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LGHL Bucketheads Podcast: The Big Ten Media Poll has been released and we give our thoughts

Bucketheads Podcast: The Big Ten Media Poll has been released and we give our thoughts
justingolba
via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


NCAA Basketball: Big Ten Conference Tournament Semifinals Purdue vs. Ohio State

David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Plus, we took a crack at giving our rankings too.

“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 | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio

We are officially less than a month away from the start of the college basketball season, and we have the media poll and preseason predictions for the season.

28 media members voted and ranked all 14 Big Ten teams and where they thought every team would finish this year. They predicted Purdue to win the conference and Ohio State to finish seventh.

Naturally, we debated this. Is seven too high or too low? And can anyone take over the conference from Purdue?

We also gave our rankings 1-14 and discussed those. Plus, Bryce James made an unofficial visit. What does this mean for the Buckeyes?

Be sure to like and subscribe to the podcast and leave a review of what you think of the show!



Connect with the Podcast:
Twitter:
@BucketheadsLGPN

Connect with Connor:
Twitter:
@lemons_connor

Connect with Justin:
Twitter:
@justin_golba

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LGHL BOOOM! Buckeyes land another DB in their 2024 class, dish out latest offer to 2026 running back

BOOOM! Buckeyes land another DB in their 2024 class, dish out latest offer to 2026 running back
Caleb Houser
via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


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Ohio State landed another Florida native with Leroy Roker now in the fold for the 2024 class.

It’s been a BOOM worthy week for Ohio State twice now, as Wednesday saw the latest addition of the 2024 class join the fold. Taking to Twitter to break the news, three-star safety Leroy Roker (Ft. Myers, Florida/Bishop Verot) made his pledge to the Buckeyes after what has been a pretty fast-paced recruitment concerning Ohio State.

A 6-foot-1, 170 pound safety, Roker was only offered by the Buckeyes just last week, but made it clear of his interest in Ohio State as he made the trek from Florida to campus for the Maryland game this past weekend. Not needing much time at all to make it official, Roker’s commitment to Ohio State gives the Buckeyes another important safety commit which was definitely needed, but also continues to give this staff plenty of further proof that their national presence is just as strong as ever.

The No. 1285 player nationally, Roker is the 121st best safety in the current cycle per the 247Sports Composit. Not the highest graded defensive back in the class, seeing the reaction from the defensive coaches yesterday says all you need to know about this commitment. It was well celebrated, and surely this group of coaches knows what they’re doing when it comes to evaluating the players they want to land.

The two major offers on Roker’s list prior to the Buckeyes came from Miami and Iowa, but Ohio State’s full-court press last weekend paid off in a major way. Still sitting as the second-ranked recruiting class in the country, the Buckeyes only have a few more spots left up for grabs, but this latest one is a major checkmark on a position that was in need.

Buckeyes offer 2026 running back target


Though much of the recruiting attention was on Roker’s commitment in the 2024 class, the Buckeyes also stayed busy on the trail in evaluation mode as they dished out their latest offer by way of 2026 running back target, Savion Hiter (Woodberry Forest, Virginia/Woodberry Forest).

A 5-foot-11, 185 pound high school sophomore, Hiter is already seeing some major attention for his services, as he’s currently the No. 16 player nationally and the top overall running back in the 2026 class per the 247Sports Composite. A five-star with still two full seasons of prep football to play, Savion has one of the more impressive offer lists to his name that currently includes the likes of Alabama, Georgia, Penn State, Oregon, Tennessee, and several others now among Ohio State.

Where the Buckeyes can make their hay though is selling Hiter on the current success they are having with fellow Virginia native, TreVeyon Henderson. Also a former top overall player at the position, Ohio State has showcased Henderson well and the rest of this season will follow suit. For Savion, this is a real-life example of a kid from Virginia leaving home to go to Ohio State and thriving in said role.

You can bet for the long haul the Buckeyes and position coach Tony Alford will be all over this recruitment, and one of those major pitches will be Henderson himself giving some insight on why Columbus is the place to be.

Quick Hits

  • As if two commits this week wasn’t enough, there’s some rumors and rumblings that Ohio State may not be done yet, as there could be a potential “flip” in the works. 2024 receiver target Chance Robinson (Ft. Myers, Florida/St. Thomas Aquinas) is currently committed to Miami and has been since April of this year. But after some hinting on social media, the idea is that Robinson may be getting ready to make a decision in favor of the Buckeyes.

The No. 151 player nationally and the 22nd best receiver for 2024 per the 247Sports Composite, Robinson has been on the Ohio State radar heavily as of late, and seeing the tweets sent out yesterday from St. Thomas Aquinas staffers and then fellow commits such as Jeremiah Smith, it just makes sense that this is on the horizon.

It could just be smoke in the air, but Hartline and the Buckeyes have made it no secret that Chance would be a major part of this class and maybe those efforts are looking to pay off in the near future.

Big Day Tomorrow

— Jay Wimbrow (@jay_wimbrow) October 11, 2023

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LGHL Big Ten Men’s Basketball Team Previews: Nebraska Cornhuskers

Big Ten Men’s Basketball Team Previews: Nebraska Cornhuskers
justingolba
via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


NCAA Basketball: Big Ten Conference Tournament First Round - Nebraska vs Minnesota

Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

How far can Keisei Tominaga take the Huskers?

As we enter the fall season and college football gets underway, college basketball is right around the corner. As always, to prepare you for the season, Land-Grant Holy Land will be publishing Big Ten Team Previews and Ohio State Basketball Player Previews, starting now with the Team Previews.



Team: Nebraska Cornhuskers
Head coach: Fred Hoiberg, Fifth Season, 40-83 (18-61)
2022-23 record: 16-16 (9-11)
All-time record against Ohio State: 5-19

Returners: Keisei Tominaga, CJ Wilcher, Jamarques Lawrence, Juwan Gary, Sam Hoiberg, Blaise Keita, Ramel Lloyd

Departures: Derrick Walker, Sam Griesel, Emmanuel Bandoumel, Denim Dawson, Oleg Kogenets, Quaran McPherson, Wilhelm Breidenbach

Newcomers: Eli Rice, Rienk Mast, Brice Williams, Ahron Ulis, Josiah Allick


Outlook


The Huskers will have to replace a lot of production from a season that provided some good moments in 2022-23.

Nebraska is losing three of its top five scorers, including Derrick Walker, who led the team in points, rebounds, and assists. Walker averaged 13.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. Sam Griesel is also gone, who averaged 12.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. Griesel was third on the team in scoring, and second in rebounds and assists. Emmanuel Bandoumel is gone as well after averaging 8.4 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.

However, Keisei Tominaga is back after his breakout season, averaging 13.1 points per game. He was one of the surprise stars of last season in the conference, and proved himself to be one of the top shooters in the conference and a high-energy guy that can spark the Huskers. Now it is his team, and he will be the top name on the scouting report. Last season, he was able to surprise some people, but now everyone will see him coming. How he will respond to that will be important to the Husker’s success this season.

Tominaga, CJ Wilcher, and Juwan Gray are all back, and will look to form the trio that can lead the Huskers next season. Brice Williams is a transfer guard from Charlotte coming into the program after averaging 13.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. They will need his production ASAP to win some early games.

Rienk Mast averaged 13.8 points and 8.0 rebounds per game at Bradley, and Jarron Coleman averaged 14.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game at Ball State.

This is a solid transfer class that Hoiberg will look to early and often to provide at this level.


Prediction


It is looking to be another bleak season in Lincoln, Nebraska. However, there are some guys who can step up and change that. The Huskers finished 16-16 last season and 9-11 in conference. That was a solid season, and one that they would hope to build on.

For that to happen, they will need the transfers of Williams, Mast, Coleman, and Ahron Ulis to be immediate contributors. With Ulis, as of right now, his eligibility is unknown due to his involvement in the Iowa Athletics gambling case, so we will see if he can play this season. If he can, he can be a good complement at the guard position to Wilcher.

Nebraska will need to show some sort of building blocks from last season. This is the fifth season under Hoiberg, and he has lost double the amount of conference games that he has won. Showing those building blocks from season to season could go a long way in extending his tenure in Lincoln.

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LGHL Could an in-state receiver start seeing some more Ohio State recruiting attention?

Could an in-state receiver start seeing some more Ohio State recruiting attention?
Caleb Houser
via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


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In-state native Shaun Terry is one worth keeping a close eye on.

We just saw Ohio State land a wide receiver target this week thanks to class of 2025 Florida native Jayvan Boggs. Showing that Brian Hartline can strike at any moment, this is just another athlete that the Buckeyes are locking up early on as they continue stockpiling weapons at the position. With seemingly every class, Hartline has put together a group boasting the top receivers in the country, and he’s already getting an early start on 2025.

Thinking back to when he took over as the WR coach until now, it is almost difficult to wrap your mind around all of the impressive names that he’s been able to recruit and develop. While he’s had a bevy of talent, Hartline also has been able to find some lower-ranked, underappreciated guys that almost magically excel once they get to Columbus.

Players such as Chris Olave come to mind, but even a Jaxon Smith-Njigba was only a three-star prospect before Ohio State offered before he came to Columbus as a five-star. Sure, top-100 guys are what everyone wants to see added to a class, but in this regard, here’s another tip of the cap to Hartline for identifying the talent that he wants and making it happen regardless of what the player is ranked by the recruiting sites.

Maybe not having to look super far for who’s next


Simply put, Boggs is an example of a recruitment of a lower-ranked player that Hartline clearly wanted and didn’t care about his recruiting ranking. With his eye for talent and ability to develop his players, you can throw the stars out and feel confident in knowing that anybody Hartline brings to town will be able to flat-out play.

So, let’s turn our attention to another potential diamond in the rough. There is an Ohio native that ranks similarly to Boggs and might just be the next prospect to receive some interest from the Buckeyes. Let me preface that this is speculation for now, but it definitely doesn’t hurt at all that he’s from the Buckeye State and is already seeing attention from rival programs.

Ironton, Ohio product Shaun Terry is currently a three-star on his 247Sports player profile. A 5-foot-11, 180-pound athlete, Terry currently holds eight offers with schools in the mix including Wisconsin, West Virginia, Michigan State, and Illinois. That said though, Terry is seeing some increased attention and was invited by Michigan’s staff for this weekend’s game and his plan is to make the trek north to see the Wolverines on Saturday.

Excited to be invited up by the staff to @UMichFootball this Saturday. Looking forward to seeing the Big House!Ⓜ️@CoachJim4UM @19Bellamy @coachclink @MrPrimetime4 @Coach_SMoore @MHart2032 @Coach_Sinagoga @Coach_Minter @Coach_Adolph @FootballIronton @PendletonTrevon @AllenTrieu pic.twitter.com/EjCgfPFsRu

— shaunterry ll ⚡⚡️ (@ShaunTerryll) October 10, 2023

Wanting to keep a solid wall around Ohio’s border, the Buckeyes certainly have to be paying attention when their bitter rival invites a player from their backyard for a gameday visit. Knowing that Ohio State’s staff has landed an Ironton player in the recent past in Reid Carrico, surely there is familiarity between Buckeyes and Ironton staffs.

The safe bet is that Ohio State is already well aware of Shaun Terry as a prospect. Moving forward, continued success on the field for the junior would likely mean that Hartline and company get more involved with the in-state native.

To wrap it up, Terry is a name worth keeping a closer eye on, and it wouldn’t be a shock at all if he’s the next receiver that — even though he’s not super highly ranked — sees some attention come his way from the Buckeyes.

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LGHL Is ‘Holy Buckeye’ or the 2018 upset a bigger memory for you in Ohio State-Purdue history?

Is ‘Holy Buckeye’ or the 2018 upset a bigger memory for you in Ohio State-Purdue history?
Matt Tamanini
via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Ohio State v Purdue

Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

You ask, we answer. Sometimes we ask, others answer. And then other times, we ask, we answer.

Throughout the
Ohio State football season, we will be asking and answering questions about the team, college football, and anything else on our collective minds of varying degrees of importance. If you have a question that you would like to ask, you can tweet us @LandGrant33 or if you need more than 280 characters, send an email HERE.

The Ohio State Buckeyes are getting ready to head to West Lafayette, Indiana on Saturday to face the Purdue Boilermakers. Even though the Buckeyes own a 40-15-2 record in the series history, they are just 3-and-5 at Ross-Ade Stadium since 2000. Obviously, a loss to the 2-4 Boilermakers this season would be absolutely crushing as it would make it very difficult for OSU to make the College Football Playoff. Even if they won out and beat Michigan and Penn State, a loss like this would be a huge splotch on the team’s resume, like it was five seasons ago.

So, before the team heads on the road, we wanted to get Ohio State fans’ thoughts on Ross-Ade and memories from that stadium. So, in our weekly fan survey, we have a question about that and the biggest surprise from the first five games of the Buckeyes’ season. So, answer in the survey below, and if you have any additional thoughts that you would like to share, feel free to do so in the comments below.


Question 1: What is a bigger Ross-Ade memory in your mind?


This is a classic glass-half-full vs. glass-half-empty test. Michael Jenkins’ iconic fourth-quarter catch that preserved an undefeated season, or the lone loss in Urban Meyer’s final year as OSU’s head coach. You can either go with one of the most thrilling and exciting moments in Buckeye history or one of the most devastating and disappointing.

Obviously, how you come down on this Rorschach test will probably be impacted by your age and whether you have firsthand memories of the 2002 season or not, but either way, these are two very important moments in Ohio State football history for very different reasons.

Clearly, the Craig Krenzel to Jenkins touchdown is the stuff of legends for a reason, as it kept the Buckeyes’ national championship hopes alive, and — as we all know — they went on to win the title that season kicking off a new era of OSU dominance.

The loss in 2018 though might have had just as much of an impact. Assuming the rest of the regular season played out as it did, a win over Purdue would have guaranteed the Buckeyes a spot in the CFP that season. Would Meyer and OSU have won a second playoff title? Who knows. But, would Urban have been as willing to walk away after either a playoff loss or national title? I’m not so sure.

Instead, he was able to ride off into the sunset with a Rose Bowl victory over Washington. So, whether you think Meyer leaving was good or bad, that embarrassing loss to Purdue very well might have cemented the end of the Meyer era, even if it wasn’t actually the cause for the coach’s departure.


Question 2: Which Buckeye has been the biggest surprise for you this season?


I really like this question, because, in the fog of the season, it can be easy to slip into a mindset that focuses on the negative aspects of the team. You can take the positives for granted as you harp on the things that you think could cause your team not to reach all of its lofty aspirations.

So, taking a second to remind yourself of the things that have gone better than anticipated is a good counter-balance to the things that might not yet be living up to expectations. I think that there are a number of guys on the OSU roster this year who have far exceeded what I expected of them — even if I already expected a lot.

It would be nice to have a few more guys work their way into consideration for this honor as the team heads into November in a few weeks’ time, but for now, let’s celebrate the players who have stepped up and made a major difference for the team thus far.


Share your thoughts here:


Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Ohio State fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

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LGHL You’re Nuts: Which remaining game against an unranked team will be the Buckeyes’ biggest challenge?

You’re Nuts: Which remaining game against an unranked team will be the Buckeyes’ biggest challenge?
Matt Tamanini
via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


NCAA Football: Ohio State at Wisconsin

Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.

Everybody knows that one of the best parts of being a sports fan is debating and dissecting the most (and least) important questions in the sporting world with your friends. So, we’re bringing that to the pages of LGHL with our favorite head-to-head column: You’re Nuts.

In You’re Nuts, two LGHL staff members will take differing sides of one question and argue their opinions passionately. Then, in the end, it’s up to you to determine who’s right and who’s nuts.

Today’s Question: Which remaining game against an unranked team will be the Buckeyes’ biggest challenge?


Jami’s Take: Minnesota


Crazy Jami is back again with another insane lady statement. I know you’re already rolling your eyes (Matt sure is—and honestly, can you blame him?)

When the Minnesota Golden Gophers take the field against Ohio State on Nov. 18, they won’t even have the home-field advantage Purdue, Wisconsin, and Rutgers do. These Golden Gophers will have been walloped by Michigan (a 52-10 loss) and handily beaten by UNC (31-13). They didn’t even beat Northwestern, and they barely beat Nebraska.

So I know I’m a little insane for thinking this team even belongs in the stadium with Ohio State. But here’s the thing: of the remaining unranked teams left for Ohio State to face, Minnesota is the team they are most likely to look past.

Purdue has a history of stepping up just to ruin a perfectly good football season. Even in their off years, they seem to find a spark when they’re playing the big games. And I think Ryan Day is smart enough to expect something of that nature come Saturday.

The same is true of Wisconsin. Even in their worst year, Madison is a HARD place to play a road game, and with Luke Fickell, there’s an element of the personal against Ohio State. The Buckeyes will prepare for this.

In fact, I expect the Buckeyes will prepare for both of those teams as if they are ranked opponents, which makes me feel like I can breathe a little bit in those two games.

But Minnesota? We play the dear, sweet Golden Gophers in the second-to-last week of the season, and given Minnesota’s season thus far, it would be perfectly reasonable for Ohio State to be looking past them to the following week’s Michigan game.

Herein lies my worry.

A great football team the Golden Gophers are not. But if they have a great day and Ohio State’s head is elsewhere, this could be Minnesota’s opportunity to find a reason to celebrate this season. Minnesota will have to play pretty close to a perfect football game, especially given that they are simply outmatched physically by this Buckeye squad in many respects.

But sloppiness from Ohio State if they’re not focused on this game could open a door for Minnesota, and it’s exactly the kind of win that team needs to avoid a future of irrelevancy. That kind of motivation, coupled with any sort of lack of focus from our guys in Scarlet and Gray could be reason for pause.

So I for one will not be looking past the Golden Gophers to The Game. I’ll just consistently be holding my breath from this Saturday on.


Matt’s Take: Wisconsin


I appreciate where Jami is coming from on this one, but looking at the remaining schedule, I think I have to go with our good friend Luke Fickell’s team. I know that they lost in Week 3 to Washington State, but the Cougs have equated themselves very well this season and that looks like it was a fairly decent L for the Badgers.

Under the first-year coach, Wisconsin has been a pretty middle-of-the-pack Big Ten team, but the game will be at Camp Randall, a week after what I suspect will be a physical, tightly-contested game against Penn State, and there is the potential that it could be at night (although, I wouldn’t be surprised if Fox selects it as the Big Noon game). Wisconsin has long been a difficult place to play if for no other reason than their fans are some of the most aggressive and violent in the B1G.

From throwing marshmallows lined with quarters at players and fans to being generally hostile, Badgers fans do not make Madison a friendly place for opposing teams or fans. While most of that doesn’t directly impact the play on the field, it does add to the overall fraught environment.

This will be the first time that the Buckeyes have been back to Camp Randall since 2016 thanks to the divisional breakdown of the league, so no one on this team has any experience playing in the iconic stadium. Granted, OSU hasn’t lost to Wisconsin on the road since 2010, but I still never feel great about going there.

When you throw in the extra motivation of Fickell hosting his alma mater and the Badgers needing a statement win to stay a game ahead of Iowa in the West Division standings, there will be a lot on the line for both teams, and if Ryan Day’s squad gets caught looking ahead to Penn State next week at all, it could be an ugly trip up to the not-yet-so frozen tundra on Saturday.



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