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LGHL Bucketheads Podcast: Joe Gemma joins to talk Maryland, John Mobley Jr., and his brand new office
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Bucketheads Podcast: Joe Gemma joins to talk Maryland, John Mobley Jr., and his brand new office
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Ron Johnson-Imagn Images
Friend of the show Joe Gemma joins us to break down all things Ohio State men’s basketball as we head into the final month of the regular season.
“Bucketheads” is LGHL’s men’s basketball podcast, hosted by Connor Lemons and Justin Golba. In every episode, they give you the latest scoop on the Ohio State Buckeyes and everything else happening in college hoops.
Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
We are back for episode 148 of the Bucketheads Podcast, and our good friend Joe Gemma is in as the third chair. Joe is the lead designer for Ohio State Athletics, and we talk about his new job, uniforms, and how much say he has in what the teams wear.
After that, we do a State of the Union of the Ohio State men’s basketball team. What does the team need to fix in the final month of the season? How can we assess Aaron Bradshaw and Sean Stewart? What should we grade John Mobley, and what does the coaching staff need to do in the offseason?
At the end, Justin has some quick-hitting questions for Connor and Joe.
Remember to like and subscribe to the podcast wherever you listen, leave a comment, and review!
Connect with the Podcast:
Twitter: @BucketheadsLGPN
Connect with Connor:
Twitter: @lemons_connor
Connect with Justin:
Twitter: @justin_golba
Connect with Joe:
Twitter: JoeDGemma
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
Ron Johnson-Imagn Images
Friend of the show Joe Gemma joins us to break down all things Ohio State men’s basketball as we head into the final month of the regular season.
“Bucketheads” is LGHL’s men’s basketball podcast, hosted by Connor Lemons and Justin Golba. In every episode, they give you the latest scoop on the Ohio State Buckeyes and everything else happening in college hoops.
Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
We are back for episode 148 of the Bucketheads Podcast, and our good friend Joe Gemma is in as the third chair. Joe is the lead designer for Ohio State Athletics, and we talk about his new job, uniforms, and how much say he has in what the teams wear.
After that, we do a State of the Union of the Ohio State men’s basketball team. What does the team need to fix in the final month of the season? How can we assess Aaron Bradshaw and Sean Stewart? What should we grade John Mobley, and what does the coaching staff need to do in the offseason?
At the end, Justin has some quick-hitting questions for Connor and Joe.
Remember to like and subscribe to the podcast wherever you listen, leave a comment, and review!
Connect with the Podcast:
Twitter: @BucketheadsLGPN
Connect with Connor:
Twitter: @lemons_connor
Connect with Justin:
Twitter: @justin_golba
Connect with Joe:
Twitter: JoeDGemma
Continue reading...
LGHL What went wrong for Ohio State women’s basketball vs. UCLA
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What went wrong for Ohio State women’s basketball vs. UCLA
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images
The Buckeyes had chances to upset the No. 1 team in the nation, but fell short in key, preventable areas.
No. 8 Ohio State women’s basketball entered the fourth quarter of Wednesday night’s game against the No. 1 UCLA Bruins down two points. Soon it was tied, and all appearances showed that the final quarter would be a closely contested matchup between two of the top three teams in the Big Ten.
Then the bottom fell out.
“We had turnovers and we didn’t rebound,” said head coach Kevin McGuff. “We had done a great job with both of those for the most part throughout the game and UCLA really made us pay down the stretch there.”
UCLA guard Kiki Rice scored four quick points with the game tied, and the Buckeyes were finished. The Bruins scored 15 of the next 16 points and ran away to a 13-point victory. A far cry from last season’s seven-point defeat that featured a 15-point comeback from the Buckeyes in the final quarter.
On Wednesday, Ohio State barely hit double digit scoring in the fourth quarter, with a last second three-point shot that made no difference in the final outcome to reach 10 for the frame.
What led to that anticlimactic ending was preventable for the Buckeyes on a night where the formula to beat the Bruins was clear, but lacked the 40 minutes of execution needed to end the winning streak of the nation’s only undefeated remaining Division I program.
In the first quarter, McGuff’s plan for 6-foot-7 center Lauren Betts was working. Forward Ajae Petty and center Elsa Lemmilä took turns guarding the big, and instead of trying to defend her one-on-one and keep her from attacking the basket, the Buckeyes’ plan was to stop the ball from getting to Betts in the first place.
Ohio State bigs saw passes building and jumped in front of the UCLA center, leaping to intercept or smacking the ball away to limit possessions. In the first quarter, the Buckeyes held Betts to three points and only two shots.
At the same time, on the offensive side of the court, Ohio State built up a seven-point lead despite going 4-of-13 from the floor to start the game. That was possible because there wasn’t a double or triple team on Betts, meaning outlets were cut off and the Buckeyes contested UCLA shots.
Then in the second quarter, pass anticipation against Betts stopped. Petty played more traditional defense on the center and Betts responded with eight points in the first six minutes, outscoring the Buckeyes by six points all by herself.
The Buckeyes went 1-of-7 from the floor in that span, but Lemmilä entered the game and the freshman settled things down on both sides of the court. Lemmilä and the Ohio State defense limited Betts to two shots in the final four minutes, with fewer passes making their way into the center’s hands. The Finnish center also scored two baskets in the paint, one contested by two Bruins but Lemmilä fought through contact.
For the second half, down six points, UCLA went back to the paint, scoring their first eight points in the post. McGuff put his starting five onto the court, which is the usual rotation employed by the coach, but Lemmilä didn’t enter the game until seven minutes came off the game clock.
“I thought Petty was really fighting hard with Betts around the basket,” said McGuff. We were trying to keep both of them sort of fresh so they could both have the energy to compete with her around the basket.”
When Lemmilä came into the game, Betts left the court to rest her only minutes of the second half. Thanks to a 16-point third quarter by forward Cotie McMahon and guard Jaloni Cambridge combined, and the best shooting quarter of the game for Ohio State at 40 percent, Ohio State entered the final quarter down two points.
Lemmilä entered the game after UCLA scored four of their first six points in the paint, and Betts didn’t score again for UCLA, despite playing all 10 minutes of the final quarter. Even so, at that point the Bruins run was up to six points, and their lead up to nine, and no shooting came to Ohio State’s rescue.
The theme throughout most of the night was poor shooting, and most of it was not shot selection issues. Throughout the night, Ohio State just missed open chances, no other way to put it.
Cambridge went 3-of-5 from beyond the arc, while the rest of the team went 0-for-13. Shooting guard Chance Gray had six points, and missed all four attempts from deep, now on a run of shooting 1-of-16 from long distance in the last four games.
Outside of McMahon and Cambridge who scored 14 and 21 points respectively, the other three Buckeye starters accounted for nine points, with guard/forward Taylor Thierry accounting for the other three. Petty had zero points, mainly due to the presence of Betts in the interior. Petty also left four points at the free throw line.
Petty is the third Ohio State starter to score zero points in a game in the last four games, joining Gray scoring nothing against the Maryland Terrapins and Cambridge’s foul trouble holding her off the stat sheet against Nebraska.
After the game, McMahon was asked what the defense did to make shooting so difficult on Ohio State.
“I don’t think their defense was anything that stopped us, honestly,” said McMahon. “I think we just, we got great shots, we got to the basket, we just weren’t finishing.”
It’s hard to argue against McMahon’s claim with the open looks missed, or possessions rushed. Ohio State also missed seven free throws, gave UCLA eight points off turnovers and had less second chance points than UCLA (8-3) despite the Buckeyes grabbing four more offensive rebounds than the home side.
Regardless, the Buckeyes weren’t too low following the game, and the moments when defense was working, and the team got off to a rare hot start, were good reasons to take some positives into Saturday’s game at No. 7 USC.
“Cotie [McMahon] came in the locker room, she just told us not to hold our head down,” said Cambridge. “We had a good fight, just didn’t come out on top. But at the end of the day, if we want to be a successful team, we can’t look back and be like, we should have done this, just move on to the next game.”
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
Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images
The Buckeyes had chances to upset the No. 1 team in the nation, but fell short in key, preventable areas.
No. 8 Ohio State women’s basketball entered the fourth quarter of Wednesday night’s game against the No. 1 UCLA Bruins down two points. Soon it was tied, and all appearances showed that the final quarter would be a closely contested matchup between two of the top three teams in the Big Ten.
Then the bottom fell out.
“We had turnovers and we didn’t rebound,” said head coach Kevin McGuff. “We had done a great job with both of those for the most part throughout the game and UCLA really made us pay down the stretch there.”
UCLA guard Kiki Rice scored four quick points with the game tied, and the Buckeyes were finished. The Bruins scored 15 of the next 16 points and ran away to a 13-point victory. A far cry from last season’s seven-point defeat that featured a 15-point comeback from the Buckeyes in the final quarter.
On Wednesday, Ohio State barely hit double digit scoring in the fourth quarter, with a last second three-point shot that made no difference in the final outcome to reach 10 for the frame.
What led to that anticlimactic ending was preventable for the Buckeyes on a night where the formula to beat the Bruins was clear, but lacked the 40 minutes of execution needed to end the winning streak of the nation’s only undefeated remaining Division I program.
Defensive Strategy
In the first quarter, McGuff’s plan for 6-foot-7 center Lauren Betts was working. Forward Ajae Petty and center Elsa Lemmilä took turns guarding the big, and instead of trying to defend her one-on-one and keep her from attacking the basket, the Buckeyes’ plan was to stop the ball from getting to Betts in the first place.
Ohio State bigs saw passes building and jumped in front of the UCLA center, leaping to intercept or smacking the ball away to limit possessions. In the first quarter, the Buckeyes held Betts to three points and only two shots.
At the same time, on the offensive side of the court, Ohio State built up a seven-point lead despite going 4-of-13 from the floor to start the game. That was possible because there wasn’t a double or triple team on Betts, meaning outlets were cut off and the Buckeyes contested UCLA shots.
Then in the second quarter, pass anticipation against Betts stopped. Petty played more traditional defense on the center and Betts responded with eight points in the first six minutes, outscoring the Buckeyes by six points all by herself.
The Buckeyes went 1-of-7 from the floor in that span, but Lemmilä entered the game and the freshman settled things down on both sides of the court. Lemmilä and the Ohio State defense limited Betts to two shots in the final four minutes, with fewer passes making their way into the center’s hands. The Finnish center also scored two baskets in the paint, one contested by two Bruins but Lemmilä fought through contact.
For the second half, down six points, UCLA went back to the paint, scoring their first eight points in the post. McGuff put his starting five onto the court, which is the usual rotation employed by the coach, but Lemmilä didn’t enter the game until seven minutes came off the game clock.
“I thought Petty was really fighting hard with Betts around the basket,” said McGuff. We were trying to keep both of them sort of fresh so they could both have the energy to compete with her around the basket.”
When Lemmilä came into the game, Betts left the court to rest her only minutes of the second half. Thanks to a 16-point third quarter by forward Cotie McMahon and guard Jaloni Cambridge combined, and the best shooting quarter of the game for Ohio State at 40 percent, Ohio State entered the final quarter down two points.
Lemmilä entered the game after UCLA scored four of their first six points in the paint, and Betts didn’t score again for UCLA, despite playing all 10 minutes of the final quarter. Even so, at that point the Bruins run was up to six points, and their lead up to nine, and no shooting came to Ohio State’s rescue.
Shooting
The theme throughout most of the night was poor shooting, and most of it was not shot selection issues. Throughout the night, Ohio State just missed open chances, no other way to put it.
Cambridge went 3-of-5 from beyond the arc, while the rest of the team went 0-for-13. Shooting guard Chance Gray had six points, and missed all four attempts from deep, now on a run of shooting 1-of-16 from long distance in the last four games.
Outside of McMahon and Cambridge who scored 14 and 21 points respectively, the other three Buckeye starters accounted for nine points, with guard/forward Taylor Thierry accounting for the other three. Petty had zero points, mainly due to the presence of Betts in the interior. Petty also left four points at the free throw line.
Petty is the third Ohio State starter to score zero points in a game in the last four games, joining Gray scoring nothing against the Maryland Terrapins and Cambridge’s foul trouble holding her off the stat sheet against Nebraska.
After the game, McMahon was asked what the defense did to make shooting so difficult on Ohio State.
“I don’t think their defense was anything that stopped us, honestly,” said McMahon. “I think we just, we got great shots, we got to the basket, we just weren’t finishing.”
It’s hard to argue against McMahon’s claim with the open looks missed, or possessions rushed. Ohio State also missed seven free throws, gave UCLA eight points off turnovers and had less second chance points than UCLA (8-3) despite the Buckeyes grabbing four more offensive rebounds than the home side.
Regardless, the Buckeyes weren’t too low following the game, and the moments when defense was working, and the team got off to a rare hot start, were good reasons to take some positives into Saturday’s game at No. 7 USC.
“Cotie [McMahon] came in the locker room, she just told us not to hold our head down,” said Cambridge. “We had a good fight, just didn’t come out on top. But at the end of the day, if we want to be a successful team, we can’t look back and be like, we should have done this, just move on to the next game.”
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LGHL Ohio State men’s basketball vs. No. 18 Maryland: Game preview and prediction
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Ohio State men’s basketball vs. No. 18 Maryland: Game preview and prediction
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images
The Buckeyes will look to avenge its worst loss of the season as the ranked Terrapins come to Columbus.
The Ohio State Buckeyes (13-9 overall, 5-6 conference) will host the No. 18 Maryland Terrapins (17-5 overall, 7-4 conference) on Thursday night at the Schottenstein Center. The Buckeyes are looking for redemption after falling to Maryland 83-59 on Dec. 4 in College Park.
Ohio State played its worst half of the season in the first half against Maryland back in December, falling down 50-17 and getting run off the floor in the opening 20 minutes. In that matchup, five Terrapins finished in double-digits, with Ja’Kobi Gillespie recording 23 points on 7-for-11 shooting and 4-for-8 from three-point range. Derik Queen recorded 17 points and 11 rebounds, and Tafara Gapare recorded 12 points off the bench, which to this point has been his only time scoring in double-digits in Big Ten play.
For Ohio State, Devin Royal recorded 18 points and nine rebounds. John Mobley Jr. finished with 15 points off the bench. The Buckeyes shot 4-for-19 from three-point range, 11-for-18 from the free-throw line, and had 16 turnovers. Aaron Bradshaw, Colin White, and Ques Glover did not play in that game.
Meechie Johnson did play in the first Maryland, but he won’t be playing in this game after leaving the team in December due to personal matters. He has yet to return, and Mobley has started in his place since then.
Since falling to Maryland two months ago, the Buckeyes have wins over Purdue and Kentucky and are playing better basketball as of late. Now they get a chance to record a ranked win, with Maryland being a top-20 team in the country as of Monday.
Maryland is also No. 18 in KenPom, while Ohio State is No. 25. The Terrapins are No. 18 in offensive efficiency and No. 23 in defensive efficiency, while Ohio State is No. 32 in offensive efficiency and No. 27 in defensive efficiency.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25861483/usa_today_25296391.jpg "NCAA Basketball: Wisconsin at Maryland")
Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images
Maryland is balanced with two great big men and solid guard play all around. They are third in the Big Ten in scoring offense with 83 points per game, and second In the Big Ten in scoring defense, only allowing 65.5 points per game — second only to UCLA
Derik Queen leads the team in scoring at 15 points per game. He is second on the team in rebounds as well, with 8.3 per game. Julian Reese is third on the team in scoring, averaging 13.7 points, and leads the ‘Terps in rebounding at 9.1 per contest.
Junior guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie is second on the team in scoring with 14.6 points per game. He also averages 4.7 assists and 2.5 rebounds. Sophomore guard Rodney Rice and senior guard Selton Miguel average 12.7 and 11.5 points per game, respectively.
Ohio State is led by junior Point Guard Bruce Thornton, who is averaging 17.1 points, 4.2 assists, and 3.4 rebounds per game. He is shooting 51 percent from the field and 46 percent from three-point range.
Sophomore forward Devin Royal is second on the team in scoring and first on the team in rebounding. He averages 14.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, which more than triples his averages in both stats from his freshman year.
Freshman guard John Mobley is averaging 13.0 points per game, and senior forward Micah Parrish is averaging 11.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.
Both Ohio State and Maryland are in the top-five in the conference in three-point percentage, with both teams shooting over 37 percent. They trail only Iowa and Purdue in that category.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25861484/usa_today_25307207.jpg "Syndication: Pocono Record")
Taj Falconer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
This would be a huge win for Ohio State, but it will not come without its challenges. Ohio State’s advantage is that they are at home, but Maryland is deep, athletic, and well-put together after losing so much last season.
After winning at Purdue, the Buckeyes strung together double-digit wins against Iowa and Penn State to get back to .500 in the conference, but a loss to No. 23 Illinois on Sunday saw them fall to under .500.
Ohio State has to do the exact opposite of what they did in the first meeting: Make their open shots, make their free throws, take care of the ball, and challenge Maryland to contested shots.
Maryland has played great this season, but road losses to Washington and Northwestern have shown that they can struggle away from the friendly confines of the Xfinity Center. The Buckeyes have a lot to play for, so I think they come out hot and never let go of an early lead.
ESPN BPI: Ohio State 56.4%
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
TV: FS1
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justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images
The Buckeyes will look to avenge its worst loss of the season as the ranked Terrapins come to Columbus.
The Ohio State Buckeyes (13-9 overall, 5-6 conference) will host the No. 18 Maryland Terrapins (17-5 overall, 7-4 conference) on Thursday night at the Schottenstein Center. The Buckeyes are looking for redemption after falling to Maryland 83-59 on Dec. 4 in College Park.
Ohio State played its worst half of the season in the first half against Maryland back in December, falling down 50-17 and getting run off the floor in the opening 20 minutes. In that matchup, five Terrapins finished in double-digits, with Ja’Kobi Gillespie recording 23 points on 7-for-11 shooting and 4-for-8 from three-point range. Derik Queen recorded 17 points and 11 rebounds, and Tafara Gapare recorded 12 points off the bench, which to this point has been his only time scoring in double-digits in Big Ten play.
For Ohio State, Devin Royal recorded 18 points and nine rebounds. John Mobley Jr. finished with 15 points off the bench. The Buckeyes shot 4-for-19 from three-point range, 11-for-18 from the free-throw line, and had 16 turnovers. Aaron Bradshaw, Colin White, and Ques Glover did not play in that game.
Meechie Johnson did play in the first Maryland, but he won’t be playing in this game after leaving the team in December due to personal matters. He has yet to return, and Mobley has started in his place since then.
Since falling to Maryland two months ago, the Buckeyes have wins over Purdue and Kentucky and are playing better basketball as of late. Now they get a chance to record a ranked win, with Maryland being a top-20 team in the country as of Monday.
Maryland is also No. 18 in KenPom, while Ohio State is No. 25. The Terrapins are No. 18 in offensive efficiency and No. 23 in defensive efficiency, while Ohio State is No. 32 in offensive efficiency and No. 27 in defensive efficiency.
Preview
Maryland is balanced with two great big men and solid guard play all around. They are third in the Big Ten in scoring offense with 83 points per game, and second In the Big Ten in scoring defense, only allowing 65.5 points per game — second only to UCLA
Derik Queen leads the team in scoring at 15 points per game. He is second on the team in rebounds as well, with 8.3 per game. Julian Reese is third on the team in scoring, averaging 13.7 points, and leads the ‘Terps in rebounding at 9.1 per contest.
Junior guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie is second on the team in scoring with 14.6 points per game. He also averages 4.7 assists and 2.5 rebounds. Sophomore guard Rodney Rice and senior guard Selton Miguel average 12.7 and 11.5 points per game, respectively.
Ohio State is led by junior Point Guard Bruce Thornton, who is averaging 17.1 points, 4.2 assists, and 3.4 rebounds per game. He is shooting 51 percent from the field and 46 percent from three-point range.
Sophomore forward Devin Royal is second on the team in scoring and first on the team in rebounding. He averages 14.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, which more than triples his averages in both stats from his freshman year.
Freshman guard John Mobley is averaging 13.0 points per game, and senior forward Micah Parrish is averaging 11.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.
Both Ohio State and Maryland are in the top-five in the conference in three-point percentage, with both teams shooting over 37 percent. They trail only Iowa and Purdue in that category.
Prediction
This would be a huge win for Ohio State, but it will not come without its challenges. Ohio State’s advantage is that they are at home, but Maryland is deep, athletic, and well-put together after losing so much last season.
After winning at Purdue, the Buckeyes strung together double-digit wins against Iowa and Penn State to get back to .500 in the conference, but a loss to No. 23 Illinois on Sunday saw them fall to under .500.
Ohio State has to do the exact opposite of what they did in the first meeting: Make their open shots, make their free throws, take care of the ball, and challenge Maryland to contested shots.
Maryland has played great this season, but road losses to Washington and Northwestern have shown that they can struggle away from the friendly confines of the Xfinity Center. The Buckeyes have a lot to play for, so I think they come out hot and never let go of an early lead.
ESPN BPI: Ohio State 56.4%
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
TV: FS1
LGHL score prediction: Ohio State 76, Maryland 70
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2026 NJ DL Damari Simeon (Verbal Offer)
- By pnuts34
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Class: 2026
School: Richland(NJ) St. Augustine Prep
Position: DT
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 275lbs
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Rivals
HudL
Class: 2026
School: Richland(NJ) St. Augustine Prep
Position: DT
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 275lbs
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LGHL Would Ohio State men’s basketball crowds fill other, not-so-massive Big Ten arenas?
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Would Ohio State men’s basketball crowds fill other, not-so-massive Big Ten arenas?
Connor Lemons 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
Not every team in the Big Ten plays in a 19,000-seat concrete beast parading around as a basketball arena.
It’s a Friday night at the Schottenstein Center, and the Ohio State athletic band is playing “Fat Bottomed Girls” by Queen as the Buckeyes run through layup lines. On the other end, the Indiana Hoosiers, clad in their cream and crimson candy-striped warm ups, are shooting three-pointers from three different lines from three different spots on the floor.
The game is nationally televised on FOX with Gus Johnson and Jim Jackson on the call. Throngs of Indiana fans hover near the opposing team’s tunnel, trying to get the Hoosiers’ attention despite the shrinking game clock indicating that they will not, in fact, be signing any more autographs before the game starts.
It feels like Big Ten basketball — the way God intended.
The only thing missing was the fans.
Over 13,000 people showed up for Ohio State’s one-point loss to Indiana on Jan. 17 — 13,124 to be exact — but that still left roughly 5,000 empty seats in the cavernous arena that will celebrate its 30th birthday next year.
A quick glance up to the rafters shows entire sections of seats in the upper level completely devoid of human beings, mostly in the sections behind the baskets. If people purchased tickets up there, they opted to sit on the sides, where they would get a better panoramic view of the floor.
The point I’m making here is this — maybe Ohio State doesn’t have a low attendance problem. Maybe Ohio State just has an “our arena always looks empty” problem.
The average attendance of 11,327 this season is slightly down from last season, when Ohio State men’s basketball averaged 11,708 per game. The combination of not making the NCAA Tournament for two consecutive years, only having three weekend home games this season, and other factors contributed to the small drop so far (there’s five home games remaining, including the Roddy Gayle Bowl).
But not every school in the Big Ten plays in an 18,800-seat arena. Ohio State has the largest arena in the conference by a large margin, and it made me wonder — how well would Ohio State’s crowds fill out all of the other Big Ten venues? Would we sit back and see thousands of empty seats in every other arena if we picked up Ohio State’s crowd and plopped it into say, Nebraska’s Pinnacle Bank Arena?
The results:
Capacity: 7,039
Ohio State’s average crowd of 11,327 would fill the arena to 100%.
Ohio State would have sold out all 12 home games so far if the Schott was the same size as Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Capacity: 8,000
Ohio State’s average crowd of 11,327 would fill the arena to 100%.
Ohio State would have sold out all 12 home games so far if the Schott was the same size as Jersey Mike’s Arena.
Capacity: 10,000
Ohio State’s average crowd of 11,327 would fill the arena to 100%.
Ohio State would have sold out 10 home games so far if the Schott was the same size as Alaska Airlines Arena.
Capacity: 10,258
Ohio State’s average crowd of 11,327 would fill the arena to 100%.
Ohio State would have sold out 9 home games so far if the Schott was the same size as the Galen Center.
Capacity: 12,364
Ohio State’s average crowd of 11,327 would fill the arena to 91.6%.
Ohio State would have sold out 5 home games so far if the Schott was the same size as Knight Arena.
Capacity: 13,609
Ohio State’s average crowd of 11,327 would fill the arena to 83.2%.
Ohio State would have sold out 1 home game so far if the Schott was the same size as the Crisler Center.
Capacity: 13,800
Ohio State’s average crowd of 11,327 would fill the arena to 82%.
Ohio State would have sold out 1 home game so far if the Schott was the same size as Pauley Pavilion.
Capacity: 14,240
Ohio State’s average crowd of 11,327 would fill the arena to 79.5%.
Ohio State would have sold out 1 home game so far if the Schott was the same size as Mackey Arena.
Capacity: 14,625
Ohio State’s average crowd of 11,327 would fill the arena to 77.4%.
Ohio State would not have sold out any games yet this season if the Schott was the same size as Williams Arena.
Capacity: 15,000
Ohio State’s average crowd of 11,327 would fill the arena to 75.5%.
Ohio State would not have sold out any games yet this season if the Schott was the same size as the Breslin Center.
Capacity: 15,201
Ohio State’s average crowd of 11,327 would fill the arena to 74.5%.
Ohio State would not have sold out any games yet this season if the Schott was the same size as the Bryce Jordan Center.
Capacity: 15,550
Ohio State’s average crowd of 11,327 would fill the arena to 72.8%.
Ohio State would not have sold out any games yet this season if the Schott was the same size as Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Capacity: 15,550
Ohio State’s average crowd of 11,327 would fill the arena to 72.8%.
Ohio State would not have sold out any games yet this season if the Schott was the same size as Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Capacity: 15,550
Ohio State’s average crowd of 11,327 would fill the arena to 72.8%.
Ohio State would not have sold out any games yet this season if the Schott was the same size as the State Farm Center.
Capacity: 17,220
Ohio State’s average crowd of 11,327 would fill the arena to 65.7%.
Ohio State would not have sold out any games yet this season if the Schott was the same size as Assembly Hall.
Capacity: 17,287
Ohio State’s average crowd of 11,327 would fill the arena to 65.5%.
Ohio State would not have sold out any games yet this season if the Schott was the same size as the Kohl Center.
Capacity: 17,950
Ohio State’s average crowd of 11,327 would fill the arena to 63.1%.
Ohio State would not have sold out any games yet this season if the Schott was the same size as the Xfinity Center.
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Connor Lemons 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
Not every team in the Big Ten plays in a 19,000-seat concrete beast parading around as a basketball arena.
It’s a Friday night at the Schottenstein Center, and the Ohio State athletic band is playing “Fat Bottomed Girls” by Queen as the Buckeyes run through layup lines. On the other end, the Indiana Hoosiers, clad in their cream and crimson candy-striped warm ups, are shooting three-pointers from three different lines from three different spots on the floor.
The game is nationally televised on FOX with Gus Johnson and Jim Jackson on the call. Throngs of Indiana fans hover near the opposing team’s tunnel, trying to get the Hoosiers’ attention despite the shrinking game clock indicating that they will not, in fact, be signing any more autographs before the game starts.
It feels like Big Ten basketball — the way God intended.
The only thing missing was the fans.
Over 13,000 people showed up for Ohio State’s one-point loss to Indiana on Jan. 17 — 13,124 to be exact — but that still left roughly 5,000 empty seats in the cavernous arena that will celebrate its 30th birthday next year.
A quick glance up to the rafters shows entire sections of seats in the upper level completely devoid of human beings, mostly in the sections behind the baskets. If people purchased tickets up there, they opted to sit on the sides, where they would get a better panoramic view of the floor.
The point I’m making here is this — maybe Ohio State doesn’t have a low attendance problem. Maybe Ohio State just has an “our arena always looks empty” problem.
The average attendance of 11,327 this season is slightly down from last season, when Ohio State men’s basketball averaged 11,708 per game. The combination of not making the NCAA Tournament for two consecutive years, only having three weekend home games this season, and other factors contributed to the small drop so far (there’s five home games remaining, including the Roddy Gayle Bowl).
But not every school in the Big Ten plays in an 18,800-seat arena. Ohio State has the largest arena in the conference by a large margin, and it made me wonder — how well would Ohio State’s crowds fill out all of the other Big Ten venues? Would we sit back and see thousands of empty seats in every other arena if we picked up Ohio State’s crowd and plopped it into say, Nebraska’s Pinnacle Bank Arena?
The results:
Welsh-Ryan Arena (Northwestern)
Capacity: 7,039
Ohio State’s average crowd of 11,327 would fill the arena to 100%.
Ohio State would have sold out all 12 home games so far if the Schott was the same size as Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Jersey Mike’s Arena aka “The RAC” (Rutgers)
Capacity: 8,000
Ohio State’s average crowd of 11,327 would fill the arena to 100%.
Ohio State would have sold out all 12 home games so far if the Schott was the same size as Jersey Mike’s Arena.
Alaska Airlines Arena (Washington)
Capacity: 10,000
Ohio State’s average crowd of 11,327 would fill the arena to 100%.
Ohio State would have sold out 10 home games so far if the Schott was the same size as Alaska Airlines Arena.
Galen Center (USC)
Capacity: 10,258
Ohio State’s average crowd of 11,327 would fill the arena to 100%.
Ohio State would have sold out 9 home games so far if the Schott was the same size as the Galen Center.
Knight Arena (Oregon)
Capacity: 12,364
Ohio State’s average crowd of 11,327 would fill the arena to 91.6%.
Ohio State would have sold out 5 home games so far if the Schott was the same size as Knight Arena.
Crisler Arena (Michigan)
Capacity: 13,609
Ohio State’s average crowd of 11,327 would fill the arena to 83.2%.
Ohio State would have sold out 1 home game so far if the Schott was the same size as the Crisler Center.
Pauley Pavilion (UCLA)
Capacity: 13,800
Ohio State’s average crowd of 11,327 would fill the arena to 82%.
Ohio State would have sold out 1 home game so far if the Schott was the same size as Pauley Pavilion.
Mackey Arena (Purdue)
Capacity: 14,240
Ohio State’s average crowd of 11,327 would fill the arena to 79.5%.
Ohio State would have sold out 1 home game so far if the Schott was the same size as Mackey Arena.
Williams Arena, aka “The Barn” (Minnesota)
Capacity: 14,625
Ohio State’s average crowd of 11,327 would fill the arena to 77.4%.
Ohio State would not have sold out any games yet this season if the Schott was the same size as Williams Arena.
Breslin Center (Michigan State)
Capacity: 15,000
Ohio State’s average crowd of 11,327 would fill the arena to 75.5%.
Ohio State would not have sold out any games yet this season if the Schott was the same size as the Breslin Center.
Bryce Jordan Center (Penn State)
Capacity: 15,201
Ohio State’s average crowd of 11,327 would fill the arena to 74.5%.
Ohio State would not have sold out any games yet this season if the Schott was the same size as the Bryce Jordan Center.
Pinnacle Bank Arena, aka “The Vault” (Nebraska)
Capacity: 15,550
Ohio State’s average crowd of 11,327 would fill the arena to 72.8%.
Ohio State would not have sold out any games yet this season if the Schott was the same size as Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Carver-Hawkeye Arena (Iowa)
Capacity: 15,550
Ohio State’s average crowd of 11,327 would fill the arena to 72.8%.
Ohio State would not have sold out any games yet this season if the Schott was the same size as Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
State Farm Center (Illinois)
Capacity: 15,550
Ohio State’s average crowd of 11,327 would fill the arena to 72.8%.
Ohio State would not have sold out any games yet this season if the Schott was the same size as the State Farm Center.
Assembly Hall (Indiana)
Capacity: 17,220
Ohio State’s average crowd of 11,327 would fill the arena to 65.7%.
Ohio State would not have sold out any games yet this season if the Schott was the same size as Assembly Hall.
Kohl Center (Wisconsin)
Capacity: 17,287
Ohio State’s average crowd of 11,327 would fill the arena to 65.5%.
Ohio State would not have sold out any games yet this season if the Schott was the same size as the Kohl Center.
Xfinity Center (Maryland)
Capacity: 17,950
Ohio State’s average crowd of 11,327 would fill the arena to 63.1%.
Ohio State would not have sold out any games yet this season if the Schott was the same size as the Xfinity Center.
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LGHL No. 8 Ohio State women’s basketball falls apart late, loses to No. 1 UCLA, 65-52
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No. 8 Ohio State women’s basketball falls apart late, loses to No. 1 UCLA, 65-52
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images
The Buckeyes offense couldn’t match their defense, falling in a closely contested game to the undefeated top team Ian the nation.
The No. 8 Ohio State women’s basketball team (20-2, 9-2) had a tall task in front of them with the No. 1 ranked UCLA Bruins (22-0, 10-0), but battled for four quarters before falling 65-52 behind a 19-point, 14-rebound, double-double from Lauren Betts.
The first half was a story of two different Ohio State teams. In the first quarter, the Buckeyes were defensively sound and their game plan for center Lauren Betts worked well. Instead of double or triple teaming the 6-foot-7 center, head coach Kevin McGuff allowed forward Ajae Petty and center Elsa Lemmilä to defend the big outright, jumping in front of her to prevent entry passes and easy looks.
Ohio State went ahead seven points thanks to a six-point run on the offensive side after getting defensive stops, scoring eight points off eight forced turnovers in the first quarter. Offensive threats Jaloni Cambridge and Cotie McMahon led the scoring in the first, combining for nine points, but once the two went to the bench for rest, the production fell off a cliff.
The Buckeyes went over six minutes between baskets from the first to the second quarter, and along the way the Bruins built an 11-point run to go ahead eight points on the Scarlet and Gray.
In the second quarter, the defense followed the offense’s lead and dipped. First, the turnovers Ohio State forced were suddenly now happening to them, instead. They came in the form of errant passes, reckless dribbling and forced passed that ended up in the hands of the Bruins.
Also, instead of stopping passes from getting to Betts, Petty tried to play physical one-on-one defense from behind, but with a four-inch advantage in height the UCLA junior backed up Petty to the tune of six points while Petty was on the court.
McGuff adjusted and brought in 6-foot-6 freshman center Elsa Lemmilä who played poised both defensively and offensively. The Finnish big scored two consecutive baskets for the Buckeyes, with the first coming off a sound pass from the younger Cambridge, finding the center open for an open layup. On the next basket, Lemmilä picked up a rebound and dribbled through two defenders, including Betts, to hit a hardly fought layup.
Lemmilä scored six points in the first half, all under the basket, going 3-of-5. The rest of the Buckeyes went 3-of-29 from the floor, with Cambridge leading the team at halftime with seven points.
However, the defensive intensity returned in the second quarter and the Buckeyes held the Bruins to 12 points in the quarter. Even so, the home side went into halftime with a six-point lead, holding the visiting Buckeyes to just eight points in the second quarter.
However, Betts was still doing the most damage and scored 13 points with 10 rebounds in the first half, accounting for over a third of the Bruins 30 points in the firsts two quarters.
In the second half, coach McGuff brought back out this starting five, which is normal for the 12th-year Ohio State coach, but waited nearly seven minutes to bring the hot hand of Lemmilä back into the game.
Petty tried to move around the paint and hit shots, but was met with Betts or fouled and went to the free throw line. Unfortunately for the graduate senior, she didn’t hit any of the four she took through three quarters and had zero points on 0-of-5 shooting.
Regardless, the Buckeye defense held UCLA back long enough to get some opportunistic baskets courtesy of McMahon. The junior went to the paint and used her speed and agility to find open looks. Including picking up a loose ball in the paint on the defensive end and running the length of the floor to hit a layup.
Ohio State outscored UCLA 18-14 in the third quarter, courtesy of 16 points split evenly between McMahon and Cambridge. Including a rare three-point shot, only the second in their of first 14 attempts in the matchup.
At the end of the third quarter, the Buckeyes cut the lead down to two points, and tied the game 34 seconds into the fourth quarter. However, UCLA star guard Kiki Rice took the game into her hands, scoring the next four points. It prompted McGuff to call a timeout to regroup, still having a chance at dethroning the top team in the nation.
Then Ohio State’s offense went cold, and so did their defense. The Buckeyes missed five consecutive shots and the Bruins pushed their lead to 13 points, requiring another timeout from McGuff, hoping to wake up the visiting team that lost intensity after the quick run of Rice at the start of the period.
It took 5:51 of game clock between Ohio State baskets. In that time, the Bruins went on a 15-point run to push their lead to an insurmountable 18 points with 3:16 remaining in the game. The Buckeyes went into full court press mode again, m but it was far too late.
Cambridge and McMahon led the Buckeyes with 18 points and 14 points, respectively. Cambridge added eight rebounds and six assists.
Rice scored 12 points for the Bruins, with six coming in the fourth quarter. Forward Gabriela Jaquez scored 15 points, going 4-of-5 in the fourth quarter with a team leading nine points in the frame.
The Buckeyes stay in Los Angeles with a Saturday matchup against the No. 7 USC Trojans. Before Ohio State’s game against the Bruins, the Trojans defeated the Wisconsin Badgers 86-64, in Madison, before heading back home to prepare for Saturday.
Last season, the Trojans and Scarlet and Gray met in Las Vegas, Nevada to start the 23-24 season. Superstar guard JuJu Watkins debuted her NCAA career with 33 points, defeating Ohio State 83-74.
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ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images
The Buckeyes offense couldn’t match their defense, falling in a closely contested game to the undefeated top team Ian the nation.
The No. 8 Ohio State women’s basketball team (20-2, 9-2) had a tall task in front of them with the No. 1 ranked UCLA Bruins (22-0, 10-0), but battled for four quarters before falling 65-52 behind a 19-point, 14-rebound, double-double from Lauren Betts.
The first half was a story of two different Ohio State teams. In the first quarter, the Buckeyes were defensively sound and their game plan for center Lauren Betts worked well. Instead of double or triple teaming the 6-foot-7 center, head coach Kevin McGuff allowed forward Ajae Petty and center Elsa Lemmilä to defend the big outright, jumping in front of her to prevent entry passes and easy looks.
Ohio State went ahead seven points thanks to a six-point run on the offensive side after getting defensive stops, scoring eight points off eight forced turnovers in the first quarter. Offensive threats Jaloni Cambridge and Cotie McMahon led the scoring in the first, combining for nine points, but once the two went to the bench for rest, the production fell off a cliff.
The Buckeyes went over six minutes between baskets from the first to the second quarter, and along the way the Bruins built an 11-point run to go ahead eight points on the Scarlet and Gray.
In the second quarter, the defense followed the offense’s lead and dipped. First, the turnovers Ohio State forced were suddenly now happening to them, instead. They came in the form of errant passes, reckless dribbling and forced passed that ended up in the hands of the Bruins.
Also, instead of stopping passes from getting to Betts, Petty tried to play physical one-on-one defense from behind, but with a four-inch advantage in height the UCLA junior backed up Petty to the tune of six points while Petty was on the court.
McGuff adjusted and brought in 6-foot-6 freshman center Elsa Lemmilä who played poised both defensively and offensively. The Finnish big scored two consecutive baskets for the Buckeyes, with the first coming off a sound pass from the younger Cambridge, finding the center open for an open layup. On the next basket, Lemmilä picked up a rebound and dribbled through two defenders, including Betts, to hit a hardly fought layup.
LoniElsa pic.twitter.com/DXmMaDjAac
— Ohio State Women’s Basketball (@OhioStateWBB) February 6, 2025
Lemmilä scored six points in the first half, all under the basket, going 3-of-5. The rest of the Buckeyes went 3-of-29 from the floor, with Cambridge leading the team at halftime with seven points.
However, the defensive intensity returned in the second quarter and the Buckeyes held the Bruins to 12 points in the quarter. Even so, the home side went into halftime with a six-point lead, holding the visiting Buckeyes to just eight points in the second quarter.
However, Betts was still doing the most damage and scored 13 points with 10 rebounds in the first half, accounting for over a third of the Bruins 30 points in the firsts two quarters.
In the second half, coach McGuff brought back out this starting five, which is normal for the 12th-year Ohio State coach, but waited nearly seven minutes to bring the hot hand of Lemmilä back into the game.
Petty tried to move around the paint and hit shots, but was met with Betts or fouled and went to the free throw line. Unfortunately for the graduate senior, she didn’t hit any of the four she took through three quarters and had zero points on 0-of-5 shooting.
Regardless, the Buckeye defense held UCLA back long enough to get some opportunistic baskets courtesy of McMahon. The junior went to the paint and used her speed and agility to find open looks. Including picking up a loose ball in the paint on the defensive end and running the length of the floor to hit a layup.
Ohio State outscored UCLA 18-14 in the third quarter, courtesy of 16 points split evenly between McMahon and Cambridge. Including a rare three-point shot, only the second in their of first 14 attempts in the matchup.
At the end of the third quarter, the Buckeyes cut the lead down to two points, and tied the game 34 seconds into the fourth quarter. However, UCLA star guard Kiki Rice took the game into her hands, scoring the next four points. It prompted McGuff to call a timeout to regroup, still having a chance at dethroning the top team in the nation.
Then Ohio State’s offense went cold, and so did their defense. The Buckeyes missed five consecutive shots and the Bruins pushed their lead to 13 points, requiring another timeout from McGuff, hoping to wake up the visiting team that lost intensity after the quick run of Rice at the start of the period.
It took 5:51 of game clock between Ohio State baskets. In that time, the Bruins went on a 15-point run to push their lead to an insurmountable 18 points with 3:16 remaining in the game. The Buckeyes went into full court press mode again, m but it was far too late.
Cambridge and McMahon led the Buckeyes with 18 points and 14 points, respectively. Cambridge added eight rebounds and six assists.
Rice scored 12 points for the Bruins, with six coming in the fourth quarter. Forward Gabriela Jaquez scored 15 points, going 4-of-5 in the fourth quarter with a team leading nine points in the frame.
What’s Next
The Buckeyes stay in Los Angeles with a Saturday matchup against the No. 7 USC Trojans. Before Ohio State’s game against the Bruins, the Trojans defeated the Wisconsin Badgers 86-64, in Madison, before heading back home to prepare for Saturday.
Last season, the Trojans and Scarlet and Gray met in Las Vegas, Nevada to start the 23-24 season. Superstar guard JuJu Watkins debuted her NCAA career with 33 points, defeating Ohio State 83-74.
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