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LGHL Ohio State softball hosted Ohio Charity Classic to support cancer research; won all three games
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Ohio State softball hosted Ohio Charity Classic to support cancer research; won all three games
Megan.Husslein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
@OhioStateSB Twitter
A great weekend of victory for a great cause!
This past weekend was a sneak peek at the new-look Buckeye softball team in the 22nd annual Ohio Collegiate Charity Classic. The Ohio Collegiate Charity Classic has raised over $250,000, making it one of the largest fundraisers for Breast Cancer Awareness Month in Central Ohio. There were 10 games played between 10 different schools, and Ohio State won all three games it played in.
The Buckeyes return five starters and all five pitchers from last year’s squad, including two All-Big Ten performers in Sam Hackenbracht and Kami Kortokrax.
Their first game of the weekend came against Division II Tiffin; sophomore pitcher Lexi Paulsen got the start and ended up throwing a complete game, two-hit shutout. Hackenbracht hit a two-run home run and freshman infielder Lottie Landmesser and sophomore Skylar Limon each had an RBI hit in the 5-0 Buckeye victory.
Sunday, the Buckeyes played two with their first being against Akron. Once again, Landmesser and Limon got the bats going as they each had an RBI double to take a 2-0 lead in the second.
Another freshman who contributed to the offense was Jasmyn Burns, as she hit a solo home run to tack on another run in the fourth. That was all the runs that Ohio State needed, as senior pitcher Allison Smith pitched a complete game and struck out eight while allowing just three hits and one walk.
Ohio State’s final game of the weekend came against Bowling Green and it was a mercy-rule victory. In the first inning alone, the Bucks scored eight runs on four hits and two home runs, courtesy of Melina Wilkison and McKenzie Bump.
Senior Emily Ruck went four innings in the circle versus BGSU and sophomore Kennedy Kay worked the final inning of a 14-1 victory.
Overall, it was a great performance this weekend from the Buckeyes. As a team, Ohio State hit .347 with 11 extra-base hits; seven different players recorded two or more hits on the weekend.
As for the pitching, only one run was surrendered all weekend. Both of the senior pitchers notched wins, along with Paulsen, who is looking to be the third starter in the rotation.
The Buckeyes will play one more game this fall on Wednesday at 6 p.m. ET at Buckeye Field against Ohio Dominican.
Continue reading...
Megan.Husslein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
@OhioStateSB Twitter
A great weekend of victory for a great cause!
This past weekend was a sneak peek at the new-look Buckeye softball team in the 22nd annual Ohio Collegiate Charity Classic. The Ohio Collegiate Charity Classic has raised over $250,000, making it one of the largest fundraisers for Breast Cancer Awareness Month in Central Ohio. There were 10 games played between 10 different schools, and Ohio State won all three games it played in.
The Buckeyes return five starters and all five pitchers from last year’s squad, including two All-Big Ten performers in Sam Hackenbracht and Kami Kortokrax.
Their first game of the weekend came against Division II Tiffin; sophomore pitcher Lexi Paulsen got the start and ended up throwing a complete game, two-hit shutout. Hackenbracht hit a two-run home run and freshman infielder Lottie Landmesser and sophomore Skylar Limon each had an RBI hit in the 5-0 Buckeye victory.
Sunday, the Buckeyes played two with their first being against Akron. Once again, Landmesser and Limon got the bats going as they each had an RBI double to take a 2-0 lead in the second.
Another freshman who contributed to the offense was Jasmyn Burns, as she hit a solo home run to tack on another run in the fourth. That was all the runs that Ohio State needed, as senior pitcher Allison Smith pitched a complete game and struck out eight while allowing just three hits and one walk.
Ohio State’s final game of the weekend came against Bowling Green and it was a mercy-rule victory. In the first inning alone, the Bucks scored eight runs on four hits and two home runs, courtesy of Melina Wilkison and McKenzie Bump.
Senior Emily Ruck went four innings in the circle versus BGSU and sophomore Kennedy Kay worked the final inning of a 14-1 victory.
Overall, it was a great performance this weekend from the Buckeyes. As a team, Ohio State hit .347 with 11 extra-base hits; seven different players recorded two or more hits on the weekend.
As for the pitching, only one run was surrendered all weekend. Both of the senior pitchers notched wins, along with Paulsen, who is looking to be the third starter in the rotation.
The Buckeyes will play one more game this fall on Wednesday at 6 p.m. ET at Buckeye Field against Ohio Dominican.
Continue reading...
LGHL “Best decision I’ve ever made.” Entering fourth season, Zed Key loves Ohio State, Columbus more than ever
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“Best decision I’ve ever made.” Entering fourth season, Zed Key loves Ohio State, Columbus more than ever
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
When Zed Key committed to Ohio State, the Long Island-native had no clue the type of “home away from home” that he would eventually find in central Ohio.
Now entering his fourth year as a Buckeye, Zed Key has been around long enough to witness a few historical moments in the history of the Ohio State men’s basketball program. He was a freshman on the 2020-2021 team that lost to Oral Roberts in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, becoming the ninth 2-seed to ever lose to a 15-seed in the opening round. He was a junior last season — the leading rebounder on a team that finished with the program’s worst record since 1998.
He also dealt with a nasty shoulder injury this past season that coincided with the Buckeyes’ lowest stretch of the season, when they lost 14 out of 15 games and plummetted to the bottom of the Big Ten. Key was resigned to the fact that he’d just have to watch from the sideline while his understudy — freshman center Felix Okpara — was eaten alive most nights against bigger, more experienced centers in the Big Ten.
It wasn’t easy. That stretch was a dark time for Key, and it made him appreciate the game — and his own health — so much more as his senior season draws near.
“That time, it was tough because obviously I wanted to play, I wanted to help my team get out of the slump that we were having,” Key said last week at Ohio State’s media day. “But my shoulder just wasn’t in a position to go out there and play at the highest level. So just making the decision (to have surgery) — it was tough. That decision wasn’t the easiest.
“And once I made it, you know, just sitting there, like I wanted to go out there still. Even when I had the surgery in the Big Ten Tournament, I was still sitting on the side like “I really want to go out here and play,” like the urge was still there. But just learning from last year, and not taking anything for granted..... since you never know. That’s what I learned, you don’t know what’s going to happen to you, so just don’t take nothing for granted, and play hard.”
But don’t get it twisted, a now slimmed-down Key has had some great moments and memories as a Buckeye, too. A three-star recruit out of Long Island Lutheran High School who didn’t crack the top 100 in the class, Key has increased his points per game output every season thus far — from 5.2 as a freshman, to 7.8 as a sophomore, to 10.8 last season. He’s recorded eight double-doubles, dropped 20 points on the Duke Blue Devils twice, and led Ohio State to a win over the top-ranked Blue Devils in 2021 in front of a packed crowd at the Schottenstein Center.
But has the reality of being a Buckeye lived up to his expectations? Since committing to Ohio State in September of 2019, Key would tweet out highlight and training videos and tag as many Ohio State-related Twitter accounts as possible — including the Buckeye Nuthouse account. But why?
“I was ready to be here.” Key joked. “I was ready to go. Trust me.”
Even now, Zed still tweets out videos of himself from time to time, and he still will tag the Buckeye Nuthouse, or the Ohio State Hoops account, or a local news station. His affection for the Ohio State men’s basketball program, the university, and the city of Columbus — a town nearly 600 miles away from where he grew up on Long Island — has never been stronger.
“This is the best decision I’ve ever made,” Zed told me. “I’m glad I made this decision, not just from a basketball standpoint — even outside of basketball. You know, the relationships I’ve built, the people that I’ve met. The bonds that I’ve made. Columbus is a great city, and I love it here. I’m glad I’m here.”
Key has been interested in classic cars for some time, and his interest evolved into a hobby and ultimately a second love since moving to Columbus. It’s not uncommon to find Zed at car shows around central Ohio during the summer, and he says that some of the most meaningful relationships he’s made since coming to Ohio State have nothing to do with basketball, and everything to do with cars.
“I’m a big car guy,” he said, “And I have a whole bunch of car friends, relationships, businessmen that I’ve met, totally unrelated to the university. Just you know, around Columbus.”
In an age of college sports where name, image, and likeness compensation is often the most prominent factor in where a student-athlete winds up, and the one-time transfer rule makes it so easy for a player to jump ship at the first sign of conflict, there’s something endearing about Key and his relationship with the city of Columbus. There’s been ample opportunities for a player like Zed — who was under-recruited out of high school — to go elsewhere.
He could’ve sought additional NIL opportunities, or transferred to a program where he wouldn’t need to compete with a sophomore for his starting spot as a senior. He could’ve allowed the sour taste of a dark, disappointing, and injury-marred junior season to carry him elsewhere and finish his college career with a blank slate at a new school.
But Key’s experience at Ohio State has exceeded the expectations that were set for him as a 17-year-old high school senior when he first committed. He’s found community both on and off the court, and wouldn’t change his story even a little bit, even if he had the chance.
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
When Zed Key committed to Ohio State, the Long Island-native had no clue the type of “home away from home” that he would eventually find in central Ohio.
Now entering his fourth year as a Buckeye, Zed Key has been around long enough to witness a few historical moments in the history of the Ohio State men’s basketball program. He was a freshman on the 2020-2021 team that lost to Oral Roberts in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, becoming the ninth 2-seed to ever lose to a 15-seed in the opening round. He was a junior last season — the leading rebounder on a team that finished with the program’s worst record since 1998.
He also dealt with a nasty shoulder injury this past season that coincided with the Buckeyes’ lowest stretch of the season, when they lost 14 out of 15 games and plummetted to the bottom of the Big Ten. Key was resigned to the fact that he’d just have to watch from the sideline while his understudy — freshman center Felix Okpara — was eaten alive most nights against bigger, more experienced centers in the Big Ten.
It wasn’t easy. That stretch was a dark time for Key, and it made him appreciate the game — and his own health — so much more as his senior season draws near.
“That time, it was tough because obviously I wanted to play, I wanted to help my team get out of the slump that we were having,” Key said last week at Ohio State’s media day. “But my shoulder just wasn’t in a position to go out there and play at the highest level. So just making the decision (to have surgery) — it was tough. That decision wasn’t the easiest.
“And once I made it, you know, just sitting there, like I wanted to go out there still. Even when I had the surgery in the Big Ten Tournament, I was still sitting on the side like “I really want to go out here and play,” like the urge was still there. But just learning from last year, and not taking anything for granted..... since you never know. That’s what I learned, you don’t know what’s going to happen to you, so just don’t take nothing for granted, and play hard.”
But don’t get it twisted, a now slimmed-down Key has had some great moments and memories as a Buckeye, too. A three-star recruit out of Long Island Lutheran High School who didn’t crack the top 100 in the class, Key has increased his points per game output every season thus far — from 5.2 as a freshman, to 7.8 as a sophomore, to 10.8 last season. He’s recorded eight double-doubles, dropped 20 points on the Duke Blue Devils twice, and led Ohio State to a win over the top-ranked Blue Devils in 2021 in front of a packed crowd at the Schottenstein Center.
But has the reality of being a Buckeye lived up to his expectations? Since committing to Ohio State in September of 2019, Key would tweet out highlight and training videos and tag as many Ohio State-related Twitter accounts as possible — including the Buckeye Nuthouse account. But why?
“I was ready to be here.” Key joked. “I was ready to go. Trust me.”
Even now, Zed still tweets out videos of himself from time to time, and he still will tag the Buckeye Nuthouse, or the Ohio State Hoops account, or a local news station. His affection for the Ohio State men’s basketball program, the university, and the city of Columbus — a town nearly 600 miles away from where he grew up on Long Island — has never been stronger.
“This is the best decision I’ve ever made,” Zed told me. “I’m glad I made this decision, not just from a basketball standpoint — even outside of basketball. You know, the relationships I’ve built, the people that I’ve met. The bonds that I’ve made. Columbus is a great city, and I love it here. I’m glad I’m here.”
Key has been interested in classic cars for some time, and his interest evolved into a hobby and ultimately a second love since moving to Columbus. It’s not uncommon to find Zed at car shows around central Ohio during the summer, and he says that some of the most meaningful relationships he’s made since coming to Ohio State have nothing to do with basketball, and everything to do with cars.
“I’m a big car guy,” he said, “And I have a whole bunch of car friends, relationships, businessmen that I’ve met, totally unrelated to the university. Just you know, around Columbus.”
In an age of college sports where name, image, and likeness compensation is often the most prominent factor in where a student-athlete winds up, and the one-time transfer rule makes it so easy for a player to jump ship at the first sign of conflict, there’s something endearing about Key and his relationship with the city of Columbus. There’s been ample opportunities for a player like Zed — who was under-recruited out of high school — to go elsewhere.
He could’ve sought additional NIL opportunities, or transferred to a program where he wouldn’t need to compete with a sophomore for his starting spot as a senior. He could’ve allowed the sour taste of a dark, disappointing, and injury-marred junior season to carry him elsewhere and finish his college career with a blank slate at a new school.
But Key’s experience at Ohio State has exceeded the expectations that were set for him as a 17-year-old high school senior when he first committed. He’s found community both on and off the court, and wouldn’t change his story even a little bit, even if he had the chance.
Continue reading...
LGHL Big Ten Men’s Basketball Team Previews: Michigan State Spartans
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Big Ten Men’s Basketball Team Previews: Michigan State Spartans
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Kirthmon F. Dozier / USA TODAY NETWORK
Can the Spartans unseat Purdue at the top of the conference?
As we enter the fall season and college football gets underway, college basketball is right around the corner. As always, to prepare you for the season, Land-Grant Holy Land will be publishing Big Ten Team Previews and Ohio State Basketball Player Previews, starting now with the Team Previews.
Team: Michigan State Spartans
Head coach: Tom Izzo | 29th Season | 686-278 (330-160)
2022-23 record: 21-13 (11-8)
All-time record against Ohio State: 78-54
Returners: Jaden Akins, A.J. Hoggard, Tyson Walker, Malik Hall, Mady Sissoko, Jaxon Kohler, Tre Holloman, Carson Cooper
Departures: Joey Hauser, Pierre Brooks
Newcomers: Xavier Booker, Jeremy Fears, Coen Carr, Gehrig Normand
The Spartans are returning most of their production from the Sweet Sixteen run last season and will look to be a national title contender this year, along with Purdue in the Big Ten.
Losing Joey Hauser will affect the Spartans, as they are without his 14.4 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, and Pierre Brooks had high potential for the Spartans, but he was not able to contribute much in East Lansing before transferring to Butler.
A big question mark this season will be the center position for the Spartans. It was their weakness last year, but all three of the centers are back, and all will look to step into the main role. Jaxon Kohler showed the most promise in 2022-23, and should be able to handle a larger role this season.
The X factor on this year’s team is Jaden Akins. Akins is incredibly talented and has All-Big Ten potential, and if he can take that next step and complement AJ Hoggard and Tyson Walker, that trio will be as dynamic as they come.
Michigan State also has a pretty special freshman class coming in. Xavier Booker, Jeremy Fears, Coen Carr and Gehrig Normand will all have valuable roles in the rotation for the Spartans. Carr may be the most exciting, as his athletic ability will turn heads and can help him adjust to the speed of the collegiate game. Jeremy Fears also will see the floor often behind Hoggard and Walker, and will be one of the best back up point guards in the conference.
I believe Michigan State is the best team in the conference. It is a slim margin, but guard play can win championships, and Hoggard, Walker and Akins can lead this team to the promised land. Throw in Malik Hall, an improved Mady Sissoko, and this freshman class, and that can be the recipe for success.
Purdue is still incredibly talented, and Michigan State does not have Zach Edey. There is a scenario this season that Edey averages 20 points and 15 rebounds per game and wins the conference on his own. A determining factor in the Boilermaker’s success will be the progress that Braden Smith and Foster Loyer made over the offseason, which could leave them trailing behind the Spartans if not big enough a step forward.
The freshman class is really what will determine whether this team is a fun Elite Eight team or a real national title contender. Booker is an NBA-level prospect, but there have been questions on whether or not he will be ready on day one or may need a month or two to adjust to the college game.
But with all four freshmen playing valuable minutes for the Spartans, Tom Izzo and the rest of his coaching staff will have the depth in their rotation they have not had in a couple of seasons.
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
Kirthmon F. Dozier / USA TODAY NETWORK
Can the Spartans unseat Purdue at the top of the conference?
As we enter the fall season and college football gets underway, college basketball is right around the corner. As always, to prepare you for the season, Land-Grant Holy Land will be publishing Big Ten Team Previews and Ohio State Basketball Player Previews, starting now with the Team Previews.
Team: Michigan State Spartans
Head coach: Tom Izzo | 29th Season | 686-278 (330-160)
2022-23 record: 21-13 (11-8)
All-time record against Ohio State: 78-54
Returners: Jaden Akins, A.J. Hoggard, Tyson Walker, Malik Hall, Mady Sissoko, Jaxon Kohler, Tre Holloman, Carson Cooper
Departures: Joey Hauser, Pierre Brooks
Newcomers: Xavier Booker, Jeremy Fears, Coen Carr, Gehrig Normand
Outlook
The Spartans are returning most of their production from the Sweet Sixteen run last season and will look to be a national title contender this year, along with Purdue in the Big Ten.
Losing Joey Hauser will affect the Spartans, as they are without his 14.4 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, and Pierre Brooks had high potential for the Spartans, but he was not able to contribute much in East Lansing before transferring to Butler.
A big question mark this season will be the center position for the Spartans. It was their weakness last year, but all three of the centers are back, and all will look to step into the main role. Jaxon Kohler showed the most promise in 2022-23, and should be able to handle a larger role this season.
The X factor on this year’s team is Jaden Akins. Akins is incredibly talented and has All-Big Ten potential, and if he can take that next step and complement AJ Hoggard and Tyson Walker, that trio will be as dynamic as they come.
Michigan State also has a pretty special freshman class coming in. Xavier Booker, Jeremy Fears, Coen Carr and Gehrig Normand will all have valuable roles in the rotation for the Spartans. Carr may be the most exciting, as his athletic ability will turn heads and can help him adjust to the speed of the collegiate game. Jeremy Fears also will see the floor often behind Hoggard and Walker, and will be one of the best back up point guards in the conference.
Prediction
I believe Michigan State is the best team in the conference. It is a slim margin, but guard play can win championships, and Hoggard, Walker and Akins can lead this team to the promised land. Throw in Malik Hall, an improved Mady Sissoko, and this freshman class, and that can be the recipe for success.
Purdue is still incredibly talented, and Michigan State does not have Zach Edey. There is a scenario this season that Edey averages 20 points and 15 rebounds per game and wins the conference on his own. A determining factor in the Boilermaker’s success will be the progress that Braden Smith and Foster Loyer made over the offseason, which could leave them trailing behind the Spartans if not big enough a step forward.
The freshman class is really what will determine whether this team is a fun Elite Eight team or a real national title contender. Booker is an NBA-level prospect, but there have been questions on whether or not he will be ready on day one or may need a month or two to adjust to the college game.
But with all four freshmen playing valuable minutes for the Spartans, Tom Izzo and the rest of his coaching staff will have the depth in their rotation they have not had in a couple of seasons.
Continue reading...
LGHL Who was Ohio State’s MVP during the first month of the season?
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Who was Ohio State’s MVP during the first month of the season?
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
You ask, we answer. Sometimes we ask, others answer. And then other times, we ask, we answer.
Throughout the Ohio State football season, we will be asking and answering questions about the team, college football, and anything else on our collective minds of varying degrees of importance. If you have a question that you would like to ask, you can tweet us @LandGrant33 or if you need more than 280 characters, send an email HERE.
After a week off, the No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes return to the gridiron this weekend to take on the No. 26 Maryland Terrapins at 12 noon ET at Ohio Stadium in a game that will be broadcast on Fox. So, in this week’s Ohio State fan survey, we are keeping one eye on what has passed and one eye on what’s to come.
At the bottom of this article, we have two questions, one about what we saw during the first month of the college football season and one about what you think we will see during Saturday’s game at The Horseshoe. Make sure to share your thoughts in the survey, but if there's anything else on your mind, or we didn’t pick the answer that you would like to go with, feel free to hit the comments at the very bottom.
The default answer for this type of question is always going to be the quarterback, and I do think that Kyle McCord has proven himself to have what it takes to be an incredible leader, but, for me, I don’t think that he’s at MVP status just yet. He might be by the end of the season, but he’s not there yet, in my opinion.
So, where do you go from here? Personally, I would go to the other side of the ball. And while Tyleik Williams, Tommy Eichenberg, and Lathan Ransom are all having really good seasons leading their respective units, to me the answer is clearly Denzel Burke.
After everything he went through last year — between injuries, poor play, critical backlash — to do the work to get healthy, to continue to work on his craft, and to focus on the future is really impressive. All of that effort has proven to be invaluable for the Buckeyes and helped to turn their defense into one of the stoutest units in all of college football. Obviously, they will be tested far more as the season progresses — including this weekend against Maryland — but for now, I don’t know how you can’t just be ecstatic about the progress of the defense, and especially the cornerbacks.
DraftKings SportsBook has Ohio State as a 19.5-point favorite.
SP+ has Ohio State favored by 16.1 points.
The last time these two teams played, Ohio State won by 13.
The last time these two teams played in Columbus, Ohio State won by 49.
I will make my official prediction on our Saturday “Tailgate” podcast, but there’s a pretty good chance that I’m going to pick the Buckeyes to win.
Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Ohio State fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
Continue reading...
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
You ask, we answer. Sometimes we ask, others answer. And then other times, we ask, we answer.
Throughout the Ohio State football season, we will be asking and answering questions about the team, college football, and anything else on our collective minds of varying degrees of importance. If you have a question that you would like to ask, you can tweet us @LandGrant33 or if you need more than 280 characters, send an email HERE.
After a week off, the No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes return to the gridiron this weekend to take on the No. 26 Maryland Terrapins at 12 noon ET at Ohio Stadium in a game that will be broadcast on Fox. So, in this week’s Ohio State fan survey, we are keeping one eye on what has passed and one eye on what’s to come.
At the bottom of this article, we have two questions, one about what we saw during the first month of the college football season and one about what you think we will see during Saturday’s game at The Horseshoe. Make sure to share your thoughts in the survey, but if there's anything else on your mind, or we didn’t pick the answer that you would like to go with, feel free to hit the comments at the very bottom.
Question 1: Who was Ohio State’s MVP from the first month of the season?
The default answer for this type of question is always going to be the quarterback, and I do think that Kyle McCord has proven himself to have what it takes to be an incredible leader, but, for me, I don’t think that he’s at MVP status just yet. He might be by the end of the season, but he’s not there yet, in my opinion.
So, where do you go from here? Personally, I would go to the other side of the ball. And while Tyleik Williams, Tommy Eichenberg, and Lathan Ransom are all having really good seasons leading their respective units, to me the answer is clearly Denzel Burke.
After everything he went through last year — between injuries, poor play, critical backlash — to do the work to get healthy, to continue to work on his craft, and to focus on the future is really impressive. All of that effort has proven to be invaluable for the Buckeyes and helped to turn their defense into one of the stoutest units in all of college football. Obviously, they will be tested far more as the season progresses — including this weekend against Maryland — but for now, I don’t know how you can’t just be ecstatic about the progress of the defense, and especially the cornerbacks.
Question 2: What will the score be for Saturday’s game against Maryland?
DraftKings SportsBook has Ohio State as a 19.5-point favorite.
SP+ has Ohio State favored by 16.1 points.
The last time these two teams played, Ohio State won by 13.
The last time these two teams played in Columbus, Ohio State won by 49.
I will make my official prediction on our Saturday “Tailgate” podcast, but there’s a pretty good chance that I’m going to pick the Buckeyes to win.
Share your thoughts here:
Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Ohio State fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
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LGHL Yes, Scotty Middleton still thinks he could beat former teammate Gradey Dick in a game of one-on-one
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Yes, Scotty Middleton still thinks he could beat former teammate Gradey Dick in a game of one-on-one
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo courtesy of OhioStateBuckeyes.com
If Middleton can lock up a first-round NBA draftee, then Chris Holtmann could really have something special on his hands this year.
Scotty Middleton has not played a single minute at the collegiate level yet, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to enter the arena as a timid freshman. On the contrary, he comes off as the type of person who jumps at every opportunity to be challenged and has the confidence to succeed in doing so.
Just ask his former teammate at Sunrise Christian Academy and the 13th-overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, Gradey Dick.
Dick was the No. 22 player in the 2022 recruiting class, one year ahead of Middleton, who graduated this past spring. After averaging 14.1 points per game at Kansas and shooting 40.3% from three-point range, the 6-foot-7 forward was selected by the Toronto Raptors with the 13th overall pick in this past year’s NBA Draft. At that height and roughly 195 pounds, he is the same size as Middleton.
Scotty spoke with myself and Land-Grant Holy Land’s Justin Golba last summer, right after his commitment to Ohio State in August 2022. During our roughly 20-minute conversation, we had to ask him if he thought he could beat his former teammate in a game of one-on-one. Side note: if you want to hear the entire conversation, you can find it below.
“Who’s winning, me or Grady?” Once Middleton stopped laughing at the thought, he responded, “Grady I love you, but I won’t lie, I’m winning one-on-one. I’m winning.”
Since that proclamation from Middleton last summer, Gradey Dick went on to be named the Big 12 Freshman of the Year — the best freshman in the best conference in America. He was also named second-team All-Big 12, drafted in the back end of the lottery, and signed a four-year deal with the Toronto Raptors where he will make roughly $5.3 million dollars per year.
So, since all of this has happened, has Scotty’s opinion changed at all on the whole, you know, beating him mano a mano thing? Well, I caught up with him last week at Ohio State’s media day and asked him. Now that we’ve seen an entire year of Gradey at Kansas and Scotty has had a year to stew on the idea, does he still think he’d win?
“I still think I can beat him, yeah.”
Middleton expanded, explaining that he simply thinks his on-ball defense would be too tough for Dick to score on him. On the other side, he thinks that his height (he’s listed at 6-foot-7 on Ohio State’s website, which is actually one inch shorter than what Dick is listed at on the Raptors’ site) would help him in making some tough shots against his former teammate.
“My intensity on defense (would help). I feel like I would make it really hard for him to score on me,” he told me last week. “Offensively, I would probably just try to use my height and make some difficult shots.”
Ohio State has sat outside of the top 80 in adjusted defensive efficiency for three consecutive seasons. Middleton will bring in versatility on the defensive end that Ohio State has lacked in recent years, and pairing him with the likes of Roddy Gayle and Felix Okpara should help the Buckeyes evolve from a poor defensive team to an acceptable one, or perhaps even a great one.
Scotty has not had the opportunity to prove his defensive chops on the floor yet for Ohio State, but clearly, he’s not lacking in confidence. He was recently projected to be a late first-round draft pick in the 2024 NBA Draft according to The Athletic’s mock draft, so perhaps we’ll see the Middleton-Dick matchup someday down the road.
But for now, he’s focused on getting better each and every day and helping Ohio State return to the level of play that fans have come to expect from one of the most successful men’s basketball programs in the Big Ten conference.
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Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
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Photo courtesy of OhioStateBuckeyes.com
If Middleton can lock up a first-round NBA draftee, then Chris Holtmann could really have something special on his hands this year.
Scotty Middleton has not played a single minute at the collegiate level yet, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to enter the arena as a timid freshman. On the contrary, he comes off as the type of person who jumps at every opportunity to be challenged and has the confidence to succeed in doing so.
Just ask his former teammate at Sunrise Christian Academy and the 13th-overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, Gradey Dick.
Dick was the No. 22 player in the 2022 recruiting class, one year ahead of Middleton, who graduated this past spring. After averaging 14.1 points per game at Kansas and shooting 40.3% from three-point range, the 6-foot-7 forward was selected by the Toronto Raptors with the 13th overall pick in this past year’s NBA Draft. At that height and roughly 195 pounds, he is the same size as Middleton.
Scotty spoke with myself and Land-Grant Holy Land’s Justin Golba last summer, right after his commitment to Ohio State in August 2022. During our roughly 20-minute conversation, we had to ask him if he thought he could beat his former teammate in a game of one-on-one. Side note: if you want to hear the entire conversation, you can find it below.
“Who’s winning, me or Grady?” Once Middleton stopped laughing at the thought, he responded, “Grady I love you, but I won’t lie, I’m winning one-on-one. I’m winning.”
Since that proclamation from Middleton last summer, Gradey Dick went on to be named the Big 12 Freshman of the Year — the best freshman in the best conference in America. He was also named second-team All-Big 12, drafted in the back end of the lottery, and signed a four-year deal with the Toronto Raptors where he will make roughly $5.3 million dollars per year.
So, since all of this has happened, has Scotty’s opinion changed at all on the whole, you know, beating him mano a mano thing? Well, I caught up with him last week at Ohio State’s media day and asked him. Now that we’ve seen an entire year of Gradey at Kansas and Scotty has had a year to stew on the idea, does he still think he’d win?
“I still think I can beat him, yeah.”
Middleton expanded, explaining that he simply thinks his on-ball defense would be too tough for Dick to score on him. On the other side, he thinks that his height (he’s listed at 6-foot-7 on Ohio State’s website, which is actually one inch shorter than what Dick is listed at on the Raptors’ site) would help him in making some tough shots against his former teammate.
“My intensity on defense (would help). I feel like I would make it really hard for him to score on me,” he told me last week. “Offensively, I would probably just try to use my height and make some difficult shots.”
Ice in his veins
Scotty Middleton knocked down this clutch go-ahead three that proved to be the game winner today over #1 seed Montverde Academy in the Geico High School Nationals! @ScottyMiddleto9 | #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/ugY7zE2xWJ
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) March 30, 2023
Ohio State has sat outside of the top 80 in adjusted defensive efficiency for three consecutive seasons. Middleton will bring in versatility on the defensive end that Ohio State has lacked in recent years, and pairing him with the likes of Roddy Gayle and Felix Okpara should help the Buckeyes evolve from a poor defensive team to an acceptable one, or perhaps even a great one.
Scotty has not had the opportunity to prove his defensive chops on the floor yet for Ohio State, but clearly, he’s not lacking in confidence. He was recently projected to be a late first-round draft pick in the 2024 NBA Draft according to The Athletic’s mock draft, so perhaps we’ll see the Middleton-Dick matchup someday down the road.
But for now, he’s focused on getting better each and every day and helping Ohio State return to the level of play that fans have come to expect from one of the most successful men’s basketball programs in the Big Ten conference.
Continue reading...
