of all-time, turned him into 6th-round pick, and now claim him as the GOAT.
This might be a personal experience, but my formative years as a football fan were when Brady was first winning Super Bowls. There was not a moment where Brady outright discussed how proud he was to be a Michigan Wolverine. The story with Brady always started at with the combine picture and ended wherever Brady was at in his career.
For many players, the school they played at defines their current stature in the league and the praise is placed back to the alma mater. Patrick Mahomes shares love for Texas Tech, Josh Allen for Wyoming, and even quarterbacks like Baker Mayfield always credited the alma mater for getting them to where they were.
I know those three underdog stories ring a little different. Mahomes took Mayfield’s job as three-star recruit, Mayfield ended up leaving his school to go on to having an iconic career at Oklahoma, and Allen went from JUCO to Laramie, Wyoming to prove he was an FBS level quarterback.
Brady was not invited back, or did not accept an invite back to Michigan until 2016. That day he was an honorary captain. It was the first time Michigan as a university showed real gratitude and a connection to their former quarterback. Even on that day, there was a weird feeling in the air. There definitely was feeling of distance. The memories of the fans wanting Henson and the coaches not giving him respect were significant talking points surrounding the ceremonial honorary captaincy.
This strained relationship adds to the list of reason Michigan fans should evaluate their relationship with Brady. It is strained and always will be. As a fan of neither, there just needs to be a middle ground meeting in reality of how Brady’s career really went at Michigan.
Michigan fans wanted Drew Henson. This drove Brady to finding the competitive fire that defined his NFL career. Tom Brady was 1-1 against Ohio State, he beat Alabama in the Orange Bowl, and finished his career 20-5 as a starter. His collegiate performance was incredibly solid, but at the same time, he will always be connected to the more heralded Henson.
Looking back the choice is probably obvious, Michigan fans would absolutely have handed the keys to the future greatest quarterback of all-time. That’s not how it works though, and the legacy has left a sour relationship for everyone involved. The story of Tom Brady has always been about being overlooked. That fire created continued at Michigan and set him on a path in the NFL that is now history.
Michigan fans will have to live with their history with Tom Brady, and that history is one that disregarded the future NFL Hall of Famer. They will always claim him, but they are lying to themselves and history when they do.
Michigan fans can be salty all they want, history shows that they wanted Drew Henson. And that will always be funny in hindsight.
Continue reading...
LGHL Ohio State men’s basketball vs. Wisconsin: Game preview and prediction
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Ohio State men’s basketball vs. Wisconsin: Game preview and prediction
Meredith Hein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images
The Buckeyes look to avoid falling to .500 this evening.
Despite a brief respite with a win over Iowa in January, the Ohio State Buckeyes men’s basketball team is struggling. The Buckeyes are losers in seven of their last eight games, most recently falling to the Indiana Hoosiers on the road. Now, they look to get things back on track with a home game against the Wisconsin Badgers.
The Buckeyes are sitting at 11-10 on the season and are in danger of falling back to .500 for the first time since, well, the season started. With a 3-7 mark in conference play, they’ve fallen to No. 12 in the Big Ten standings ahead of only Nebraska and Minnesota.
What was particularly troubling about Ohio State’s loss at Indiana was the 16-point margin. The Buckeyes fell behind early and were down 46-30 at the half, but even that’s not the whole story. Indiana led by just one with five minutes remaining in the first half before the Hoosiers went on a 15-0 run before the break. That meant a 40-all second half — an impressive feat for the Buckeyes in a place like Assembly Hall — wasn’t good enough.
It also didn’t help that Indiana’s Jalen Hood-Schifino had six first-half three-pointers all by himself while the Buckeyes had just five scores from range collectively during the whole game.
Freshman forward Brice Sensabaugh led the Buckeyes in scoring for the 12th-straight game with 23 points on the night. Junior forward Zed Key was the only other Buckeye in double figures with an even dozen. The team shot a collective 44% from the field (and, as you may have guessed, were really bad from range, connecting on just 26% of attempts). Indiana, meanwhile, shot 50% on the night.
The Hoosiers outrebounded Ohio State 39-33 and was able to spread the ball much more effectively than the Buckeyes, with 17 assists to Ohio State’s nine. Impressively, the teams combined for just 17 turnovers.
The Buckeyes have lost their stride. But they have a home court advantage tonight and they’ll have their shot to get back on track against Wisconsin.
The Badgers and Ohio State are sitting in similar situations on the season. Wisconsin is holding a 12-8 overall record. With a 4-6 mark in conference play, Wisconsin is just ahead of Ohio State in the Big Ten standings. The Badgers are riding a three-game losing streak of their own, having fallen consecutively to Northwestern, Maryland and Illinois. They’re also losers of six of their last seven.
Senior forward Tyler Wahl leads the Badgers in scoring on the year, averaging 12.6 points per game. While that total might not feel impressive, hoops is a team sport, and there’s a quartet of Badgers averaging in double figures, including junior forward Steven Crowl, sophomore guard Chucky Hepburn and freshman guard Connor Essegian. Even more impressive, junior guard Max Klesmit, who joined the Badgers after two seasons with the Wofford Terriers, is the only member of the starting lineup who came to Wisconsin through the transfer portal.
The Badgers’ 61-51 loss to Illinois in Madison was a defensive struggle. The teams scored a collective 36 points in the first half (the conference’s lowest point total of the season). Hepburn led the Badgers in scoring with 15 points, while Klesmit had 12. Wisconsin had just five points from the bench. Wisconsin shot just 33% from the field (and from three-point range). The Badgers were outrebounded 37-31 but had nine turnovers to the Illini’s 11.
On the bench, Greg Gard is in his eighth season at the helm of the Badgers. He’s accrued a 156-86-overall record, including an 88-56 mark in conference play. Gard played his college ball at Wisconsin-Platteville and has been coaching in the state of Wisconsin for his entire career, including coming to Madison in 2001 as an assistant. Gard’s teams have made the NCAA Tournament in five-of-six seasons when the tourney was played, making the Sweet Sixteen twice during that time (2016, 2017). And while the Badgers haven’t won the Big Ten Tournament during his tenure, Wisconsin has taken home regular season championships in 2020 and 2022.
Ohio State and Wisconsin are entering this evening’s matchup with similar perspectives — mostly that each is desperate for a win. While both are sitting at the bottom of the Big Ten rankings, Ohio State is still commanding more respect than the Badgers this season: The Buckeyes are sitting at No. 27 according to Kenpom while Wisconsin is No. 70. Then again, we must also recognize that Ohio State played four of its last five games on the road. The lone victory for the Buckeyes came in their home game against Iowa.
Wisconsin has struggled offensively this season. The Badgers have the No. 13 scoring offense in the Big Ten, putting up just 65 points per game. Of course, they’re balanced (relatively) defensively, giving up just over 63 points per game. While the overall margin is positive, it’s a narrow mark. Wisconsin is also the worst rebounding team in the conference with a -4.1 margin, so it certainly doesn’t behoove them to be losing out on possessions.
On the stat sheet, Ohio State should have a clear advantage here since the Buckeyes are averaging 77 points per game. Unfortunately, that stat is something of a relic. Ohio State has only scored more than 70 points once in the last five games (in their win versus Iowa), and even more troubling to be facing a team like Wisconsin that can keep games low-scoring.
The Badgers definitely favor the three-point shot, connecting on 8.5 three-pointers per game. Considering Indiana crushed Ohio State from range, that’s also a problem for the Buckeyes.
On the bench, Chris Holtmann has been showing a lot more emotion lately. While those sorts of outbursts were welcome after the Buckeyes’ win over Iowa, they were less beneficial when he got T’d up against Indiana and the Hoosiers were able to capitalize.
The Buckeyes only face Wisconsin once this season. Ohio State is 77-52 all-time against the Badgers. Last year, Ohio State split its two games against the Badgers, with each team taking the home matchup. Wahl had 20 points and seven rebounds in the Buckeyes’ road loss in 2022, but just three points and one rebound in Columbus.
Tonight is the only time Ohio State is facing the Badgers this season. Considering both teams seem to be at low points in their seasons, it favors the Buckeyes that they’ll at least have home court advantage.
ESPN BPI: Ohio State 85.1%
Time: 7 p.m. ET
TV: FS1
Continue reading...
Meredith Hein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images
The Buckeyes look to avoid falling to .500 this evening.
Despite a brief respite with a win over Iowa in January, the Ohio State Buckeyes men’s basketball team is struggling. The Buckeyes are losers in seven of their last eight games, most recently falling to the Indiana Hoosiers on the road. Now, they look to get things back on track with a home game against the Wisconsin Badgers.
The Buckeyes are sitting at 11-10 on the season and are in danger of falling back to .500 for the first time since, well, the season started. With a 3-7 mark in conference play, they’ve fallen to No. 12 in the Big Ten standings ahead of only Nebraska and Minnesota.
What was particularly troubling about Ohio State’s loss at Indiana was the 16-point margin. The Buckeyes fell behind early and were down 46-30 at the half, but even that’s not the whole story. Indiana led by just one with five minutes remaining in the first half before the Hoosiers went on a 15-0 run before the break. That meant a 40-all second half — an impressive feat for the Buckeyes in a place like Assembly Hall — wasn’t good enough.
It also didn’t help that Indiana’s Jalen Hood-Schifino had six first-half three-pointers all by himself while the Buckeyes had just five scores from range collectively during the whole game.
Freshman forward Brice Sensabaugh led the Buckeyes in scoring for the 12th-straight game with 23 points on the night. Junior forward Zed Key was the only other Buckeye in double figures with an even dozen. The team shot a collective 44% from the field (and, as you may have guessed, were really bad from range, connecting on just 26% of attempts). Indiana, meanwhile, shot 50% on the night.
The Hoosiers outrebounded Ohio State 39-33 and was able to spread the ball much more effectively than the Buckeyes, with 17 assists to Ohio State’s nine. Impressively, the teams combined for just 17 turnovers.
The Buckeyes have lost their stride. But they have a home court advantage tonight and they’ll have their shot to get back on track against Wisconsin.
Preview
The Badgers and Ohio State are sitting in similar situations on the season. Wisconsin is holding a 12-8 overall record. With a 4-6 mark in conference play, Wisconsin is just ahead of Ohio State in the Big Ten standings. The Badgers are riding a three-game losing streak of their own, having fallen consecutively to Northwestern, Maryland and Illinois. They’re also losers of six of their last seven.
Senior forward Tyler Wahl leads the Badgers in scoring on the year, averaging 12.6 points per game. While that total might not feel impressive, hoops is a team sport, and there’s a quartet of Badgers averaging in double figures, including junior forward Steven Crowl, sophomore guard Chucky Hepburn and freshman guard Connor Essegian. Even more impressive, junior guard Max Klesmit, who joined the Badgers after two seasons with the Wofford Terriers, is the only member of the starting lineup who came to Wisconsin through the transfer portal.
The Badgers’ 61-51 loss to Illinois in Madison was a defensive struggle. The teams scored a collective 36 points in the first half (the conference’s lowest point total of the season). Hepburn led the Badgers in scoring with 15 points, while Klesmit had 12. Wisconsin had just five points from the bench. Wisconsin shot just 33% from the field (and from three-point range). The Badgers were outrebounded 37-31 but had nine turnovers to the Illini’s 11.
On the bench, Greg Gard is in his eighth season at the helm of the Badgers. He’s accrued a 156-86-overall record, including an 88-56 mark in conference play. Gard played his college ball at Wisconsin-Platteville and has been coaching in the state of Wisconsin for his entire career, including coming to Madison in 2001 as an assistant. Gard’s teams have made the NCAA Tournament in five-of-six seasons when the tourney was played, making the Sweet Sixteen twice during that time (2016, 2017). And while the Badgers haven’t won the Big Ten Tournament during his tenure, Wisconsin has taken home regular season championships in 2020 and 2022.
Prediction
Ohio State and Wisconsin are entering this evening’s matchup with similar perspectives — mostly that each is desperate for a win. While both are sitting at the bottom of the Big Ten rankings, Ohio State is still commanding more respect than the Badgers this season: The Buckeyes are sitting at No. 27 according to Kenpom while Wisconsin is No. 70. Then again, we must also recognize that Ohio State played four of its last five games on the road. The lone victory for the Buckeyes came in their home game against Iowa.
Wisconsin has struggled offensively this season. The Badgers have the No. 13 scoring offense in the Big Ten, putting up just 65 points per game. Of course, they’re balanced (relatively) defensively, giving up just over 63 points per game. While the overall margin is positive, it’s a narrow mark. Wisconsin is also the worst rebounding team in the conference with a -4.1 margin, so it certainly doesn’t behoove them to be losing out on possessions.
On the stat sheet, Ohio State should have a clear advantage here since the Buckeyes are averaging 77 points per game. Unfortunately, that stat is something of a relic. Ohio State has only scored more than 70 points once in the last five games (in their win versus Iowa), and even more troubling to be facing a team like Wisconsin that can keep games low-scoring.
The Badgers definitely favor the three-point shot, connecting on 8.5 three-pointers per game. Considering Indiana crushed Ohio State from range, that’s also a problem for the Buckeyes.
On the bench, Chris Holtmann has been showing a lot more emotion lately. While those sorts of outbursts were welcome after the Buckeyes’ win over Iowa, they were less beneficial when he got T’d up against Indiana and the Hoosiers were able to capitalize.
The Buckeyes only face Wisconsin once this season. Ohio State is 77-52 all-time against the Badgers. Last year, Ohio State split its two games against the Badgers, with each team taking the home matchup. Wahl had 20 points and seven rebounds in the Buckeyes’ road loss in 2022, but just three points and one rebound in Columbus.
Tonight is the only time Ohio State is facing the Badgers this season. Considering both teams seem to be at low points in their seasons, it favors the Buckeyes that they’ll at least have home court advantage.
ESPN BPI: Ohio State 85.1%
Time: 7 p.m. ET
TV: FS1
LGHL score prediction: Ohio State 75, Wisconsin 61
Continue reading...
LGHL Why is this News? All the articles and tweets Buckeye fans need for February 2, 2023
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Why is this News? All the articles and tweets Buckeye fans need for February 2, 2023
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
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 | Stitcher | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
Key Takeaways as Ryan Day dials up offseason plan for Buckeyes (paywall)
Austin Ward, Dotting the Eyes
Presser Bullets: Ryan Day to Allow Brian Hartline to Call Plays During Spring, Talks Quarterback Competition, Transfer Portak Additions, Plan for NIL
Griffin Strom, Eleven Warriors
Buckeyes hoping to name starting quarterback by end of spring
Andy Backstrom, Lettermen Row
Ryan Day says the QB battle between Devin Brown and Kyle McCord will be a ‘heck of a competition’
I feel like he’s been reading my articles over the past 14 months:
Brian Hartline WIll Call Offensive Plays During Spring Practices, but Ryan Day Won’t Make Final Decision on Delegating Duty Until After Spring
Dan Hope, Eleven Warriors
At least eight Buckeyes will miss Ohio State’s spring practice with injuries
Patrick Murphy, Bucknuts
Palaie Gaoteote IV, Tyler Friday not returning to Ohio State for sixth year
Andy Backstrom, Lettermen Row
He had to make sure he couldn’t still get fined:
Ryan Day unsatisfied with officials’ explanation of no targeting call on Marvin Harrison Jr. against Georgia
Kevin Flaherty, 247Sports
In Davison Igbinosum, Ja’Had Carter, the Buckeyes got two of the top transfer portal defensive backs
Patrick Murphy, Bucknuts
Quick Hits: Ohio State’s 10 Assistant Coaches, James Laurinaitis and Mark Pantoni Provide Offseason Updates, Look Ahead to Spring Practice
Dan Hope, Griffin Strom, Garrick Hodge, and Chase Brown, Eleven Warriors
Between Laurinaitis and this guy, I’m liking the more aggressive approach to coaching lately:
Mark Pantoni Says Ohio State “May Have to Pull Out” of Recruiting National Prospects Earlier if NIL Is Driving Force in Their Recruitiments
Garrick Hodge, Eleven Warriors
Ohio State offensive lineman Paris Johnson releases NIL-driven Paris’ Cut jerky
Pete Nakos, On3
B1G Thoughts: Five offseason questions for Ohio State
Jordan Williams, Land-Grant Holy Land
James Laurinaitis can have a Brian Hartline impact on Ohio State’s linebackers
Stephen Means, cleveland.com
To portal, or not to portal? That is the question for Ohio State football.
Josh Dooley, Land-Grant Holy Land
No. 10 Ohio State women back on track beating Wisconsin 90-67
Thomas Costello, Land-Grant Holy Land
NBA talks increasing as Ohio State’s Brice Sensabaugh focuses on team
Adam Jardy, Land-Grant Holy Land
That will get the job done.
Column: Ohio State men’s basketball is breaking computers like no team ever has
Connor Lemons, Land-Grant Holy Land
Freshman Bruce Thornton ascending to leadership role for Ohio State
Adam Jardy, Land-Grant Holy Land
This is very cool:
Ohio State wrestling completes Michigan sweep in dominating fashion
Josh Dooley, Land-Grant Holy Land
Women’s Swimming and Diving: Zenick, Eden Claim B1G Weekly Swimming Awards
Ohio State Athletics
What could go wrong?
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
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 | Stitcher | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
On the Gridiron
Key Takeaways as Ryan Day dials up offseason plan for Buckeyes (paywall)
Austin Ward, Dotting the Eyes
Presser Bullets: Ryan Day to Allow Brian Hartline to Call Plays During Spring, Talks Quarterback Competition, Transfer Portak Additions, Plan for NIL
Griffin Strom, Eleven Warriors
Buckeyes hoping to name starting quarterback by end of spring
Andy Backstrom, Lettermen Row
Ryan Day says the QB battle between Devin Brown and Kyle McCord will be a ‘heck of a competition’
I feel like he’s been reading my articles over the past 14 months:
Brian Hartline WIll Call Offensive Plays During Spring Practices, but Ryan Day Won’t Make Final Decision on Delegating Duty Until After Spring
Dan Hope, Eleven Warriors
At least eight Buckeyes will miss Ohio State’s spring practice with injuries
Patrick Murphy, Bucknuts
Palaie Gaoteote IV, Tyler Friday not returning to Ohio State for sixth year
Andy Backstrom, Lettermen Row
He had to make sure he couldn’t still get fined:
Ryan Day unsatisfied with officials’ explanation of no targeting call on Marvin Harrison Jr. against Georgia
Kevin Flaherty, 247Sports
In Davison Igbinosum, Ja’Had Carter, the Buckeyes got two of the top transfer portal defensive backs
Patrick Murphy, Bucknuts
Quick Hits: Ohio State’s 10 Assistant Coaches, James Laurinaitis and Mark Pantoni Provide Offseason Updates, Look Ahead to Spring Practice
Dan Hope, Griffin Strom, Garrick Hodge, and Chase Brown, Eleven Warriors
Between Laurinaitis and this guy, I’m liking the more aggressive approach to coaching lately:
Mark Pantoni Says Ohio State “May Have to Pull Out” of Recruiting National Prospects Earlier if NIL Is Driving Force in Their Recruitiments
Garrick Hodge, Eleven Warriors
Ohio State offensive lineman Paris Johnson releases NIL-driven Paris’ Cut jerky
Pete Nakos, On3
B1G Thoughts: Five offseason questions for Ohio State
Jordan Williams, Land-Grant Holy Land
James Laurinaitis can have a Brian Hartline impact on Ohio State’s linebackers
Stephen Means, cleveland.com
To portal, or not to portal? That is the question for Ohio State football.
Josh Dooley, Land-Grant Holy Land
On the Hardwood
No. 10 Ohio State women back on track beating Wisconsin 90-67
Thomas Costello, Land-Grant Holy Land
NBA talks increasing as Ohio State’s Brice Sensabaugh focuses on team
Adam Jardy, Land-Grant Holy Land
That will get the job done.
Column: Ohio State men’s basketball is breaking computers like no team ever has
Connor Lemons, Land-Grant Holy Land
Freshman Bruce Thornton ascending to leadership role for Ohio State
Adam Jardy, Land-Grant Holy Land
This is very cool:
Outside the Shoe and Schott
Ohio State wrestling completes Michigan sweep in dominating fashion
Josh Dooley, Land-Grant Holy Land
Women’s Swimming and Diving: Zenick, Eden Claim B1G Weekly Swimming Awards
Ohio State Athletics
And now for something completely different...
What could go wrong?
Continue reading...
LGHL Bucketheads Podcast: Ohio State’s backs are up against the wall. Can they turn this thing around?
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- 0 Replies
Bucketheads Podcast: Ohio State’s backs are up against the wall. Can they turn this thing around?
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images
And what do they have to do to make the NCAA Tournament?
‘Bucketheads’ is LGHL’s men’s basketball podcast, hosted by Connor Lemons and Justin Golba. Every episode they give you the latest scoop on the Ohio State Buckeyes and everything else happening in the college hoops world.
For episode 64 of the “Bucketheads” Podcast, Connor and Justin take a look at the Buckeyes' disastrous January, and ask a simple question: Is there any way this thing gets turned around?
The Buckeyes currently sit at 11-10 and 3-7 in the conference, but with seven of their last 10 games at home and games coming up against Wisconsin and Michigan, can the Buckeyes finish strong enough to make the NCAA Tournament? And if they don’t, where do they go from here?
Also, the guys take a look at the 2023 recruiting class, and answer some listener questions to wrap things up.
Connect with the Podcast:
Twitter: @BucketheadsLGHL
Connect with Connor:
Twitter: @lemons_connor
Connect with Justin:
Twitter: @justin_golba
Continue reading...
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images
And what do they have to do to make the NCAA Tournament?
‘Bucketheads’ is LGHL’s men’s basketball podcast, hosted by Connor Lemons and Justin Golba. Every episode they give you the latest scoop on the Ohio State Buckeyes and everything else happening in the college hoops world.
Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
For episode 64 of the “Bucketheads” Podcast, Connor and Justin take a look at the Buckeyes' disastrous January, and ask a simple question: Is there any way this thing gets turned around?
The Buckeyes currently sit at 11-10 and 3-7 in the conference, but with seven of their last 10 games at home and games coming up against Wisconsin and Michigan, can the Buckeyes finish strong enough to make the NCAA Tournament? And if they don’t, where do they go from here?
Also, the guys take a look at the 2023 recruiting class, and answer some listener questions to wrap things up.
Connect with the Podcast:
Twitter: @BucketheadsLGHL
Connect with Connor:
Twitter: @lemons_connor
Connect with Justin:
Twitter: @justin_golba
Continue reading...
LGHL Wednesday made for the easiest February Signing Day ever for the Buckeyes, but all attention has been focused on 2024 and 2025’s class.
- News
- 0 Replies
Wednesday made for the easiest February Signing Day ever for the Buckeyes, but all attention has been focused on 2024 and 2025’s class.
Caleb Houser via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Doral Chenoweth / USA TODAY NETWORK
All the attention has been focused on 2024 and 2025’s class.
The February Signing Day for high school recruits is celebrated for a couple of reasons. The excitement surrounding the hard work paying off for these prep stars is among the top reasons for it being a special day, but it also gives way for the Ohio State coaching staff to speak to the media and give some in-depth coverage as to what is going on in the state of the program.
Wednesday once again allowed other assistant coaches to speak in addition to staffers, such as Mark Pantoni, who’s focus is solely on recruiting efforts and managing the personnel for the Buckeyes. Bringing several pieces of news to attention, the staff is still in full pursuit mode of elite players to join the roster after spring football via the transfer portal, and roster management to get to 85 players is already taking place.
At any rate, there’s plenty going on in Columbus that makes it seem like there’s really not an offseason for this program.
Before the sun came up yesterday, Ohio State took to Twitter to preview signing day, and shared their sentiments of, “looking forward to a great day.”
Not even five minutes later, another tweet from Ohio State stated signing day was, “now complete,” after zero new additions were made to the 2023 recruiting class. Having some fun with how that news was shared, this at least ties the easiest signing day ever for the Buckeyes, as all of the work for this class was signed, sealed, and delivered during the December signing period when the entire class inked their letters of intent.
While there weren’t any fireworks, that doesn't necessarily give cause for concern, because the time this staff has spent the last several weeks on the trail has been fully devoted to the efforts in the 2024 and 2025 classes. Seeing coaches on the road and doing so all over the country has made for a ton of new offers. Those recruits have made it clear how they feel about Ohio State, and while the season certainly didn’t go as planned, the feelings by top recruits point to a pretty positive vibe surrounding the Buckeyes’ future.
Pointing to the recent success in the transfer portal as well, this staff is showing signs of doing what it takes when it comes to landing the top players looking for new homes. As long as that remains the case moving forward, Ohio State is in as good of a spot as anyone else.
LJ is still one of the best in the game at his profession and position group, but having a right hand man to help in development as well as the many other areas is a key to seeing this defensive line group take the next step in 2023.
Ohio State will always be in the business of going after the best players in the country, but if the headaches and potential for clashes in culture present themselves, the Buckeyes believe their time is better spent elsewhere. The world of college football and recruiting has never been crazier, but Ohio State seems as prepared as any when it comes to weathering any potential storms.
Continue reading...
Caleb Houser via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Doral Chenoweth / USA TODAY NETWORK
All the attention has been focused on 2024 and 2025’s class.
The February Signing Day for high school recruits is celebrated for a couple of reasons. The excitement surrounding the hard work paying off for these prep stars is among the top reasons for it being a special day, but it also gives way for the Ohio State coaching staff to speak to the media and give some in-depth coverage as to what is going on in the state of the program.
Wednesday once again allowed other assistant coaches to speak in addition to staffers, such as Mark Pantoni, who’s focus is solely on recruiting efforts and managing the personnel for the Buckeyes. Bringing several pieces of news to attention, the staff is still in full pursuit mode of elite players to join the roster after spring football via the transfer portal, and roster management to get to 85 players is already taking place.
At any rate, there’s plenty going on in Columbus that makes it seem like there’s really not an offseason for this program.
The easiest signing day in Ohio State history
Before the sun came up yesterday, Ohio State took to Twitter to preview signing day, and shared their sentiments of, “looking forward to a great day.”
Not even five minutes later, another tweet from Ohio State stated signing day was, “now complete,” after zero new additions were made to the 2023 recruiting class. Having some fun with how that news was shared, this at least ties the easiest signing day ever for the Buckeyes, as all of the work for this class was signed, sealed, and delivered during the December signing period when the entire class inked their letters of intent.
While there weren’t any fireworks, that doesn't necessarily give cause for concern, because the time this staff has spent the last several weeks on the trail has been fully devoted to the efforts in the 2024 and 2025 classes. Seeing coaches on the road and doing so all over the country has made for a ton of new offers. Those recruits have made it clear how they feel about Ohio State, and while the season certainly didn’t go as planned, the feelings by top recruits point to a pretty positive vibe surrounding the Buckeyes’ future.
Pointing to the recent success in the transfer portal as well, this staff is showing signs of doing what it takes when it comes to landing the top players looking for new homes. As long as that remains the case moving forward, Ohio State is in as good of a spot as anyone else.
Quick Hits
- Ohio State made the hiring of LaAllan Clark official on Wednesday. Coming in as a defensive GA, Clark will be spending his time helping Larry Johnson with the defensive line group. An important hire for the Buckeyes, Clark’s resume in helping train several current NFL stars at the position may be the stat that jumps out the most, and is definitely a key piece when it comes to recruiting down the road.
LJ is still one of the best in the game at his profession and position group, but having a right hand man to help in development as well as the many other areas is a key to seeing this defensive line group take the next step in 2023.
- Of the many talking points that were brought up regarding recruiting, the notes Pantoni made about recruiting more regionally as well as leaving recruitments of national players if their focus is mainly NIL stick out the most. Knowing Ohio State’s goals to fill the roster with players of a certain mindset, hearing staffers say NIL priorities for national recruits may guide the Buckeyes elsewhere makes sense.
Ohio State will always be in the business of going after the best players in the country, but if the headaches and potential for clashes in culture present themselves, the Buckeyes believe their time is better spent elsewhere. The world of college football and recruiting has never been crazier, but Ohio State seems as prepared as any when it comes to weathering any potential storms.
Continue reading...