Column: Ohio State men’s basketball is breaking computers like no team ever has
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This team stinks, but our A.I. overlords all seem to think differently for some reason.

This Ohio State basketball team reeks. The individual puzzle pieces that comprise the 2022-2023 Ohio State men’s basketball team are mostly nice ones, but they simply do not fit together to make a coherent picture. Additionally, many people are saying the man who is in charge of putting the puzzle together is incapable of putting this puzzle — or any puzzle — together.

There’s no denying the talent on this Ohio State team. Brice Sensabaugh will be a first-round NBA draftee in a few months. Zed Key — while not a superstar — is one of the better low post scorers in the Big Ten, despite an obvious height disadvantage. Justice Sueing isn’t doing much of anything right these days, but for his career he’s a 12.6 PPG scorer on nearly 45% overall shooting — that’s objectively good!

Sean McNeil, Isaac Likekele, and Tanner Holden are all 1,000+ point scorers for their career, and McNeil was shooting north of 40% from three prior to last weekend’s drubbing at Indiana. Bruce Thornton, Roddy Gayle, and Felix Okpara are talented freshmen who are already contributing — although not at an elite level.

Despite this, Ohio State is 11-10 this season, and 3-7 in Big Ten play thus far with 10 games to go. The last time the Buckeyes started 3-7 in league play was six years ago — the year Thad Matta was fired. That Ohio State finished the year 4-4 (7-11 overall), and did not participate in any postseason tournament. This year’s team could share the same fate if things don’t begin to point upward right away.

But here’s the wild, wacky, befuddling thing about this Ohio State team — the computers love it. KenPom, NET, Haslametric, Bart Torvik — heck even just your general bracket predictions — all love Ohio State. Not to an absurd level that would say, put them in the top 10, but to a level that still seems absurd, considering how stinky this team continues to play.

Let’s start with my personal favorite metric, KenPom. Ken Pomeroy ranks teams based on efficiency, which essentially grades out how many points you score per possession and how many points you allow defensively per possession. Subtract part two from part one, and voila — there’s your overall efficiency.

Despite losing seven of their last eight games, Ohio State is No. 28 in the country as of Tuesday afternoon. They’re three spots below Kansas State, who is 18-3 and sitting at the top of the Big 12 — the best conference in America. They are directly in front of 16-5 Auburn and 17-5 Providence, two teams who have combined to lose as many games as Ohio State this season.


Courtesy of KenPom.com

Maybe it’s because Ohio State — despite the losing streak — has played pretty much every team tight for the entirety of their games, save for a three or four-minute stretch where things snowball. Against Maryland, it was the first four minutes of the second half. Against Indiana, it was the final three minutes of the first half. Against Purdue, it was the final two minutes of the first half. Ohio State played nearly impeccable basketball for the other 111 minutes in those three games but unfortunately, that’s not how it works — a minute or two of sloppy play can and will take a game right out of your hands.

Maybe it’s because Ohio State is one of the better teams in the country guarding the perimeter, and thus driving down that “points allowed per possession” category? The Buckeyes are still a piss-poor defensive team, but they rank 17th in the nation (among power-five conference teams) in preventing threes, as their opponents have only knocked down 30.2% of their triples this season.

Let’s move on to the NET, which might be the singular most important metric used by the NCAA Tournament committee in deciding who gets at-large bids to the tournament and where teams are seeded. Surely, the folks at the top recognize this team stinks, right? Not exactly!


Courtesy of NCAA.com

Ohio State was No. 29 in the NET rankings as of Tuesday afternoon, which is strikingly similar to their KenPom ranking. The Buckeyes are just two spots below a 17-5 Xavier team just down I-70, that’s on track to probably win the Big East. Just below the Buckeyes is New Mexico, who at 18-3 has won seven more games than OSU and was the nation’s last undefeated team. Right below New Mexico are our friends Auburn and Providence again.

We took some guesses on why KenPom values Ohio State more than we do. But if the NCAA is using the NET to dictate tournament seeding, this must have some logic behind it, right? It does.

What are the NET Rankings?

Here's EVERYTHING you need to know. Be on the lookout for the first release pic.twitter.com/kdZwDEjFPS

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) November 26, 2018

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To dumb it down to the most elementary level, the NET looks at who you play and where you’re playing them. This is more than the RPI system did, which more or less focused just on winning percentages. Even in a losing effort, who you played and where you played them matters quite a bit. The Buckeyes, for example, have only played three tournament-caliber teams at home this season — Rutgers, Purdue, and Iowa. Now, compare that to the eight tournament-caliber teams Ohio State has faced either on the road or on a neutral court this season — San Diego State, Duke, North Carolina, Northwestern, Maryland, Rutgers, Illinois, and Indiana. Ohio State lost seven of these eight games, but five of those losses were by single digits.

That, at its most broken down, simplistic level, is why Ohio State remains in the top 30 of the NET despite looking like trash over the past three-plus weeks.

For the purpose of not getting too into the weeds, we won’t break down HaslaMetrics and BartTorvik/T-Rankings, but both of these websites that rank teams based on various efficiencies also have Ohio State inside the top 40.

HaslaMetrics has Ohio State No. 37 as of Tuesday, above New Mexico, Iowa, and Kentucky.


Courtesy of haslametrics.com

BartTorkvik has Ohio State No. 25 in the country as of Tuesday, one spot behind Gonzaga.


Courtesy of barttorvik.com

All of this ultimately leads us to the NCAA Tournament. Do any of these numbers mean anything? Is it all just grandstanding, or are a few nerds trying to be the smartest ones in the room?

The purpose of putting this piece together is not to make excuses for this team or try to pivot to a different point that somehow points this Ohio State team in a better light. The purpose is to show how much of an anomaly this team is with computer models, and give fans a “warning” that, despite how putrid the Buckeyes look, they are still very much in a position to make the NCAA Tournament. Because the metrics still very much love this team.

As of Monday afternoon, Ohio State was the second team out of the tournament according to Bracket Matrix, which is an average of all the bracket predictions that can be found online. By Tuesday afternoon, the Buckeyes had dropped to the fifth team out of the tournament, despite not playing on Monday night. The teams on the bubble are splitting hairs and decimal points so closely that one win or loss can jump a team from the First Four in Dayton to one of the first four out. That is where Ohio State currently finds itself.


Data courtesy of bracketmatrix.com

Just one week ago, Ohio State was in the spot that Pittsburgh currently sits — the second-lowest 11-seed. Just by losing to Indiana, the Buckeyes have fallen into the puddle of “other at-large” candidates.

The metrics/computers think this Ohio State team is NCAA Tournament-caliber. The play on the court, unfortunately, does not agree. But when the NCAA Tournament committee is looking at these very same numbers, the corpse that is the Ohio State men’s basketball team starts to breathe again.

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Clark who is entering his first season as a full-time coach, started his coaching career in 2019 at Prairie View A&M as a Graduate Assistant. He has specialized in training elite defensive linemen the past few years while serving as CEO of LC Performance, working with over 50 players on NFL rosters, including John Franklin-Myers, Jeffery Simmons, Maliek Collins, Rashan Gary, Bud Dupree, Tanzel Smart, and Macolm Roach.

A native of Baton Rouge, Clark lettered two seasons (2014-2015) at Northwestern State before transferring Grambling State University, where he was a two-year letterwinner (2017-2018) as a defensive end for the Tigers. He graduated Fall 2018 in Business Administration. Doing his time at Grambling, Clark accolades are: 2018: Preseason HBCU POY Watchlist; Preseason All American; Preseason 1st Team All-Conference, 2017: Boxtorow All American; Black College Football All American; 1st Team All-Conference. In the 2017 season, he led the conference and sixth in country with 11 sacks. He also won a Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship in 2017.

Clark graduated from Central High School in 2014.

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Big pickup & could be the heir to replace Larry Johnson when the time comes. Pass rush specialist with ties to the south (Louisiana).

Game Preview: No. 10 Ohio State women head north to Wisconsin
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Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Buckeyes and Badgers take the court with Ohio State looking to get back on track

The Ohio State women’s basketball team has nine games remaining in the Big Ten schedule. Wednesday, they play one of two consecutive away games, beginning with a trip to the University of Wisconsin.

After three straight losses, the Buckeyes hope a game against the Wisconsin Badgers means going back to the Scarlet and Gray’s winning ways.

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Preview​

Ohio State and Wisconsin enter Wednesday’s game in vastly different circumstances. The Buckeyes sit at 19-3, and look to hit their stride before the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments come around in March. The team with the home court on Wednesday night hasn’t had a winning season in 12 years and hasn’t been in the NCAA Tournament for 13 years.

Even so, Wisconsin is an intriguing team this season and it isn’t a game the Scarlet & Gray can look past.

The Badgers are in their second season with head coach Marisa Moseley, and the former UConn and Minnesota assistant coach has Wisconsin playing some good basketball. They also play a style of defense that the Buckeyes have had recent trouble against with Purdue.

“You can talk a lot about a lot of things but if somebody wants to sit in the zone or sit in the paint and make you score from the perimeter,” said McGuff. “They can do that and you’ve got to make shots to make them do something different.”

Those shots aren’t falling as of late. Ohio State is 14-for-68 from the line during their three-game losing streak. It got to the point that defenses were letting the Buckeyes shoot when it wasn’t guard Taylor Mikesell with the ball from deep. Should those shots not fall on Wednesday, it could be trouble for the Scarlet & Gray.

It’s also movement issues for McGuff’s side, or lack thereof. Against Purdue, players weren’t moving in and out of the zone to pull defenders away and allow drives to the basket. Using players like forward Cotie McMahon or Taylor Thierry to run into the post off the ball makes defending the Buckeyes more difficult, and a reason why they once averaged the most points in the country per game in the early weeks of the season.

Wisconsin can score too, and they’re doing it with a dynamic freshman leading the way: Forward Serah Williams. The 6-foot-4 forward from Brooklyn, New York is a new kind of weapon for the Badgers.

Badgers strike first with an and-1 from Serah Williams! pic.twitter.com/ez84IcujJh

— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerWBB) January 29, 2023

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Instead of moving the ball around and biding time before taking a shot, Williams has the ability to drive to the basket and draw attention from the defense. Then, if the defense does break, Williams can pass the ball around the perimeter until an open player gets an open shot.

This season, Williams leads the Badgers in scoring and rebounding this season with 12.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. In Williams’ last six games she’s gotten better, scoring 17.3 points (at 60.4% efficiency) and 6.5 rebounds per game. The first game of that stretch was an overtime win for the Badgers over the Michigan State Spartans where Williams had 31 points and 12 rebounds.

It’s another battle of players making strong plays for Big Ten freshman of the year with McMahon representing Ohio State’s chance at grabbing the postseason honor.

Another name to be familiar with is guard Julie Pospisilova. The guard from the Czech Republic received an Honorable Mention in last season’s All-Big Ten Team and this year she’s become a more well-rounded player.

Popisilova’s scoring is down slightly, a dip from 14.1 to 12.4 points per game, but she’s increased her rebounding and assists by over one in each category. The forward is eighth in the conference in assists per game, benefiting from the play of Williams in her second year under coach Moseley.

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Projected Starters​

Lineup Notes​

• While guard Jacy Sheldon is close to returning, Tuesday head Coach McGuff didn’t confirm if she’d play Wednesday
• Guard/forward Taylor Thierry leads the Buckeyes with 66 fouls, leading to three games where the sophomore’s fouled out this season
• Guard Taylor Mikesell is 14 points away from scoring her 1,000th point as a member of the Buckeyes

Lineup Notes​

• Wisconsin features just one transfer, starting guard Avery LaBarbera who joined the Badgers this season from the College of Holy Cross, an opponent of coach Moseley when she coached Boston University
• Nine of the Badgers' 15 rostered players are underclassmen with eight freshman
• Wisconsin is 2-8 in the Big Ten but had back-to-back wins against Michigan State and Minnesota early in January

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Prediction​

The Buckeyes win this game. The message of last week is loud and clear in the brains of Ohio State and Wisconsin is the team on the other side of what could be an angry Scarlet & Gray team.

Mikesell leads the offense, scoring over 20 points, and another big game from McMahon attacking the paint.

Wednesday is a good game for Ohio State to return to their fundamentals of pressing and moving quickly on offense before going East on Sunday to face the No. 8 Maryland Terrapins.

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How to Watch​

Date: Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: Kohl Center, Madison, Wisconsin
Stream: B1G+

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LGHL Prediction: 89-61 Ohio State Buckeyes​

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One Month Remains​

Wednesday is the first day of Feb., the final month of the Big Ten season. With the change of the calendar brings renewed pressure to fine-tune things before the postseason begins at the end of the month. It’s about the fundamentals that put Ohio State in this position for coach McGuff.

“Get back to being really process-oriented,” said McGuff. “And just remind them ‘hey, we’ve had great success this year because we’ve done these things. We’ve played with pace. We’ve been very aggressive in the full court. We’ve really shared the ball and moved the ball and executed.’”

While chances are lower now with three losses, the Buckeyes still have a regular season championship to content for along with both the Big Ten Tournament and NCAA Tournament. There’s plenty to play for in the remaining nine games of the regular season.

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Ohio State lands No. 10 transfer player, Ole Miss cornerback Davison Igbinosum
Bret Favachio via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
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Davison Igbinosum | 247Sports

The Buckeyes picked up a welcome addition to what looked to be an inexperienced secondary on Tuesday.

The Buckeyes got a much-needed spark in the defensive secondary on Tuesday as they dipped into the transfer portal for their latest addition to Jim Knowles' unit. Plus, an in-state offensive lineman lands an offer from Ohio State as the home-grown talent continues to feel like more of a priority moving forward.

Ohio State lands transfer CB​

After kicking off the new year by securing a transfer pledge from former Syracuse safety Ja’Had Carter, the Buckeyes watched January come to a close by ending the month similarly to how it began. On Tuesday, Ohio State landed a commitment from now-former Ole Miss cornerback Davison Igbinosum.

Igbinosum, a freshman all-American with the Rebels, is currently graded as the No. 10 ranked transfer in the country. The addition of Igbinosum and Carter provides a much-needed boost to a secondary that hasn’t been up to the standards in Columbus combined with a few departures among the group.

The New Jersey native originally picked Ole Miss out of high school despite offers from Notre Dame, Tennessee, and more. But this go-around, Igbinosum was being courted by Michigan, Tennessee, and UCLA before ultimately deciding on the Buckeyes yesterday.

The newest Buckeye briefly caught up with On3’s Hayes Fawcett to discuss what led him to Ohio State.

“I’ve been an Ohio State fan my entire life and everything worked out in my favor to get there. They have a history of producing 1st round cornerbacks and I want to be next. Another huge reason is their receiving core, they’re the best wideouts in college football and competing against the best everyday will only make me better.”

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Igbinosun recorded 37 tackles and five pass deflections in 13 games this season for Ole Miss. He will have three years of eligibility left with the Buckeyes.

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Buckeyes offer Nave​

As Ohio State adjusts to the new wave of recruiting in the NIL era, it seems that there has been an added emphasis on securing the top talent in their backyard. A flurry of offers has gone out to numerous Ohio kids in the month and Tuesday was no different.

Marc Nave, a 2024 three-star interior offensive lineman from Central Catholic (OH), was the latest in-state prospect to land that coveted offer from the Buckeyes.

WOW!! I am extremely blessed to be offered my 18th division 1 scholarship to THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY! AGTG! #Gobucks pic.twitter.com/jdcqIaQXXW

— Marc Nave Jr. ✞ (@Markn_55) January 31, 2023

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Nave is 6-foot-5, 315-pounder who has already garnered offers from Cincinnati, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Pittsburgh, and more. The Toledo native has yet to receive a 247Sports Composite ranking due to the lack of rankings elsewhere. However, 247Sports by themselves grade Nave as the 37th highest-graded interior offensive lineman and a top 25 prospect from Ohio.

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Quick Hits​

According to Eleven Warriors, 2025 four-star running back Gideon Davidson of Liberty Christian Academy (VA) is planning to camp at Ohio State in June. The 6-foot-0, 193-pounder is currently graded as the top running back in the class and the No. 1 player from Virginia.

After a visit with the Buckeyes last week, 2025 athlete Dante McClellan of McKinley (OH) caught up with Garrick Hodge of Eleven Warriors where he revealed that an offer from the program “would be big time.” “I always watched them as a kid growing up in Canton, Columbus isn’t too far. Being home and playing where my family could come see me with no problem (would be great).”

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Play Like a Girl Podcast: Super Bowl is set, Ohio State basketball needs to hit the reset
meganhusslein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
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Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images

Also, can Ohio State really claim Joe Burrow as a Buckeye?

On LGHL’s “Play Like a Girl” podcast, Megan Husslein and Jami Jurich welcome in friends from around the LGHL, Ohio State, and sporting worlds to talk about everything from Ohio State sports to advocacy for women in sports and all the happenings in between.

Listen to the episode and subscribe:


The NFL season officially has one game left and you know what that is— the Super Bowl! Jami and Megan talk all things Championship Sunday and what the storylines are heading into the SB matchup. However, Ohio State is not to be left out as the pair reflects on which Buckeyes had the best seasons in the pros.

Additionally, both the Ohio State men’s and women’s basketball teams are riding the struggle bus as of late, but do not fear! The duo is confident that the women will turn the season around, and while they can’t say the same for the men’s team, they will remain faithful fans for the rest of the year.

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Contact Megan Husslein
Twitter: @meganhusslein

Contact Jami Jurich
Twitter: @JamiJurich

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Buckeye to spend $80M on groundwater rights - The Arizona Republic
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Buckeye to spend $80M on groundwater rights The Arizona Republic

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Ohio State Football: An Ohio State Buckeye Mock Draft - Scarlet and Game
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Ohio State Football: An Ohio State Buckeye Mock Draft Scarlet and Game

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Thackston Named Big Ten Freshman of the Week - Ohio State University
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Thackston Named Big Ten Freshman of the Week Ohio State University

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Baseball: Three Buckeyes named preseason All-Big Ten - 247Sports
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Baseball: Three Buckeyes named preseason All-Big Ten 247Sports

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Buckeyes lose 3 times, slip from 2nd to 10th - Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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Buckeyes lose 3 times, slip from 2nd to 10th Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

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Seven Buckeyes make PFF's top 101 college football players from 2022 season - 247Sports
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Seven Buckeyes make PFF's top 101 college football players from 2022 season 247Sports

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Ohio State Football: The Buckeyes' Most Important Transfer Portal ... - Athlon Sports
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Ohio State Football: The Buckeyes' Most Important Transfer Portal ... Athlon Sports

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Kyle McCord well prepared for Ohio State QB battle: ‘He has that swagger’ - The Athletic
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Kyle McCord well prepared for Ohio State QB battle: ‘He has that swagger’ The Athletic

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Running back: Where the Buckeyes are on the roster and recruiting - 247Sports
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Column: It’s not time to jump ship on the Ohio State women’s basketball team
JamiJurich via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


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Three consecutive losses doesn’t erase their accomplishments this season

Two weeks ago, the Ohio State women’s basketball team was ranked No. 2 in the country after the longest undefeated start to a season in program history. Now, they’ve fallen to No. 10 after dropping three straight games, with back-to-back-to-back conference losses to Iowa, Indiana, and Purdue.

Three losses in a row is a tough pill to swallow for fans of a team that seemed to be having a dream season, winning games even without star guard Jacy Sheldon, who has been out with a foot injury since November 30.

Given the recent turn of events, it might be tempting to call the season a wash and quit paying attention to Buckeye basketball altogether, resigning yourself to a March with less madness and returning to counting the days to football season (especially since the men’s season, for its part, is giving us more sadness than madness).

Where the Ohio State women’s basketball team is concerned, I think that would be a mistake. I’ve gone on the record saying this women’s basketball team is the real deal, and I don’t think three losses negate what they’ve managed to accomplish this season. Losing streaks happen – they happen to really great teams, especially in sports with long seasons like basketball has.

And while losing streaks are never fun, they can also be a hurdle that makes the team stronger. Adversity itself isn’t what makes or breaks a team. In fact, it’s an inevitable part of any season, to differing degrees. The thing that separates champions from has-beens is how they face adversity. Does it make them stronger, motivate them to improve, and bring them together? Or do they crumble and wash their hands of the season?

This women’s team doesn’t strike me as the latter. This is a team that has already faced its share of adversity with injuries early in the season. They know how to work together and fight back. So I don’t think three losses are going to derail everything they’ve worked for.

I do feel obligated to acknowledge that I don’t abide fair weather fans under any circumstances. The only thing I hate more than fair-weather fans are Dodgers fans (and fair-weather Dodgers fans have a special circle of Hell just for them). As a Cubs fan from birth, sports can’t hurt me, so I can’t support abandoning your team when the going gets rough.

With that said, I also deeply understand the desire to turn your attention elsewhere out of self-preservation. Buckeye Nation doesn’t handle losing particularly well in the first place, and it can feel disheartening to invest time, energy and hope in a team only to be let down.

The thing is, though, I don’t think three losses are enough to call the season a letdown. I think it’s a setback. I do think they need to regroup and find a way to shift momentum.

But the season is far from over, and this team is far from a pack of quitters. They are still a top-10 team in the country. They are only two games back from the No. 1 spot in the Big Ten, with three remaining games against the teams ahead of them. The conference tournament has yet to be played. And it sounds like Sheldon will be back on the court soon.

If you want to celebrate the wins with them, you’ve got to be there through the hurdles. If they can overcome this one, they might be nearly unstoppable. This team has more steam left in them – it’s worth sticking around to find out how much.

The Buckeyes play again Wednesday, Feb. 1 at 7:30 p.m. ET at Wisconsin.

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Five key Buckeyes in 2023: Ohio State looking for help at several important positions - The Athletic
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Five key Buckeyes in 2023: Ohio State looking for help at several important positions The Athletic

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Ohio State wrestling completes Michigan sweep in dominating fashion
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Ohio State Athletics / ohiostatebuckeyes.com

Tom Ryan’s Buckeyes won in Ann Arbor for the first time since 2018, before dismantling Sparty less than 48 hours later.

Tom Ryan’s Ohio State wrestling squad earned not one but two dual victories this past weekend, both over Big Ten opponents from that state up north. In a span of fewer than 48 hours, OSU made a business trip to Ann Arbor, traveled back home to host the lesser of two evils, and won 16 out of 20 individual matches along the way. As a result, the Buckeye grapplers remain undefeated in conference duals (5-0) and should find themselves ranked firmly inside the top five of the next NWCA coaches poll.

we call that a Michigan #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/ZKFt6rTYKL

— Ohio State Wrestling (@wrestlingbucks) January 29, 2023

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Ohio State’s big weekend began with a tough matchup against TTUN. Save for a lopsided loss at the hands of No. 1 Penn State, the Wolverines had dominated other Big Ten opponents and were no doubt looking to defend their home mat inside the Crisler Center. But the Buckeyes rolled up on their rival with bad intentions and jumped out to a huge lead — one which they would not surrender.

OSU’s trio of Malik Heinselman (125 pounds), Jesse Mendez (133), and Dylan D’Emilio (141) staked the Buckeyes to an early 9-0 advantage, each earning victories over a ranked Wolverine. Mendez’s win over 12th-ranked Dylan Ragusin was key in establishing early momentum, as the latter is a third-year grappler who took third place in last year’s Big Ten Championships. But Ohio State’s true freshman phenom scored a takedown in sudden victory, continuing to stake his claim as one of the top newcomers in the conference, if not all of college wrestling.

Competing next, Sammy Sasso (149) extended the Scarlet and Gray lead with his 20-5 rout of UM’s Fidel Mayora. The win was Sasso’s 12th of the season by either tech fall or pin, giving OSU a comfortable 14-point lead. Those points provided a nice buffer for when the Wolverines inevitably began to claw back... Which is exactly what they did in the next two matches.

Will Lewan earned UM’s first points of the night at 157 with a come-from-behind win over Ohio State’s Paddy Gallagher. The former was taken down early but rallied to earn a 6-4 decision in sudden victory. It was Gallagher’s third loss of the season, by a total of five points. And the hits kept on coming at 165, where OSU’s Carson Kharchla dropped a heartbreaker to the two-time All-American Cameron Amine.

Mired in a 1-1 stalemate for most of the match – and after Kharchla was robbed of a match-ending takedown in sudden victory – the two 165-pounders eventually found themselves going toe-to-toe in a second extra (fifth total) period. It was there that Kharchla attempted a quick reversal, only to be snatched up and immediately countered by Amine. The Wolverines’ Big Ten runner-up put Kharchla on his back and scored a six-point fall for the home team. Fortunately for the Buckeyes, 14-9 is as close as their bitter rival would get.

Needing to take back momentum, Ohio State enjoyed the luxury of turning to proven vets who were more than ready to take the mat. Ethan Smith (174) and Kaleb Romero (184) were able to stem the Maize and Blue tide, each earning an impressive individual victory while combining for six crucial team points. Smith went on the attack early and often during his match, while Romero did significant damage late. He scored two third-period takedowns against UM’s Matt Finesilver, defeating a top-10 wrestler in the process. It was Romero’s 18th win of the 2022-23 season and 76th as a (non-redshirt) Buckeye!

Gavin Hoffman put a bow on this one for the good guys, earning a 5-3 decision over Rylan Rogers at 191. TTUN then won the last individual match via a Mason Parris (HWT) pin, but only Friday’s outcome had already been determined. In the end, OSU secured a 23-15 result, giving Ryan’s team their first win in Ann Arbor since 2018. It was a heck of a team performance, as well as a prelude to Sunday’s runaway victory back in Columbus.

Ohio State Athletics / ohiostatebuckeyes.com

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Roughly 40 hours after securing the rivalry dub against TTUN, Ohio State was quickly back in action, this time inside the friendly confines of Covelli Center. But frankly, folks, there is not much to tell about this match. Because OSU dismantled Michigan State by a score of 36-3. It was the team’s largest margin of victory this season, putting an emphatic end to a very impressive weekend.

The Buckeyes won 9 out of 10 matches against the Spartans, including pins by D’Emilio and Sasso. Mendez also scored a major decision over a top-20 wrestler at 133 (MSU’s Rayvon Foley), while Romero added another tech fall for his team-leading 19th victory. Ohio State’s only loss on Sunday came at 157, where Gallagher dropped yet another one-point decision. The redshirt freshman has been on the wrong end of too many closely-contested matches, so one would think breaks will start to go his way in February and beyond. Hoffman and Isaac Wilcox also impressed, with the latter notching his fifth “pinch hit” victory of the season. There is simply no other way to say it: This was a total ass-kicking by Ryan’s surging squad.

Next on his team’s schedule is a Friday (home) date with none other than Penn State. Cael Sanderson’s Nittany Lions have only won 9 of the last 11 national championships, so they will likely be coming in with just a little bit of swagger and/or confidence. But Ohio State is hot right now, and they will have the sold-out Covelli home crowd behind them. If they get a few wins from the Sassos and Romeros of the world, who knows what might happen? I definitely expect the Buckeyes to go in and fight, during what is sure to be an entertaining match.

… pic.twitter.com/ZRNYh94zh6

— Ohio State Wrestling (@wrestlingbucks) January 30, 2023

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This battle of the titans will be televised on BTN, beginning on Friday, Feb. 3 at 7 p.m. ET. Go Bucks!

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Highlighting the top five Buckeyes in the NFL this season
meganhusslein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports

Spoiler alert: it was a very good year for the scarlet and gray in the pros.

99% of Ohio State players in the NFL are officially done for the season. The lone Buckeye remaining is running back Trey Sermon for the Philadelphia Eagles. Therefore, I wanted to reflect on which players had the best seasons this year.

1. Nick Bosa

Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

While one Bosa brother, Joey, was injured for the majority of the year, the other brother had the best season of his career. Nick has been named a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year, and it is highly likely that he will win the award. He finished this season with 18.5 sacks, the most in the league.

I gave him the top spot because I believe his play had the biggest impact on his team. The 49ers had one of the top, if not the top, defense in the NFL this past year, and that is largely because of Bosa. He was the leader of this defense, and quarterbacks all around the league feared going against him. He is going to be scary for the next few years if he continues to play at this level.

2. Joe Burrow

Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

Two things: yes, he is a Buckeye, and yes, he could also have taken the top spot. It is very possible that Burrow takes home MVP and Bosa takes home DPOY. So these two can tie for the top spot, just to appease everyone.

Anyway, I feel like I really don’t have to say too much about Joey B. Everyone knows how cool he is under pressure and how critical he is to the success of the Bengals. His 35 touchdowns are the second-most in the league, and his 4,475 passing yards are fifth.

The most remarkable stat, however, is how he led his team to 10-straight wins to finish out the season. While Cincy lost in the AFC Championship game, it is pretty safe to say it wouldn’t have made it there without Burrow.

3. Garrett Wilson

Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

My personal favorite out of all, my guy GW on the Jets! As a Jets fan, I could not have been happier with how his rookie season panned out. Obviously I knew how talented he was at Ohio State, but I was very impressed with how seamlessly he transitioned to the pros. Even with the unfortunate QB carousel, Wilson did not miss a beat.

He quickly became WR1 on the team. He had 147 targets, 50 more than the next receiver. Additionally, his 1,100 yards were pretty much double from Tyler Conklin, who had 552. If he can get a solid, stable quarterback throwing to him next year, I cannot wait to see how he does. Also, he is a finalist for Offensive Rookie of the Year, and he better win.

4. Chris Olave

Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

The only other acceptable OROY winner would be Chris Olave, although unfortunately, he is not a finalist. I think this is rude because he also put up a 1,000 yard rookie season! Olave and Wilson had almost identical seasons, as Olave also became WR1 on his team. He had the most targets by far, and also about double the amount of receiving yards as the next receiver.

5. Terry McLaurin

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

What a year for scary Terry! This is his third consecutive 1,000-yard season, finishing with 1,191 yards this year. The theme continues here as he was also WR1, but the next leading receiver is fellow Buckeye Curtis Samuel! That’s a threatening receiving duo. McLaurin has managed to shine the past couple of years even with the multiple quarterbacks he’s had throwing to him. He truly is an underrated player in this league.

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You’re Nuts: What is your one wish for this year’s Ohio State men’s lacrosse team?
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images

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

It is becoming more and more obvious that Ohio State’s men’s basketball team isn’t going to give us much of anything to cheer for in March. If you’re a fan of basketball, at least the women’s basketball team is still going to make the NCAA Tournament, but their recent three-game skid has brought expectations back down to earth a little bit. While Ohio State could still make a run in the tourney, it is looking like opponents have found a blueprint on how to slow the Buckeyes down.

So what’s a good way to get through the next few months sports-wise when it comes to Ohio State? A couple weeks ago Brett wrote about Ohio State’s new state-of-the-art lacrosse stadium. After two scrimmages, the men’s lacrosse team will play the first actual game at the stadium on Saturday when the Buckeyes host Air Force. The women’s lacrosse team will play their first game at the new stadium six days later.

Today we are going to focus on the men’s lacrosse team since there are a number of reasons to be excited about this year’s team. We want to know what you are most looking forward to seeing this year. Whether it be certain players you are looking forward to watch, opponents you are eagerly anticipating Ohio State playing, or how they fare in postseason tournaments.

Today’s question: What is your one wish for this year’s Ohio State men’s lacrosse team?​

We’d love to hear your choices. Either respond to us on Twitter at @Landgrant33 or leave your choice in the comments.​

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Brett’s answer: A deep run in the NCAA Tournament​

Ohio State’s men’s lacrosse team have had sporadic success over the years. Even though the school has lots of resources, they won’t quite match the long-term dominance that schools like Syracuse, Johns Hopkins, and Maryland have been able to accomplish. Maybe that changes with the new stadium and the training areas it adds.

With being hit-or-miss when it comes to making the NCAA Tournament each year, it just adds to the excitement when Ohio State is able to win a few games in the postseason. That is exactly what made 2017 so special. I remember during the run that here at LGHL we were really excited — not only because it gave us something to write about during the “offseason”, but the team was fun to watch and root for.

Nick Myers was in his third season as Ohio State’s head coach, having already taken the Buckeyes to the quarterfinals in the 2015 NCAA Tournament in his first year in charge. Prior to the 2017 tournament, Ohio State had never even made it to the semifinals, let alone the championship game. Even though Maryland ended up winning the title, it was still a great ride to be a part of.

This year, the Buckeyes certainly have the talent to reach the Final Four. Ohio State returns eight of their top-10 scorers from last year. Jack Myers scored 38 goals and was credited with 45 assists last year, and should be even better this year. Even before the tournament, the Buckeyes will be tested, with games against Virginia, Maryland, and Johns Hopkins on the schedule.

As long as Ohio State can be competitive in those games, there will be a real reason to be excited for May.

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Meredith’s answer: A Big Ten Tournament title​

While I am personally cheering for my alma mater Air Force Falcons this weekend, I’m pulling for a Big Ten Tournament title for Ohio State this season.

The Buckeyes have been so close as of late, but they haven’t pulled off a tournament championship since 2013 before Big Ten lacrosse was even a thing (at that time, Ohio State was a member of the ECAC Lacrosse League). Even in 2017, when the Buckeyes finished the season as NCAA Tournament runners-up, they fell to Maryland in the finals of the Big Ten Tournament.

The Big Ten Tournament began in 2015, the first year the conference officially sponsored men’s lacrosse. Ohio State finished that season as runner-up to Johns Hopkins in the Big Ten Tournament that season. Since then, just three teams have won the tourney:

• Maryland (four championships)
• Johns Hopkins (two championships)
• Penn State (one championship)

The fact that Big Ten lacrosse has been so dominated by newcomers should not be a surprise. Maryland and Johns Hopkins were powers in the space well before they joined the conference. Considering there are just six men’s lacrosse teams in the Big Ten, even with these big names it’s a little alarming that half of the programs have won titles, and Ohio State is not among them — especially since the Buckeyes have had such solid teams in recent years.

But with so much excitement surrounding the program this year, the Buckeyes are well-positioned to change that narrative and take home a title.

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There is blame to go around for Ohio State's struggles as Buckeyes are running out of time on 2022-23 - 247Sports
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".

There is blame to go around for Ohio State's struggles as Buckeyes are running out of time on 2022-23 247Sports

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Brugler mock draft: Stroud third QB off the board? - 247Sports
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".

Brugler mock draft: Stroud third QB off the board? 247Sports

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Column: Ohio State women’s basketball’s return to Earth is a good thing
1ThomasCostello 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

How the Buckeyes recent adversity represents reality, and might be the best thing to happen this season.

This season, the Ohio State women’s basketball team has been breaking program records. Whether it’s steals in a game or best start in the University’s women’s basketball history books, if there’s a metric to calculate, the Buckeyes have either broken it or gotten close.

After three straight losses though, an unbelievable season looks much more believable, and its not only not a surprise but its also one of the best things to happen this season. Well, it could be one of the best things. Only the Scarlet & Gray are in control of what happens next.

All season, to the Buckeyes’ credit, Ohio State’s responded to wins and losses the same way. Outside of excitement on the court following big wins like the No. 5 Tennessee Volunteers, once the locker room talk is over its all business.

As the number on their AP Poll placement got lower and lower, the response remained the same to the media.

“We just play,” said guard Rikki Harris, after the Buckeyes moved up to No. 3 in December. “If we don’t win, we can’t be No. 3, so we just focus on playing and winning games.”

On the surface, it looked true. Just check out their results. A 19-point win over the then No. 18 Louisville Cardinals who allowed Ohio State to move up to No. 3. Throwing close to 100 on multiple smaller conference opponents. Beating heated rivals the Michigan Wolverines on New Year’s Eve. The Buckeyes amassed a 19-0 record, but that doesn’t mean Ohio State was focused for 40 minutes of all 19 games.

Throughout the year, all the highlight wins, except a big win against the Oregon Ducks, featured comebacks for the Buckeyes. Land-Grant Holy Land ranked the best five, and those were only the double-digit comebacks.

Starting the season, Ohio State stuck with the Volunteers, ultimately down nine in the first half. Then, a huge third quarter propelled the Buckeyes to a win. Exactly the opposite of what happened Thursday in Bloomington when the Indiana Hoosiers held the Buckeyes to six points in the third quarter.

Against Louisville the Buckeyes were down 14 points and needed a huge second half comeback, and would wind up playing up to their then-No. 4 ranked expectations.

In conference play, the Wolverines held Ohio State to nine points in the first quarter, and almost hit the Buckeyes with a comeback of their own in the second half. Against the Illinois Fightling Illini it was a 17-point comeback in the third quarter.

By this point, you probably get it: It wasn’t a road paved in gold for the now-No. 10 ranked Buckeyes, dropping eight spots on Monday, but there’s one last example.

It might seem like small potatoes, but look at a home game on Dec. 8 versus the University of New Hampshire Wildcats. The Buckeyes won 92-36, but at halftime Ohio State was up 39-29. To paraphrase a line from a fellow member of the media, the Scarlet & Gray were on the hunt but playing with their food.

So even though coach and players say the right thing, it might not be the truth. That’s not accusing anyone of lying, but it’s human nature to subconsciously go into a game with more focus and preparation against the Iowa Hawkeyes than the North Alabama Lions.

Through every scare, Ohio State battled through. The only difference between the first 19 games and the last three are the Scarlet & Gray looking like the side in deficits but without the magic at the end to comeback.

Last season, the Buckeyes struggled defensively against the Iowa Hawkeyes but scored 92 points to come away with the win. On Jan. 23, Ohio State scored 72 points. A hard total to beat the Hawkeyes by when guard Caitlin Clark is hitting a triple-double.

In two games against the Hoosiers, Ohio State lost by 20 points in the regular season and by eight in the Big Ten Tournament semi final against a recovering forward Mackenzie Holmes.

Thursday, Ohio State brought their best fight to the Hoosiers in two years, minus a difficult third quarter. A 10-minute span where adjustments weren’t made quick enough on the court and maybe the Monday loss crept in on the mindset of the Buckeyes.

Sunday, the play of coach McGuff’s side looked like they were mentally fatigued, and on the wrong day against a surging Purdue Boilermakers — which is the actually the good news.

“We still have a lot of league play left and you don’t want to be playing your best basketball right now so it’s good to take a little bit of adversity,” said guard Taylor Mikesell.

If this were March, the Buckeyes’ season would be over after the loss to Iowa. Instead it’s January and there are seven regular season games remaining. That means nine games For Ohio State to get starting guard Jacy Sheldon back into the lineup. Despite one of their best players not playing since Nov. 30, the Scarlet & Gray kept winning.

With Sheldon’s return, and potentially many of those nine games remaining, Ohio State can get into a rhythm with a healthy starting lineup that mirrors the group that started the season opener against Tennessee.

Also, hope for a regular season conference title is still alive with teams above them still playing big games ahead. Indiana plays Purdue and Iowa twice to end their season, plus a game against the Michigan Wolverines. Iowa has two games against Maryland on top of that pair of games against the Hoosiers.

Plus, coach McGuff’s side has the chance to beat Indiana in the home edition of their two regular season games of the year. Beat them and a pair of games against the Maryland Terrapins and the Buckeyes are still in the Big Ten trophy conversation at the end of the regular season.

Overall, Ohio State is a team deserving to be in the top-10. On their best night, they can compete with just about every team in the country. They’re still working towards their best, even if their ranking is no longer No. 2.

The climb towards the Buckeyes’ peak is underway, and it all starts Wednesday in Madison, Wisconsin.

“I told them that’s going to ultimately be what this week will show us in terms of our leadership,” said coach McGuff on Sunday. “How we practice and whether we win or lose on Wednesday, how we show up and compete.”

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