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LGHL Visiting Locker Room: Catching up on Iowa women’s basketball before Monday’s clash
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Visiting Locker Room: Catching up on Iowa women’s basketball before Monday’s clash
1ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK
Getting the rundown on the Iowa Hawkeyes from Black Heart Gold Pants
It doesn’t get much bigger in the Big Ten conference than the No. 2 Ohio State women’s basketball versus the No. 10 Iowa Hawkeyes. On Monday, the two teams clash for their lone matchup in the 2022-23 regular season.
Each team entered as one of the favorites to compete for the Big Ten conference trophy this season, with the Hawkeyes leading that list preseason. Now, the Hawkeyes sit a game back from the Buckeyes in the standings with just over a month to go in the regular season.
To learn more about Monday's opponent, Land-Grant Holy Land welcomes back Bartt Pierce from Black Heart Gold Pants to talk about this season, any secrets to stopping guard Caitlin Clark and more.
Land-Grant Holy Land: Not trying to make you mad Bartt, but I want to talk about the Caitlin Clark elbow at the end of regulation against the Michigan State Spartans on Thursday. I agree that the Spartan’s reaction was a bit of gamesmanship to earn the free throws, but the Spartans did agitate the guard all game, leading to 20 points scored in regulation for Clark. Which is a great game for most but underwhelming for Clark. Is that the only way to slow her down or stop her?
LGHL: The Hawkeyes are full of veteran leaders, but once it goes to the bench its hit or miss. How has that improved this year for the Hawkeyes and are there any other weaknesses with this side?
LGHL: It’s likely that the Hawkeyes go up against a Buckeyes team who’s going to put their full court press in high gear. Is this something Iowa has broken through yet this year, and how do you see them handling it?
LGHL: Last year, these two teams scored 180 combined points. With both sides improving on defense, do you see a 40-minute track meet between the two for who scores the most points?
Continue reading...
1ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK
Getting the rundown on the Iowa Hawkeyes from Black Heart Gold Pants
It doesn’t get much bigger in the Big Ten conference than the No. 2 Ohio State women’s basketball versus the No. 10 Iowa Hawkeyes. On Monday, the two teams clash for their lone matchup in the 2022-23 regular season.
Each team entered as one of the favorites to compete for the Big Ten conference trophy this season, with the Hawkeyes leading that list preseason. Now, the Hawkeyes sit a game back from the Buckeyes in the standings with just over a month to go in the regular season.
To learn more about Monday's opponent, Land-Grant Holy Land welcomes back Bartt Pierce from Black Heart Gold Pants to talk about this season, any secrets to stopping guard Caitlin Clark and more.
Land-Grant Holy Land: Not trying to make you mad Bartt, but I want to talk about the Caitlin Clark elbow at the end of regulation against the Michigan State Spartans on Thursday. I agree that the Spartan’s reaction was a bit of gamesmanship to earn the free throws, but the Spartans did agitate the guard all game, leading to 20 points scored in regulation for Clark. Which is a great game for most but underwhelming for Clark. Is that the only way to slow her down or stop her?
LGHL: The Hawkeyes are full of veteran leaders, but once it goes to the bench its hit or miss. How has that improved this year for the Hawkeyes and are there any other weaknesses with this side?
LGHL: It’s likely that the Hawkeyes go up against a Buckeyes team who’s going to put their full court press in high gear. Is this something Iowa has broken through yet this year, and how do you see them handling it?
LGHL: Last year, these two teams scored 180 combined points. With both sides improving on defense, do you see a 40-minute track meet between the two for who scores the most points?
Continue reading...
LGHL Everything you need to know about 2023 Ohio State tennis
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Everything you need to know about 2023 Ohio State tennis
meganhusslein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports
There’s a Buckeye in Week 2 of the Austrailian Open!
The 2023 Ohio State tennis season is officially underway. Both the men and women had great seasons last year, and are looking to get even better in 2023. Here’s your guide to a preview for both teams, and a story to keep your eye on about a former Buckeye currently killing it at the Austrailian Open!
First off, with some of the most exciting news — J.J. Wolf is currently making his best run at a Grand Slam tournament of his career. He was a member of the Ohio State tennis team from 2017-2019, before turning pro after his junior season. Originally from Cincinnati, he earned the No. 1 college ranking in his junior year and amassed a 45-3 record in that same season.
On his way to his first Grand Slam round of 16 appearance, Wolf upset No. 23 Diego Schwartzman in the second round in straight sets. His next match will be against fellow American, 20-year-old Ben Shelton. If he continues to win, he could potentially face Novak Djokovic in the semifinals. Either way, it’s an incredible run for the 24-year-old.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24376109/usa_today_19804109.jpg "Tennis: Australian Open")
Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports
As for current Buckeyes, the men’s team has started their season undefeated at 4-0, but who is really surprised? They finished No. 2 overall in the nation and were the regular season Big Ten champs last year. The duo of Matej Vocel and Robert Cash also were the runner-ups at the NCAA Doubles Championship.
The Buckeyes as a team ended their season at the national semifinals, and finished another tremendous season at 28-4 overall. They also boasted three All-Americans.
So, looking ahead at the 2023 season, the Buckeyes are once again ranked No. 2 in the nation. Junior JJ Tracy is the star of the show, as he is currently ranked No. 5 in the singles rankings. In doubles, Tracy and Andrew Lutschaunig are ranked No. 2 in the country. The duo won the ITA Fall National Doubles title, becoming the second consecutive Buckeyes team to win the crown.
The women are just as competitive as the men. They finished No. 10 in the nation last year, also winning the regular season conference title. Junior Irina Cantos Siemers received the Big Ten’s automatic qualifier spot in singles and she and freshman Sydni Ratliff earned the conference’s automatic spot in doubles. Senior Isabelle Boulais was an at-large selection to the singles draw.
Cantos Siemers led the Buckeyes with a 33-9 overall record last season before falling in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, as did Ratliff and Boulais. Canto Siemers did however earn Second Team All-American honors, and Ratliff was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year and ITA Rookie of the Year for the Midwest Region.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24376110/usa_today_18222820.jpg "Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch")
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
All three of these women are back this year after having solid fall seasons, especially Ratliff, who made it to the Round of 16 at the ITA Fall Nationals. There are three Buckeyes in the ITA singles rankings – No. 15 Ratliff, No. 30 Cantos Siemers and No. 116 Kolie Allen. Cantos and Ratliff are the No. 31-ranked doubles tandem.
The Buckeyes are ranked No. 17 to start the spring season, and already one week in, sophomore Shelly Bereznyak has been named Big Ten Athlete of the Week after picking up five wins at the first invitational of the season. Ohio State has a tough schedule this year and will serve as an ITA Kickoff Weekend site, welcoming Old Dominion, Wake Forest and No. 24 Tennessee next weekend (Jan. 27-28).
If you live in Columbus, I highly recommend going to the Ty Tucker Tennis Center and watching the men and women play. It is an absolutely amazing facility, the teams are so fun to watch and everything is free. If you don’t live in the capital, however, you can also tune into the livestreams, available through ohiostatebuckeyes.com. Maybe LGHL will turn into a tennis site, in addition to women’s basketball?
Continue reading...
meganhusslein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports
There’s a Buckeye in Week 2 of the Austrailian Open!
The 2023 Ohio State tennis season is officially underway. Both the men and women had great seasons last year, and are looking to get even better in 2023. Here’s your guide to a preview for both teams, and a story to keep your eye on about a former Buckeye currently killing it at the Austrailian Open!
First off, with some of the most exciting news — J.J. Wolf is currently making his best run at a Grand Slam tournament of his career. He was a member of the Ohio State tennis team from 2017-2019, before turning pro after his junior season. Originally from Cincinnati, he earned the No. 1 college ranking in his junior year and amassed a 45-3 record in that same season.
On his way to his first Grand Slam round of 16 appearance, Wolf upset No. 23 Diego Schwartzman in the second round in straight sets. His next match will be against fellow American, 20-year-old Ben Shelton. If he continues to win, he could potentially face Novak Djokovic in the semifinals. Either way, it’s an incredible run for the 24-year-old.
As for current Buckeyes, the men’s team has started their season undefeated at 4-0, but who is really surprised? They finished No. 2 overall in the nation and were the regular season Big Ten champs last year. The duo of Matej Vocel and Robert Cash also were the runner-ups at the NCAA Doubles Championship.
The Buckeyes as a team ended their season at the national semifinals, and finished another tremendous season at 28-4 overall. They also boasted three All-Americans.
So, looking ahead at the 2023 season, the Buckeyes are once again ranked No. 2 in the nation. Junior JJ Tracy is the star of the show, as he is currently ranked No. 5 in the singles rankings. In doubles, Tracy and Andrew Lutschaunig are ranked No. 2 in the country. The duo won the ITA Fall National Doubles title, becoming the second consecutive Buckeyes team to win the crown.
The women are just as competitive as the men. They finished No. 10 in the nation last year, also winning the regular season conference title. Junior Irina Cantos Siemers received the Big Ten’s automatic qualifier spot in singles and she and freshman Sydni Ratliff earned the conference’s automatic spot in doubles. Senior Isabelle Boulais was an at-large selection to the singles draw.
Cantos Siemers led the Buckeyes with a 33-9 overall record last season before falling in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, as did Ratliff and Boulais. Canto Siemers did however earn Second Team All-American honors, and Ratliff was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year and ITA Rookie of the Year for the Midwest Region.
All three of these women are back this year after having solid fall seasons, especially Ratliff, who made it to the Round of 16 at the ITA Fall Nationals. There are three Buckeyes in the ITA singles rankings – No. 15 Ratliff, No. 30 Cantos Siemers and No. 116 Kolie Allen. Cantos and Ratliff are the No. 31-ranked doubles tandem.
The Buckeyes are ranked No. 17 to start the spring season, and already one week in, sophomore Shelly Bereznyak has been named Big Ten Athlete of the Week after picking up five wins at the first invitational of the season. Ohio State has a tough schedule this year and will serve as an ITA Kickoff Weekend site, welcoming Old Dominion, Wake Forest and No. 24 Tennessee next weekend (Jan. 27-28).
If you live in Columbus, I highly recommend going to the Ty Tucker Tennis Center and watching the men and women play. It is an absolutely amazing facility, the teams are so fun to watch and everything is free. If you don’t live in the capital, however, you can also tune into the livestreams, available through ohiostatebuckeyes.com. Maybe LGHL will turn into a tennis site, in addition to women’s basketball?
Continue reading...
LGHL Rejoice! The Ohio State men finally win a basketball game, toppling Iowa 93-77
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Rejoice! The Ohio State men finally win a basketball game, toppling Iowa 93-77
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
Our long national nightmare is finally over! Maybe!
Heading into Saturday’s game against Iowa riding a five-game losing streak, things were going about as poorly as they could possibly be going for Chris Holtmann’s team. To make things worse, senior guard Sean McNeil (9.9 PPG entering today’s game), was pulled from the starting lineup due to a “dental emergency” — he had emergency dental work done this week and did not practice for the last two days.
But hey, after losing five in a row, people pretty much expect you to lose — so the pressure is off, right?
Maybe no longer having the pressure of winning a Big Ten championship was the ticket, or maybe the Buckeyes are simply progressing closer to where we expected them to be a few weeks ago. Regardless, Ohio State was able pull out a rather impressive win over a hot and talented Iowa team at home, 93-77.
With McNeil coming off the bench, Ohio State went with three freshmen in their starting lineup — Bruce Thornton, Roddy Gayle, and Brice Sensabaugh. Chris Holtmann also started Zed Key and super-senior Isaac Likekele to round out the starting five — which means Justice Sueing also moved to the bench.
The Fighting Frans started a five of Ahron Ulis, Tony Perkins, Connor McCaffery, Filip Rebraca, and Kris Murray.
The two teams began the afternoon with some sloppy play, combining for six turnovers over the first two minutes. Two of the turnovers came from Sensabaugh, but the star freshman also scored the Buckeyes’ first five points of the game. At the first media timeout roughly four minutes in, Iowa clung to an early 8-5 lead. Murray had a quick five points as well.
However, Ohio State turned up the defense over the next several minutes, forcing the Hawkeyes into some uncomfortable spots as well as blocking three shots — courtesy of Felix Okpara. By the under-eight timeout, the Buckeyes had turned an early deficit into a six-point lead, 28-22 It was especially noteworthy because most of Ohio State’s damage was done by Likekele and McNeil, while their leading scorer — Sensabaugh — was on the bench.
Ohio State held it together well enough to take a 37-35 lead into the halftime break, and Sensabaugh led them in the first half with a clean dozen points — but also four turnovers. Murray had nine points and five rebounds in the first half for Iowa, but the Buckeyes were doing a decent job early in this game to wall him off and prevent Murray from taking many high-percentage looks.
The Buckeyes, powered by an unlikely hero in Likekele, went on a 9-0 run early in the second half to open up a 49-39 lead by the first media timeout, four minutes into the second half. Likekele had four more points right away, setting a season-high with over 16 minutes to go in the game. Sensabaugh also had a quick six points to add to the day’s total.
Ohio State continued to get out in transition and push the Hawkeyes, but despite this, Iowa refused to go away. Even with Likekele having by far his best game as a Buckeye, the Hawkeyes silenced every Ohio State run with a bucket — usually it was Murray. By the under-eight media timeout Ohio State still held a 71-61 lead.
But credit to the Buckeyes, as they withstood every Hawkeyes run and made enough defensive stops to build a lead large enough to hang on and win the game. Gayle and Likekele, who were inserted into the lineup just today, turned out to be the big difference makers.
If you didn’t watch Ohio State’s bounce-back win today at the Schott, here are a few of the key moments that led to the Buckeyes getting back in the win column for the first time in 20 days:
The Hawkeyes have been pretty good at limiting turnovers this season, averaging just 10 giveaways per game. But this afternoon the two teams each turned the ball over on both of their first two possessions. The start of the game went something like this:
Sensabaugh finally scored a long jumper 1:54 into the game to open the scoring, but the two teams were incredibly sloppy in the opening minutes. Ohio State finished with 11 turnovers, and Iowa had 14.
Likekele entered today’s game as a 25.7% three-point shooter, and had not hit one yet as a Buckeye. With Ohio State trailing 13-10 early in the first half, Likekele had a pass contested by Iowa, but he was able to run down the loose ball in the far right corner. Nobody chased him there, and Likekele took the risk and drained the triple from the corner to tie things up, 13-13 with 12:19 left in the first half.
Having just taken their first lead in quite some time moments ago, Tanner Holden stole the ball from Iowa’s Josh Dix and found McNeil in transition for an easy three to give Ohio State a 20-15 lead. On the next Ohio State possession, Riley Mulvey blocked Sueing’s layup, but he then collected the miss and kicked it back to McNeil up top, who buried another three to make it 23-15 Buckeyes with 10:25 left in the first half.
McNeil finished with 10 points on 4-5 shooting over 24 minutes, including going 2-2 from three-point land.
The Hawkeyes trailed 33-26 with just over six minutes remaining in the half, and the Buckeyes were starting to see some shots go down. However, the fighting Frans went on a 9-4 run to end the half, making it a one-possession game at the break. Peyton Sandford had a big three, and Rebraca was able to work Okpara for two late fouls below the basket — knocking down all four free throws.
Rebraca finished with 15 points and three rebounds over 31 minutes. He also had four turnovers.
Likekele has not been a featured part of the offense this season, and for good reason. Before today’s game, he was averaging three points per game and shooting just 35% overall. Howevever, Likekele did a god job getting downhill in transition against the Hawkeyes over and over, and it resulted in him setting his season-high in points early in the second half. His layup 3:14 into the second half were his 10th and 11th points of the day, and also gave his team a 46-39 lead.
Likekele finished with a season-high 18 points, and also added team-highs in rebounds and assists with 10 and seven, respectively.
Much like Likekele, Gayle hadn’t had a solid offensive showing since the St. Francis game nearly two months ago. However, he was efficient this afternoon and gave Ohio State a boost, scoring nine points off the bench. After Ohio State’s lead had shrunk back to single-digits with just over 12 minutes to go, Gayle dropped in a finger-roll layup over the head of Sandfort to give Ohio State a 60-50 lead. Gayle turned around and let Sandfort hear it, too, as the freshman guard from New York was getting into an offensive rhythm for the first time in quite some time.
Many people forget that Gayle won the “Buckeyes on the Blacktop” dunk contest in the preseason, jamming down violent dunk after violent dunk in the shadow of Ohio Stadium in front of hundreds of students.
He harkened back to the dunk contest with 7:58 remaining in the game, slamming down a thunderous double-clutch dunk after sprinting the baseline to give the Buckeyes a 71-61. It was the dunk of the year (for this team) without question, and it answered Ulis’ pair of free throws from just a moment earlier.
Gayle finished with nine points on 4-7 shooting over 17 minutes.
Ohio State (11-8, 3-5) only has two days off before their next game, which is a road game at Illinois (13-6, 4-4) Tuesday night. The two teams have yet to play this season, but the Fighting Illini are fresh off an 80-65 beating at the hands of Indiana late last week. Brad Underwood’s squad will almost certainly be focused and angry after being embarrassed at home their last time out.
KemPom currently has Illinois pegged as the No. 27 team in the nation, and the No. 29 overall defense.
Ohio State’s road matchup with Illinois will tip off at 7:00 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ESPN — Ohio State’s seventh ESPN game of the season.
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
Our long national nightmare is finally over! Maybe!
Heading into Saturday’s game against Iowa riding a five-game losing streak, things were going about as poorly as they could possibly be going for Chris Holtmann’s team. To make things worse, senior guard Sean McNeil (9.9 PPG entering today’s game), was pulled from the starting lineup due to a “dental emergency” — he had emergency dental work done this week and did not practice for the last two days.
But hey, after losing five in a row, people pretty much expect you to lose — so the pressure is off, right?
Maybe no longer having the pressure of winning a Big Ten championship was the ticket, or maybe the Buckeyes are simply progressing closer to where we expected them to be a few weeks ago. Regardless, Ohio State was able pull out a rather impressive win over a hot and talented Iowa team at home, 93-77.
With McNeil coming off the bench, Ohio State went with three freshmen in their starting lineup — Bruce Thornton, Roddy Gayle, and Brice Sensabaugh. Chris Holtmann also started Zed Key and super-senior Isaac Likekele to round out the starting five — which means Justice Sueing also moved to the bench.
The Fighting Frans started a five of Ahron Ulis, Tony Perkins, Connor McCaffery, Filip Rebraca, and Kris Murray.
The two teams began the afternoon with some sloppy play, combining for six turnovers over the first two minutes. Two of the turnovers came from Sensabaugh, but the star freshman also scored the Buckeyes’ first five points of the game. At the first media timeout roughly four minutes in, Iowa clung to an early 8-5 lead. Murray had a quick five points as well.
However, Ohio State turned up the defense over the next several minutes, forcing the Hawkeyes into some uncomfortable spots as well as blocking three shots — courtesy of Felix Okpara. By the under-eight timeout, the Buckeyes had turned an early deficit into a six-point lead, 28-22 It was especially noteworthy because most of Ohio State’s damage was done by Likekele and McNeil, while their leading scorer — Sensabaugh — was on the bench.
Ohio State held it together well enough to take a 37-35 lead into the halftime break, and Sensabaugh led them in the first half with a clean dozen points — but also four turnovers. Murray had nine points and five rebounds in the first half for Iowa, but the Buckeyes were doing a decent job early in this game to wall him off and prevent Murray from taking many high-percentage looks.
The Buckeyes, powered by an unlikely hero in Likekele, went on a 9-0 run early in the second half to open up a 49-39 lead by the first media timeout, four minutes into the second half. Likekele had four more points right away, setting a season-high with over 16 minutes to go in the game. Sensabaugh also had a quick six points to add to the day’s total.
Stealbucket @ohiostatehoops is getting it done on both ends of the court pic.twitter.com/sNk9gAkm2Z
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) January 21, 2023
Ohio State continued to get out in transition and push the Hawkeyes, but despite this, Iowa refused to go away. Even with Likekele having by far his best game as a Buckeye, the Hawkeyes silenced every Ohio State run with a bucket — usually it was Murray. By the under-eight media timeout Ohio State still held a 71-61 lead.
But credit to the Buckeyes, as they withstood every Hawkeyes run and made enough defensive stops to build a lead large enough to hang on and win the game. Gayle and Likekele, who were inserted into the lineup just today, turned out to be the big difference makers.
If you didn’t watch Ohio State’s bounce-back win today at the Schott, here are a few of the key moments that led to the Buckeyes getting back in the win column for the first time in 20 days:
Sloppy start
The Hawkeyes have been pretty good at limiting turnovers this season, averaging just 10 giveaways per game. But this afternoon the two teams each turned the ball over on both of their first two possessions. The start of the game went something like this:
- Bad pass turnover by Thornton, stolen by Perkins
- Uhlis turnover, stolen by Sensabaugh
- Out of control dribble turnover by Sensabaugh
- Murray travel below the basket
Sensabaugh finally scored a long jumper 1:54 into the game to open the scoring, but the two teams were incredibly sloppy in the opening minutes. Ohio State finished with 11 turnovers, and Iowa had 14.
If you take it, you better make it
Likekele entered today’s game as a 25.7% three-point shooter, and had not hit one yet as a Buckeye. With Ohio State trailing 13-10 early in the first half, Likekele had a pass contested by Iowa, but he was able to run down the loose ball in the far right corner. Nobody chased him there, and Likekele took the risk and drained the triple from the corner to tie things up, 13-13 with 12:19 left in the first half.
McNeil’s back-to-back threes
Having just taken their first lead in quite some time moments ago, Tanner Holden stole the ball from Iowa’s Josh Dix and found McNeil in transition for an easy three to give Ohio State a 20-15 lead. On the next Ohio State possession, Riley Mulvey blocked Sueing’s layup, but he then collected the miss and kicked it back to McNeil up top, who buried another three to make it 23-15 Buckeyes with 10:25 left in the first half.
McNeil finished with 10 points on 4-5 shooting over 24 minutes, including going 2-2 from three-point land.
Iowa ends the half on a modest 9-4 run to keep things tight
The Hawkeyes trailed 33-26 with just over six minutes remaining in the half, and the Buckeyes were starting to see some shots go down. However, the fighting Frans went on a 9-4 run to end the half, making it a one-possession game at the break. Peyton Sandford had a big three, and Rebraca was able to work Okpara for two late fouls below the basket — knocking down all four free throws.
Rebraca finished with 15 points and three rebounds over 31 minutes. He also had four turnovers.
Likekele sets his season high in scoring... in 24 minutes
Likekele has not been a featured part of the offense this season, and for good reason. Before today’s game, he was averaging three points per game and shooting just 35% overall. Howevever, Likekele did a god job getting downhill in transition against the Hawkeyes over and over, and it resulted in him setting his season-high in points early in the second half. His layup 3:14 into the second half were his 10th and 11th points of the day, and also gave his team a 46-39 lead.
Likekele finished with a season-high 18 points, and also added team-highs in rebounds and assists with 10 and seven, respectively.
Gayle making an impact, too
Much like Likekele, Gayle hadn’t had a solid offensive showing since the St. Francis game nearly two months ago. However, he was efficient this afternoon and gave Ohio State a boost, scoring nine points off the bench. After Ohio State’s lead had shrunk back to single-digits with just over 12 minutes to go, Gayle dropped in a finger-roll layup over the head of Sandfort to give Ohio State a 60-50 lead. Gayle turned around and let Sandfort hear it, too, as the freshman guard from New York was getting into an offensive rhythm for the first time in quite some time.
Roddy Gayle, dunk contest champion
Many people forget that Gayle won the “Buckeyes on the Blacktop” dunk contest in the preseason, jamming down violent dunk after violent dunk in the shadow of Ohio Stadium in front of hundreds of students.
He harkened back to the dunk contest with 7:58 remaining in the game, slamming down a thunderous double-clutch dunk after sprinting the baseline to give the Buckeyes a 71-61. It was the dunk of the year (for this team) without question, and it answered Ulis’ pair of free throws from just a moment earlier.
Gayle finished with nine points on 4-7 shooting over 17 minutes.
Up Next:
Ohio State (11-8, 3-5) only has two days off before their next game, which is a road game at Illinois (13-6, 4-4) Tuesday night. The two teams have yet to play this season, but the Fighting Illini are fresh off an 80-65 beating at the hands of Indiana late last week. Brad Underwood’s squad will almost certainly be focused and angry after being embarrassed at home their last time out.
KemPom currently has Illinois pegged as the No. 27 team in the nation, and the No. 29 overall defense.
Ohio State’s road matchup with Illinois will tip off at 7:00 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ESPN — Ohio State’s seventh ESPN game of the season.
Continue reading...
