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LGHL You’re Nuts: How far will Ohio State men’s basketball advance in the Big Ten tournament?

You’re Nuts: How far will Ohio State men’s basketball advance in the Big Ten tournament?
justingolba
via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch

Joseph Scheller/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

No Big Ten team that’s played on Wednesday of the Big Ten Tournament has ever won the whole thing, and neither of us expect that to change next week.

Three words — this is March.

Sadly, barring a historic and unprecedented run in the Big Ten Tournament next week, Ohio State will not be participating in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017. The Buckeyes (13-17, 5-14) are locked in to the 13-seed in next week’s conference tournament regardless of what happens this weekend in East Lansing. Their opponent — the 12-seed — is still to be determined.


Last week, Connor and Justin both picked one Big Ten player they wish they could add to this Ohio State team to make it better. Justin’s choice of Jalen Pickett earned 39% of the vote, Connor’s choice of Trayce Jackson-David got 33%, and “other” picked up the final 28% of the vote.

After 90 weeks:

Justin- 40

Connor- 36

Other- 10

(There have been four ties)


This week, we’re talking about the Big Ten Tournament. Since we don’t yet know who Ohio State’s first round opponent will be, this question is more about how the Buckeyes have been playing lately versus what we expected of them at the beginning of the season. No team seeded lower than 10 has ever made it to Saturday. Does that change this year?

Today’s question: How far will Ohio State go in the conference tournament?


Connor: Second round exit

Syndication: Journal-Courier
Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK

I very much like how Ohio State is playing right now, having won their last two games against NCAA Tournament-bound teams in fairly dominant fashion. But that doesn’t overlook the fact that they did still lose 14 of 15 games right before that, and that the personnel hasn’t changed. According to KenPom this is still a defense that isn’t even top-100 in the country, and this is still the unluckiest team in all of college basketball.

With a confidence level of about a six on a scale of 1-10, I say the Buckeyes win their first game Wednesday night. However, I think that may be their final victory of the season.

After Wisconsin’s loss to Purdue on Thursday night, the Badgers slid down to the No. 12 seed, having lost the tiebreaker to Nebraska. Penn State sits one game up with nine total losses. That means unless Nebraska beats Iowa and Wisconsin beats Minnesota on Sunday, Ohio State will play either the Huskers or the Badgers (if both win and Penn State loses to Maryland, we’ll have a three-way tie at 9-11 and things will get tricky).

I feel confident in Ohio State’s ability to beat Nebraska. Despite the record, I think the Buckeyes are the better team even after the 63-60 loss they took to the Huskers back on Jan. 18. This is Fred Hoiberg’s best Nebraska team thus far, but it’s still a team that struggles on offense, having scored just under 68 points per game this season.

They’re also still without one of their top scorers and rebounders in junior forward Juwan Gary. Simply put: this is an Ohio State team that was picked to finish fifth in the conference five months ago. They need to be able to beat Nebraska in the Big Ten Tournament.

That's a lot of air.  @OhioStateHoops x @Felixokpara24 pic.twitter.com/VEC6GE1kzj

— Ohio State on BTN (@OhioStateOnBTN) March 2, 2023

Wisconsin is a tougher case, as they have more than a few scoring options and beat the Buckeyes pretty easily back on Feb. 2 in Columbus. Chuckie Hepburn, Max Klesmit, Tyler Wahl, Steven Crowl, and Connor Essegian can all go off for double digits on any given night.

Meanwhile the Badgers also boast a top-25 defense that forced Ohio State into 16 turnovers during their last meeting and held them to 27 first-half points. Wisconsin has NCAA Tournament experience on that roster, and to me seem like a tougher test than Nebraska.

If and when Ohio State gets past Wisconsin or Nebraska, the road gets a bit tougher. There are currently six teams tied with an 11-8 record in the Big Ten in the two through seven spots, and Northwestern is currently No. 5. The Wildcats’ ability to knock down perimeter shots crushed Ohio State once this season.

I do not have faith that the Buckeyes’ suspect defense would clean it up to the level needed to win the second time around.

The other six teams tied at 11-8 — Indiana, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, and Iowa — have all beaten Ohio State at least once this season, too.

The Buckeyes have played much better basketball lately — there was a time when I’d pick literally anybody over them because this team simply did not know how to win. The fact that I’m willing to give them one win next week says something about how much better they’ve looked lately, but the results of this season on the whole make me think one win is all they’ll get.


Justin: Saturday

Syndication: Journal-Courier
Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK

Call it recency bias, call it optimism, call it stupidity. Whatever you want to call it, I am officially buying in.

One caveat here: we will really get a good glimpse into if the Buckeyes are getting hot at the right time on Saturday at Michigan State. Illinois and Maryland are good teams and they are solid wins to build on, but both were at home and Illinois and Maryland are not great teams on the road to put it lightly.

Michigan State has been playing well, and winning in East Lansing is one of the toughest things to do as the Spartans play pretty much for an NCAA Tournament berth.

However, the path to the weekend for the Buckeyes is not insane right now. The Buckeyes are locked into the 13 seed and will be playing in the first game of the conference tournament season on Wednesday.

Even though the Buckeyes are locked into the 13 seed, they are pretty much the only team in the Big Ten that is locked into their seeding outside of Minnesota at 14. So obviously the path to the weekend can change drastically for the Buckeyes bit we are going off the standings as of Thursday night.

More than likely, the Buckeyes will take on Nebraska in the 12-13 matchup. They would need Wisconsin to lose out and finish with a road game against Minnesota which the Badgers should win. Ohio State lost by three 63-60 at Nebraska the only time they played this season and pretty much everyone played poorly. And they still only lost by three on the road. I think they are a better team than Nebraska and will beat them on a neutral floor.

With a win on Wednesday, the Buckeyes would take on Northwestern, who they have already beat by 16 and should have beat them the second time around if Brooks Barnhizer did not have a huge break out game randomly. Plus, the Wildcats rely heavily on their guards and Ice Likekele and Bruce Thornton have been solid on defense recently.

If they win that, they would play Maryland on Friday as the four seed. They just beat Maryland pretty handedly and if it was not for a five-minute stretch in the first game, likely would have beat Maryland at Maryland. I like them to win this one as well.

Then on Saturday would be a date with Purdue and I think that is a loss to end the season.



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Traffic Offenses

Last Friday as I was driving home from a doctor's appointment I was pulled over for speeding, The officer claimed I was travelling at 61 mph in a 45 mph zone. Let me supply you with some details. The road i was travelling on is a state highway (4 lanes) in North Carolina and goes from 55 to 45. There is a sign that alerts the driver to the fact of the speed change. As the area is a known speed trap I take my foot off of the accelerator and coast as I go over the bridge (which is about .25 miles in length. As I enter the area where the speed changes I have a white Dodge Challenger to my left and they continue on and do not reduce speed. As I enter and crest the bridge another car (orange vehicle looked like a Vibe) passes me. I come down from the bridge and enter Oak Island and I see the police vehicle on my side of the road partially hidden by some bushes. I see him coming out in front of me (his car was facing away from me so his radar I assume was in the back window, I immediately tap my brakes and look down and I see I was going around 45 mph. At this point I am thinking he is going after one of the two cars ahead of me.
As I pass him and he enters the roadway imagine my surprise he gets behind me and pulls me over.

He comes up to my white Ford Flex and tells me he clocked me at 61. I simply tell him I have to disagree as there was no way I was going 61 mph as I "exited the bridge" as he put it. He states that he will not adjudicate this here and asks for my registration. As I have already given him my driver's license I comply. I figure he will run my record and find I haven't received any citation in many years (over 38 years actually) and will probably give me a warning. No, he comes back and he has written the citation for the full 16 mph over the speed limit and tells me my court date is in May. At his point since I have received the ticket I tell him he ticketed the wrong car as the other two I previously mentioned were the ones he wanted and there was no way that i was going 61. I told him that if he had clocked me at 50 that was possible as you come down from the bridge but no way it was over 60 mph. I then asked him when was the last time he calibrated the radar. He didn't answer the question only saying he wasn't going to adjudicated this here.

My question is: What recourse do I have at this point? It is basically my word vs. the officer's. This will put a serious mark and my insurance rates will definitely go up. I thought of pleading my case in front of the county judge or hire an attorney but I don't know any down here (I lived here on the island for only two years). I talked to my brother who is a member of the Columbus Police Department, He is a liaison for the police department with the FBI, Home Land, and the Treasury Department and before that a homicide detective and a street cop. I told him the story and his initial thoughts is the NC officer is a hard ass and I must have have "pissed him" off when I initially disagreed with him about the 61 mph. I sent him the ticket and since he doesn't know NC law it difficult for him to assess but states there a couple of things stated in the ticket that perhaps would give me an opening to have the ticket thrown out in Ohio, but perhaps not in NC.

Any advise would be welcome.....

LGHL Buckeyes offer a pair of prospects in the 2024 class as they continue to scour the nation for top talent

Buckeyes offer a pair of prospects in the 2024 class as they continue to scour the nation for top talent
Caleb Houser
via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch

Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

The latest two offers in the 2024 class came Thursday for Ohio State

New Jersey native receives Ohio State offer​


Since the arrival of Jim Knowles in Columbus, Ohio State’s defense has really transitioned into a safety driven unit. Using as many as three safeties at once in Knowles’ scheme, the Buckeyes know how critical that position is to the overall success of the defense, and recruiting efforts have arguably never been higher when it comes to that spot specifically.

Not every safety is a set body type or skillset, but needing to land multiple guys to play those roles every recruiting cycle, this staff has their work cut out for them, and the evaluation period clearly gets drawn out a bit more. Further proving that to be true, Ohio State offered the latest safety prospect on their list when they dished out the good news to New Jersey native, Jaylen McClain.

Taking to social media to share the latest, McClain now holds over 30 offers to his name. A 6-foot, 185 pound safety, McClain has programs such as Georgia, Notre Dame, LSU, Michigan, Oregon, USC, Texas A&M, and a host of others all after his services. The Buckeyes in 2023 found a New Jersey safety to commit, and are back looking for more in 2024.

The No. 258 player nationally, McClain is also the 23rd best safety in the country per the 247Sports Composite. Looking at his profile too, there’s not a single crystal ball prediction yet, nor is there a school considered better than “cold” on his interest meter. Pointing towards this recruitment being pretty wide open, the Buckeyes may be a little late to the game, but Perry Eliano’s track record of development may aid that a bit as the two begin to build more of a relationship.

Multiple safeties in the class have been offered, but here’s the next name worth watching moving forward.

Ohio State dishes out offer to 2024 athlete​


Keeping busy with recruiting efforts, the staff also made their presence known down south on Thursday by offering another Florida native in Cai Bates. A 6-foot-2, 170 pound prospect, Bates is listed as an athlete on his 247Sports profile as he plays on both sides of the ball for his prep team.

Lining up both at receiver and defensive back, Bates excelled in his junior year and looks to be a player that could realistically be a strong option for either offense or defense. Specifically, Bates checks in as the No. 620 player nationally, and the 78th best player at his position according to 247Sports’ Composite.

A three-star prospect, the rankings may not jump off the page, but Ohio State’s staff sees what several more do and that’s athleticism that can’t be taught. Never mind the ranking, programs such as Alabama, Florida State, Miami, South Carolina, and several others have already offered Bates, and Alabama being on that list should tell you everything you need to know when it comes to the caliber of player he checks out to be.

With a senior season still to be played, it will be interesting to see what side of the ball he ends up playing at the next level, but Ohio State is hoping before any decision is made they too can get in the mix. Florida continues to be a state where the Buckeyes are the most active, and especially in this 2024 class as Florida has the highest total of players offered compared to any other state for the Buckeyes.

Another name to watch, it’d be a pretty safe bet to assume the staff isn’t done yet either when it comes to evaluating players in the Sunshine State for the 2024 class.

Extremely blessed to receive an offer from The Ohio State University #GoBucks @EdgewaterFB @ChadSimmons_ @Andrew_Ivins @RWrightRivals @OhioStateFB @CoachTimWalton @N_Murph pic.twitter.com/qGatGVmkxL

— Cai Bates (@bates_cai) March 2, 2023

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LGHL Why is this News? All the articles and tweets Buckeye fans need for March 2, 2023

Why is this News? All the articles and tweets Buckeye fans need for March 2, 2023
Matt Tamanini
via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch

Joseph Scheller/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

All the Buckeye news thats fit to re-print.

Look, we get it. Your days are busy and you don’t have time to read all of the stories and tweets from the three dozen websites dedicated to covering Ohio State athletics, or the 237 Buckeye beat writers churning out hot takes and #content on a daily basis. But that’s ok, that’s what your friends at Land-Grant Holy Land are here for.

Monday through Friday, we’ll be collecting all of the articles, tweets, features, interviews, videos, podcasts, memes, photos, and whatever else we stumble across on the interwebz and putting them in our daily “Why is this News?” article. That way, you’ll have a one-stop shop for all of the most important Buckeye news, jokes, and analysis.

You’re welcome!


For your Earholes...


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On the Gridiron


OSU’s Harrison on pro future: ‘I feel you’re going to get a playmaker’
Steve Helwagen, Bucknuts

Before NFL combine, where are Ohio State players in 2023 mock drafts?
Colin Gay, The Columbus Dispatch

Key Takeaways as Zach Harrison reflects on career, next wave of Buckeyes (paywall)
Austin Ward, Dotting the Eyes

NFL Combine Primer: Eight Buckeyes auditioning for pro scouts in Indianapolis
Steve Helwagen, Bucknuts

You’re Nuts: What random event would you like to see added to the NFL Combine?
Matt Tamanini and Jami Jurich, Land-Grant Holy Land

Ohio State football’s Marvin Harrison Jr. snags most obvious endorsement deal imaginable
Nathan Baird, cleveland.com

Ohio State’s 2023 defense strong up the middle with LBs Tommy Eichenberg, Steele Chambers (paywall)
Cameron Teague Robinson, The Athletic

Zach Harrison believes Buckeyes returning defensive ends ‘are going to be real dominant’ (paywall)
Andy Backstrom, Lettermen Row


On the Hardwood


Ohio State sends seniors off with a decisive win over No. 21 Maryland, 73-62
Connor Lemons, Land-Grant Holy Land

Balanced attack leads Buckeyes past Maryland on senior night
Adam Jardy, The Columbus Dispatch

Watch Ohio State honor seniors for final game
Adam Jardy, The Columbus Dispatch

Rebounding, breaking ankles and embracing the grind: Meet the Ohio State women’s basketball managers
Thomas Costello, Land-Grant Holy Land

Amid a dark season, the future looks bright for Bruce Thornton (paywall)
Bill Landis, Dotting the Eyes

Ohio State’s Justice Sueing, dad share ups and downs of career (paywall)
Adam Jardy, The Columbus Dispatch


Outside the Shoe and Schott


Women’s Ice Hockey: Ohio State, Minnesota Duluth Set For Final Faceoff Semifinals
Ohio State Athletics

Women’s Golf: McGinty Named Big Ten Co-Golfer of the Week
Ohio State Athletics


And now for something completely different...


I love Joey Votto:

Joey Votto at 11am on a Monday: pic.twitter.com/HfB1KMpXAM

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) February 27, 2023

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