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LGHL Spring Game details confirmed; Blue Jackets reportedly to play in The Shoe next season
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Spring Game details confirmed; Blue Jackets reportedly to play in The Shoe next season
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Ben Jackson/Getty Images
All the Buckeye news thats fit to re-print.
Look, we get it. Your days are busy and you don’t have time to read all of the stories and tweets from the three dozen websites dedicated to covering Ohio State athletics, or the 237 Buckeye beat writers churning out hot takes and #content on a daily basis. But that’s ok, that’s what your friends at Land-Grant Holy Land are here for.
Monday through Friday, we’ll be collecting all of the articles, tweets, features, interviews, videos, podcasts, memes, photos, and whatever else we stumble across on the interwebz and putting them in our daily “Why is this News?” article. That way, you’ll have a one-stop shop for all of the most important Buckeye news, jokes, and analysis.
You’re welcome!
Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
Report: Blue Jackets to host outdoor game at Ohio Stadium in 2025
Lori Schmidt, The Columbus Dispatch
Ohio State announces kick off time, ticket information for 2024 spring game
Patrick Murphy, Bucknuts
Former Ohio State All-American Guard Ken Fritz Dies at 66
Chase Brown, Eleven Warriors
Five Questions as Ryan Day evaluates busy Buckeyes offseason (paywall)
Austin Ward, Dotting the Eyes
Corey Dennis leaving Ohio State, taking job at Utah
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row
Ohio State gives away an 18-point second-half lead (again) to lose to Indiana 76-73
Connor Lemons, Land-Grant Holy Land
As season slides away, Ohio State still not sure how to win: 5 Indiana takeaways
Adam Jardy, The Columbus Dispatch
Stats and eyes tell us the Ohio State men are one of the worst second-half teams in the Big Ten
Connor Lemons, Land-Grant Holy Land
Ohio State women’s win over Indiana wasn’t a ‘statement victory,’ it was expected
Thomas Costello, Land-Grant Holy Land
Ohio State men’s and women’s tennis are both dominating right now
Megan Husslein, Land-Grant Holy Land
Around the Rink: Bilka, Amos Shine; Former Buckeyes to Play in Rivalry Series
Reid Murray, The Lantern
Buckeyes Among First 2024 B1G Weekly Award Winners
Ohio State Athletics
This is a really big deal:
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
Photo by Ben Jackson/Getty Images
All the Buckeye news thats fit to re-print.
Look, we get it. Your days are busy and you don’t have time to read all of the stories and tweets from the three dozen websites dedicated to covering Ohio State athletics, or the 237 Buckeye beat writers churning out hot takes and #content on a daily basis. But that’s ok, that’s what your friends at Land-Grant Holy Land are here for.
Monday through Friday, we’ll be collecting all of the articles, tweets, features, interviews, videos, podcasts, memes, photos, and whatever else we stumble across on the interwebz and putting them in our daily “Why is this News?” article. That way, you’ll have a one-stop shop for all of the most important Buckeye news, jokes, and analysis.
You’re welcome!
For your Earholes...
Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
On the Gridiron
Report: Blue Jackets to host outdoor game at Ohio Stadium in 2025
Lori Schmidt, The Columbus Dispatch
Ohio State announces kick off time, ticket information for 2024 spring game
Patrick Murphy, Bucknuts
Our Buckeyes are Super Bowl ready
@youngchase907 x @nbsmallerbear
: @49ers pic.twitter.com/00kVUUxkq1
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) February 6, 2024
Former Ohio State All-American Guard Ken Fritz Dies at 66
Chase Brown, Eleven Warriors
Five Questions as Ryan Day evaluates busy Buckeyes offseason (paywall)
Austin Ward, Dotting the Eyes
Corey Dennis leaving Ohio State, taking job at Utah
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row
On the Hardwood
Ohio State gives away an 18-point second-half lead (again) to lose to Indiana 76-73
Connor Lemons, Land-Grant Holy Land
As season slides away, Ohio State still not sure how to win: 5 Indiana takeaways
Adam Jardy, The Columbus Dispatch
Stats and eyes tell us the Ohio State men are one of the worst second-half teams in the Big Ten
Connor Lemons, Land-Grant Holy Land
Ohio State women’s win over Indiana wasn’t a ‘statement victory,’ it was expected
Thomas Costello, Land-Grant Holy Land
Outside the Shoe and Schott
Ohio State men’s and women’s tennis are both dominating right now
Megan Husslein, Land-Grant Holy Land
Around the Rink: Bilka, Amos Shine; Former Buckeyes to Play in Rivalry Series
Reid Murray, The Lantern
Buckeyes Among First 2024 B1G Weekly Award Winners
Ohio State Athletics
And now for something completely different...
This is a really big deal:
Continue reading...
2026 OH OL Adam Guthrie (Clemson Verbal)
- By pnuts34
- Football Recruiting
- 79 Replies
LGHL Today is technically National Signing Day; Ohio State should add one more player to its 2024 class
- News
- 0 Replies
Today is technically National Signing Day; Ohio State should add one more player to its 2024 class
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Jason Mowry/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Dominic Kirks is set to be only the third defensive lineman in the Buckeyes’ 2024 recruiting class.
It used to be that the first Wednesday in February was something akin to a holy day for college football fans. It was the day that months — and in some cases even years — of hype and speculation finally came to fruition as players put pens to paper and faxed their National Letters of Intent to their colleges of choice, cementing the school that they would be spending three to five years of their lives playing for.
Now, thanks to the advent of the Early Signing Period and early enrollees, the official college football National Signing Day is reserved almost exclusively for a small handful of players who — for whatever reason — needed to take some extra time to make a decision, or perhaps witnessed a coaching change at their intended school, so had to reengage the recruiting process.
Of the top 250 players in 247Sports’ 2024 recruiting rankings, only eight have not yet signed with a school, and only one has not yet committed — wide receiver and the No. 134 player in the country Ashton Bethel-Roman has picked up a bunch of high-value crystal balls for Texas A&M over the last few days, but appears to be waiting until Signing Day to make it official.
Ohio State is expected to wrap up the cycle with a 21-man recruiting class, but 15 of those players are already on campus and participating in winter conditioning and will be on hand for spring practice. Nonetheless, the Buckeyes are expected to pick up the signature of one more player as four-star defensive lineman Dominic Kirks is set to make it official this morning.
Kirks is the No. 162 player in the country according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. He is the No. 24 defensive lineman and No. 8 player from the state of Ohio. Initially, the Painesville native committed to Washington, but decided not to sign his Letter of Intent in December. Then, when Kalen DeBoer opted to leave the Huskies to take over in Tuscaloosa, Kirks reconsidered his commitment. The day after he decommitted from UW, Kirks was on campus in Columbus, and one week later, he had officially pledged to be a Buckeye.
Now, to be clear, had Kirks signed with Washington in December, due to the coaching change, he almost certainly would have been let out of the Letter of Intent, so his holding off likely didn’t change a whole lot — especially since he never intended to enroll early — but it did show that he was never 100% set on the Huskies.
Assuming that Kirks does sign with OSU today, he will be the 21st scholarship player in OSU’s class and the ninth in the top 200 of 247’s Composite Rankings. He would join five-star Eddrick Houston and three-star Eric Mensah as the only defensive lineman in the class (Houston is an EDGE rusher, while Mensah and Kirks will play inside), but given that Jack Sawyer, J.T. Tuimoloau, and Tyleik Williams all opted to return, the lack of defensive line reinforcements isn’t as big of an issue this cycle — but it absolutely will be in 2025.
When factoring in transfers, the Buckeyes have the No. 3 recruiting class in the country and the second-highest average player ranking behind only Georgia. Oregon is the only other Big Ten team (yep, that’s going to take some getting used to) in the top 10 at No. 4. Penn State is No. 14, Michigan is No. 18, and USC is No. 20. Nebraska and Wisconsin come in at Nos. 23 and 24 respectively.
Head coach Ryan Day will hold his traditional Signing Day press conference at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center today, but will almost certainly be asked many more questions about transfers and coaching staff changes than new signees, but that’s the life in the big city for a coach who has had as interesting and exciting a month as Day has.
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
Photo by Jason Mowry/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Dominic Kirks is set to be only the third defensive lineman in the Buckeyes’ 2024 recruiting class.
It used to be that the first Wednesday in February was something akin to a holy day for college football fans. It was the day that months — and in some cases even years — of hype and speculation finally came to fruition as players put pens to paper and faxed their National Letters of Intent to their colleges of choice, cementing the school that they would be spending three to five years of their lives playing for.
Now, thanks to the advent of the Early Signing Period and early enrollees, the official college football National Signing Day is reserved almost exclusively for a small handful of players who — for whatever reason — needed to take some extra time to make a decision, or perhaps witnessed a coaching change at their intended school, so had to reengage the recruiting process.
Of the top 250 players in 247Sports’ 2024 recruiting rankings, only eight have not yet signed with a school, and only one has not yet committed — wide receiver and the No. 134 player in the country Ashton Bethel-Roman has picked up a bunch of high-value crystal balls for Texas A&M over the last few days, but appears to be waiting until Signing Day to make it official.
Ohio State is expected to wrap up the cycle with a 21-man recruiting class, but 15 of those players are already on campus and participating in winter conditioning and will be on hand for spring practice. Nonetheless, the Buckeyes are expected to pick up the signature of one more player as four-star defensive lineman Dominic Kirks is set to make it official this morning.
Kirks is the No. 162 player in the country according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. He is the No. 24 defensive lineman and No. 8 player from the state of Ohio. Initially, the Painesville native committed to Washington, but decided not to sign his Letter of Intent in December. Then, when Kalen DeBoer opted to leave the Huskies to take over in Tuscaloosa, Kirks reconsidered his commitment. The day after he decommitted from UW, Kirks was on campus in Columbus, and one week later, he had officially pledged to be a Buckeye.
Now, to be clear, had Kirks signed with Washington in December, due to the coaching change, he almost certainly would have been let out of the Letter of Intent, so his holding off likely didn’t change a whole lot — especially since he never intended to enroll early — but it did show that he was never 100% set on the Huskies.
Assuming that Kirks does sign with OSU today, he will be the 21st scholarship player in OSU’s class and the ninth in the top 200 of 247’s Composite Rankings. He would join five-star Eddrick Houston and three-star Eric Mensah as the only defensive lineman in the class (Houston is an EDGE rusher, while Mensah and Kirks will play inside), but given that Jack Sawyer, J.T. Tuimoloau, and Tyleik Williams all opted to return, the lack of defensive line reinforcements isn’t as big of an issue this cycle — but it absolutely will be in 2025.
When factoring in transfers, the Buckeyes have the No. 3 recruiting class in the country and the second-highest average player ranking behind only Georgia. Oregon is the only other Big Ten team (yep, that’s going to take some getting used to) in the top 10 at No. 4. Penn State is No. 14, Michigan is No. 18, and USC is No. 20. Nebraska and Wisconsin come in at Nos. 23 and 24 respectively.
Head coach Ryan Day will hold his traditional Signing Day press conference at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center today, but will almost certainly be asked many more questions about transfers and coaching staff changes than new signees, but that’s the life in the big city for a coach who has had as interesting and exciting a month as Day has.
Continue reading...
LGHL Hangout in the Holy Land Podcast: The college football coaching carousel just keeps on spinning
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Hangout in the Holy Land Podcast: The college football coaching carousel just keeps on spinning
Josh Dooley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Chris Unger/Getty Images
The Hangout Boys discuss Jim Harbaugh, Jeff Hafley, and others leaving for the NFL, as well as Bill O’Brien’s potential departure from Columbus. How does it all end up affecting Ohio State!?
The latest episode of Land-Grant Holy Land’s flagship podcast is here! Join LGHL’s Josh Dooley and Chuck Holmes as they discuss Ohio State football, recruiting, and much, much more! Come for the hot takes, stay for the warm ones.
Listen to the episode and subscribe:
On this episode of “Hangout in the Holy Land,” Josh and Chuck wonder aloud why so many college football coaches seem to be devising and/or implementing an exit strategy — to leave either the collegiate ranks or the coaching industry altogether. Is this current offseason a sign of things to come? Or are we all just overreacting to a few surprising moves?
After nine successful seasons as the head coach of his alma mater, Jim Harbaugh reportedly left a massive extension on the table, opting instead to inherit a consistent underachiever in the NFL. Jeff Hafley walked away from his head coaching position at Boston College to become a defensive coordinator at the next level. And Nick Saban, the GOAT, retired at or near the top of his game!
Were these coaches over the chaos and/or concerned about future of CFB? Or did the stars simply align for them to pursue other opportunities? And how exactly do these moves impact Ohio State?
Please make sure to like, rate, review, and subscribe to the podcast! And as always, Go Bucks!
Connect with the pod
Twitter: @HolyLandPod
Connect with Josh Dooley
Twitter: @jdooleybuckeye
Connect with Chuck Holmes
Twitter: @ctholmes3
Continue reading...
Josh Dooley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Chris Unger/Getty Images
The Hangout Boys discuss Jim Harbaugh, Jeff Hafley, and others leaving for the NFL, as well as Bill O’Brien’s potential departure from Columbus. How does it all end up affecting Ohio State!?
The latest episode of Land-Grant Holy Land’s flagship podcast is here! Join LGHL’s Josh Dooley and Chuck Holmes as they discuss Ohio State football, recruiting, and much, much more! Come for the hot takes, stay for the warm ones.
Listen to the episode and subscribe:
Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
On this episode of “Hangout in the Holy Land,” Josh and Chuck wonder aloud why so many college football coaches seem to be devising and/or implementing an exit strategy — to leave either the collegiate ranks or the coaching industry altogether. Is this current offseason a sign of things to come? Or are we all just overreacting to a few surprising moves?
After nine successful seasons as the head coach of his alma mater, Jim Harbaugh reportedly left a massive extension on the table, opting instead to inherit a consistent underachiever in the NFL. Jeff Hafley walked away from his head coaching position at Boston College to become a defensive coordinator at the next level. And Nick Saban, the GOAT, retired at or near the top of his game!
Were these coaches over the chaos and/or concerned about future of CFB? Or did the stars simply align for them to pursue other opportunities? And how exactly do these moves impact Ohio State?
Please make sure to like, rate, review, and subscribe to the podcast! And as always, Go Bucks!
Connect with the pod
Twitter: @HolyLandPod
Connect with Josh Dooley
Twitter: @jdooleybuckeye
Connect with Chuck Holmes
Twitter: @ctholmes3
Continue reading...
LGHL Ohio State men’s basketball vs. Indiana: Game preview and prediction
- News
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Ohio State men’s basketball vs. Indiana: Game preview and prediction
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images
Ohio State will look to get back on track after losing seven of its last eight as they head back home for two games this week.
The Ohio State men’s basketball team (13-9, 3-8) will look to get back on track this week with two games in Columbus, starting tonight against the Indiana Hoosiers (13-9, 5-6).
This is a contest between two teams desperate for a win, as the Buckeyes are coming off a close loss at Iowa, and Indiana is coming off an 85-71 loss at home to Penn State. Ohio State has lost seven of its last eight games, and Indiana has lost four of its last five.
This is the season’s second matchup between the two teams, as Indiana won the first matchup 71-65 at Assembly Hall. In the first game, which was exactly a month ago on Jan. 6, the Hoosiers were led by a career game from Malik Reneau, who recorded 23 points on 10-for-16 shooting and seven rebounds.
Xavier Johnson had 18 points, three assists, and three rebounds in that game, but has missed time recently with an injury and is questionable to play in this contest. C.J. Gunn added 10 points in 24 minutes off the bench.
Jamison Battle led the Buckeyes with 17 points on 5-for-10 shooting from the three-point line and added nine rebounds. Zed Key tallied 11 points and five rebounds off the bench.
The guard duo of Brice Thornton and Roddy Gayle struggled immensely the last time these two teams met, combining to shoot 7-for-34 from the field, 0-for-12 from three-point range, and totaling 18 points. Felix Okpara had his best defensive game of his career, recording 15 rebounds and five blocks while holding Kel’el Ware to eight points and six rebounds on 4-for-10 shooting in 31 minutes.
The Buckeyes dominated the Hoosiers on the glass, winning the rebounding battle 49-27, but lost the turnover battle 14-4 and only shot 7-for-27 from three-point range. Ohio State led 46-37 early in the second half, but struggled late in the second half and allowed the Hoosiers to take a double-digit lead.
This was also the game that started the Buckeyes’ slide. Ohio State entered the night 12-2 overall, and has since lost seven of its last eight games, with the sole win coming at home against Penn State.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25269570/1976112088.jpg "COLLEGE BASKETBALL: FEB 03 Penn State at Indiana")
Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Indiana is led by the aforementioned Reneau, who averages 16.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. He is shooting 58.0 percent from the field and 39.4 percent from three-point range. Kel’el Ware is right behind him with 15.3 points and 9.5 rebounds per game, while also adding 1.6 blocks per contest. Mackenzie Mgbako and Trey Galloway are averaging 11.0 and 10.5 points per game, respectively.
Starting point guard Xavier Johnson is questionable to play in this one after missing the Hoosiers’ last game with an elbow injury he sustained late in their game against Iowa. Johnson is averaging 8.3 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game in just under 25 minutes per game.
The Buckeyes are led into this one by sophomore point guard Bruce Thornton, who is scoring 15.6 points per game to lead the team while adding 3.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. Thornton has been struggling with shooting recently, however, as his averages have fallen to 41.2 percent from the field and 32.5 percent from three-point range.
Jamison Battle is averaging 14.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game while shooting a Big Ten-best 45.0 percent from three-point range. Roddy Gayle is averaging 14.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists per contest.
The biggest issue for Ohio State has been its defense. The Buckeyes have fallen to No. 120 in KenPom in defensive efficiency and are No. 40 in offensive efficiency. Indiana is more consistent — but consistently bad — ranking No. 101 in offense and No. 100 in defense.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25269574/1981166071.jpg "COLLEGE BASKETBALL: FEB 02 Ohio State at Iowa")
Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The good part about this game is it is in Columbus. Ohio State is 9-3 at home this season, with losses to Texas A&M, Illinois and Wisconsin, while they are 0-6 on the road.
Ohio State’s season is on life support, and even that might be generous. If they want any chance of salvaging the season, they have to win both games this week at home against Indiana and Maryland, with the Terrapins coming to town on Saturday.
Two big factors in this game will be Zed Key and Felix Okpara. Both big men for the Buckeyes played well in the first matchup against the Hoosiers, but Key’s minutes have drastically gone down since then, and Okpara has been inconsistent. If those two can play well and slow down Ware, Mgbako and Reneau, it will take some pressure off of the guards and Battle.
The Buckeyes also need more from the bench. Scotty Middleton, Dale Bonner, Zed Key, Devin Royal and even Bowen Hardman have played minutes off the bench the last month in an attempt to get something going when the Buckeyes are struggling on offense. However, the bench has been unable to find any consistency, and it puts a lot of pressure on Thornton, Gayle and Battle to do the bulk of the scoring.
Basically, Ohio State needs more production from guys not named Bruce Thornton, Roddy Gayle, and Jamison Battle to get out of this slump.
ESPN BPI: Ohio State 76.9%
Time: 7 p.m. ET
TV: Peacock
Continue reading...
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images
Ohio State will look to get back on track after losing seven of its last eight as they head back home for two games this week.
The Ohio State men’s basketball team (13-9, 3-8) will look to get back on track this week with two games in Columbus, starting tonight against the Indiana Hoosiers (13-9, 5-6).
This is a contest between two teams desperate for a win, as the Buckeyes are coming off a close loss at Iowa, and Indiana is coming off an 85-71 loss at home to Penn State. Ohio State has lost seven of its last eight games, and Indiana has lost four of its last five.
This is the season’s second matchup between the two teams, as Indiana won the first matchup 71-65 at Assembly Hall. In the first game, which was exactly a month ago on Jan. 6, the Hoosiers were led by a career game from Malik Reneau, who recorded 23 points on 10-for-16 shooting and seven rebounds.
Xavier Johnson had 18 points, three assists, and three rebounds in that game, but has missed time recently with an injury and is questionable to play in this contest. C.J. Gunn added 10 points in 24 minutes off the bench.
Jamison Battle led the Buckeyes with 17 points on 5-for-10 shooting from the three-point line and added nine rebounds. Zed Key tallied 11 points and five rebounds off the bench.
The guard duo of Brice Thornton and Roddy Gayle struggled immensely the last time these two teams met, combining to shoot 7-for-34 from the field, 0-for-12 from three-point range, and totaling 18 points. Felix Okpara had his best defensive game of his career, recording 15 rebounds and five blocks while holding Kel’el Ware to eight points and six rebounds on 4-for-10 shooting in 31 minutes.
The Buckeyes dominated the Hoosiers on the glass, winning the rebounding battle 49-27, but lost the turnover battle 14-4 and only shot 7-for-27 from three-point range. Ohio State led 46-37 early in the second half, but struggled late in the second half and allowed the Hoosiers to take a double-digit lead.
This was also the game that started the Buckeyes’ slide. Ohio State entered the night 12-2 overall, and has since lost seven of its last eight games, with the sole win coming at home against Penn State.
Preview
Indiana is led by the aforementioned Reneau, who averages 16.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. He is shooting 58.0 percent from the field and 39.4 percent from three-point range. Kel’el Ware is right behind him with 15.3 points and 9.5 rebounds per game, while also adding 1.6 blocks per contest. Mackenzie Mgbako and Trey Galloway are averaging 11.0 and 10.5 points per game, respectively.
Starting point guard Xavier Johnson is questionable to play in this one after missing the Hoosiers’ last game with an elbow injury he sustained late in their game against Iowa. Johnson is averaging 8.3 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game in just under 25 minutes per game.
The Buckeyes are led into this one by sophomore point guard Bruce Thornton, who is scoring 15.6 points per game to lead the team while adding 3.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. Thornton has been struggling with shooting recently, however, as his averages have fallen to 41.2 percent from the field and 32.5 percent from three-point range.
Jamison Battle is averaging 14.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game while shooting a Big Ten-best 45.0 percent from three-point range. Roddy Gayle is averaging 14.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists per contest.
The biggest issue for Ohio State has been its defense. The Buckeyes have fallen to No. 120 in KenPom in defensive efficiency and are No. 40 in offensive efficiency. Indiana is more consistent — but consistently bad — ranking No. 101 in offense and No. 100 in defense.
Prediction
The good part about this game is it is in Columbus. Ohio State is 9-3 at home this season, with losses to Texas A&M, Illinois and Wisconsin, while they are 0-6 on the road.
Ohio State’s season is on life support, and even that might be generous. If they want any chance of salvaging the season, they have to win both games this week at home against Indiana and Maryland, with the Terrapins coming to town on Saturday.
Two big factors in this game will be Zed Key and Felix Okpara. Both big men for the Buckeyes played well in the first matchup against the Hoosiers, but Key’s minutes have drastically gone down since then, and Okpara has been inconsistent. If those two can play well and slow down Ware, Mgbako and Reneau, it will take some pressure off of the guards and Battle.
The Buckeyes also need more from the bench. Scotty Middleton, Dale Bonner, Zed Key, Devin Royal and even Bowen Hardman have played minutes off the bench the last month in an attempt to get something going when the Buckeyes are struggling on offense. However, the bench has been unable to find any consistency, and it puts a lot of pressure on Thornton, Gayle and Battle to do the bulk of the scoring.
Basically, Ohio State needs more production from guys not named Bruce Thornton, Roddy Gayle, and Jamison Battle to get out of this slump.
ESPN BPI: Ohio State 76.9%
Time: 7 p.m. ET
TV: Peacock
LGHL score prediction: Ohio State 78, Indiana 72
Continue reading...
LGHL Ohio State gives away an 18-point second-half lead (again) to lose to Indiana 76-73
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Ohio State gives away an 18-point second-half lead (again) to lose to Indiana 76-73
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
The Buckeyes continue to be an absolutely miserable second-half team.
Hoping to even the score after last month’s 71-65 loss to the Hoosiers in Bloomington, the Ohio State men’s basketball team (13-10, 3-9) welcomed Indiana (14-9, 6-6) to the Schottenstein Center on Tuesday night. Both teams came into this game on a slide, with the Hoosiers having lost four of their last five games and Ohio State only earning one win in its last eight.
Both teams are NCAA Tournament afterthoughts at the moment but don’t tell that to Mike Woodson or Chris Holtmann. Both head coaches know that they are just barely past the halfway point of their conference schedules. Mathematically, both of these teams have plenty of opportunities ahead of them to rack up wins. However, that’s looking pretty unlikely to everyone outside of those two locker rooms.
Despite the recent run of losses, Holtmann did not make any changes to his starting lineup, with sophomores Bruce Thornton, Roddy Gayle, Felix Okpara, and Evan Mahaffey playing alongside senior Jamison Battle. With senior point guard Xavier Johnson out for the second consecutive game with an elbow injury, Mike Woodson went with a starting lineup of Gabe Cupps, Trey Galloway, Malik Reneau, Mackenzie Mgbako, and Kel’el Ware.
Thornton and Gayle did all the scoring for the Buckeyes through the first several minutes, as the two teams played to a 6-6 tie at the first media timeout 4:05 into the game. Thornton took four shots in the opening four minutes, knocking down two of them. Meanwhile, Reneau was extremely active for the Hoosiers, drawing two fouls before the first media timeout — it was clear IU was going to continue trying to run everything through him and Ware.
Ohio State ripped off a 9-0 run starting around the 10-minute mark of the first half to take a 10-point lead over the Hoosiers, its first double-digit lead since the Penn State game on January 20. Four different Buckeyes contributed to the 9-0 run that quickly became a 13-1 run. In just over three minutes, Ohio State’s 16-15 lead had ballooned to a 29-16 lead.
Indiana cut the lead down to nine for a minute, but Gayle scored four more points in the final minute of the first half to give the Buckeyes a 42-29 halftime lead. It was the second consecutive game that the Buckeyes held a lead at halftime, except the lead on Tuesday night was exactly 13 times as large as Ohio State’s halftime lead at Iowa last week.
Gayle led all scorers with 15 points in the first half on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting and also hit all four of his free throws. Battle, Thornton, and Mahaffey chipped in eight, seven, and seven, respectively, for an Ohio State team that shot an even 50% during the first half.
Reneau led Indiana with 10 first-half points as he continued to be a problem for these Buckeyes. He was 6-of-9 at the free throw line, as the sophomore big man shot almost as many free throws by himself as Ohio State did as a team in the first half (13). The Hoosiers shot 33.3% in the first half.
The second half started with a very abrupt technical foul assessed to Reneu, who was sure he was fouled by Mahaffey on a shot below the basket. After he missed and Okpara grabbed the rebound, Reneau began jawing at an official and was T’d up immediately. Battle hit both free throws for Ohio State, putting them up 44-29, less than a minute into the second half.
Ohio State’s lead extended out to 18 early in the second half, but the Hoosiers responded and cut it to 55-46 by the under-12 media timeout with 11:52 left in the game. The Hoosiers were attacking the offensive glass, with Galloway and Reneau each grabbing multiple offensive rebounds and scoring multiple second-chance baskets during the second half. By the under-eight media timeout with 7:42 left in the game, Ohio State was holding firm with a 10-point lead, 63-53.
But, as has been a staple of this team, the Buckeyes bent the knee during the final 10 minutes, allowing Indiana to go on a 10-0 run to get back within two points of Ohio State with 4:35 left in the game. Galloway was the catalyst, more than doubling his scoring average on a night when Indiana desperately needed a win. Another massive three-pointer from the senior made it 67-66 Ohio State with 4:15 left.
The Buckeyes continued to be one of the worst second-half teams in the Big Ten Conference. For the second time this season, Ohio State had an 18-point lead in the second half and wound up losing the game. Ware’s left-handed basket with 2:40 left in the game completed the Hoosiers’ comeback, stunning the Buckeyes (but not their fans) at home and handing Ohio State its ninth conference loss of the season, 76-73.
If you opted not to watch tonight or don’t have Peacock, here are a few key moments, plays, and statistics that played a part in Indiana’s second win over the Buckeyes this year:
Indiana is always looking to work their offense through the paint. The Hoosiers attempt and make fewer three-pointers than any other team in the Big Ten, and that remained true through the first several minutes of Tuesday night’s game.
Indiana got to the rack early and often on Tuesday night, drawing six fouls through the first 8:12 and hitting 6-of-8 free throws. While the Hoosiers took eight free throws in the first eight minutes, Ohio State only got to the line one time, which was Mahaffey capping off a three-point play after an up-and-under layup.
Starting at the 10:13 mark of the first half, the Buckeyes went on a 9-0 run to go ahead 25-15, with four different players contributing.
-Gayle scored with a layup high off the right side of the backboard.
-Mahaffey stole the ball at halfcourt and passed to Thornton sprinting down the floor, who dumped it off to Okpara, who was fouled. Okpara hit both free throws.
-Mahaffey shot faked to the right, and then pivoted left and scored around Ware with the left hand on the left side of the bucket.
-Thornton knocked down a three-pointer from the left wing, not far from the Indiana bench.
-Mike Woodson called a timeout, with his team down 10.
Gabe Cupps, a 6-foot-2 freshman guard from Centerville, had an Ohio State offer. Holtmann and his staff were very involved with the former four-star recruit, who ultimately wound up at Indiana.
Certainly, there were no hard feelings between Cupps and Ohio State, but the Buckeyes went at Cupps repeatedly during the first half of Tuesday’s game. When Thornton or Gayle had Cupps on them, the Buckeyes’ guards made a concerted effort to get to the basket.
Cupps wound up playing 15 minutes in the first half, picking up two fouls and scoring two points on 1-of-3 shooting.
Gayle played one of his better halves of basketball Tuesday night, scoring 15 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting. He scored the Buckeyes’ final six points of the first half — four of them came at the free throw line and the last one was a layup.
Reneau missed a shot during Indiana’s first offensive possession of the second half, and on the way back up the floor the sophomore big man had some words for an official, who immediately assessed him a technical foul. Battle knocked down both free throws to put Ohio State up 44-29 with 19:30 left in the game.
After an Okpara free throw made it 51-36 Ohio State with 15:49 remaining, Indiana went on a 6-0 run, capped off by a Trey Galloway second-chance basket. Galloway missed the initial layup short but was able to grab his own miss and flip it back in to make it 51-42 with 13:38 remaining in the game.
Galloway’s 25 points were the most he’d scored since his 28-point game against Kansas on Dec. 16.
After all of Galloway’s heroics to get Indiana back in the game, Ware scored over the top of Mahaffey and Key with 2:40 left in the game to put the Hoosiers up for the first time since it was 10-9 early in the first half. His basket put Indiana up, 70-69.
With 32 seconds left in the game and everything all knotted up at 71, Battle dribbled to the left elbow and took a shot, and was fouled by Mgbako. He sunk both, making him a perfect 10-of-10 at the free throw line. The free throws gave Ohio State a 73-71 lead in the final seconds.
Anthony Leal is one of the very last men off the bench for Indiana. The senior from Bloomington has never averaged more than 11 minutes per game in his entire career at IU, and had only taken 14 shots this season, entering tonight’s game.
On the final possession of the game, Galloway drew a ton of attention up top, passed to Leal in the far corner, and he connected on his sixth three-pointer of the season to put the Hoosiers up, 74-73.
Ohio State (13-10, 3-9) will stay home this week, as they welcome the Maryland Terrapins (13-10, 5-7) to Columbus on Saturday afternoon. Maryland has been teetering back and forth all season, but has one of the better scoring trios in the conference with Jahmir Young, Donta Scott, and Julian Reese and was picked to be one of the four best teams in the Big Ten before the season began.
The Buckeyes’ battle with the Turtles will tip off at 4 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on FS1.
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The Buckeyes continue to be an absolutely miserable second-half team.
Hoping to even the score after last month’s 71-65 loss to the Hoosiers in Bloomington, the Ohio State men’s basketball team (13-10, 3-9) welcomed Indiana (14-9, 6-6) to the Schottenstein Center on Tuesday night. Both teams came into this game on a slide, with the Hoosiers having lost four of their last five games and Ohio State only earning one win in its last eight.
Both teams are NCAA Tournament afterthoughts at the moment but don’t tell that to Mike Woodson or Chris Holtmann. Both head coaches know that they are just barely past the halfway point of their conference schedules. Mathematically, both of these teams have plenty of opportunities ahead of them to rack up wins. However, that’s looking pretty unlikely to everyone outside of those two locker rooms.
Despite the recent run of losses, Holtmann did not make any changes to his starting lineup, with sophomores Bruce Thornton, Roddy Gayle, Felix Okpara, and Evan Mahaffey playing alongside senior Jamison Battle. With senior point guard Xavier Johnson out for the second consecutive game with an elbow injury, Mike Woodson went with a starting lineup of Gabe Cupps, Trey Galloway, Malik Reneau, Mackenzie Mgbako, and Kel’el Ware.
Thornton and Gayle did all the scoring for the Buckeyes through the first several minutes, as the two teams played to a 6-6 tie at the first media timeout 4:05 into the game. Thornton took four shots in the opening four minutes, knocking down two of them. Meanwhile, Reneau was extremely active for the Hoosiers, drawing two fouls before the first media timeout — it was clear IU was going to continue trying to run everything through him and Ware.
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run gives @OhioStateHoops a double-digit lead.
: Peacock pic.twitter.com/dTgUk6W7Em
— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) February 7, 2024
Ohio State ripped off a 9-0 run starting around the 10-minute mark of the first half to take a 10-point lead over the Hoosiers, its first double-digit lead since the Penn State game on January 20. Four different Buckeyes contributed to the 9-0 run that quickly became a 13-1 run. In just over three minutes, Ohio State’s 16-15 lead had ballooned to a 29-16 lead.
Indiana cut the lead down to nine for a minute, but Gayle scored four more points in the final minute of the first half to give the Buckeyes a 42-29 halftime lead. It was the second consecutive game that the Buckeyes held a lead at halftime, except the lead on Tuesday night was exactly 13 times as large as Ohio State’s halftime lead at Iowa last week.
Gayle led all scorers with 15 points in the first half on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting and also hit all four of his free throws. Battle, Thornton, and Mahaffey chipped in eight, seven, and seven, respectively, for an Ohio State team that shot an even 50% during the first half.
Reneau led Indiana with 10 first-half points as he continued to be a problem for these Buckeyes. He was 6-of-9 at the free throw line, as the sophomore big man shot almost as many free throws by himself as Ohio State did as a team in the first half (13). The Hoosiers shot 33.3% in the first half.
The second half started with a very abrupt technical foul assessed to Reneu, who was sure he was fouled by Mahaffey on a shot below the basket. After he missed and Okpara grabbed the rebound, Reneau began jawing at an official and was T’d up immediately. Battle hit both free throws for Ohio State, putting them up 44-29, less than a minute into the second half.
Ohio State’s lead extended out to 18 early in the second half, but the Hoosiers responded and cut it to 55-46 by the under-12 media timeout with 11:52 left in the game. The Hoosiers were attacking the offensive glass, with Galloway and Reneau each grabbing multiple offensive rebounds and scoring multiple second-chance baskets during the second half. By the under-eight media timeout with 7:42 left in the game, Ohio State was holding firm with a 10-point lead, 63-53.
But, as has been a staple of this team, the Buckeyes bent the knee during the final 10 minutes, allowing Indiana to go on a 10-0 run to get back within two points of Ohio State with 4:35 left in the game. Galloway was the catalyst, more than doubling his scoring average on a night when Indiana desperately needed a win. Another massive three-pointer from the senior made it 67-66 Ohio State with 4:15 left.
The Buckeyes continued to be one of the worst second-half teams in the Big Ten Conference. For the second time this season, Ohio State had an 18-point lead in the second half and wound up losing the game. Ware’s left-handed basket with 2:40 left in the game completed the Hoosiers’ comeback, stunning the Buckeyes (but not their fans) at home and handing Ohio State its ninth conference loss of the season, 76-73.
If you opted not to watch tonight or don’t have Peacock, here are a few key moments, plays, and statistics that played a part in Indiana’s second win over the Buckeyes this year:
Fouls start to mount for Buckeyes
Indiana is always looking to work their offense through the paint. The Hoosiers attempt and make fewer three-pointers than any other team in the Big Ten, and that remained true through the first several minutes of Tuesday night’s game.
Indiana got to the rack early and often on Tuesday night, drawing six fouls through the first 8:12 and hitting 6-of-8 free throws. While the Hoosiers took eight free throws in the first eight minutes, Ohio State only got to the line one time, which was Mahaffey capping off a three-point play after an up-and-under layup.
Ohio State’s 9-0 run gives the Buckeyes a double-digit lead
Starting at the 10:13 mark of the first half, the Buckeyes went on a 9-0 run to go ahead 25-15, with four different players contributing.
-Gayle scored with a layup high off the right side of the backboard.
-Mahaffey stole the ball at halfcourt and passed to Thornton sprinting down the floor, who dumped it off to Okpara, who was fouled. Okpara hit both free throws.
-Mahaffey shot faked to the right, and then pivoted left and scored around Ware with the left hand on the left side of the bucket.
-Thornton knocked down a three-pointer from the left wing, not far from the Indiana bench.
-Mike Woodson called a timeout, with his team down 10.
Ohio State singling out Centerville product Gabe Cupps
Gabe Cupps, a 6-foot-2 freshman guard from Centerville, had an Ohio State offer. Holtmann and his staff were very involved with the former four-star recruit, who ultimately wound up at Indiana.
Certainly, there were no hard feelings between Cupps and Ohio State, but the Buckeyes went at Cupps repeatedly during the first half of Tuesday’s game. When Thornton or Gayle had Cupps on them, the Buckeyes’ guards made a concerted effort to get to the basket.
Cupps wound up playing 15 minutes in the first half, picking up two fouls and scoring two points on 1-of-3 shooting.
Gayle scores Ohio State’s final six to end the half
Gayle played one of his better halves of basketball Tuesday night, scoring 15 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting. He scored the Buckeyes’ final six points of the first half — four of them came at the free throw line and the last one was a layup.
Reneau T’d up to start the second half
Reneau missed a shot during Indiana’s first offensive possession of the second half, and on the way back up the floor the sophomore big man had some words for an official, who immediately assessed him a technical foul. Battle knocked down both free throws to put Ohio State up 44-29 with 19:30 left in the game.
Galloway’s second-chance basket gets Indiana back within nine
After an Okpara free throw made it 51-36 Ohio State with 15:49 remaining, Indiana went on a 6-0 run, capped off by a Trey Galloway second-chance basket. Galloway missed the initial layup short but was able to grab his own miss and flip it back in to make it 51-42 with 13:38 remaining in the game.
Galloway’s 25 points were the most he’d scored since his 28-point game against Kansas on Dec. 16.
Ware’s basket gives Indiana the lead with 2:40 left
After all of Galloway’s heroics to get Indiana back in the game, Ware scored over the top of Mahaffey and Key with 2:40 left in the game to put the Hoosiers up for the first time since it was 10-9 early in the first half. His basket put Indiana up, 70-69.
Battle’s free throws give Ohio State 73-71 lead with 32 seconds left
With 32 seconds left in the game and everything all knotted up at 71, Battle dribbled to the left elbow and took a shot, and was fouled by Mgbako. He sunk both, making him a perfect 10-of-10 at the free throw line. The free throws gave Ohio State a 73-71 lead in the final seconds.
Leal’s sixth three of the year puts Indiana back up
Anthony Leal is one of the very last men off the bench for Indiana. The senior from Bloomington has never averaged more than 11 minutes per game in his entire career at IU, and had only taken 14 shots this season, entering tonight’s game.
On the final possession of the game, Galloway drew a ton of attention up top, passed to Leal in the far corner, and he connected on his sixth three-pointer of the season to put the Hoosiers up, 74-73.
Up Next:
Ohio State (13-10, 3-9) will stay home this week, as they welcome the Maryland Terrapins (13-10, 5-7) to Columbus on Saturday afternoon. Maryland has been teetering back and forth all season, but has one of the better scoring trios in the conference with Jahmir Young, Donta Scott, and Julian Reese and was picked to be one of the four best teams in the Big Ten before the season began.
The Buckeyes’ battle with the Turtles will tip off at 4 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on FS1.
Continue reading...
