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LGHL How to Watch: Ohio State women vs. UConn in Sweet Sixteen
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- 0 Replies
How to Watch: Ohio State women vs. UConn in Sweet Sixteen
1ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Tyler Schank/NCAA Photos via Getty Images
Here are ways to watch and listen, plus some sites you can check out if you plan on making the trek west.
The Ohio State women’s basketball team is back in the Sweet Sixteen of March Madness for the second straight season. This time, it’s no small task going up against the champions of the Big East, and perennial top team in the UConn Huskies.
You can watch every women’s March Madness game with Sling TV. Here’s where you’ll find the games including channels, times and more.
Time: 4:00 p.m. ET / 1:00 p.m. PT
Television: ABC
Streaming: ESPN3 on the ESPN app
Radio: 97.1 The Fan, Columbus
Head coach Kevin McGuff’s side takes on coach Geno Auriemma and the Huskies on ABC, giving the Buckeyes their first game on network television this season. The closest Ohio State came to a network game this season was Monday, in the 71-68 victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels, airing on ESPN.
In last season’s Sweet Sixteen berth for the Buckeyes, they played the Texas Longhorns on ESPN2. With UConn facing the Scarlet & Gray this season, the added notoriety is the likely cause of the bump up to the big network ABC.
The added availability of the channel, and higher stakes, makes Saturday afternoon’s game a good candidate for the most watched Buckeyes game of the season.
Obviously, the best way to go is if you can watch live. Even if it’s not the shortest trip from the Schottenstein Center in Columbus to Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, the city has a lot to do before and after the game, and maybe games should the Buckeyes move on.
The first site to see is where Ohio State is playing. Climate Pledge Arena has gone through multiple renovations and after being the home of the former NBA franchise, the Seattle Supersonics, its not home to the WNBA’s Seattle Storm and NHL’s Seattle Kraken.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24532514/usa_today_18390670.jpg "WNBA: New York Liberty at Seattle Storm")
Stephen Brashear-USA TODAY Sports
Former Buckeye Jantel Lavender playing at Climate Pledge Arena in 2022 for the Seattle Storm
Something you can’t miss as you get to the arena is an iconic piece of Seattle construction, the Seattle Space Needle. Built on the site of the 1962 World’s Fair, the Space Needle is 605 feet tall, offering a 360 degree view of downtown, Elliott Bay and a glimpse into the Olympic National Park.
Also, if coffee’s your thing, a small local place called Starbucks is from Seattle, but don’t let it distract you from other local shops competing for a share of the caffeine market.
Food-wise, and flying fish-wise, the Pike Place Market is another spot anyone who goes to the city needs to visit. Watch as people throw and catch fish, while also stopping to buy food, drink and any assortment of things from local vendors.
Lastly, the greatest guitarist of all time, Jimi Hendrix, is from the area. That means you can bask in all Hendrix’s glory at his statute in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of check out websites like this one that gives you all the locations of his upbringing.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24532520/1298915263.jpg "The Jimi Hendrix statue in Capitol Hill. Photographed June 14, 2017. (Genna Martin, seattlepi.com)")
Photo by GENNA MARTIN/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images
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
Photo by Tyler Schank/NCAA Photos via Getty Images
Here are ways to watch and listen, plus some sites you can check out if you plan on making the trek west.
The Ohio State women’s basketball team is back in the Sweet Sixteen of March Madness for the second straight season. This time, it’s no small task going up against the champions of the Big East, and perennial top team in the UConn Huskies.
You can watch every women’s March Madness game with Sling TV. Here’s where you’ll find the games including channels, times and more.
How to Watch
Time: 4:00 p.m. ET / 1:00 p.m. PT
Television: ABC
Streaming: ESPN3 on the ESPN app
Radio: 97.1 The Fan, Columbus
Head coach Kevin McGuff’s side takes on coach Geno Auriemma and the Huskies on ABC, giving the Buckeyes their first game on network television this season. The closest Ohio State came to a network game this season was Monday, in the 71-68 victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels, airing on ESPN.
In last season’s Sweet Sixteen berth for the Buckeyes, they played the Texas Longhorns on ESPN2. With UConn facing the Scarlet & Gray this season, the added notoriety is the likely cause of the bump up to the big network ABC.
The added availability of the channel, and higher stakes, makes Saturday afternoon’s game a good candidate for the most watched Buckeyes game of the season.
If You’re in Seattle
Obviously, the best way to go is if you can watch live. Even if it’s not the shortest trip from the Schottenstein Center in Columbus to Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, the city has a lot to do before and after the game, and maybe games should the Buckeyes move on.
The first site to see is where Ohio State is playing. Climate Pledge Arena has gone through multiple renovations and after being the home of the former NBA franchise, the Seattle Supersonics, its not home to the WNBA’s Seattle Storm and NHL’s Seattle Kraken.
Former Buckeye Jantel Lavender playing at Climate Pledge Arena in 2022 for the Seattle Storm
Something you can’t miss as you get to the arena is an iconic piece of Seattle construction, the Seattle Space Needle. Built on the site of the 1962 World’s Fair, the Space Needle is 605 feet tall, offering a 360 degree view of downtown, Elliott Bay and a glimpse into the Olympic National Park.
Also, if coffee’s your thing, a small local place called Starbucks is from Seattle, but don’t let it distract you from other local shops competing for a share of the caffeine market.
Food-wise, and flying fish-wise, the Pike Place Market is another spot anyone who goes to the city needs to visit. Watch as people throw and catch fish, while also stopping to buy food, drink and any assortment of things from local vendors.
Lastly, the greatest guitarist of all time, Jimi Hendrix, is from the area. That means you can bask in all Hendrix’s glory at his statute in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of check out websites like this one that gives you all the locations of his upbringing.
Continue reading...
LGHL LGHL Asks: Ohio State fans think Jayden Ballard will have breakout spring
- News
- 0 Replies
LGHL Asks: Ohio State fans think Jayden Ballard will have breakout spring
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
You ask, we answer. Sometimes we ask, others answer. And then other times, we ask, we answer.
Spring is a time of rebirth, where what was once dormant can come back to life with the vibrancy of a sunny sky and field full of flowers. That is the vibe from this week’s LGHL Asks fan survey. We wanted to get your thoughts on the future of the Ohio State football and men’s basketball programs, and it looks like there’s a bit of optimism in some places that we haven’t seen in a while.
With the football team in the midst of spring practices and the men’s basketball team squarely pivoted to next season, we asked about breakout football players, your feelings about Chris Holtmann’s program, and next year’s MBB roster.
If you want to participate in LGHL’s SB Nation Reacts surveys, check out our questionnaires every week.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24533250/OhioState_1_032323.png)
Overall, a pretty good distribution of picks here, but I like where your collective head is at. Ballard came in with a reputation for being an absolute blue-chip burner. But, injuries have prevented him from thus far living up to expectations like his fellow highly recruited receivers have.
However, appearing to be healthy, Ballard is getting a lot of reps this spring with Emeka Egbuka and Julian Fleming not participating due to injuries. Not only is Ballard a bigger focal point in offensive drills, but he also had the honor of participating in C.J. Stroud’s Pro Day alongside Marvin Harrison Jr. and Xavier Johnson. Obviously, Stroud and the OSU coaching staff must think pretty highly of him to put him in that situation.
With his speed, Ballard could open up yet another facet in the already incredible receiver room. As always, Brian Hartline has a great group of WRs returning this year — Marv, Emeka, Fleming, X — and some studs waiting for their turn — Brandon Innis, Noah Rodgers, Carnell Tate — but having an experienced guy with top-botch straight-line speed like Ballard in the mix could prove to be really exciting for whoever ends up behind center for the Buckeyes.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24533251/OhioState_2_032323.png)
When the Ohio State men’s basketball team is rolling, it’s a lot of fun to be a fan. While OSU will always be a football school, there is just something different about following a basketball team that feels different. Maybe it’s the frequency of games, the smaller venues, or getting to see the players’ faces, but the excitement is more palpable.
We didn’t get the chance to have that much in the second half of the men’s season this year (still definitely have it for the women), but in the team’s last seven games, that electricity was back with Chris Holtmann’s squad. And — at least for me — I think that Big Ten Tournament run helped reframe not only the season that has now passed but also what the expectations should be for the 2023-24 season.
While there will undoubtedly eventually be transfers out of the program, and could potentially be someone (or maybe someones) heading to the NBA, a big part of this year’s squad will be back in the fall, and they will be joined by an elite — and perhaps not yet complete — recruiting class.
So, the fact that this core group was able to stick together and make something positive out of what otherwise was a horrible season is promising. While I love Zed Key, his injury forced the young players to step up when the center’s season ended and it gave us the chance to see what the four main freshmen could actually do, and it was impressive.
Bruce Thornton took another major step forward down the stretch and Roddy Gayle Jr. proved that he was ready for the spotlight during the B1G Tournament. While Felix Okpara needs to bulk up to battle down low for a full Big Ten season, what he was able to do as the team’s primary big man was incredibly encouraging.
Of course, the jury is still out on whether or not Brice Sensabaugh will be back in Columbus or not next season, it only makes sense that he will test the NBA waters to access his draft stock before making his final decision. The only reason that wouldn’t be feasible is if the knee injury that ended his season is more substantial than people assume.
Either way, I’m with y’all, the young talent on this team has me excited for what’s still to come.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24533252/OhioState_3_032323.png)
Personally, I would not have had Sensabaugh anywhere on this list, because I think he’s gone, but I am interested in Thornton at the top with nearly 1⁄3 of the votes. The young guard clearly stepped up as the season went on and became a dangerous scorer as his freshman campaign progressed.
Gayle also equated himself really well to a bigger role in the rotation during the tournament, so I’m ok with him being that high. However, I have to say, Key being down at just 6% behind Devin Royal — who plays his final high school game at Pickerington Central this weekend — is a little surprising. I know that Mr. Finger Guns’ shoulder injury this season made him far less effective than we thought he would be, but he is still a really solid post player.
I admit that the team did seem to have a much better flow when he was out, as the young, athletic players were able to run a little bit more and weren’t focused on working the ball into the paint as much, but I think that Key still has another level to unlock in his development and that Holtmann can work on a way to maximize the talents on the team to get the most out of the big man. So, I don’t know that I would have him at No. 1 or 2, but 6% seems a bit low to me.
Continue reading...
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
You ask, we answer. Sometimes we ask, others answer. And then other times, we ask, we answer.
Spring is a time of rebirth, where what was once dormant can come back to life with the vibrancy of a sunny sky and field full of flowers. That is the vibe from this week’s LGHL Asks fan survey. We wanted to get your thoughts on the future of the Ohio State football and men’s basketball programs, and it looks like there’s a bit of optimism in some places that we haven’t seen in a while.
With the football team in the midst of spring practices and the men’s basketball team squarely pivoted to next season, we asked about breakout football players, your feelings about Chris Holtmann’s program, and next year’s MBB roster.
If you want to participate in LGHL’s SB Nation Reacts surveys, check out our questionnaires every week.
Question 1: Which football upperclassman will have a breakout spring?
Overall, a pretty good distribution of picks here, but I like where your collective head is at. Ballard came in with a reputation for being an absolute blue-chip burner. But, injuries have prevented him from thus far living up to expectations like his fellow highly recruited receivers have.
However, appearing to be healthy, Ballard is getting a lot of reps this spring with Emeka Egbuka and Julian Fleming not participating due to injuries. Not only is Ballard a bigger focal point in offensive drills, but he also had the honor of participating in C.J. Stroud’s Pro Day alongside Marvin Harrison Jr. and Xavier Johnson. Obviously, Stroud and the OSU coaching staff must think pretty highly of him to put him in that situation.
With his speed, Ballard could open up yet another facet in the already incredible receiver room. As always, Brian Hartline has a great group of WRs returning this year — Marv, Emeka, Fleming, X — and some studs waiting for their turn — Brandon Innis, Noah Rodgers, Carnell Tate — but having an experienced guy with top-botch straight-line speed like Ballard in the mix could prove to be really exciting for whoever ends up behind center for the Buckeyes.
Question 2: Following the Big Ten Tournament run, how do you feel about the men’s basketball team moving forward?
When the Ohio State men’s basketball team is rolling, it’s a lot of fun to be a fan. While OSU will always be a football school, there is just something different about following a basketball team that feels different. Maybe it’s the frequency of games, the smaller venues, or getting to see the players’ faces, but the excitement is more palpable.
We didn’t get the chance to have that much in the second half of the men’s season this year (still definitely have it for the women), but in the team’s last seven games, that electricity was back with Chris Holtmann’s squad. And — at least for me — I think that Big Ten Tournament run helped reframe not only the season that has now passed but also what the expectations should be for the 2023-24 season.
While there will undoubtedly eventually be transfers out of the program, and could potentially be someone (or maybe someones) heading to the NBA, a big part of this year’s squad will be back in the fall, and they will be joined by an elite — and perhaps not yet complete — recruiting class.
So, the fact that this core group was able to stick together and make something positive out of what otherwise was a horrible season is promising. While I love Zed Key, his injury forced the young players to step up when the center’s season ended and it gave us the chance to see what the four main freshmen could actually do, and it was impressive.
Bruce Thornton took another major step forward down the stretch and Roddy Gayle Jr. proved that he was ready for the spotlight during the B1G Tournament. While Felix Okpara needs to bulk up to battle down low for a full Big Ten season, what he was able to do as the team’s primary big man was incredibly encouraging.
Of course, the jury is still out on whether or not Brice Sensabaugh will be back in Columbus or not next season, it only makes sense that he will test the NBA waters to access his draft stock before making his final decision. The only reason that wouldn’t be feasible is if the knee injury that ended his season is more substantial than people assume.
Either way, I’m with y’all, the young talent on this team has me excited for what’s still to come.
Question 3: Who will be the men’s basketball team’s leading scorer in 2023-24?
Personally, I would not have had Sensabaugh anywhere on this list, because I think he’s gone, but I am interested in Thornton at the top with nearly 1⁄3 of the votes. The young guard clearly stepped up as the season went on and became a dangerous scorer as his freshman campaign progressed.
Gayle also equated himself really well to a bigger role in the rotation during the tournament, so I’m ok with him being that high. However, I have to say, Key being down at just 6% behind Devin Royal — who plays his final high school game at Pickerington Central this weekend — is a little surprising. I know that Mr. Finger Guns’ shoulder injury this season made him far less effective than we thought he would be, but he is still a really solid post player.
I admit that the team did seem to have a much better flow when he was out, as the young, athletic players were able to run a little bit more and weren’t focused on working the ball into the paint as much, but I think that Key still has another level to unlock in his development and that Holtmann can work on a way to maximize the talents on the team to get the most out of the big man. So, I don’t know that I would have him at No. 1 or 2, but 6% seems a bit low to me.
Continue reading...
LGHL Ohio State women’s basketball facing UConn and the aura of UConn
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- 0 Replies
Ohio State women’s basketball facing UConn and the aura of UConn
1ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images
See what head coach Kevin McGuff and players have to say about a game aginst the leading program in women’s college basketball history
There are 40 completed women’s NCAA Tournaments in the record books. That means 40 NCAA Championship trophies, thousands of student athletes lives changed and more pieces of confetti than any human can count. Of those 40 titles, the UConn Huskies own 11. That’s 27.5% of all NCAA Division I women’s basketball handed out in the country.
UConn is a program featuring legends of the game like Maya Moore, Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart. Each winning an NCAA title and carrying that into WNBA hardware. Even the most casual of sports fans has heard of UConn and head coach Geno Auriemma.
In 2023, UConn is in a slump. It’s been a whole five tournaments since the Huskies won a National Championship. There are kids entering kindergarten who haven’t seen Auriemma lift an NCAA trophy.
Heavy sarcasm aside, UConn has built the strongest and most consistent basketball program in the nation. On Saturday, the Ohio State women’s basketball team tries to do something no team has done to UConn in 14 tournaments in a row: End the Huskies NCAA Tournament before the Final Four.
Take a look around the world of women’s college basketball and a Buckeyes’ win on Saturday isn’t a popular opinion. On ESPN’s “people’s bracket,” a name given for who all brackets combined chose to make it into later rounds of the tournament, Ohio State has 19% of selections, compared to 81% for UConn.
Go into the world of sports gambling and confidence is also low for the Scarlet & Gray. FanDuel puts the money line at +410 for Ohio State and -590 for UConn. The spread sits at a 9.5 point victory for the Huskies. Both shared in an article with a headline including “(Huskies Dominate).”
Even the quickest dive into outlets who cover the Huskies exclusively and Saturday’s Sweet Sixteen game against Ohio State is a blip on the radar. It’s a technicality with eyes fixated more on the winner of Virginia Tech and Tennessee.
At this point, the point’s been driven home pretty clearly: Saturday’s game is UConn’s to win.
Fortunately for the Buckeyes, fans, gambling companies and UConn media outlets don’t determine which team moves into the Elite Eight, that’s what 40 minutes of basketball on Saturday decides.
For Ohio State, the initial reaction following Monday’s round of 32 win over the North Carolina Tar Heels was excitement fueled.
“I’m excited. I want to play UConn so bad,” said freshman forward Cotie McMahon. “So, yes. Very excited. Before the season even started. UConn.”
After a rest day for Ohio State, followed by the start of Buckeyes film study and practice, the response changed. The tone shifted.
“They’re a good team but all the teams we’ve played are good teams,” said McMahon. “So, its just another game for us so im sure its just another game for them. That’s it.”
It’s a shift that represents the game outside of the game. Before Saturday, Ohio State practices and strategizes to beat UConn, but until then the Buckeyes face the aura of UConn.
Combating it means doing what the team can to minimize or remove the aura from the conversation.
“As coaches, we always say, ‘if they show up wearing a different jersey that said Illinois or something maybe we’d play a little different,’” said McGuff. “So I think you have to get over the fact that you’re playing an iconic program and make it more about the players and the game and all that type of stuff and take that out as much as you can which is obviously easier said than done.”
Focusing on the players, UConn is obviously talented. Guard Azzi Fudd is returning to form following an injury that kept the sophomore out for 13 games in 2023. Forward Aaliyah Edwards is a dual threat who can attack the basket, force fouls and also hurt teams from the perimeter. Then there’s former Buckeye forward Dorka Juhasz who’s started every game for the Huskies this season.
That’s only three players on a team of all highly touted prospects. A team that also doesn’t include arguably their best player, guard Paige Bueckers who tore her ACL before the start of the 22-23 season.
The way the Scarlet & Gray win on both fronts is keeping their composure. It’s a trait coach McGuff’s stressed to the Buckeyes all season.
“I know it sounds bad to say but, not that we’re used to being down, but we’ve definitely had a couple games where we had to kind of not give up and work our way back up the top,” said McMahon. “So I feel like those games where we’ve been down a tremendous amount have definitely helped us and prepared us for March Madness.”
Looking at this year’s March Madness for the Buckeyes, their two wins are impressive in their own ways.
Against the James Madison Dukes, in the first round of March Madness, the Buckeyes went down 16 points in the second quarter before trimming the deficit to three before halftime. It wasn’t coach McGuff screaming at the players that changed the trajectory of the game. Instead, it was a season full of trials that turn panic situations for some teams into moments that have a knack for coming out in the Buckeyes’ favor.
Now, the name JMU doesn’t strike fear into the hearts of most college basketball fans, but they’re a team that’s made the tournament 14 times in their history of playing in mostly small conferences.
This season, the Dukes moved from the Colonial Athletic Association to the Sun Belt, quite a jump in competition. After being picked to finish sixth in the conference, JMU won the regular season and conference tournaments, handedly.
Then take North Carolina. They’re a team with more eyes on them because of the name and their spot in the ACC. Plus, they have outstanding players like Deja Kelly and Alyssa Ustby who give teams fits. For 40 minutes, Ohio State showed composure as the Tar Heels kept cutting back deficits, but the Buckeyes would adjust and push them back up.
Even at the end of the game, after the Scarlet & Gray led the game for almost 38 minutes, the Tar Heels had their first lead of the game. Ohio State didn’t flinch or crumble. Instead, senior Eboni Walker, who only began starting for the Buckeyes at the end of the regular season, kept her cool in a broken inbound play before guard Jacy Sheldon hit a shot in the paint to get her team back into the Sweet Sixteen.
Those are only the March Madness examples. They don’t include a 24-point comeback against the Indiana Hoosiers in the Big Ten Tournament, 17-point third quarter deficit to the Illinois Fighting Illini and down to both the Tennessee Volunteers and Louisville Cardinals in November. They all ended with Ohio State victories.
It’s clear that Ohio State has the ability to hold their composure. Now they’re doing it off the court before they plan to do it on the court.
“I feel like Uconn, everybody wants to play UConn just because of the name,” said McMahon. “But at the end the day they are just any other team.”
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
Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images
See what head coach Kevin McGuff and players have to say about a game aginst the leading program in women’s college basketball history
There are 40 completed women’s NCAA Tournaments in the record books. That means 40 NCAA Championship trophies, thousands of student athletes lives changed and more pieces of confetti than any human can count. Of those 40 titles, the UConn Huskies own 11. That’s 27.5% of all NCAA Division I women’s basketball handed out in the country.
UConn is a program featuring legends of the game like Maya Moore, Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart. Each winning an NCAA title and carrying that into WNBA hardware. Even the most casual of sports fans has heard of UConn and head coach Geno Auriemma.
In 2023, UConn is in a slump. It’s been a whole five tournaments since the Huskies won a National Championship. There are kids entering kindergarten who haven’t seen Auriemma lift an NCAA trophy.
Heavy sarcasm aside, UConn has built the strongest and most consistent basketball program in the nation. On Saturday, the Ohio State women’s basketball team tries to do something no team has done to UConn in 14 tournaments in a row: End the Huskies NCAA Tournament before the Final Four.
Take a look around the world of women’s college basketball and a Buckeyes’ win on Saturday isn’t a popular opinion. On ESPN’s “people’s bracket,” a name given for who all brackets combined chose to make it into later rounds of the tournament, Ohio State has 19% of selections, compared to 81% for UConn.
Go into the world of sports gambling and confidence is also low for the Scarlet & Gray. FanDuel puts the money line at +410 for Ohio State and -590 for UConn. The spread sits at a 9.5 point victory for the Huskies. Both shared in an article with a headline including “(Huskies Dominate).”
Even the quickest dive into outlets who cover the Huskies exclusively and Saturday’s Sweet Sixteen game against Ohio State is a blip on the radar. It’s a technicality with eyes fixated more on the winner of Virginia Tech and Tennessee.
At this point, the point’s been driven home pretty clearly: Saturday’s game is UConn’s to win.
Fortunately for the Buckeyes, fans, gambling companies and UConn media outlets don’t determine which team moves into the Elite Eight, that’s what 40 minutes of basketball on Saturday decides.
For Ohio State, the initial reaction following Monday’s round of 32 win over the North Carolina Tar Heels was excitement fueled.
“I’m excited. I want to play UConn so bad,” said freshman forward Cotie McMahon. “So, yes. Very excited. Before the season even started. UConn.”
After a rest day for Ohio State, followed by the start of Buckeyes film study and practice, the response changed. The tone shifted.
“They’re a good team but all the teams we’ve played are good teams,” said McMahon. “So, its just another game for us so im sure its just another game for them. That’s it.”
It’s a shift that represents the game outside of the game. Before Saturday, Ohio State practices and strategizes to beat UConn, but until then the Buckeyes face the aura of UConn.
Combating it means doing what the team can to minimize or remove the aura from the conversation.
“As coaches, we always say, ‘if they show up wearing a different jersey that said Illinois or something maybe we’d play a little different,’” said McGuff. “So I think you have to get over the fact that you’re playing an iconic program and make it more about the players and the game and all that type of stuff and take that out as much as you can which is obviously easier said than done.”
Focusing on the players, UConn is obviously talented. Guard Azzi Fudd is returning to form following an injury that kept the sophomore out for 13 games in 2023. Forward Aaliyah Edwards is a dual threat who can attack the basket, force fouls and also hurt teams from the perimeter. Then there’s former Buckeye forward Dorka Juhasz who’s started every game for the Huskies this season.
That’s only three players on a team of all highly touted prospects. A team that also doesn’t include arguably their best player, guard Paige Bueckers who tore her ACL before the start of the 22-23 season.
The way the Scarlet & Gray win on both fronts is keeping their composure. It’s a trait coach McGuff’s stressed to the Buckeyes all season.
“I know it sounds bad to say but, not that we’re used to being down, but we’ve definitely had a couple games where we had to kind of not give up and work our way back up the top,” said McMahon. “So I feel like those games where we’ve been down a tremendous amount have definitely helped us and prepared us for March Madness.”
Looking at this year’s March Madness for the Buckeyes, their two wins are impressive in their own ways.
Against the James Madison Dukes, in the first round of March Madness, the Buckeyes went down 16 points in the second quarter before trimming the deficit to three before halftime. It wasn’t coach McGuff screaming at the players that changed the trajectory of the game. Instead, it was a season full of trials that turn panic situations for some teams into moments that have a knack for coming out in the Buckeyes’ favor.
Now, the name JMU doesn’t strike fear into the hearts of most college basketball fans, but they’re a team that’s made the tournament 14 times in their history of playing in mostly small conferences.
This season, the Dukes moved from the Colonial Athletic Association to the Sun Belt, quite a jump in competition. After being picked to finish sixth in the conference, JMU won the regular season and conference tournaments, handedly.
Then take North Carolina. They’re a team with more eyes on them because of the name and their spot in the ACC. Plus, they have outstanding players like Deja Kelly and Alyssa Ustby who give teams fits. For 40 minutes, Ohio State showed composure as the Tar Heels kept cutting back deficits, but the Buckeyes would adjust and push them back up.
Even at the end of the game, after the Scarlet & Gray led the game for almost 38 minutes, the Tar Heels had their first lead of the game. Ohio State didn’t flinch or crumble. Instead, senior Eboni Walker, who only began starting for the Buckeyes at the end of the regular season, kept her cool in a broken inbound play before guard Jacy Sheldon hit a shot in the paint to get her team back into the Sweet Sixteen.
Those are only the March Madness examples. They don’t include a 24-point comeback against the Indiana Hoosiers in the Big Ten Tournament, 17-point third quarter deficit to the Illinois Fighting Illini and down to both the Tennessee Volunteers and Louisville Cardinals in November. They all ended with Ohio State victories.
It’s clear that Ohio State has the ability to hold their composure. Now they’re doing it off the court before they plan to do it on the court.
“I feel like Uconn, everybody wants to play UConn just because of the name,” said McMahon. “But at the end the day they are just any other team.”
Continue reading...
LGHL Buck Off Podcast: Ohio State spring practice news, recruiting the state of Ohio, and Buckeyes on ABC
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- 0 Replies
Buck Off Podcast: Ohio State spring practice news, recruiting the state of Ohio, and Buckeyes on ABC
Chris Renne via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Spring practice continues for Ohio State as they prepare for the first scrimmage.
Listen to the episode and subscribe:
On today’s episode of “Buck Off with Christopher Renne,” I’m joined by Matt Tamanini to talk about the biggest news coming out of the Woody Hayes Athletic Center from Ohio State’s spring practice.
Before the big conversation topics, our first discussion is about Ohio State’s annual pro day and how the players performed. We get into the scene of the event and dive into why C.J. Stroud locked up the No. 1 pick on Wednesday. Then our attention turns to some other surprises, and a discussion about how a young receiver being out there signifies a big role to come.
After that, we turn our attention to the Ohio State media availabilities from this week to get into what we can learn from the coaches and players speaking. We begin this section of the show with a talk about what we expect from the scrimmage, and the importance the coaching staff will put on this glorified practice.
We continue on with the defensive line media availability. Our biggest takeaway gets into the importance of the health of a certain player in the interior. Then we get into what we can project about the depth on the defensive line and what we can takeaway from what the older players are saying about their younger teammates. We close out this section with why the Jack linebacker is gone because Ohio State does not need one — unless they have the type of player recruited for it.
With the talk about the defensive line, we have to discuss the offensive line, and that discussion gets into how the players who spoke might end up being the starters on the OL. Then we turn our attention to the Josh Fryar’s move to left tackle and the players stepping up on the leadership side of things in the room.
To close out the show, we save the best for last with Ohio State’s women’s basketball team taking on UConn in the Sweet 16. We get into the importance of the games being on ABC and why the Buckeyes are one of the most fun basketball teams to watch in the country.
Connect with the Show:
Twitter: @BuckOffPod
Connect with Chris Renne:
Twitter: @ChrisRenneCFB
Connect with Matt Tamanini
Twitter: @BWWMatt
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
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Spring practice continues for Ohio State as they prepare for the first scrimmage.
Listen to the episode and subscribe:
Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
On today’s episode of “Buck Off with Christopher Renne,” I’m joined by Matt Tamanini to talk about the biggest news coming out of the Woody Hayes Athletic Center from Ohio State’s spring practice.
Before the big conversation topics, our first discussion is about Ohio State’s annual pro day and how the players performed. We get into the scene of the event and dive into why C.J. Stroud locked up the No. 1 pick on Wednesday. Then our attention turns to some other surprises, and a discussion about how a young receiver being out there signifies a big role to come.
After that, we turn our attention to the Ohio State media availabilities from this week to get into what we can learn from the coaches and players speaking. We begin this section of the show with a talk about what we expect from the scrimmage, and the importance the coaching staff will put on this glorified practice.
We continue on with the defensive line media availability. Our biggest takeaway gets into the importance of the health of a certain player in the interior. Then we get into what we can project about the depth on the defensive line and what we can takeaway from what the older players are saying about their younger teammates. We close out this section with why the Jack linebacker is gone because Ohio State does not need one — unless they have the type of player recruited for it.
With the talk about the defensive line, we have to discuss the offensive line, and that discussion gets into how the players who spoke might end up being the starters on the OL. Then we turn our attention to the Josh Fryar’s move to left tackle and the players stepping up on the leadership side of things in the room.
To close out the show, we save the best for last with Ohio State’s women’s basketball team taking on UConn in the Sweet 16. We get into the importance of the games being on ABC and why the Buckeyes are one of the most fun basketball teams to watch in the country.
Connect with the Show:
Twitter: @BuckOffPod
Connect with Chris Renne:
Twitter: @ChrisRenneCFB
Connect with Matt Tamanini
Twitter: @BWWMatt
Continue reading...
LGHL How to Watch: Ohio State women vs. UConn in Sweet Sixteen
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How to Watch: Ohio State women vs. UConn in Sweet Sixteen
1ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Tyler Schank/NCAA Photos via Getty Images
Here are ways to watch and listen, plus some sites you can check out if you plan on making the trek west.
The Ohio State women’s basketball team is back in the Sweet Sixteen of March Madness for the second straight season. This time, it’s no small task going up against the champions of the Big East, and perennial top team in the UConn Huskies.
You can watch every women’s March Madness game with Sling TV. Here’s where you’ll find the games including channels, times and more.
Time: 4:00 p.m. ET / 1:00 p.m. PT
Television: ABC
Streaming: ESPN3 on the ESPN app
Radio: 97.1 The Fan, Columbus
Head coach Kevin McGuff’s side takes on coach Geno Auriemma and the Huskies on ABC, giving the Buckeyes their first game on network television this season. The closest Ohio State came to a network game this season was Monday, in the 71-68 victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels, airing on ESPN.
In last season’s Sweet Sixteen berth for the Buckeyes, they played the Texas Longhorns on ESPN2. With UConn facing the Scarlet & Gray this season, the added notoriety is the likely cause of the bump up to the big network ABC.
The added availability of the channel, and higher stakes, makes Saturday afternoon’s game a good candidate for the most watched Buckeyes game of the season.
Obviously, the best way to go is if you can watch live. Even if it’s not the shortest trip from the Schottenstein Center in Columbus to Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, the city has a lot to do before and after the game, and maybe games should the Buckeyes move on.
The first site to see is where Ohio State is playing. Climate Pledge Arena has gone through multiple renovations and after being the home of the former NBA franchise, the Seattle Supersonics, its not home to the WNBA’s Seattle Storm and NHL’s Seattle Kraken.
Stephen Brashear-USA TODAY Sports
Former Buckeye Jantel Lavender playing at Climate Pledge Arena in 2022 for the Seattle Storm
Something you can’t miss as you get to the arena is an iconic piece of Seattle construction, the Seattle Space Needle. Built on the site of the 1962 World’s Fair, the Space Needle is 605 feet tall, offering a 360 degree view of downtown, Elliott Bay and a glimpse into the Olympic National Park.
Also, if coffee’s your thing, a small local place called Starbucks is from Seattle, but don’t let it distract you from other local shops competing for a share of the caffeine market.
Food-wise, and flying fish-wise, the Pike Place Market is another spot anyone who goes to the city needs to visit. Watch as people throw and catch fish, while also stopping to buy food, drink and any assortment of things from local vendors.
Lastly, the greatest guitarist of all time, Jimi Hendrix, is from the area. That means you can bask in all Hendrix’s glory at his statute in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of check out websites like this one that gives you all the locations of his upbringing.
Photo by GENNA MARTIN/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images
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1ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Tyler Schank/NCAA Photos via Getty Images
Here are ways to watch and listen, plus some sites you can check out if you plan on making the trek west.
The Ohio State women’s basketball team is back in the Sweet Sixteen of March Madness for the second straight season. This time, it’s no small task going up against the champions of the Big East, and perennial top team in the UConn Huskies.
You can watch every women’s March Madness game with Sling TV. Here’s where you’ll find the games including channels, times and more.
How to Watch
Time: 4:00 p.m. ET / 1:00 p.m. PT
Television: ABC
Streaming: ESPN3 on the ESPN app
Radio: 97.1 The Fan, Columbus
Head coach Kevin McGuff’s side takes on coach Geno Auriemma and the Huskies on ABC, giving the Buckeyes their first game on network television this season. The closest Ohio State came to a network game this season was Monday, in the 71-68 victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels, airing on ESPN.
In last season’s Sweet Sixteen berth for the Buckeyes, they played the Texas Longhorns on ESPN2. With UConn facing the Scarlet & Gray this season, the added notoriety is the likely cause of the bump up to the big network ABC.
The added availability of the channel, and higher stakes, makes Saturday afternoon’s game a good candidate for the most watched Buckeyes game of the season.
If You’re in Seattle
Obviously, the best way to go is if you can watch live. Even if it’s not the shortest trip from the Schottenstein Center in Columbus to Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, the city has a lot to do before and after the game, and maybe games should the Buckeyes move on.
The first site to see is where Ohio State is playing. Climate Pledge Arena has gone through multiple renovations and after being the home of the former NBA franchise, the Seattle Supersonics, its not home to the WNBA’s Seattle Storm and NHL’s Seattle Kraken.
Former Buckeye Jantel Lavender playing at Climate Pledge Arena in 2022 for the Seattle Storm
Something you can’t miss as you get to the arena is an iconic piece of Seattle construction, the Seattle Space Needle. Built on the site of the 1962 World’s Fair, the Space Needle is 605 feet tall, offering a 360 degree view of downtown, Elliott Bay and a glimpse into the Olympic National Park.
Also, if coffee’s your thing, a small local place called Starbucks is from Seattle, but don’t let it distract you from other local shops competing for a share of the caffeine market.
Food-wise, and flying fish-wise, the Pike Place Market is another spot anyone who goes to the city needs to visit. Watch as people throw and catch fish, while also stopping to buy food, drink and any assortment of things from local vendors.
Lastly, the greatest guitarist of all time, Jimi Hendrix, is from the area. That means you can bask in all Hendrix’s glory at his statute in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of check out websites like this one that gives you all the locations of his upbringing.
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LGHL Successful Thursday leads into big recruiting weekend for the Buckeyes
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Successful Thursday leads into big recruiting weekend for the Buckeyes
Caleb Houser via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
The staff continues to play host to several of their top recruiting targets today and the rest of this weekend.
There’s arguably not been an in-state school that’s been better to Ohio State over the years than Cleveland Glenville. Giving the Buckeyes Troy Smith, Ted Ginn Jr., Cardale Jones, Marshon Lattimore and others, the Tarblooders have built quite the pipeline to Columbus. To the advantage of the Buckeyes, this storied program is once again churning out elite DI talents year in and year out, with Ryan Day and company hopeful they’ll continue staying right at home for their college careers.
Last recruiting cycle, the Buckeyes were able to land linebacker Arvell Reese, and while most of the attention in the 2024 class surrounding Glenville is dedicated to defensive back Bryce West, there’s more the Buckeyes are interested in with this current cycle of recruits. That additional member being tight end target, Damarion Witten — a 6-foot-4, 215 pound athlete with a ton to be excited about.
The No. 190 player nationally per 247Sports, Witten also checks in as the 11th best tight end in the country and sixth best player from Ohio for the 2024 class. Damarion, who has already been to Columbus, will be making another return visit this Saturday, joining several other top targets to be on hand for a busy weekend. With first year tight end coach Keenan Bailey doing a bulk of the recruiting here, the two will share several points of contact this weekend.
Bailey’s retweet of Witten’s visit post certainly shows his excitement for him being on campus. This visit should go over real well.
The amount of NFL veterans or former big-name stars that see their kids go on to the same type of success is always fun to watch. Looking at Ohio State’s current roster, and specifically with Marvin Harrison Jr., it’s safe to say the Buckeyes are thrilled to be capitalizing off that dynamic duo and certainly wouldn’t mind a few more of those type of players.
This Saturday another popular last name will be on campus when Jerome Bettis Jr. will see first-hand all the Buckeyes have to offer. A 2025 receiver, Bettis Jr. is a 6-foot-2, 175 pound athlete with early offers from the likes of Notre Dame, Arkansas, Boston College, UConn, and Massachusetts. Unranked right now on his 247Sports profile, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see his stock really increase when a rankings update for the 2025 class takes place.
Looking back at the offer list, it’s easy to see why Notre Dame is the favorite on the 247Sports Crystal Ball, with his dad of course having suited up for the Irish. Only a high school sophomore, there’s plenty of time for other major suitors to really get into the mix. No one is recruiting receivers more successfully right now than Brian Hartline and Ohio State, so having Bettis Jr. on campus has to spark some mutual interest here.
Fortunately the Buckeyes will be in a great spot either way with likely their picks at the spot.
Without going too far into this one, Smith is a player that will take visits and go through the process. He’s been pretty clear that he will attend other school visits, whether it be with his 7-on-7 team or via another outlet, but his words and praise for Ohio State and Hartline specifically should ease a lot of the unrest.
With him being the No. 1 receiver in the country for the 2024 class, of course any non-Buckeye content will be worrisome, but as long as Hartline is in Columbus, Ohio State should be fine — and those are words that came from Smith himself. In other words, don’t sweat a tweet looking for a reaction.
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Caleb Houser via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
The staff continues to play host to several of their top recruiting targets today and the rest of this weekend.
There’s arguably not been an in-state school that’s been better to Ohio State over the years than Cleveland Glenville. Giving the Buckeyes Troy Smith, Ted Ginn Jr., Cardale Jones, Marshon Lattimore and others, the Tarblooders have built quite the pipeline to Columbus. To the advantage of the Buckeyes, this storied program is once again churning out elite DI talents year in and year out, with Ryan Day and company hopeful they’ll continue staying right at home for their college careers.
Last recruiting cycle, the Buckeyes were able to land linebacker Arvell Reese, and while most of the attention in the 2024 class surrounding Glenville is dedicated to defensive back Bryce West, there’s more the Buckeyes are interested in with this current cycle of recruits. That additional member being tight end target, Damarion Witten — a 6-foot-4, 215 pound athlete with a ton to be excited about.
The No. 190 player nationally per 247Sports, Witten also checks in as the 11th best tight end in the country and sixth best player from Ohio for the 2024 class. Damarion, who has already been to Columbus, will be making another return visit this Saturday, joining several other top targets to be on hand for a busy weekend. With first year tight end coach Keenan Bailey doing a bulk of the recruiting here, the two will share several points of contact this weekend.
Bailey’s retweet of Witten’s visit post certainly shows his excitement for him being on campus. This visit should go over real well.
2025 receiver checking in on Saturday
The amount of NFL veterans or former big-name stars that see their kids go on to the same type of success is always fun to watch. Looking at Ohio State’s current roster, and specifically with Marvin Harrison Jr., it’s safe to say the Buckeyes are thrilled to be capitalizing off that dynamic duo and certainly wouldn’t mind a few more of those type of players.
This Saturday another popular last name will be on campus when Jerome Bettis Jr. will see first-hand all the Buckeyes have to offer. A 2025 receiver, Bettis Jr. is a 6-foot-2, 175 pound athlete with early offers from the likes of Notre Dame, Arkansas, Boston College, UConn, and Massachusetts. Unranked right now on his 247Sports profile, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see his stock really increase when a rankings update for the 2025 class takes place.
Looking back at the offer list, it’s easy to see why Notre Dame is the favorite on the 247Sports Crystal Ball, with his dad of course having suited up for the Irish. Only a high school sophomore, there’s plenty of time for other major suitors to really get into the mix. No one is recruiting receivers more successfully right now than Brian Hartline and Ohio State, so having Bettis Jr. on campus has to spark some mutual interest here.
Fortunately the Buckeyes will be in a great spot either way with likely their picks at the spot.
Quick Hits
- It takes about two seconds to find drama on social media, and when it comes to recruiting, it’s probably even quicker. On Thursday, Hayes Fawcett, who specializes in many of the top recruiting targets’ commitment graphics, took to his account to share a photo of current Ohio State commit Jeremiah Smith in a Florida uniform while on a visit, and of course that had people talking.
Without going too far into this one, Smith is a player that will take visits and go through the process. He’s been pretty clear that he will attend other school visits, whether it be with his 7-on-7 team or via another outlet, but his words and praise for Ohio State and Hartline specifically should ease a lot of the unrest.
With him being the No. 1 receiver in the country for the 2024 class, of course any non-Buckeye content will be worrisome, but as long as Hartline is in Columbus, Ohio State should be fine — and those are words that came from Smith himself. In other words, don’t sweat a tweet looking for a reaction.
- Just yesterday, Chris Henry Jr. was a topic of discussion as he made his visit to see the Buckeyes on Thursday of this week. Coming away from his visit, it looks as if the in-state 2026 receiver target had another successful time in Columbus. As he continues to be one of the premier receivers for his class, it’s easy to see this recruitment being totally handled by Hartline in hopes to not only keep another in-state kid at home, but once again land an elite talent for his room as he’s done so many times.
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LGHL Ohio State’s men’s hockey team battles Harvard in the NCAA Tournament East Regional
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Ohio State’s men’s hockey team battles Harvard in the NCAA Tournament East Regional
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
This will only be the second time the Buckeyes and Crimson have squared off on the ice.
Following Ohio State’s women’s hockey team’s run to the NCAA Championship Game, now it is the Buckeye men’s team’s turn to try and advance to the Frozen Four. After losing to Michigan a couple weeks ago, Ohio State was awarded an at-large berth to this year’s tournament when the brackets were revealed on Sunday.
The last time Ohio State was on the ice was nearly two weeks ago in Ann Arbor. The battle with the Wolverines was one the Buckeyes would like to forget. Michigan scored 23 seconds into the Big Ten Tournament semifinal, and the Wolverines added two more goals in the first half of the first period to jump out to a 3-0 lead by the 10:27 mark.
The Buckeyes got on the board 11:43 into the second period when Jake Wise scored a power play goal. Ohio State wasn’t able to build any more momentum though, as Michigan restored their three-goal lead six minutes later. Travis Treloar added a power play goal early in the third period, and Cam Thiesing netted a goal when Ohio State pulled their goalie with less than five minutes left in the game. The Wolverines scored two empty net goals to round out the 7-3 victory.
Ohio State will now head to Bridgeport, Connecticut as a No. 3 seed. This marks the 10th NCAA Tournament appearance for the Buckeyes, with their last tournament berth coming back in 2019, when they were shutout by Denver 2-0 in the first round. The Buckeyes have advanced to two Frozen Fours, with those appearances coming in 1998 and 2018.
Squaring off with the Buckeyes on Friday is the Harvard Crimson. The schools have only met once before, with Ohio State winning the lone previous matchup 4-2 in December 2008 in Columbus at the Ohio Hockey Classic. The Buckeyes did take on another team from the ECAC in the first game of their Frozen Four run in 2018 when they defeated Princeton.
Harvard is making their 27th trip to the NCAA Tournament. With 13 Frozen Four appearances, nearly half of their trips to the NCAA Tournament have seen the Crimson advance to the Frozen Four. The last Frozen Four appearance for Harvard was in 2017. Of all of those runs to the Frozen Four, the Crimson have only won one NCAA title, which came back in 1989 when current head coach Ted Donato was a member of the Harvard team.
Like Ohio State, Harvard earned an at-large bid to this year’s tournament. After beating Princeton and Cornell to get to the ECAC Hockey Championship, the Crimson were defeated 3-2 by Colgate. The Raiders scored two goals in the first 12:47 of the game to put Harvard in a hole they weren’t able to dig out of. Matthew Coronato’s power play goal at the 12:55 mark of the third cut the deficit to 3-2, but would be the last goal scored in the game.
The Crimson are the only team in the country that has three 20-goal scorers this season. Alex Laferriere notched a team-high 21 goals, while Sean Farrell and Coronato both netted 20 tallies. The trio scored nearly half of the 124 goals Harvard potted this season. Farrell enters the NCAA Tournament as Harvard’s overall scoring leader this year, as he dished out 32 assists.
While Harvard has three players that do most of the scoring, Ohio State has had a bunch of players chip in to score their 122 goals this year. Davis Burnside has a team-high 14 goals this year. Four other Buckeyes has scored at least 10 goals over the 38 games Ohio State has played so far this year. Cam Thiesing has 13 goals on the season, Jake Wise has scored 12 times, and Tate Singleton and Joe Dunlap each have 11 goals.
Trying to slow down the Ohio State offensive attach is Harvard goalie Mitchell Gibson, who has started 26 of the 33 games played by the Crimson this year. Gibson is 18-6-2 with three shutouts, a 2.05 goals against average, and a .925 save percentage. Countering Gibson between this pipes for Ohio State is Jakub Dobes, who was named All-Big Ten Honorable Mention this year after posting a 20-15-3 record with three shutouts, a 2.33 goals against average, and a .918 save percentage.
Both teams have shown they can play great all-around hockey at times this year. Ohio State is in the top-17 in the country in scoring, scoring defense, and on the power play, converting 22.4 percent of the time when they have a man-advantage. What is likely going to decide the game is if the Buckeyes can continue to be stingy when their opponent goes on the power play. Ohio State leads the country when on the penalty kill, not only killing off 89.5 percent of the penalties they commit, but the Buckeyes have also scored 10 shorthanded goals this season.
The winner of Friday’s game between Ohio State and Harvard will go on to battle the winner of the game between Quinnipiac and Merrimack, which will take place after the Buckeyes and Crimson play. Quinnipiac enters the NCAA Tournament as the number two overall seed in the tournament. The Northeast Regional Final will take place on Sunday afternoon.
Time: 2:00 p.m. ET
TV: ESPNU
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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
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
This will only be the second time the Buckeyes and Crimson have squared off on the ice.
Following Ohio State’s women’s hockey team’s run to the NCAA Championship Game, now it is the Buckeye men’s team’s turn to try and advance to the Frozen Four. After losing to Michigan a couple weeks ago, Ohio State was awarded an at-large berth to this year’s tournament when the brackets were revealed on Sunday.
The last time Ohio State was on the ice was nearly two weeks ago in Ann Arbor. The battle with the Wolverines was one the Buckeyes would like to forget. Michigan scored 23 seconds into the Big Ten Tournament semifinal, and the Wolverines added two more goals in the first half of the first period to jump out to a 3-0 lead by the 10:27 mark.
The Buckeyes got on the board 11:43 into the second period when Jake Wise scored a power play goal. Ohio State wasn’t able to build any more momentum though, as Michigan restored their three-goal lead six minutes later. Travis Treloar added a power play goal early in the third period, and Cam Thiesing netted a goal when Ohio State pulled their goalie with less than five minutes left in the game. The Wolverines scored two empty net goals to round out the 7-3 victory.
Ohio State will now head to Bridgeport, Connecticut as a No. 3 seed. This marks the 10th NCAA Tournament appearance for the Buckeyes, with their last tournament berth coming back in 2019, when they were shutout by Denver 2-0 in the first round. The Buckeyes have advanced to two Frozen Fours, with those appearances coming in 1998 and 2018.
Preview
Squaring off with the Buckeyes on Friday is the Harvard Crimson. The schools have only met once before, with Ohio State winning the lone previous matchup 4-2 in December 2008 in Columbus at the Ohio Hockey Classic. The Buckeyes did take on another team from the ECAC in the first game of their Frozen Four run in 2018 when they defeated Princeton.
Harvard is making their 27th trip to the NCAA Tournament. With 13 Frozen Four appearances, nearly half of their trips to the NCAA Tournament have seen the Crimson advance to the Frozen Four. The last Frozen Four appearance for Harvard was in 2017. Of all of those runs to the Frozen Four, the Crimson have only won one NCAA title, which came back in 1989 when current head coach Ted Donato was a member of the Harvard team.
Like Ohio State, Harvard earned an at-large bid to this year’s tournament. After beating Princeton and Cornell to get to the ECAC Hockey Championship, the Crimson were defeated 3-2 by Colgate. The Raiders scored two goals in the first 12:47 of the game to put Harvard in a hole they weren’t able to dig out of. Matthew Coronato’s power play goal at the 12:55 mark of the third cut the deficit to 3-2, but would be the last goal scored in the game.
The Crimson are the only team in the country that has three 20-goal scorers this season. Alex Laferriere notched a team-high 21 goals, while Sean Farrell and Coronato both netted 20 tallies. The trio scored nearly half of the 124 goals Harvard potted this season. Farrell enters the NCAA Tournament as Harvard’s overall scoring leader this year, as he dished out 32 assists.
While Harvard has three players that do most of the scoring, Ohio State has had a bunch of players chip in to score their 122 goals this year. Davis Burnside has a team-high 14 goals this year. Four other Buckeyes has scored at least 10 goals over the 38 games Ohio State has played so far this year. Cam Thiesing has 13 goals on the season, Jake Wise has scored 12 times, and Tate Singleton and Joe Dunlap each have 11 goals.
Trying to slow down the Ohio State offensive attach is Harvard goalie Mitchell Gibson, who has started 26 of the 33 games played by the Crimson this year. Gibson is 18-6-2 with three shutouts, a 2.05 goals against average, and a .925 save percentage. Countering Gibson between this pipes for Ohio State is Jakub Dobes, who was named All-Big Ten Honorable Mention this year after posting a 20-15-3 record with three shutouts, a 2.33 goals against average, and a .918 save percentage.
Both teams have shown they can play great all-around hockey at times this year. Ohio State is in the top-17 in the country in scoring, scoring defense, and on the power play, converting 22.4 percent of the time when they have a man-advantage. What is likely going to decide the game is if the Buckeyes can continue to be stingy when their opponent goes on the power play. Ohio State leads the country when on the penalty kill, not only killing off 89.5 percent of the penalties they commit, but the Buckeyes have also scored 10 shorthanded goals this season.
The winner of Friday’s game between Ohio State and Harvard will go on to battle the winner of the game between Quinnipiac and Merrimack, which will take place after the Buckeyes and Crimson play. Quinnipiac enters the NCAA Tournament as the number two overall seed in the tournament. The Northeast Regional Final will take place on Sunday afternoon.
Time: 2:00 p.m. ET
TV: ESPNU
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LGHL Baseball: Ohio State earns midweek split ahead of Big Ten play
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Baseball: Ohio State earns midweek split ahead of Big Ten play
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Ohio State 1B/OF Caden Kaiser | via @OhioStateBASE on Twitter
The Buckeyes won one of two against Wright State and Toledo.
Ohio State entered Tuesday’s in-state matchup riding high off of seven-straight victories, including a 2-0 start at home as they welcomed Wright State to Columbus. Unfortunately, the offense would not be up to the task to push the streak to eight games.
The Buckeyes were locked in a pitchers duel for much of the game, with OSU starter Gavin Bruni tossing 3.1 scoreless innings with just one hit allowed and four strikeouts before being replaced by Jonah Jenkins. Jenkins himself was strong as well, pitching 3.1 innings while striking out three, but a home run in the 5th by the Raiders gave the visitors a 1-0 lead. Wright State added an unearned run in the 8th and one last run in the 9th as Ohio State failed to score in the 3-0 loss.
Ohio State managed just three hits in the game and four walks as the bats went totally silent. The Buckeyes got a runner to second base on three separate occasions, but failed to drive him in each time.
With the way the offense performed on Tuesday, it would be hard not to play any better the following afternoon when Toledo came to town.
It was dicey early on for Ohio State, as the Rockets opened up the scoring in the 1st inning with a bases loaded walk and made it 2-0 in the 2nd with a sac fly. The Buckeyes responded in a big way, however, as a pair of solo home runs by Hank Thomas and Josh McAlister evened things back up. The game remained knotted up at 2-2 until the 6th inning, when Toledo once again took a two-run lead, this time with a two-run homer.
Ohio State managed to get a run back in the bottom of the 6th when Matthew Graveline scored on an error, and then it was back to the long-ball for the Buckeyes with another pair of solo home runs in the 7th inning — this time by Kade Kern and Tyler Pettorini — to take their first lead of the game, 5-4. The scarlet and gray added an insurance run in the 8th on an RBI single by Caden Kaiser as they held on to earn a 6-4 bounce back win.
Bill Mosiello used six different pitchers in this one, with Blayne Robinson ultimately earning the win with his one scoreless inning in relief. Landon Beidelschies earned his third save of the year after getting the final four outs of the game, but it wasn’t easy. Beidelschies entered with two outs on two on in the 8th, but walked a batter to load the bases before getting out of the jam with a groundout. He remained on in the 9th, getting all three of his outs via the strikeout to secure the Ohio State victory.
The Buckeyes (12-7) will now start Big Ten play on the road, heading to Bloomington, Indiana to take on the Hoosiers (14-7) this weekend in a three-game series beginning on Friday, March 24 at 6:00 p.m. ET. Jeff Mercer’s group is currently riding a four-game winning streak, with their most recent outing a 15-5 win over Indiana State on Tuesday.
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Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Ohio State 1B/OF Caden Kaiser | via @OhioStateBASE on Twitter
The Buckeyes won one of two against Wright State and Toledo.
Tuesday, March 21: 3-0 Wright State
Ohio State entered Tuesday’s in-state matchup riding high off of seven-straight victories, including a 2-0 start at home as they welcomed Wright State to Columbus. Unfortunately, the offense would not be up to the task to push the streak to eight games.
The Buckeyes were locked in a pitchers duel for much of the game, with OSU starter Gavin Bruni tossing 3.1 scoreless innings with just one hit allowed and four strikeouts before being replaced by Jonah Jenkins. Jenkins himself was strong as well, pitching 3.1 innings while striking out three, but a home run in the 5th by the Raiders gave the visitors a 1-0 lead. Wright State added an unearned run in the 8th and one last run in the 9th as Ohio State failed to score in the 3-0 loss.
Ohio State managed just three hits in the game and four walks as the bats went totally silent. The Buckeyes got a runner to second base on three separate occasions, but failed to drive him in each time.
Wednesday, March 22: 6-4 Ohio State
With the way the offense performed on Tuesday, it would be hard not to play any better the following afternoon when Toledo came to town.
It was dicey early on for Ohio State, as the Rockets opened up the scoring in the 1st inning with a bases loaded walk and made it 2-0 in the 2nd with a sac fly. The Buckeyes responded in a big way, however, as a pair of solo home runs by Hank Thomas and Josh McAlister evened things back up. The game remained knotted up at 2-2 until the 6th inning, when Toledo once again took a two-run lead, this time with a two-run homer.
Ohio State managed to get a run back in the bottom of the 6th when Matthew Graveline scored on an error, and then it was back to the long-ball for the Buckeyes with another pair of solo home runs in the 7th inning — this time by Kade Kern and Tyler Pettorini — to take their first lead of the game, 5-4. The scarlet and gray added an insurance run in the 8th on an RBI single by Caden Kaiser as they held on to earn a 6-4 bounce back win.
Bill Mosiello used six different pitchers in this one, with Blayne Robinson ultimately earning the win with his one scoreless inning in relief. Landon Beidelschies earned his third save of the year after getting the final four outs of the game, but it wasn’t easy. Beidelschies entered with two outs on two on in the 8th, but walked a batter to load the bases before getting out of the jam with a groundout. He remained on in the 9th, getting all three of his outs via the strikeout to secure the Ohio State victory.
The Buckeyes (12-7) will now start Big Ten play on the road, heading to Bloomington, Indiana to take on the Hoosiers (14-7) this weekend in a three-game series beginning on Friday, March 24 at 6:00 p.m. ET. Jeff Mercer’s group is currently riding a four-game winning streak, with their most recent outing a 15-5 win over Indiana State on Tuesday.
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2025 OH LB/DE Justin Hill (Alabama Signee)
- By pnuts34
- Football Recruiting
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HudL
Class: 2025
Position: OLB
School: Cincinnati (OH) Winton Woods
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 215lbs
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Rivals
HudL
Class: 2025
Position: OLB
School: Cincinnati (OH) Winton Woods
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 215lbs
Login to view embedded media
LGHL Should Ohio State fans be concerned that Michigan is landing in-state prospects?
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Should Ohio State fans be concerned that Michigan is landing in-state prospects?
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Ryan Day’s track record with top in-state talent is actually better than I thought it was.
On Tuesday, four-star running back Jordan Marshall from Archbishop Moeller High School in Cincinnati committed to play football at the University of Michigan. On Wednesday, three-star offensive lineman Ben Roebuck from St. Edward’s in Lakewood, Ohio pledged to play his college football for the Wolverines. Back-to-back days with a native Ohioan choosing to leave the state to continue his football career and back-to-back days of a player breaking through the proverbial fence that Ohio State prides itself on putting up around the state borders.
Marshall is the No. 91 player in the country and was high up on the Buckeyes’ wish list for the 2024 class, though Roebuck had garnered interest from OSU, he had yet to receive an offer from his home state’s flagship institution. Nonetheless, this burgeoning trend of players picking the Buckeyes’ rivals has been concerning for some who fear that Ohio State coach Ryan Day and his staff still don’t fully appreciate the importance of keeping homegrown talent in state.
Joining Marshall and Roebuck in Jim Harbaugh’s (also an Ohio native) 2024 class is the No. 338 player in the country Luke Hamilton from Avon, Ohio, and Ted Hammond, the No. 390 player in the country from Cincinnati’s St. Xavier. Now, of course, other than Marshall, the players that have thus far defected from Ohio to that state up north during this cycle have not been the highest-profile recruits from the state (neither Hamilton nor Hammond held offers from the Buckeyes). Despite that, the trend is concerning to some, not just that these players picked Michigan, but the belief that the state’s best players are increasingly not the focus of OSU’s recruiting efforts; something that would have been sacrilegious in the Jim Tressel, Earl Bruce, and (obviously) Woody Hayes eras of program history.
The idea of putting a fence around the state was been integral to Ohio State’s recruiting and on-field success for generations. Of course, times have changed since the days of Hayes, Bruce, and Tressel; heck, times have changed since Urban Meyer’s tenure.
For reasons far outside the control of the Buckeyes’ football program, the amount of top-tier talent in the state of Ohio — and all northern states — has been on a steady decline for a few decades. As the United States population has migrated south, as proof of the theory of large numbers, so has the high school football talent. Coupled with the fact that the Ohio High School Athletic Association has still not authorized spring football or 7-on-7 leagues, you can see that there is a bubbling issue in focusing too heavily on in-state talent.
But, thanks to Meyer’s success and reputation, the Buckeye football team has gone from being nationally known to being a national brand, allowing its coaches to have a legitimate shot to land any prospect from any state in the country. In recent years, OSU has had success nabbing top talent from Florida, Georgia, Texas, California, Washington, and more. So, with that ability to land prospects from across the country, a somewhat declining in-state talent base can be supplemented.
Given the general narrative around the program, I just kind of assumed that there has been a demonstrable move away from Ohio high school players by the Buckeyes in recent years, especially under Day’s leadership. That would explain why a top player in the state like Marshall chose to go elsewhere.
So, I decided to dive into the numbers from 247Sports’ Composite Rankings to see what Ohio recruiting has been like during the Ryan Day Era in Columbus. Currently, 247 does not have a comprehensive list of the top players from Ohio in 2019, but Day only took over as head coach after the early signing period, so I’m not sure that including that data would really be fair.
Therefore, in looking at Day’s four completed recruiting classes gives us a decent idea as to his philosophy in terms of recruiting Ohio’s top talent, and, I have to be honest, he's done better with top in-state talent than I thought he had. Of course, everything in recruiting is cyclical and there won’t be the same amount of OSU-ready talent in Ohio in every year, but four years feels like a decent enough sample size to draw some conclusions from.
I looked specifically at the top-10 players in the state for each of Day’s four recruiting cycles. Of those 40 prospects, 20 have signed with the Buckeyes (for a very obvious 50% average). However, not all of those top-10 players received OSU offers. Thirty-one of the 40 players highlighted did earn offers — whether they were committable ones or not — meaning that those 20 that signed represent a 64.5% success rate for the Buckeyes.
Day’s stats get even better when you focus just on the Ohio players ranked in the top 200 of 247Sports national composite rankings. Of those four and five-star prospects, 15 of 22 (68%) have signed with the Buckeyes since 2019; however, if you throw in 2019’s No. 12 national player Zach Harrison — who committed two weeks after Urban Meyer announced his retirement — that brings the total up to a very nice 69.56% (technically that would round up to 70%, but that would ruin the bit).
Of the top-200 players that Ohio State missed out on are guys that honestly seem like the team didn’t really have a spot for. Quarterbacks Drew Allar and Evan Prater went to Penn State and Cincinnati respectively because the Buckeyes landed higher-priority prospects in their cycles (it’s complicated with Allar because of Quinn Ewers’ reclassification, but the point remains).
Similar situation with wide receivers Lorenzo Styles Jr. (Notre Dame) and Kaden Saunders (PSU) and running back Corey Kiner (LSU). They were good in-state players, but the Buckeyes landed the No. 1 WR and No. 1 RB in 2021 (Styles and Kiner’s class) and still had a glut of receiving talent in Saunder’s cycle.
The only top-200 Ohio prospects that you could argue OSU really missed out on during the Day era were 2022 offensive tackle Aamil Wagner (No. 112) and 2023 defensive lineman Brenan Vernon (No. 200), both of whom signed with the Fighting Irish. So, all-in-all, that’s a pretty good track record, and honestly, much better than I had given the head coach credit for.
Does that erase the disappointment of losing a guy like Marshall to your rival? Of course not. That one stings. But, it could be for not if the No. 69 player in the country, San Antonio, Texas running back James Peoples ends up committing to the Buckeyes instead. He is slated to be on campus this weekend and the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine gives the Buckeyes a 94.1% chance to land him. I like those odds.
Now, none of this is to say that the job Day and his staff has done has been close to perfect, far from it. But, I do think that it is good perspective to have when folks assume the sky is falling because two Ohio players (only one of whom had an OSU offer) decide to play for Michigan. If more and more in-state talent that the Buckeyes legitimately want ends up opting to play for the Wolverines, Fighting Irish, or anyone else, then I am all for hitting the panic button, but for now, it seems like this is a bit of a tempest in a pot of tea.
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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
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Ryan Day’s track record with top in-state talent is actually better than I thought it was.
On Tuesday, four-star running back Jordan Marshall from Archbishop Moeller High School in Cincinnati committed to play football at the University of Michigan. On Wednesday, three-star offensive lineman Ben Roebuck from St. Edward’s in Lakewood, Ohio pledged to play his college football for the Wolverines. Back-to-back days with a native Ohioan choosing to leave the state to continue his football career and back-to-back days of a player breaking through the proverbial fence that Ohio State prides itself on putting up around the state borders.
Marshall is the No. 91 player in the country and was high up on the Buckeyes’ wish list for the 2024 class, though Roebuck had garnered interest from OSU, he had yet to receive an offer from his home state’s flagship institution. Nonetheless, this burgeoning trend of players picking the Buckeyes’ rivals has been concerning for some who fear that Ohio State coach Ryan Day and his staff still don’t fully appreciate the importance of keeping homegrown talent in state.
Joining Marshall and Roebuck in Jim Harbaugh’s (also an Ohio native) 2024 class is the No. 338 player in the country Luke Hamilton from Avon, Ohio, and Ted Hammond, the No. 390 player in the country from Cincinnati’s St. Xavier. Now, of course, other than Marshall, the players that have thus far defected from Ohio to that state up north during this cycle have not been the highest-profile recruits from the state (neither Hamilton nor Hammond held offers from the Buckeyes). Despite that, the trend is concerning to some, not just that these players picked Michigan, but the belief that the state’s best players are increasingly not the focus of OSU’s recruiting efforts; something that would have been sacrilegious in the Jim Tressel, Earl Bruce, and (obviously) Woody Hayes eras of program history.
The idea of putting a fence around the state was been integral to Ohio State’s recruiting and on-field success for generations. Of course, times have changed since the days of Hayes, Bruce, and Tressel; heck, times have changed since Urban Meyer’s tenure.
For reasons far outside the control of the Buckeyes’ football program, the amount of top-tier talent in the state of Ohio — and all northern states — has been on a steady decline for a few decades. As the United States population has migrated south, as proof of the theory of large numbers, so has the high school football talent. Coupled with the fact that the Ohio High School Athletic Association has still not authorized spring football or 7-on-7 leagues, you can see that there is a bubbling issue in focusing too heavily on in-state talent.
But, thanks to Meyer’s success and reputation, the Buckeye football team has gone from being nationally known to being a national brand, allowing its coaches to have a legitimate shot to land any prospect from any state in the country. In recent years, OSU has had success nabbing top talent from Florida, Georgia, Texas, California, Washington, and more. So, with that ability to land prospects from across the country, a somewhat declining in-state talent base can be supplemented.
Given the general narrative around the program, I just kind of assumed that there has been a demonstrable move away from Ohio high school players by the Buckeyes in recent years, especially under Day’s leadership. That would explain why a top player in the state like Marshall chose to go elsewhere.
So, I decided to dive into the numbers from 247Sports’ Composite Rankings to see what Ohio recruiting has been like during the Ryan Day Era in Columbus. Currently, 247 does not have a comprehensive list of the top players from Ohio in 2019, but Day only took over as head coach after the early signing period, so I’m not sure that including that data would really be fair.
Therefore, in looking at Day’s four completed recruiting classes gives us a decent idea as to his philosophy in terms of recruiting Ohio’s top talent, and, I have to be honest, he's done better with top in-state talent than I thought he had. Of course, everything in recruiting is cyclical and there won’t be the same amount of OSU-ready talent in Ohio in every year, but four years feels like a decent enough sample size to draw some conclusions from.
I looked specifically at the top-10 players in the state for each of Day’s four recruiting cycles. Of those 40 prospects, 20 have signed with the Buckeyes (for a very obvious 50% average). However, not all of those top-10 players received OSU offers. Thirty-one of the 40 players highlighted did earn offers — whether they were committable ones or not — meaning that those 20 that signed represent a 64.5% success rate for the Buckeyes.
Day’s stats get even better when you focus just on the Ohio players ranked in the top 200 of 247Sports national composite rankings. Of those four and five-star prospects, 15 of 22 (68%) have signed with the Buckeyes since 2019; however, if you throw in 2019’s No. 12 national player Zach Harrison — who committed two weeks after Urban Meyer announced his retirement — that brings the total up to a very nice 69.56% (technically that would round up to 70%, but that would ruin the bit).
Of the top-200 players that Ohio State missed out on are guys that honestly seem like the team didn’t really have a spot for. Quarterbacks Drew Allar and Evan Prater went to Penn State and Cincinnati respectively because the Buckeyes landed higher-priority prospects in their cycles (it’s complicated with Allar because of Quinn Ewers’ reclassification, but the point remains).
Similar situation with wide receivers Lorenzo Styles Jr. (Notre Dame) and Kaden Saunders (PSU) and running back Corey Kiner (LSU). They were good in-state players, but the Buckeyes landed the No. 1 WR and No. 1 RB in 2021 (Styles and Kiner’s class) and still had a glut of receiving talent in Saunder’s cycle.
The only top-200 Ohio prospects that you could argue OSU really missed out on during the Day era were 2022 offensive tackle Aamil Wagner (No. 112) and 2023 defensive lineman Brenan Vernon (No. 200), both of whom signed with the Fighting Irish. So, all-in-all, that’s a pretty good track record, and honestly, much better than I had given the head coach credit for.
Does that erase the disappointment of losing a guy like Marshall to your rival? Of course not. That one stings. But, it could be for not if the No. 69 player in the country, San Antonio, Texas running back James Peoples ends up committing to the Buckeyes instead. He is slated to be on campus this weekend and the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine gives the Buckeyes a 94.1% chance to land him. I like those odds.
Now, none of this is to say that the job Day and his staff has done has been close to perfect, far from it. But, I do think that it is good perspective to have when folks assume the sky is falling because two Ohio players (only one of whom had an OSU offer) decide to play for Michigan. If more and more in-state talent that the Buckeyes legitimately want ends up opting to play for the Wolverines, Fighting Irish, or anyone else, then I am all for hitting the panic button, but for now, it seems like this is a bit of a tempest in a pot of tea.
Take a look at the top-10 Ohio prospects in each of Ryan Day’s four full recruiting cycles:
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