-
New here? Register here now for access to all the forums, download game torrents, private messages, polls, Sportsbook, etc. Plus, stay connected and follow BP on Instagram @buckeyeplanet and Facebook.
LGHL Buckeyes still active in the 2024 class, remain just as active in the portal
- News
- 0 Replies
Buckeyes still active in the 2024 class, remain just as active in the portal
Caleb Houser via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Ohio State is showing no sign of slowing down as they continue to monitor the portal and class of 2024 targets.
It wasn’t all that long ago when recruiting slowed down a bit after signing day. In 2023 though, Ohio State and the rest of the college football landscape are just as busy hours after the 2024 class was signed as staffs look to continue their efforts on the trail.
For the Buckeyes, roster management is everything right now even in the midst of next week’s Cotton Bowl. Ryan Day has made it clear that his staff is still on the grind as they work through their current roster, with several players still having decisions to make. Until then, the coaches are all over the transfer portal, and though nobody has been added to Ohio State’s team yet, it will all shake out in the coming weeks.
In the 2023 class, there’s no linebacker target Jim Knowles wanted more than Tackett Curtis. Knowles basically was paying rent in Louisiana with how much he was in town to see Curtis during his recruitment, but the Buckeyes fell short in the end when he chose USC over Ohio State. Certainly a blow when you put that much time into a specific player, the Buckeyes had to see him off to another program. But in today’s world of college football, it’s not really “over” once a player commits elsewhere due to the transfer portal.
Curtis’ name is in fact in the transfer portal, and obviously the relation to Ohio State makes it easy to see why the staff would once again be interested. Reaching out shortly after his name was entered, Ohio State is going to be in on this recruitment for the second time, and you’d think they’d have a strong chance at landing him considering where they finished the first time around.
Still, it’s been reported that other schools too are now in the mix, as LSU, Florida State, TCU, and Nebraska all have also expressed their interest. As of now, the Buckeyes do not have a visit date set with Curtis, but in the coming days that very well could change. Getting through the bowl game will help the scheduling of this, but the Buckeyes have reached out and look to be once again very interested in trying to bring in Curtis to help bolster the linebacker room that will see some departures.
Cody Simon has already announced his return to Ohio State for the 2024 season, and CJ Hicks should almost certainly finally see his time come, but with how many linebackers the Buckeyes use in a season depth is a priority and Curtis just makes sense. The second time around may go better than the first, but a visit needs to get locked in before this really stands a chance.
Though they were able to keep five-star Eddrick Houston in the 2024 class, with only two defensive line signees in the current cycle Ohio State’s depth up front isn’t great. What makes it tough is not yet knowing who is going to come back from the current roster. The Buckeyes are in sort of a pickle as they try to navigate the position until these decision by the players are made, but a plan has to be in place either way.
If Ohio State is able to bring several current guys back for next season, then the need to land more high school defensive linemen or even portal options decreases a bit. That said, Ohio State is definitely still going hard after players knowing there’s at least room for one more prep target after losing out on Amaris Williams to Auburn.
One high-profile target that is hearing from the Buckeyes is Louisiana native, Dominick McKinley. The five-star defensive lineman is the No. 26 player nationally and the sixth best player at his position for the 2024 class per the 247Sports Composite. A Texas A&M commit, McKinley’s recruitment got a whole lot more interesting as he decided not to sign with the Aggies on Wednesday, leaving it wide open for other schools to get in the mix.
Already having an Ohio State offer to his name, the Buckeyes have reached out and expressed their interest, but it’s not going to be an easy battle here as Tennessee has already been able to schedule a visit with the Louisiana native. Texas is also interested, but the Buckeyes do have the advantage of selling to him that with only two signees in the fold, he would have the chance to come in and compete right away.
Once again, this recruitment would get a lot more interesting if the Buckeyes are able to get him to Columbus. If they do, Larry Johnson may just have a little more magic up his sleeve for this class.
Yesterday, Ramsey committed to USC, staying right in LA for his next stop leaving the Buckeyes in the same position. Without another safety, it does lead to the belief for the potential for Lathan Ransom to return, but odds are the staff will know better once again after the Cotton Bowl.
Continue reading...
Caleb Houser via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Ohio State is showing no sign of slowing down as they continue to monitor the portal and class of 2024 targets.
It wasn’t all that long ago when recruiting slowed down a bit after signing day. In 2023 though, Ohio State and the rest of the college football landscape are just as busy hours after the 2024 class was signed as staffs look to continue their efforts on the trail.
For the Buckeyes, roster management is everything right now even in the midst of next week’s Cotton Bowl. Ryan Day has made it clear that his staff is still on the grind as they work through their current roster, with several players still having decisions to make. Until then, the coaches are all over the transfer portal, and though nobody has been added to Ohio State’s team yet, it will all shake out in the coming weeks.
The second time around
In the 2023 class, there’s no linebacker target Jim Knowles wanted more than Tackett Curtis. Knowles basically was paying rent in Louisiana with how much he was in town to see Curtis during his recruitment, but the Buckeyes fell short in the end when he chose USC over Ohio State. Certainly a blow when you put that much time into a specific player, the Buckeyes had to see him off to another program. But in today’s world of college football, it’s not really “over” once a player commits elsewhere due to the transfer portal.
Curtis’ name is in fact in the transfer portal, and obviously the relation to Ohio State makes it easy to see why the staff would once again be interested. Reaching out shortly after his name was entered, Ohio State is going to be in on this recruitment for the second time, and you’d think they’d have a strong chance at landing him considering where they finished the first time around.
Still, it’s been reported that other schools too are now in the mix, as LSU, Florida State, TCU, and Nebraska all have also expressed their interest. As of now, the Buckeyes do not have a visit date set with Curtis, but in the coming days that very well could change. Getting through the bowl game will help the scheduling of this, but the Buckeyes have reached out and look to be once again very interested in trying to bring in Curtis to help bolster the linebacker room that will see some departures.
Cody Simon has already announced his return to Ohio State for the 2024 season, and CJ Hicks should almost certainly finally see his time come, but with how many linebackers the Buckeyes use in a season depth is a priority and Curtis just makes sense. The second time around may go better than the first, but a visit needs to get locked in before this really stands a chance.
Looking for more in the 2024 class
Though they were able to keep five-star Eddrick Houston in the 2024 class, with only two defensive line signees in the current cycle Ohio State’s depth up front isn’t great. What makes it tough is not yet knowing who is going to come back from the current roster. The Buckeyes are in sort of a pickle as they try to navigate the position until these decision by the players are made, but a plan has to be in place either way.
If Ohio State is able to bring several current guys back for next season, then the need to land more high school defensive linemen or even portal options decreases a bit. That said, Ohio State is definitely still going hard after players knowing there’s at least room for one more prep target after losing out on Amaris Williams to Auburn.
One high-profile target that is hearing from the Buckeyes is Louisiana native, Dominick McKinley. The five-star defensive lineman is the No. 26 player nationally and the sixth best player at his position for the 2024 class per the 247Sports Composite. A Texas A&M commit, McKinley’s recruitment got a whole lot more interesting as he decided not to sign with the Aggies on Wednesday, leaving it wide open for other schools to get in the mix.
Already having an Ohio State offer to his name, the Buckeyes have reached out and expressed their interest, but it’s not going to be an easy battle here as Tennessee has already been able to schedule a visit with the Louisiana native. Texas is also interested, but the Buckeyes do have the advantage of selling to him that with only two signees in the fold, he would have the chance to come in and compete right away.
Once again, this recruitment would get a lot more interesting if the Buckeyes are able to get him to Columbus. If they do, Larry Johnson may just have a little more magic up his sleeve for this class.
Quick Hits
- Recently Ohio State was able to host Kamari Ramsey for a visit. The former UCLA safety hit the transfer portal, and the three schools to surge to the top for his services included USC, Washington, and Ohio State.
Yesterday, Ramsey committed to USC, staying right in LA for his next stop leaving the Buckeyes in the same position. Without another safety, it does lead to the belief for the potential for Lathan Ransom to return, but odds are the staff will know better once again after the Cotton Bowl.
Continue reading...
LGHL On World Basketball Day, Jake Diebler led Ohio State to a win and reflected on how much the game means to him
- News
- 0 Replies
On World Basketball Day, Jake Diebler led Ohio State to a win and reflected on how much the game means to him
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Clare Grant/The Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
After leading Ohio State to its most lopsided win in a decade, Diebler took time to talk about how grateful he is for the game.
This past August, the United Nations general assembly officially adopted a resolution delcaring Dec. 21 “World Basketball Day” every year going forward. You can read the entire resolution here, but the main points of the resolution stated that:
By happenstance, the Ohio State men’s basketball team had a game yesterday, on the first ever World Basketball Day. After a torturous first half that saw Ohio State shoot below 40% and score just 31 points, the Buckeyes ran all over New Orleans in the second half, winning 78-36.
Before the game, associate head coach Jake Diebler was thrust into the head coaching role with very little notice, as head coach Chris Holtmann (as well as starting center Felix Okpara) were both unable to join the team due to an illness.
With just a few hours to prepare, Diebler was the captain of the ship. He guided Ohio State to a massive blowout win, holding an opponent under 40 points for the first time since 2013. It was a befitting result on a day where we celebrate the diversity basketball exposes us to as well as the adversity sports often force us to overcome.
After the game, Diebler was informed that today was, in fact, the first ever World Basketball Day. He was then asked to talk a little bit about how much the game means to him, and how it changed the trajectory of his life.
His response went for almost three minutes, without a break. As the son of a coach, Diebler has been around the game from the moment he could walk, and it was almost comical that on the first ever World Basketball Day, he found himself sitting in the head coach’s chair answering questions about his second-ever win as a head coach.
His full answer:
After a game where Ohio State once against stifled its opponent defensively, scored nearly 80 points and picked up its 10th win of the season, Diebler’s explanation about how meaningful this game is to him and how it continues to change his life every day felt like the most meaningful bit of the entire post-game presser.
Who knows, maybe one of these years, Diebler will sit up in the head coach’s chair leading his own program on World Basketball Day.
Continue reading...
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Clare Grant/The Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
After leading Ohio State to its most lopsided win in a decade, Diebler took time to talk about how grateful he is for the game.
This past August, the United Nations general assembly officially adopted a resolution delcaring Dec. 21 “World Basketball Day” every year going forward. You can read the entire resolution here, but the main points of the resolution stated that:
- Sports are an important enabler of sustainable development.
- Sports empower women, young people, individuals and communities, and persons with disabilities.
- Sports empower physical and mental health, education and social inclusion objectives.
- Sports, the arts, and physical activity have the power to change perceptions, prejudices and behaviors, as well as inspire people, break down racial and political barriers, combat discrimination and defuse conflict.
- Basketball creates a unique space of cooperation, physical movement and an interdependence that allows participants to see each other as human beings first and foremost.
- The United Nations general assembly proclaims December 21st as World Basketball Day.
By happenstance, the Ohio State men’s basketball team had a game yesterday, on the first ever World Basketball Day. After a torturous first half that saw Ohio State shoot below 40% and score just 31 points, the Buckeyes ran all over New Orleans in the second half, winning 78-36.
Before the game, associate head coach Jake Diebler was thrust into the head coaching role with very little notice, as head coach Chris Holtmann (as well as starting center Felix Okpara) were both unable to join the team due to an illness.
With just a few hours to prepare, Diebler was the captain of the ship. He guided Ohio State to a massive blowout win, holding an opponent under 40 points for the first time since 2013. It was a befitting result on a day where we celebrate the diversity basketball exposes us to as well as the adversity sports often force us to overcome.
After the game, Diebler was informed that today was, in fact, the first ever World Basketball Day. He was then asked to talk a little bit about how much the game means to him, and how it changed the trajectory of his life.
His response went for almost three minutes, without a break. As the son of a coach, Diebler has been around the game from the moment he could walk, and it was almost comical that on the first ever World Basketball Day, he found himself sitting in the head coach’s chair answering questions about his second-ever win as a head coach.
His full answer:
After a game where Ohio State once against stifled its opponent defensively, scored nearly 80 points and picked up its 10th win of the season, Diebler’s explanation about how meaningful this game is to him and how it continues to change his life every day felt like the most meaningful bit of the entire post-game presser.
Who knows, maybe one of these years, Diebler will sit up in the head coach’s chair leading his own program on World Basketball Day.
Continue reading...
LGHL Game Preview: No. 13 Ohio State women’s basketball vs. Belmont
- News
- 0 Replies
Game Preview: No. 13 Ohio State women’s basketball vs. Belmont
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Donald Page/NCAA Photos via Getty Images
A bounce back game for the Buckeyes, with a familial twist.
Ohio State women’s basketball is back on the court for the final home game of the 2023 calendar. That’s when the Buckeyes host the Belmont Bruins of the Missouri Valley Conference. In most seasons, it’d be another non-conference game against a mid-major side, but this time around it carries importance for many reasons.
The fun storyline is a father vs. daughter. Head coach Kevin McGuff’s Buckeyes take on guard Kilyn McGuff, his oldest daughter, and her Bruins team. The less fun storyline is what this game means to Ohio State. After a less than stellar four-quarter performance against UCLA on Monday, the scarlet and gray need to bounce back.
Isolate the first and fourth quarters for Ohio State against No. 2 UCLA on Monday, and the Buckeyes outscored the Bruins 43-31. However, women’s NCAA basketball games are notoriously four quarters long. In the two middle quarters, shots weren’t falling and fouls amassed quickly as UCLA asserted its dominance in a 46-28 performance.
Scoring-wise, guards Jacy Sheldon and Taylor Thierry were far ahead of their peers. The two scored 50 of Ohio State’s 71 points in Monday’s defeat, giving the remaining four players who got onto the scoresheet combining for 21 points. The Sheldon and Thierry-less group shot 21.2% from the floor.
Friday’s midday game is not UCLA though. The Belmont Bruins don’t feature an unstoppable 6-foot-7 center, but that doesn’t mean a victory is guaranteed. Belmont’s shown over the past two seasons that it can compete.
Belmont is going to bring team basketball to the Schottenstein Center. The Bruins aren’t the biggest or fastest team Ohio State will face, but they’re a side that is organized, passes well and plays strong inside and outside games. There aren’t as drastic roles for a team like Belmont.
In the last nine games, the Bruins used the same five players in the starting lineup, and all five of them average at least 10 points per game, and three of them grab at least six rebounds per game. That’s not the sign of a team with stereotypical basketball responsibilities. Belmont will test the half court and transitional defense of the Buckeyes. The Bruins have also faced a full court press similar to the Buckeyes this season.
Against the Georgia Bulldogs on Nov. 10, Belmont showed its maturity and chemistry. The Bruins gave up the ball 12 times against the pressing Bulldogs, the third fewest this season. Scoring-wise, Georgia lacked its own organization to get back on defense and gave up a staggering nine three-pointers by forward Kendall Cheesman, on 15 attempts.
Ohio State hasn’t lost to a non-power five conference school since losing to the South Dakota Bobcats on Nov. 29, 2019, but Belmont has the ability to be the next one, if the Buckeyes look past the Bruins. Fortunately for the scarlet and gray, it’ll be hard to do following a tough defeat against the other Bruins on Monday.
G- Jacy Sheldon
G- Celeste Taylor
G- Taylor Thierry
F- Cotie McMahon
F- Rebeka Mikulášiková
G- Tuti Jones
G- Jailyn Banks
G- Kilyn McGuff
F- Tessa Miller
F- Kendall Cheesman
With the upcoming Christmas holiday weekend, a game against Belmont could be a trap, but it won’t. Ohio State will withstand an early Bruins attack, but the shooting will be vastly improved for the Buckeyes Friday afternoon.
Since there’s no Lauren Betts-like force in the paint for Belmont, expect Cotie McMahon to have a big game. The forward scored seven points on Monday, and none inside the paint. Both shots converted came from beyond the arc, plus a free throw. Friday, McMahon will be charging, and spinning, towards the basket. McMahon will score at least 20 points and Ohio State will come away with a victory to take into the eight days without a game that follows.
Date: Friday, Dec. 22, 2023
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Where: Schottenstein Center, Columbus, Ohio
Stream: B1G+
Barring a rough end to the season, Friday is the final non-conference game for the Buckeyes until the NCAA Tournament. This year, Ohio State’s lost two non-conference games, the most since the 19-20 regular season. That campaign, the scarlet and gray dropped four before the start of the Big Ten calendar, losing games to Ohio University, UConn, South Dakota and Stanford.
Fortunately for coach McGuff’s side, the defeats this season shouldn’t hurt too much come tournament time. Both the UCLA Bruins and USC Trojans are undefeated, highly ranked, teams.
The Big Ten calendar starts with a trip to rivals up north, the Michigan Wolverines. Then Ohio State stays on the road to tip off the 2024 calendar on Jan. 5, when the Northwestern Wildcats welcome the Buckeyes.
Continue reading...
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Donald Page/NCAA Photos via Getty Images
A bounce back game for the Buckeyes, with a familial twist.
Ohio State women’s basketball is back on the court for the final home game of the 2023 calendar. That’s when the Buckeyes host the Belmont Bruins of the Missouri Valley Conference. In most seasons, it’d be another non-conference game against a mid-major side, but this time around it carries importance for many reasons.
The fun storyline is a father vs. daughter. Head coach Kevin McGuff’s Buckeyes take on guard Kilyn McGuff, his oldest daughter, and her Bruins team. The less fun storyline is what this game means to Ohio State. After a less than stellar four-quarter performance against UCLA on Monday, the scarlet and gray need to bounce back.
Preview
Isolate the first and fourth quarters for Ohio State against No. 2 UCLA on Monday, and the Buckeyes outscored the Bruins 43-31. However, women’s NCAA basketball games are notoriously four quarters long. In the two middle quarters, shots weren’t falling and fouls amassed quickly as UCLA asserted its dominance in a 46-28 performance.
Scoring-wise, guards Jacy Sheldon and Taylor Thierry were far ahead of their peers. The two scored 50 of Ohio State’s 71 points in Monday’s defeat, giving the remaining four players who got onto the scoresheet combining for 21 points. The Sheldon and Thierry-less group shot 21.2% from the floor.
Friday’s midday game is not UCLA though. The Belmont Bruins don’t feature an unstoppable 6-foot-7 center, but that doesn’t mean a victory is guaranteed. Belmont’s shown over the past two seasons that it can compete.
Belmont is going to bring team basketball to the Schottenstein Center. The Bruins aren’t the biggest or fastest team Ohio State will face, but they’re a side that is organized, passes well and plays strong inside and outside games. There aren’t as drastic roles for a team like Belmont.
In the last nine games, the Bruins used the same five players in the starting lineup, and all five of them average at least 10 points per game, and three of them grab at least six rebounds per game. That’s not the sign of a team with stereotypical basketball responsibilities. Belmont will test the half court and transitional defense of the Buckeyes. The Bruins have also faced a full court press similar to the Buckeyes this season.
Against the Georgia Bulldogs on Nov. 10, Belmont showed its maturity and chemistry. The Bruins gave up the ball 12 times against the pressing Bulldogs, the third fewest this season. Scoring-wise, Georgia lacked its own organization to get back on defense and gave up a staggering nine three-pointers by forward Kendall Cheesman, on 15 attempts.
Ohio State hasn’t lost to a non-power five conference school since losing to the South Dakota Bobcats on Nov. 29, 2019, but Belmont has the ability to be the next one, if the Buckeyes look past the Bruins. Fortunately for the scarlet and gray, it’ll be hard to do following a tough defeat against the other Bruins on Monday.
Projected Lineups
Ohio State
G- Jacy Sheldon
G- Celeste Taylor
G- Taylor Thierry
F- Cotie McMahon
F- Rebeka Mikulášiková
Lineup Notes
- Guard Madison Greene played nine minutes against UCLA, showing how important it is for head coach Kevin McGuff to have the redshirt senior on the court, in only her third game back following a knee injury in December of 2022.
- Forward Cotie McMahon’s two three-point shots against UCLA is the fourth time she’s hit multiple in a game in her NCAA career, and the first this season.
- Forward Taiyier Parks had a difficult night against UCLA on Monday, with two turnovers, two fouls and no points in nine minutes against the Bruins.
Belmont
G- Tuti Jones
G- Jailyn Banks
G- Kilyn McGuff
F- Tessa Miller
F- Kendall Cheesman
Lineup Notes
- Four of the five projected starters for Belmont played the last two seasons together, with only guard Jailyn Banks being a freshman.
- Forward Kendall Cheesman is the outside shooter to watch for the Bruins, leading the team and Missouri Valley Conference with 27 made three-point shots in 10 games, compared to only 39 made in 33 appearances last season for Belmont.
- Belmont plays good basketball and gives ranked teams issues, losing to ranked Villanova and Louisville during the 22-23 season, but less than five points in each game.
Prediction
With the upcoming Christmas holiday weekend, a game against Belmont could be a trap, but it won’t. Ohio State will withstand an early Bruins attack, but the shooting will be vastly improved for the Buckeyes Friday afternoon.
Since there’s no Lauren Betts-like force in the paint for Belmont, expect Cotie McMahon to have a big game. The forward scored seven points on Monday, and none inside the paint. Both shots converted came from beyond the arc, plus a free throw. Friday, McMahon will be charging, and spinning, towards the basket. McMahon will score at least 20 points and Ohio State will come away with a victory to take into the eight days without a game that follows.
How to Watch
Date: Friday, Dec. 22, 2023
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Where: Schottenstein Center, Columbus, Ohio
Stream: B1G+
LGHL Prediction: 75-63 Ohio State Buckeyes
Hello Big Ten
Barring a rough end to the season, Friday is the final non-conference game for the Buckeyes until the NCAA Tournament. This year, Ohio State’s lost two non-conference games, the most since the 19-20 regular season. That campaign, the scarlet and gray dropped four before the start of the Big Ten calendar, losing games to Ohio University, UConn, South Dakota and Stanford.
Fortunately for coach McGuff’s side, the defeats this season shouldn’t hurt too much come tournament time. Both the UCLA Bruins and USC Trojans are undefeated, highly ranked, teams.
The Big Ten calendar starts with a trip to rivals up north, the Michigan Wolverines. Then Ohio State stays on the road to tip off the 2024 calendar on Jan. 5, when the Northwestern Wildcats welcome the Buckeyes.
Continue reading...
LGHL Ohio State may not be done recruiting defensive linemen in 2024
- News
- 0 Replies
Ohio State may not be done recruiting defensive linemen in 2024
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
2024 four-star DL Dominic Kirks | Mick Walker, 247Sports
There are a pair of big names to keep an eye on for a potential flip to the Buckeyes before NSD in February.
Ohio State’s defensive line haul in 2024 isn’t nearly what its needs to be. Following early signing day, the Buckeyes officially brought in just two D-linemen. While Ryan Day may claim this group is up to the high standards of the program, that is simply false.
One signee is five-star prospect Eddrick Houston, the No. 33 overall player and No. 7 edge rusher in the cycle, and the other is three-star Eric Mensah, ranked the No. 90 DL nationally. Ohio State had one of the country’s best defensive tackles committed until just last month, when five-star Justin Scott flipped his commitment to Miami, and appeared poised to land a pair of four-stars in Carlon Jones and Amaris Williams before the two committed to USC and Auburn, respectively.
Instead, it is just a two-man class, and even with an elite player like Houston coming to Columbus, that is flat out unacceptable from Larry Johnson — especially given how the last few classes have turned out. Since the 2022 recruiting class, Ohio State has brought in only 10 defensive linemen, totaling five edge players and five defensive tackles. One of those ends has since transferred in Omari Abor, and so now if both J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer both decide to leave for the NFL, the Buckeyes could find themselves with only four scholarship defensive ends, one of which being the true freshman Houston.
Ohio State has come into each of the last few cycles badly needing to replenish the defensive line room, and has come away largely empty handed. The 2023 class was strong, but three of the four additions came at defensive tackle. Stacking a two-man class onto that with just one defensive end while potentially losing both starting edge rushers from this past season seems like recipe for disaster, and it is only accentuated by some of the big swings and misses Johnson has taken at a handful of top national prospects each of the last few classes.
Luckily, not all hope is lost just yet, as there still could be good news coming the Buckeyes’ way along the defensive line. There is a pretty good chance at least one of Tuimoloau or Sawyer return in 2024, and on top of that, there have been rumblings that Johnson and Ohio State are not exactly done on the recruiting trail in this cycle either.
There are two big names floating around that are committed elsewhere, but do not plan to sign their LOIs until National Signing Day in February. Until pen hits paper, the Buckeyes can continue to try and sway them towards Columbus, and given the current situation, they would be smart in doing so.
The first — and most likely — name cropping up is four-star Ohio native Dominic Kirks. A Washington commit, Kirks is listed as the No. 33 DL and No. 251 player nationally per the 247Sports Composite. While the Painesville, Ohioan has accrued nearly two dozen offers during his recruitment, oddly enough none of those have come from Ohio State. However, with the Buckeyes looking to add another impact player at the position, that could be coming as Johnson tries to keep Kirks at home and away from the Huskies.
Kirks did previously make an unofficial visit to Ohio State for the Maryland game, and it sounds as though an OSU offer would be hard to pass up for the in-state talent. Still, the Buckeyes aren't the only ones trying to pry Kirks away from Washington, as USC is also rumored to be heavily involved here. The 6-foot-4, 255-pound lineman will have a potentially tough decision to make between now and February.
The other big name out there right now is five-star defensive lineman Dominick McKinley. A Texas A&M commit, the No. 6 DL and No. 27 overall player in the country in 2024 will also be waiting until February to sign his LOI, and will continue to be courted by all the big names until he does so. He just recently had an in-home visit with Oklahoma, has an official visit with Tennessee scheduled in late January, and the Buckeyes are also reportedly ramping up their efforts with the Louisiana native.
Ohio State was one of McKinley’s original five finalists before he committed to the Aggies in September, and made an official visit to Columbus in June. The Buckeyes were the furthest geographically of his top schools (the other being A&M, Texas, LSU and Oklahoma), but Johnson was able to make a strong connection with McKinley that gave Ohio State a fighting chance in his recruitment. With LJ working him hard yet again and the chance for some potential early playing time with the Buckeyes, a miracle late flip is not out of the question.
Regardless of what happens with Kirks and McKinley, the Buckeyes have some depth problems along the defensive line that the transfer portal can't fix. No big names are leaving one school to come be a backup, even at a place like Ohio State. Eventually, you need to start getting some wins on the recruiting trail and bringing in larger classes at the position, upwards of four of five guys — if not more now in 2025. That is going to keep getting harder and harder to do with rumors of Johnson’s retirement getting louder and louder each year.
There is still time for LJ to pull a rabbit out of his hat in this cycle, but things could snowball quickly if the defensive line issues don't get sorted out quickly.
Continue reading...
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
2024 four-star DL Dominic Kirks | Mick Walker, 247Sports
There are a pair of big names to keep an eye on for a potential flip to the Buckeyes before NSD in February.
Ohio State’s defensive line haul in 2024 isn’t nearly what its needs to be. Following early signing day, the Buckeyes officially brought in just two D-linemen. While Ryan Day may claim this group is up to the high standards of the program, that is simply false.
One signee is five-star prospect Eddrick Houston, the No. 33 overall player and No. 7 edge rusher in the cycle, and the other is three-star Eric Mensah, ranked the No. 90 DL nationally. Ohio State had one of the country’s best defensive tackles committed until just last month, when five-star Justin Scott flipped his commitment to Miami, and appeared poised to land a pair of four-stars in Carlon Jones and Amaris Williams before the two committed to USC and Auburn, respectively.
Instead, it is just a two-man class, and even with an elite player like Houston coming to Columbus, that is flat out unacceptable from Larry Johnson — especially given how the last few classes have turned out. Since the 2022 recruiting class, Ohio State has brought in only 10 defensive linemen, totaling five edge players and five defensive tackles. One of those ends has since transferred in Omari Abor, and so now if both J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer both decide to leave for the NFL, the Buckeyes could find themselves with only four scholarship defensive ends, one of which being the true freshman Houston.
Ohio State has come into each of the last few cycles badly needing to replenish the defensive line room, and has come away largely empty handed. The 2023 class was strong, but three of the four additions came at defensive tackle. Stacking a two-man class onto that with just one defensive end while potentially losing both starting edge rushers from this past season seems like recipe for disaster, and it is only accentuated by some of the big swings and misses Johnson has taken at a handful of top national prospects each of the last few classes.
Luckily, not all hope is lost just yet, as there still could be good news coming the Buckeyes’ way along the defensive line. There is a pretty good chance at least one of Tuimoloau or Sawyer return in 2024, and on top of that, there have been rumblings that Johnson and Ohio State are not exactly done on the recruiting trail in this cycle either.
There are two big names floating around that are committed elsewhere, but do not plan to sign their LOIs until National Signing Day in February. Until pen hits paper, the Buckeyes can continue to try and sway them towards Columbus, and given the current situation, they would be smart in doing so.
The first — and most likely — name cropping up is four-star Ohio native Dominic Kirks. A Washington commit, Kirks is listed as the No. 33 DL and No. 251 player nationally per the 247Sports Composite. While the Painesville, Ohioan has accrued nearly two dozen offers during his recruitment, oddly enough none of those have come from Ohio State. However, with the Buckeyes looking to add another impact player at the position, that could be coming as Johnson tries to keep Kirks at home and away from the Huskies.
Kirks did previously make an unofficial visit to Ohio State for the Maryland game, and it sounds as though an OSU offer would be hard to pass up for the in-state talent. Still, the Buckeyes aren't the only ones trying to pry Kirks away from Washington, as USC is also rumored to be heavily involved here. The 6-foot-4, 255-pound lineman will have a potentially tough decision to make between now and February.
The other big name out there right now is five-star defensive lineman Dominick McKinley. A Texas A&M commit, the No. 6 DL and No. 27 overall player in the country in 2024 will also be waiting until February to sign his LOI, and will continue to be courted by all the big names until he does so. He just recently had an in-home visit with Oklahoma, has an official visit with Tennessee scheduled in late January, and the Buckeyes are also reportedly ramping up their efforts with the Louisiana native.
Ohio State was one of McKinley’s original five finalists before he committed to the Aggies in September, and made an official visit to Columbus in June. The Buckeyes were the furthest geographically of his top schools (the other being A&M, Texas, LSU and Oklahoma), but Johnson was able to make a strong connection with McKinley that gave Ohio State a fighting chance in his recruitment. With LJ working him hard yet again and the chance for some potential early playing time with the Buckeyes, a miracle late flip is not out of the question.
Regardless of what happens with Kirks and McKinley, the Buckeyes have some depth problems along the defensive line that the transfer portal can't fix. No big names are leaving one school to come be a backup, even at a place like Ohio State. Eventually, you need to start getting some wins on the recruiting trail and bringing in larger classes at the position, upwards of four of five guys — if not more now in 2025. That is going to keep getting harder and harder to do with rumors of Johnson’s retirement getting louder and louder each year.
There is still time for LJ to pull a rabbit out of his hat in this cycle, but things could snowball quickly if the defensive line issues don't get sorted out quickly.
Continue reading...
LGHL Ohio State pops the Privateers 78-36 without Holtmann, Okpara
- News
- 0 Replies
Ohio State pops the Privateers 78-36 without Holtmann, Okpara
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
For the second consecutive game, the Buckeyes struggled offensively for a bit but were able to win the game with suffocating defense.
The Ohio State men’s basketball team (10-2, 1-1) is one day away from a much-needed four day Christmas break. But first, they had to dance with the New Orleans Privateers (5-7) out of the Southland Conference on Thursday night.
Four of New Orleans’ five wins this season have been over non-Division-I opponents, and they were recently blown out by Minnesota by 33 points on the road. The Privateers briefly began a transition to Division-II in 2011, but changed course and stayed D-I. They were the No. 283 team in the country entering this game, according to KenPom — the worst remaining team on Ohio State’s schedule.
The Buckeyes had to play tonight’s game without starting center Felix Okpara and head coach Chris Holtmann, who were both dealing with the flu, according to an official statement from the team. Jake Diebler, who also filled in for Holtmann for one game in January 2022 when the head coach fell ill with COVID-19, filled in as acting head coach once again Thursday evening.
Diebler went with a starting five of Bruce Thornton, Roddy Gayle, Jamison Battle, Evan Mahaffey, and Zed Key in place of Okpara. New Orleans, led by Mark Slessinger in his 12th year, rolled out a starting five of Jordan Johnson, Jamond Vincent, Khaleb Wilson-Rouse, D’Ante Bell, and Tyson Jackson.
Whether it was not having Holtmann on the bench or something else entirely, Ohio State did not look comfortable early on against one of the least talented teams they’ll see all year. The Buckeyes hit just one of their first six shots, four of their first 12, and held a 11-7 lead at the under-eight media timeout. The Privateers weren’t doing much better, although that’s expected of them in this matchup.
Things didn’t get much better for Ohio State, which looked on track to easily pass its season average of 11 turnovers per game halfway through the first half. With Okpara out and Key saddled with foul trouble, things just didn’t look quite right. The issues were purely offensive, however, as New Orleans struggled mightily scoring the basketball in this one — as expected. With 7:21 left in the first half, Ohio State led 14-11.
After giving up the lead very briefly, Ohio State ended the half on a 17-2 run to take a 31-17 lead into the locker room. In stunning fashion, the Buckeyes shot just 36.4% overall and scored 31 points against a team that gave up a whopping 97 points to Minnesota just three weeks ago. OSU’s best performer in the first half was Battle, who scored eight points and grabbed seven rebounds. Mahaffey had four points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a block in the first half. Wilson-Rouse had five first-half points for the Privateers.
Much like the game against UCLA last weekend, Ohio State was much better in the second half on Thursday, stretching its 14-point halftime lead to 27 by the under-eight media timeout. After sitting for a good chunk of the first half with two fouls, Zed Key was a man possessed in the second half, scoring in double dgits and leading the Buckeyes in scoring over the final 20 minutes. Devin Royal was a big-time difference maker on the glass, too — the freshman forward played 15 minutes and yanked down seven rebounds — three of them offensive.
By the time the final horn blew, Ohio State had wrapped up a 78-36 win over their Southland Conference foe. Jamison Battle’s 17 points led all scorers and was his third-highest point total of the season thus far. Key (16), Thornton (11), and Bonner (10) all scored in double digits as well. Jordan Johnson had eight points for New Orleans.
If you don’t have BTN+ and missed Ohio State’s rout of New Orleans on Thursday night, here are a few key moments from a game that was never really in doubt:
Gayle attempted a dribble-drive move on Ohio State’s first possession of the game, but Bell used his long arm’s to tip the pass and then take it, starting a fast break for the Privateers. The ball ultimately ended up in Wilson-Rouse’s hands, who dropped in an elbow jumper 51 seconds into the game to put New Orleans up 2-0 to start the game.
Before the first media timeout of the game, Key — who was starting in place of Felix Okpara, who was dealing with an illness — was pushed to the ground away from the ball during an Ohio State possession. He got back up and ran back to the other end, but one possession later was escorted to an area behind the bleachers with a trainer.
It turns out Zed hit the back of his head on the fall, and was likely being examined for a concussion. Key went back to the bench after the media timeout, headband on, ready to play.
Meanwhile, the Buckeyes led 4-2 at the first media timeout 4:14 into the game, having hit just one of its first six shots.
After New Orleans briefly took the lead back, 15-14, Ohio State’s two key transfers — Dale Bonner and Battle — took it right back. Bonner snagged an offensive rebound off of a Battle miss and scored to make it 16-15, and was fouled going to the basket on the very next possession, hitting one of two free throws.
On the very next possession, Battle missed a three but Gayle got the rebound kicked it back out to Battle, and he knocked down his second try. Battle connected on his second three-pointer of the game on the very next possession, putting Ohio State up 23-15 with 3:51 to go in the first half.
Leading 41-23 with 14:10 remaining in the game, Thornton attempted a reverse layup on the baseline but was fouled by Vincent, sending him to the line. The sophomore guard knocked down both at the line, pushing Ohio State’s lead to a game-high (at the time) 20 points, 43-23.
Scotty Middleton has seen the most action of the freshmen this year, but both Austin Parks and Devin Royal got some valuable minutes in tonight’s game.
Royal played the second-most minutes that he’s played all season, scoring four points and grabbing seven rebounds over 15 minutes on Thursday — the second-most minutes he’s played this year. He leapt up and secured a big offensive rebound in the second half that eventually led to a Zed Key and-one dunk.
Parks made his sixth appearance of the season on Thursday, checking in at the 13:22 mark with Ohio State up, 44-23. He played seven minutes, scored one point (split free throws) and grabbed one rebound.
With 13:03 left in the game and Ohio State up 44-23 still, Thornton drove to the basket and missed a layup, but landed funny below the basket. Ohio State was able to corral the offensive rebound and get the ball out to Parks, who had the ball stolen away by New Orleans’ Jah Short.
After the play, Thornton had to be escorted back to the locker room by the training staff. Thornton was able to walk back on his own, and returned to the bench a few minutes later. He did not re-enter the game.
Ohio State (10-2, 1-1) will take four day off of practice to go home and see their families for the holidays, before returning on Tuesday, December 26th to resume practice. Then they’ll have four days to prepare for West Virginia, who they will face in Cleveland as part of the Legends of Basketball Showcase on December 30.
The Mountaineers (4-7) are struggling in the first year of the post-Bob Huggins era, having just lost back-to-back games against UMass and Radford. West Virginia is currently the No. 185 team in the nation, according to KenPom.
Ohio State’s game against West Virginia will tip off at 7:00 p.m. on FOX.
Continue reading...
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
For the second consecutive game, the Buckeyes struggled offensively for a bit but were able to win the game with suffocating defense.
The Ohio State men’s basketball team (10-2, 1-1) is one day away from a much-needed four day Christmas break. But first, they had to dance with the New Orleans Privateers (5-7) out of the Southland Conference on Thursday night.
Four of New Orleans’ five wins this season have been over non-Division-I opponents, and they were recently blown out by Minnesota by 33 points on the road. The Privateers briefly began a transition to Division-II in 2011, but changed course and stayed D-I. They were the No. 283 team in the country entering this game, according to KenPom — the worst remaining team on Ohio State’s schedule.
The Buckeyes had to play tonight’s game without starting center Felix Okpara and head coach Chris Holtmann, who were both dealing with the flu, according to an official statement from the team. Jake Diebler, who also filled in for Holtmann for one game in January 2022 when the head coach fell ill with COVID-19, filled in as acting head coach once again Thursday evening.
Diebler went with a starting five of Bruce Thornton, Roddy Gayle, Jamison Battle, Evan Mahaffey, and Zed Key in place of Okpara. New Orleans, led by Mark Slessinger in his 12th year, rolled out a starting five of Jordan Johnson, Jamond Vincent, Khaleb Wilson-Rouse, D’Ante Bell, and Tyson Jackson.
Whether it was not having Holtmann on the bench or something else entirely, Ohio State did not look comfortable early on against one of the least talented teams they’ll see all year. The Buckeyes hit just one of their first six shots, four of their first 12, and held a 11-7 lead at the under-eight media timeout. The Privateers weren’t doing much better, although that’s expected of them in this matchup.
Things didn’t get much better for Ohio State, which looked on track to easily pass its season average of 11 turnovers per game halfway through the first half. With Okpara out and Key saddled with foul trouble, things just didn’t look quite right. The issues were purely offensive, however, as New Orleans struggled mightily scoring the basketball in this one — as expected. With 7:21 left in the first half, Ohio State led 14-11.
The Buckeyes ended that half on a-
run
#Team125 | #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/Dt6rcZS4mt
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) December 21, 2023
After giving up the lead very briefly, Ohio State ended the half on a 17-2 run to take a 31-17 lead into the locker room. In stunning fashion, the Buckeyes shot just 36.4% overall and scored 31 points against a team that gave up a whopping 97 points to Minnesota just three weeks ago. OSU’s best performer in the first half was Battle, who scored eight points and grabbed seven rebounds. Mahaffey had four points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a block in the first half. Wilson-Rouse had five first-half points for the Privateers.
Much like the game against UCLA last weekend, Ohio State was much better in the second half on Thursday, stretching its 14-point halftime lead to 27 by the under-eight media timeout. After sitting for a good chunk of the first half with two fouls, Zed Key was a man possessed in the second half, scoring in double dgits and leading the Buckeyes in scoring over the final 20 minutes. Devin Royal was a big-time difference maker on the glass, too — the freshman forward played 15 minutes and yanked down seven rebounds — three of them offensive.
By the time the final horn blew, Ohio State had wrapped up a 78-36 win over their Southland Conference foe. Jamison Battle’s 17 points led all scorers and was his third-highest point total of the season thus far. Key (16), Thornton (11), and Bonner (10) all scored in double digits as well. Jordan Johnson had eight points for New Orleans.
If you don’t have BTN+ and missed Ohio State’s rout of New Orleans on Thursday night, here are a few key moments from a game that was never really in doubt:
Stop the count! New Orleans scores first
Gayle attempted a dribble-drive move on Ohio State’s first possession of the game, but Bell used his long arm’s to tip the pass and then take it, starting a fast break for the Privateers. The ball ultimately ended up in Wilson-Rouse’s hands, who dropped in an elbow jumper 51 seconds into the game to put New Orleans up 2-0 to start the game.
Key taken away from the bench as Ohio State starts slow
Before the first media timeout of the game, Key — who was starting in place of Felix Okpara, who was dealing with an illness — was pushed to the ground away from the ball during an Ohio State possession. He got back up and ran back to the other end, but one possession later was escorted to an area behind the bleachers with a trainer.
It turns out Zed hit the back of his head on the fall, and was likely being examined for a concussion. Key went back to the bench after the media timeout, headband on, ready to play.
Meanwhile, the Buckeyes led 4-2 at the first media timeout 4:14 into the game, having hit just one of its first six shots.
Battle knocks rings the long distance bell x 2
After New Orleans briefly took the lead back, 15-14, Ohio State’s two key transfers — Dale Bonner and Battle — took it right back. Bonner snagged an offensive rebound off of a Battle miss and scored to make it 16-15, and was fouled going to the basket on the very next possession, hitting one of two free throws.
On the very next possession, Battle missed a three but Gayle got the rebound kicked it back out to Battle, and he knocked down his second try. Battle connected on his second three-pointer of the game on the very next possession, putting Ohio State up 23-15 with 3:51 to go in the first half.
Thornton knocks down a pair, pushes lead to 20
Leading 41-23 with 14:10 remaining in the game, Thornton attempted a reverse layup on the baseline but was fouled by Vincent, sending him to the line. The sophomore guard knocked down both at the line, pushing Ohio State’s lead to a game-high (at the time) 20 points, 43-23.
Parks, Royal get some valuable time on the floor
Scotty Middleton has seen the most action of the freshmen this year, but both Austin Parks and Devin Royal got some valuable minutes in tonight’s game.
Royal played the second-most minutes that he’s played all season, scoring four points and grabbing seven rebounds over 15 minutes on Thursday — the second-most minutes he’s played this year. He leapt up and secured a big offensive rebound in the second half that eventually led to a Zed Key and-one dunk.
Parks made his sixth appearance of the season on Thursday, checking in at the 13:22 mark with Ohio State up, 44-23. He played seven minutes, scored one point (split free throws) and grabbed one rebound.
Thornton injures lower leg/ankle, does not return to game
With 13:03 left in the game and Ohio State up 44-23 still, Thornton drove to the basket and missed a layup, but landed funny below the basket. Ohio State was able to corral the offensive rebound and get the ball out to Parks, who had the ball stolen away by New Orleans’ Jah Short.
After the play, Thornton had to be escorted back to the locker room by the training staff. Thornton was able to walk back on his own, and returned to the bench a few minutes later. He did not re-enter the game.
Up Next
Ohio State (10-2, 1-1) will take four day off of practice to go home and see their families for the holidays, before returning on Tuesday, December 26th to resume practice. Then they’ll have four days to prepare for West Virginia, who they will face in Cleveland as part of the Legends of Basketball Showcase on December 30.
The Mountaineers (4-7) are struggling in the first year of the post-Bob Huggins era, having just lost back-to-back games against UMass and Radford. West Virginia is currently the No. 185 team in the nation, according to KenPom.
Ohio State’s game against West Virginia will tip off at 7:00 p.m. on FOX.
Continue reading...
LGHL Bucketheads Podcast: Joe Jackson of “Feed The Post” joins the show
- News
- 0 Replies
Bucketheads Podcast: Joe Jackson of “Feed The Post” joins the show
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Jordan Godfree-USA TODAY Sports
Discussing the Buckeyes’ big win over UCLA.
“Bucketheads” is LGHL’s men’s basketball podcast, hosted by Connor Lemons and Justin Golba. Every episode, they give you the latest scoop on the Ohio State Buckeyes and everything else happening in the college hoops world.
Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
On episode 97 of Bucketheads, we are joined by the host of Feed The Post and the co-host of Boilers in the Stands, Joe Jackson.
Before we talk to Joe, we recap the Buckeyes’ win over UCLA in the CBS Sports Classic last Saturday, in what can only be described as a grind it out win.
In our interview with Joe, we discuss all things Big Ten, Bruce Thornton, Jamison Battle, and the trajectory of Ohio State under Chris Holtmann. You won’t want to miss the conversation.
Be sure to like and subscribe to the podcast and leave a review of your thoughts on the show!
Connect with the Podcast:
Twitter: @BucketheadsLGPN
Connect with Connor:
Twitter: @lemons_connor
Connect with Justin:
Twitter: @justin_golba
Connect with Joe:
Twitter: @joejacksonCBB
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
Jordan Godfree-USA TODAY Sports
Discussing the Buckeyes’ big win over UCLA.
“Bucketheads” is LGHL’s men’s basketball podcast, hosted by Connor Lemons and Justin Golba. Every episode, they give you the latest scoop on the Ohio State Buckeyes and everything else happening in the college hoops world.
Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
On episode 97 of Bucketheads, we are joined by the host of Feed The Post and the co-host of Boilers in the Stands, Joe Jackson.
Before we talk to Joe, we recap the Buckeyes’ win over UCLA in the CBS Sports Classic last Saturday, in what can only be described as a grind it out win.
In our interview with Joe, we discuss all things Big Ten, Bruce Thornton, Jamison Battle, and the trajectory of Ohio State under Chris Holtmann. You won’t want to miss the conversation.
Be sure to like and subscribe to the podcast and leave a review of your thoughts on the show!
Connect with the Podcast:
Twitter: @BucketheadsLGPN
Connect with Connor:
Twitter: @lemons_connor
Connect with Justin:
Twitter: @justin_golba
Connect with Joe:
Twitter: @joejacksonCBB
Continue reading...
LGHL Ohio State Men’s Basketball vs. New Orleans: Game preview and prediction
- News
- 0 Replies
Ohio State Men’s Basketball vs. New Orleans: Game preview and prediction
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 Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
In their final home game of 2023, Ohio State hosts New Orleans tonight at Value City Arena.
Before the Ohio State men’s basketball team can enjoy Christmas they have one game left before the holiday. Fresh off a 67-60 win over UCLA in Atlanta on Saturday in the CBS Sports Classic, the Buckeyes (9-2, 1-1) host the New Orleans Privateers tonight at Value City Arena. This will be the second-to-last non-conference game of the regular season for Ohio State, as their final one will come next Saturday when they travel up to Cleveland to take on West Virginia. Tonight’s game marks the second time Ohio State and New Orleans have met on the basketball court, with the Buckeyes winning 74-66 in the Sugar Bowl Tournament during the 1989-90 season.
Following their loss to Penn State last Saturday, the Buckeyes had a week to try and put their late-game failures against the Nittany Lions behind them. After heading to the halftime break trailing the Bruins 23-22, Ohio State and UCLA went back-and-forth for the first 12 minutes of the second half before the Buckeyes took the lead for good when Bruce Thornton hit a jumper with just under eight minutes to go to give Ohio State a 48-47 lead. Chris Holtmann’s team would put a little distance on UCLA the rest of the way, earning a hard-fought 67-60 victory.
Leading the way for the Buckeyes against UCLA was Roddy Gayle Jr., who finished the game with 19 points and six rebounds. Gayle currently sits second on the team, averaging 14.7 points per game. Along with his scoring, Gayle has also been solid in other areas on the court, pulling down 5.1 rebounds per contest and dishing out 3.5 assists per game. It has become clear that the sophomore from Niagara Falls has embraced more responsibility this year as his time on the court has nearly doubled. Gayle has already matched his scoring total from last season of 162 points
Aside from Gayle, Ohio State had three other players reach double figures in scoring against UCLA. Jamison Battle finished with 14 points, Bruce Thornton added 13 points, and Felix Okpara scored 10 points, hitting double figures in scoring for the second time this season. Okpara also blocked two shots in the victory, marking the fifth time this year he has swatted at least two shots in a game. The contributions from Gayle and company were able to offset some dreadful shooting from behind the arc from the Buckeyes, who hit just one of their 15 three-point attempts. The lone triple did extend Ohio State’s streak to 316 consecutive games with at least one three-pointer.
Next up for the Buckeyes are the New Orleans Privateers, who enter tonight’s contest with a 5-6 record. The last time New Orleans took the court was a week ago when they beat up on Division-III foe Birmingham-Southern 91-51. The talent gap was quite obvious, as the Privateers never trailed in the game and took a 49-24 lead into halftime. Jordan Johnson led the team with 16 points, Dorian Booker added 12 points off the bench in 19 minutes, and Tyson Jackson finished with 11 points and five rebounds.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25174910/usa_today_21945411.jpg "NCAA Basketball: New Orleans at Oklahoma State")
William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports
The bulk of the damage done on offense for New Orleans this year has been done by Jordan Johnson, who is leading the team with 23.1 points per game. The only other Privateer to average double figures in scoring through 11 games is Khaleb Wilson-Rouse, who enters tonight’s game averaging 10.9 points per game. Along with those two, Jamond Vincent not only is responsible for 8.0 points per game, but he also is pulling down 6.4 rebounds per contest.
Roaming the sideline for New Orleans is head coach Mark Slessinger. This marks the 13th year in charge at the school for Slessinger. Following last week’s victory over Birmingham-Southern, Slessinger is 164-203 as New Orleans head coach. During his time as head coach, New Orleans has made the NCAA Tournament once, losing to Mount St. Mary’s 67-66 in a First Four game in the 2017 NCAA Tournament. The Privateers will be looking to rebound from last year’s disappointing season that saw them post a 10-19 record.
Aside from possibly having a bit of a hangover from Saturday’s win over UCLA in Atlanta, Ohio State shouldn’t have too much of a problem with New Orleans tonight in Columbus. The Buckeyes are not only a deeper team than the Privateers, they have a definite size advantage with Felix Okpara and Zed Key. What Chris Holtmann is hoping for is a complete effort out of his team to add to their confidence before they get some time off ahead of next Saturday’s game against West Virginia in Cleveland.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25168192/usa_today_22119247.jpg "NCAA Basketball: CBS Sports Classic-Ohio State at UCLA")
Jordan Godfree-USA TODAY Sports
New Orleans has struggled when playing against power conference Division-I teams so far this year, losing by 33 points to Minnesota and 28 points to Oklahoma State. It’s hard to see tonight’s game going much differently than those two contests earlier in the year. Aside from Johnson, the Privateers struggle to score, and those issues aren’t going to go away against an Ohio State team that can get after it on the defensive end. The Buckeyes should hold a double-digit lead at halftime and extend their advantage over the final 20 minutes of the game.
ESPN BPI: Ohio State 96.5%
Time: 6 p.m. ET
TV: B1G+
Continue reading...
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 Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
In their final home game of 2023, Ohio State hosts New Orleans tonight at Value City Arena.
Before the Ohio State men’s basketball team can enjoy Christmas they have one game left before the holiday. Fresh off a 67-60 win over UCLA in Atlanta on Saturday in the CBS Sports Classic, the Buckeyes (9-2, 1-1) host the New Orleans Privateers tonight at Value City Arena. This will be the second-to-last non-conference game of the regular season for Ohio State, as their final one will come next Saturday when they travel up to Cleveland to take on West Virginia. Tonight’s game marks the second time Ohio State and New Orleans have met on the basketball court, with the Buckeyes winning 74-66 in the Sugar Bowl Tournament during the 1989-90 season.
Preview
Following their loss to Penn State last Saturday, the Buckeyes had a week to try and put their late-game failures against the Nittany Lions behind them. After heading to the halftime break trailing the Bruins 23-22, Ohio State and UCLA went back-and-forth for the first 12 minutes of the second half before the Buckeyes took the lead for good when Bruce Thornton hit a jumper with just under eight minutes to go to give Ohio State a 48-47 lead. Chris Holtmann’s team would put a little distance on UCLA the rest of the way, earning a hard-fought 67-60 victory.
Leading the way for the Buckeyes against UCLA was Roddy Gayle Jr., who finished the game with 19 points and six rebounds. Gayle currently sits second on the team, averaging 14.7 points per game. Along with his scoring, Gayle has also been solid in other areas on the court, pulling down 5.1 rebounds per contest and dishing out 3.5 assists per game. It has become clear that the sophomore from Niagara Falls has embraced more responsibility this year as his time on the court has nearly doubled. Gayle has already matched his scoring total from last season of 162 points
Aside from Gayle, Ohio State had three other players reach double figures in scoring against UCLA. Jamison Battle finished with 14 points, Bruce Thornton added 13 points, and Felix Okpara scored 10 points, hitting double figures in scoring for the second time this season. Okpara also blocked two shots in the victory, marking the fifth time this year he has swatted at least two shots in a game. The contributions from Gayle and company were able to offset some dreadful shooting from behind the arc from the Buckeyes, who hit just one of their 15 three-point attempts. The lone triple did extend Ohio State’s streak to 316 consecutive games with at least one three-pointer.
Next up for the Buckeyes are the New Orleans Privateers, who enter tonight’s contest with a 5-6 record. The last time New Orleans took the court was a week ago when they beat up on Division-III foe Birmingham-Southern 91-51. The talent gap was quite obvious, as the Privateers never trailed in the game and took a 49-24 lead into halftime. Jordan Johnson led the team with 16 points, Dorian Booker added 12 points off the bench in 19 minutes, and Tyson Jackson finished with 11 points and five rebounds.
The bulk of the damage done on offense for New Orleans this year has been done by Jordan Johnson, who is leading the team with 23.1 points per game. The only other Privateer to average double figures in scoring through 11 games is Khaleb Wilson-Rouse, who enters tonight’s game averaging 10.9 points per game. Along with those two, Jamond Vincent not only is responsible for 8.0 points per game, but he also is pulling down 6.4 rebounds per contest.
Roaming the sideline for New Orleans is head coach Mark Slessinger. This marks the 13th year in charge at the school for Slessinger. Following last week’s victory over Birmingham-Southern, Slessinger is 164-203 as New Orleans head coach. During his time as head coach, New Orleans has made the NCAA Tournament once, losing to Mount St. Mary’s 67-66 in a First Four game in the 2017 NCAA Tournament. The Privateers will be looking to rebound from last year’s disappointing season that saw them post a 10-19 record.
Prediction
Aside from possibly having a bit of a hangover from Saturday’s win over UCLA in Atlanta, Ohio State shouldn’t have too much of a problem with New Orleans tonight in Columbus. The Buckeyes are not only a deeper team than the Privateers, they have a definite size advantage with Felix Okpara and Zed Key. What Chris Holtmann is hoping for is a complete effort out of his team to add to their confidence before they get some time off ahead of next Saturday’s game against West Virginia in Cleveland.
New Orleans has struggled when playing against power conference Division-I teams so far this year, losing by 33 points to Minnesota and 28 points to Oklahoma State. It’s hard to see tonight’s game going much differently than those two contests earlier in the year. Aside from Johnson, the Privateers struggle to score, and those issues aren’t going to go away against an Ohio State team that can get after it on the defensive end. The Buckeyes should hold a double-digit lead at halftime and extend their advantage over the final 20 minutes of the game.
ESPN BPI: Ohio State 96.5%
Time: 6 p.m. ET
TV: B1G+
LGHL Score Prediction: Ohio State 82, New Orleans 61
Continue reading...
LGHL A debrief on what turned out to be a wild, but successful signing day for Ohio State
- News
- 0 Replies
A debrief on what turned out to be a wild, but successful signing day for Ohio State
Caleb Houser via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Lori Schmidt / Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
It wasn’t for a lack of drama, but Ohio State signed a very talented 2024 class yesterday.
If you follow Ohio State recruiting and were near the internet at all yesterday, you know how nerve-racking things got concerning the status of the No. 1 player nationally, Jeremiah Smith. Easily the tensest signing of the day, the Buckeyes had to wait on pins and needles late into the night to receive his National Letter of Intent, but eventually the team landed the top player in the cycle, which made the dramatics of it all more than worth it.
The background, Smith was set up for a 12 noon ET signing ceremony at his high school with several of his Chaminade-Madonna teammates. Ryan Day — who had a press conference scheduled for the same time — gave his real-time reaction (although he almost certainly knew ahead of time) to the news that Smith had stuck to his commitment.
According to some, it came down to the last few minutes before the ceremony, thanks to the antics of Miami pitching its best NIL deal. Smith went as far as to say that he had two hats in his backpack with Miami joining the Buckeyes, but in the end, he opted to stick with Ohio State because of the team’s track record of developing wide receivers and, of course, position coach Brian Hartline.
After Smith’s ceremony, and the one in Buford, Georgia for Eddrick Houston (more on him later), it looked like Ohio State’s class was officially locked in, with the paperwork in hand for everyone in the class that they were expecting... except it wasn’t. Hours passed and the Ohio State social media accounts had yet to officially announce Smith as is Buckeyes, so naturally, rumors began to swirl.
Whether it was his potential flip to Miami, or even Florida and Florida State, seemingly every narrative was out there while the Buckeyes awaited his LOI. Outlets such as 247Sports and analyst Andrew Ivins added zero insight to help calm down Buckeye fans. The recruiting analyst said that he was informed that “this could be a roller coaster down the stretch.”
This led Buckeye fans, who have been conditioned to expect the worst recently, to assume that the delay was because Smith was considering backing out of his commitment, despite reiterating it just a few hours before. However, just after 10 p.m. ET, @OhioStateFootball confirmed the everything was signed, sealed, and delivered, officially making the No. 1 player in the country a Buckeye.
Reports last night indicated that the delay was not so much about a potential flip, but rather than Smith and his family were making sure that before the Letter of Intent was submitted that they had all of the NIL details in place. While this might ruffle the feathers of college football traditionalists, given all of the stories that we have heard about NIL promises not being kept (especially at Miami), this is smart.
Now that he is officially in, you can’t overstate how much Smith means to this 2024 haul overall. Getting Smith locked in was not easy with folks from all over the CFB world in his ear, but the Buckeyes and their NIL resources came out on top late and gave every Ohio State coach, staffer, and fan a solid night’s rest. The Buckeyes officially have the top player in the nation in the fold, and we are all looking forward to welcoming him to Columbus as an early enrollee on Jan. 7. This one is finally over!
In addition to the Smith signing, there was one other major member of the class that had Ohio State on the ropes up until the final hour. Five-star defensive end Eddrick Houston committed to the Buckeyes in August and was about as easy of a recruitment as it gets thereafter... until it wasn’t. This past weekend, the situation started to get uneasy for OSU and it appears to have been because of negative recruiting from other schools, trying to undermine Houston’s confidence as to who his position coach would be.
Alabama and Clemson were both able to get Houston on campus in the past week, putting his pledge to the Buckeyes in serious danger; something that has already happened in multiple ways for an elite defensive line commit in the 2024 class. Putting doubts in Eddrick’s mind of Larry Johnson’s status with the program and talking about the portal and how many guys were leaving due to poor culture, Alabama was throwing anything at the wall hoping it would stick and, down the stretch, the feeling that Houston would flip to the Crimson Tide was pretty strong.
Just before he signed, the Director of Recruiting for 247Sports flipped his crystal ball for the five-star talent from Ohio State to Alabama, but Bill Kurelic of Bucknuts.com kept his with the Buckeyes. Once again, during Day’s presser, he took a phone call and left the room, but came back looking thrilled with the news he must have been given. That news of course was that Houston was staying with his Ohio State commitment and giving the Buckeyes his signature in the coming moments.
In reality, Eddrick staying with the Buckeyes made the day. You can certainly imagine what it would look like if Houston had flipped to Alabama, leaving Ohio State with only one single defensive lineman in the class. A major win for Johnson, this goes to show that though his stock has decreased a bit over the years, LJ still can go and get some of the best talent the country can offer, and the reminder couldn’t have come at a better time.
One negative coming out of yesterday was the loss, four-star receiver Jeremiah McClellan flipped to Oregon. Committed to Ohio State since the summer, McClellan was betting on himself and wanted to go against the best in the country during his college career, which is why he originally selected the Buckeyes.
At the end of his recruitment though, it was Oregon that stayed in the mix and gave him reason to believe that he was just another guy for Ohio State, but was “the” guy for the Ducks. That sentiment swayed McClellan away from the Buckeyes and their 2024 class as early Wednesday morning, the staff was made aware that he was headed elsewhere.
Fortunately, Mylan Graham and Jeremiah Smith help soften the blow as those two WRs are higher-ranked players and will certainly help add major talent to an already loaded position group. The Buckeyes wanted McClellan in this class, make no mistake about it, but if there’s one area on this roster that can take a loss it’s at receiver.
Continue reading...
Caleb Houser via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Lori Schmidt / Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
It wasn’t for a lack of drama, but Ohio State signed a very talented 2024 class yesterday.
Signed, sealed, and delivered
If you follow Ohio State recruiting and were near the internet at all yesterday, you know how nerve-racking things got concerning the status of the No. 1 player nationally, Jeremiah Smith. Easily the tensest signing of the day, the Buckeyes had to wait on pins and needles late into the night to receive his National Letter of Intent, but eventually the team landed the top player in the cycle, which made the dramatics of it all more than worth it.
The background, Smith was set up for a 12 noon ET signing ceremony at his high school with several of his Chaminade-Madonna teammates. Ryan Day — who had a press conference scheduled for the same time — gave his real-time reaction (although he almost certainly knew ahead of time) to the news that Smith had stuck to his commitment.
According to some, it came down to the last few minutes before the ceremony, thanks to the antics of Miami pitching its best NIL deal. Smith went as far as to say that he had two hats in his backpack with Miami joining the Buckeyes, but in the end, he opted to stick with Ohio State because of the team’s track record of developing wide receivers and, of course, position coach Brian Hartline.
After Smith’s ceremony, and the one in Buford, Georgia for Eddrick Houston (more on him later), it looked like Ohio State’s class was officially locked in, with the paperwork in hand for everyone in the class that they were expecting... except it wasn’t. Hours passed and the Ohio State social media accounts had yet to officially announce Smith as is Buckeyes, so naturally, rumors began to swirl.
Whether it was his potential flip to Miami, or even Florida and Florida State, seemingly every narrative was out there while the Buckeyes awaited his LOI. Outlets such as 247Sports and analyst Andrew Ivins added zero insight to help calm down Buckeye fans. The recruiting analyst said that he was informed that “this could be a roller coaster down the stretch.”
This led Buckeye fans, who have been conditioned to expect the worst recently, to assume that the delay was because Smith was considering backing out of his commitment, despite reiterating it just a few hours before. However, just after 10 p.m. ET, @OhioStateFootball confirmed the everything was signed, sealed, and delivered, officially making the No. 1 player in the country a Buckeye.
Reports last night indicated that the delay was not so much about a potential flip, but rather than Smith and his family were making sure that before the Letter of Intent was submitted that they had all of the NIL details in place. While this might ruffle the feathers of college football traditionalists, given all of the stories that we have heard about NIL promises not being kept (especially at Miami), this is smart.
Now that he is officially in, you can’t overstate how much Smith means to this 2024 haul overall. Getting Smith locked in was not easy with folks from all over the CFB world in his ear, but the Buckeyes and their NIL resources came out on top late and gave every Ohio State coach, staffer, and fan a solid night’s rest. The Buckeyes officially have the top player in the nation in the fold, and we are all looking forward to welcoming him to Columbus as an early enrollee on Jan. 7. This one is finally over!
The signing that saved the class
In addition to the Smith signing, there was one other major member of the class that had Ohio State on the ropes up until the final hour. Five-star defensive end Eddrick Houston committed to the Buckeyes in August and was about as easy of a recruitment as it gets thereafter... until it wasn’t. This past weekend, the situation started to get uneasy for OSU and it appears to have been because of negative recruiting from other schools, trying to undermine Houston’s confidence as to who his position coach would be.
Alabama and Clemson were both able to get Houston on campus in the past week, putting his pledge to the Buckeyes in serious danger; something that has already happened in multiple ways for an elite defensive line commit in the 2024 class. Putting doubts in Eddrick’s mind of Larry Johnson’s status with the program and talking about the portal and how many guys were leaving due to poor culture, Alabama was throwing anything at the wall hoping it would stick and, down the stretch, the feeling that Houston would flip to the Crimson Tide was pretty strong.
Just before he signed, the Director of Recruiting for 247Sports flipped his crystal ball for the five-star talent from Ohio State to Alabama, but Bill Kurelic of Bucknuts.com kept his with the Buckeyes. Once again, during Day’s presser, he took a phone call and left the room, but came back looking thrilled with the news he must have been given. That news of course was that Houston was staying with his Ohio State commitment and giving the Buckeyes his signature in the coming moments.
In reality, Eddrick staying with the Buckeyes made the day. You can certainly imagine what it would look like if Houston had flipped to Alabama, leaving Ohio State with only one single defensive lineman in the class. A major win for Johnson, this goes to show that though his stock has decreased a bit over the years, LJ still can go and get some of the best talent the country can offer, and the reminder couldn’t have come at a better time.
Quick Hits:
One negative coming out of yesterday was the loss, four-star receiver Jeremiah McClellan flipped to Oregon. Committed to Ohio State since the summer, McClellan was betting on himself and wanted to go against the best in the country during his college career, which is why he originally selected the Buckeyes.
At the end of his recruitment though, it was Oregon that stayed in the mix and gave him reason to believe that he was just another guy for Ohio State, but was “the” guy for the Ducks. That sentiment swayed McClellan away from the Buckeyes and their 2024 class as early Wednesday morning, the staff was made aware that he was headed elsewhere.
Fortunately, Mylan Graham and Jeremiah Smith help soften the blow as those two WRs are higher-ranked players and will certainly help add major talent to an already loaded position group. The Buckeyes wanted McClellan in this class, make no mistake about it, but if there’s one area on this roster that can take a loss it’s at receiver.
Continue reading...
LGHL Ohio State Wrestling pulls off impressive trio of victories, including upset of No. 2 NC State
- News
- 0 Replies
Ohio State Wrestling pulls off impressive trio of victories, including upset of No. 2 NC State
Josh Dooley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Ohio State Wrestling - X/Twitter @wrestlingbucks
Competing at the 2023 Collegiate Wrestling Duals in Nashville, Tom Ryan’s guys enjoyed a busy and (very, very) successful Tuesday.
Ho, ho, ho! It was a merry ‘Wrestlemas’ (sorry, not sorry) for the Ohio State wrestling team on Tuesday, as Tom Ryan’s squad competed in not one, not two, but three duals as part of the 2023 Collegiate Wrestling Duals in Nashville, Tennessee.
And while competing in three consecutive duals certainly seems daunting, Ryan’s guys were more than up to the task. Facing a tough trio of No. 21 Northern Iowa, Lock Haven, and No. 2 North Carolina State, the 8th-ranked Buckeyes finished with a perfect 3-0 team record, highlighted by their upset of the previously red-hot Wolfpack.
In addition to handing NC State their first team loss of the season, several Buckeyes enjoyed individual success in Nashville. True freshman Rocco Welsh (174 pounds) and reserve heavyweight Hogan Swenski were among Scarlet and Gray grapplers who finished 2-0, while Jesse Mendez (141) dominated throughout the entire event, notching three victories.
Additionally, Brendan McCrone (125) and Nic Bouzakis (133) pulled off massive upsets – via pin (!) – of top-5 ranked opponents, presumably boosting their confidence and own ranking(s) in the process.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25176919/GBwY_E2WAAAOe0D.jpg)
Ohio State Wrestling - X/Twitter @wrestlingbucks
Unfortunately, the Collegiate Duals were not televised or available via any of the major streaming services. Fans were required to either attend in person or have nuclear launch codes in order to watch the action, which is a massive, massive bummer, considering 5 of the top 13-ranked teams in the country were competing. But OSU’s social media team is top-notch, so Buckeye Nation could at least track results in something resembling real-time.
Tuesday’s highlight – arguably of the entire Collegiate Duals event, not just for Ohio State and its fans – was the dual between the Buckeyes and the Wolfpack. NC State was heavily favored and would have been even against a fully loaded (healthy) version of OSU... Which was not available.
Carson Kharchla (174) did not make the trip to Nashville, and Gavin Hoffman (184) was limited to just one match against Lock Haven, while Nick Feldman (HWT) was likely a ‘game time’ decision. In the end, the latter did compete against NC State, dropping a close match in the final seconds.
But by then, the damage had already been done by Ohio State. Feldman just needed to avoid a loss by major decision, tech fall, or pin — which he did. And so the Buckeyes were able to hang on by the skin of their teeth against the Wolfpack, thanks to an incredible and almost unfathomable start to this dual.
In the dual’s first match, OSU’s McCrone faced NC State’s Jakob Camacho, who is/was ranked No. 1 at 125 heading into Tuesday. But before the latter could blink, McCrone had taken him down and locked him in a cradle. The shocking pin came just 37 seconds into the match, giving the Buckeyes a 6-0 lead.
Not to be outdone, Bouzakis nearly matched McCrone, pinning his top-5 NC State opponent in a mere 51 seconds. Two matches, two pins of top-5 nationally ranked members of the Wolfpack... With Mendez on deck.
Ohio State’s superstar needed a little more time than McCrone and/or Bouzakis, pinning fourth-ranked Ryan Jack (not Jack Ryan) of NC State in the third period of their highly anticipated match. Mendez’s pin and subsequent bonus points gave OSU an 18-0 lead, which turned out to be juuuust enough of a cushion.
After three pins in the first three matches, things got a bit dicey for the Buckeyes. The resilient Wolfpack won six of the seven remaining matches, nearly completing an epic comeback.
Welsh, competing in his first collegiate dual, was the only other Scarlet and Gray grappler to notch a victory, doing so against top-25 opponent Alex Faison. In reality, Welsh’s impressive dub turned out to be the ‘real’ difference for Ohio State.
There would have been no shame in losing to NC State, but coughing up an 18-0 lead? That would have been a tough pill to swallow.
But alas, Tuesday wound up being a rousing success for OSU. Not only did the Buckeyes knock off NC State, but their win over UNI was impressive as well.
While the Panthers might not boast the same depth as most top-10 programs, they still trotted out four nationally-ranked grapplers in Nashville, including top-ranked 184-pounder Parker Keckeisenz. However, Ohio State won 8 out of 10 matches on their way to a 26-7 team result.
The Buckeyes will now enjoy a short break before welcoming a top-10 Cornell squad to Covelli Center on Jan. 5. And fortunately, that one will be available on Big Ten Network at 8 p.m. ET.
Happy holidays and Go Bucks!
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
Ohio State Wrestling - X/Twitter @wrestlingbucks
Competing at the 2023 Collegiate Wrestling Duals in Nashville, Tom Ryan’s guys enjoyed a busy and (very, very) successful Tuesday.
Ho, ho, ho! It was a merry ‘Wrestlemas’ (sorry, not sorry) for the Ohio State wrestling team on Tuesday, as Tom Ryan’s squad competed in not one, not two, but three duals as part of the 2023 Collegiate Wrestling Duals in Nashville, Tennessee.
And while competing in three consecutive duals certainly seems daunting, Ryan’s guys were more than up to the task. Facing a tough trio of No. 21 Northern Iowa, Lock Haven, and No. 2 North Carolina State, the 8th-ranked Buckeyes finished with a perfect 3-0 team record, highlighted by their upset of the previously red-hot Wolfpack.
In addition to handing NC State their first team loss of the season, several Buckeyes enjoyed individual success in Nashville. True freshman Rocco Welsh (174 pounds) and reserve heavyweight Hogan Swenski were among Scarlet and Gray grapplers who finished 2-0, while Jesse Mendez (141) dominated throughout the entire event, notching three victories.
Additionally, Brendan McCrone (125) and Nic Bouzakis (133) pulled off massive upsets – via pin (!) – of top-5 ranked opponents, presumably boosting their confidence and own ranking(s) in the process.
Unfortunately, the Collegiate Duals were not televised or available via any of the major streaming services. Fans were required to either attend in person or have nuclear launch codes in order to watch the action, which is a massive, massive bummer, considering 5 of the top 13-ranked teams in the country were competing. But OSU’s social media team is top-notch, so Buckeye Nation could at least track results in something resembling real-time.
Tuesday’s highlight – arguably of the entire Collegiate Duals event, not just for Ohio State and its fans – was the dual between the Buckeyes and the Wolfpack. NC State was heavily favored and would have been even against a fully loaded (healthy) version of OSU... Which was not available.
Carson Kharchla (174) did not make the trip to Nashville, and Gavin Hoffman (184) was limited to just one match against Lock Haven, while Nick Feldman (HWT) was likely a ‘game time’ decision. In the end, the latter did compete against NC State, dropping a close match in the final seconds.
But by then, the damage had already been done by Ohio State. Feldman just needed to avoid a loss by major decision, tech fall, or pin — which he did. And so the Buckeyes were able to hang on by the skin of their teeth against the Wolfpack, thanks to an incredible and almost unfathomable start to this dual.
In the dual’s first match, OSU’s McCrone faced NC State’s Jakob Camacho, who is/was ranked No. 1 at 125 heading into Tuesday. But before the latter could blink, McCrone had taken him down and locked him in a cradle. The shocking pin came just 37 seconds into the match, giving the Buckeyes a 6-0 lead.
Not to be outdone, Bouzakis nearly matched McCrone, pinning his top-5 NC State opponent in a mere 51 seconds. Two matches, two pins of top-5 nationally ranked members of the Wolfpack... With Mendez on deck.
Ohio State’s superstar needed a little more time than McCrone and/or Bouzakis, pinning fourth-ranked Ryan Jack (not Jack Ryan) of NC State in the third period of their highly anticipated match. Mendez’s pin and subsequent bonus points gave OSU an 18-0 lead, which turned out to be juuuust enough of a cushion.
After three pins in the first three matches, things got a bit dicey for the Buckeyes. The resilient Wolfpack won six of the seven remaining matches, nearly completing an epic comeback.
Welsh, competing in his first collegiate dual, was the only other Scarlet and Gray grappler to notch a victory, doing so against top-25 opponent Alex Faison. In reality, Welsh’s impressive dub turned out to be the ‘real’ difference for Ohio State.
There would have been no shame in losing to NC State, but coughing up an 18-0 lead? That would have been a tough pill to swallow.
But alas, Tuesday wound up being a rousing success for OSU. Not only did the Buckeyes knock off NC State, but their win over UNI was impressive as well.
While the Panthers might not boast the same depth as most top-10 programs, they still trotted out four nationally-ranked grapplers in Nashville, including top-ranked 184-pounder Parker Keckeisenz. However, Ohio State won 8 out of 10 matches on their way to a 26-7 team result.
The Buckeyes will now enjoy a short break before welcoming a top-10 Cornell squad to Covelli Center on Jan. 5. And fortunately, that one will be available on Big Ten Network at 8 p.m. ET.
Happy holidays and Go Bucks!
Continue reading...
