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LGHL Men’s basketball pulls off epic double overtime win, football hires new defensive coach
- News
- 0 Replies
Men’s basketball pulls off epic double overtime win, football hires new defensive coach
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images
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.
Ohio State to hire Miguel Patrick as a defensive assistant
Patrick Murphy, Bucknuts
Five Buckeyes gaining buzz ahead of pivotal spring practice
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row
Former Ohio State Stars Expect James Peoples to Buckeyes’ Next Great Running Back
Dan Hope, Eleven Warriors
Ohio State cornerbacks: Most important, most intriguing Buckeyes in camp
Austin Ward, Dotting The Eyes
Where Buckeyes, 2025 opponents land in pre-spring SP+ ratings, rankings
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row
Ohio State vs. Michigan rivalry ‘watered down’ in modern college football era, Cardale Jones says
Carter Bahns, 247Sports
Not dead yet! Ohio State men defeat Nebraska 116-114 in double OT to keep tournament dreams alive
Connor Lemons, Land-Grant Holy Land
Replay: Ohio State makes history with double-OT win against Nebraska
Adam Jardy, The Columbus Dispatch
McMahon, Thierry and Cambridge win Big Ten awards for Ohio State women’s basketball
Thomas Costello, Land-Grant Holy Land
A rough weekend for teams bidding to host March Madness benefits Ohio State
Thomas Costello, Land-Grant Holy Land
Blue Jackets, NHL give ESPN huge ratings bump at OSU’s frozen ‘Shoe
Brian Hedger, The Columbus Dispatch
Baseball: Buckeyes Win High-Scoring Home Opener Against St. John’s
Ohio State Athletics
Women’s Golf: Buckeyes Tied for 10th After Two Rounds of Darius Rucker Intercollegiate
Ohio State Athletics
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
Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images
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.
On the Gridiron
Ohio State to hire Miguel Patrick as a defensive assistant
Patrick Murphy, Bucknuts
Five Buckeyes gaining buzz ahead of pivotal spring practice
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row
Final️
3rd & 11
Through the Heart of Texas pic.twitter.com/XZNHe87wOl
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) March 4, 2025
Former Ohio State Stars Expect James Peoples to Buckeyes’ Next Great Running Back
Dan Hope, Eleven Warriors
Ohio State cornerbacks: Most important, most intriguing Buckeyes in camp
Austin Ward, Dotting The Eyes
Where Buckeyes, 2025 opponents land in pre-spring SP+ ratings, rankings
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row
Ohio State vs. Michigan rivalry ‘watered down’ in modern college football era, Cardale Jones says
Carter Bahns, 247Sports
On the Hardwood
Not dead yet! Ohio State men defeat Nebraska 116-114 in double OT to keep tournament dreams alive
Connor Lemons, Land-Grant Holy Land
Replay: Ohio State makes history with double-OT win against Nebraska
Adam Jardy, The Columbus Dispatch
WE WIN, WE SING ️
Take it away @kalen_etzler24pic.twitter.com/RCcOlaH0PK
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) March 5, 2025
McMahon, Thierry and Cambridge win Big Ten awards for Ohio State women’s basketball
Thomas Costello, Land-Grant Holy Land
A rough weekend for teams bidding to host March Madness benefits Ohio State
Thomas Costello, Land-Grant Holy Land
Outside the Shoe and Schott
Blue Jackets, NHL give ESPN huge ratings bump at OSU’s frozen ‘Shoe
Brian Hedger, The Columbus Dispatch
Baseball: Buckeyes Win High-Scoring Home Opener Against St. John’s
Ohio State Athletics
Women’s Golf: Buckeyes Tied for 10th After Two Rounds of Darius Rucker Intercollegiate
Ohio State Athletics
And now for something completely different...
Continue reading...
2026 TX DL Landon Barnes (Ole Miss Verbal)
- By pnuts34
- Football Recruiting
- 6 Replies
247
Rivals
Twitter
HudL
Class: 2026
Position: DE
School: Duncanville(TX) Duncanville
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 240lbs
Login to view embedded media
Rivals
HudL
Class: 2026
Position: DE
School: Duncanville(TX) Duncanville
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 240lbs
Login to view embedded media
LGHL McMahon, Thierry and Cambridge win Big Ten awards for Ohio State women’s basketball
- News
- 0 Replies
McMahon, Thierry and Cambridge win Big Ten awards for Ohio State women’s basketball
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Ben Jackson/Getty Images
The Buckeyes play in the 2024-25 season garnered attention in the annual postseason awards announcement
With the Big Ten Tournament looming, it’s time for postseason awards. This season, three members of Ohio State women’s basketball won awards, with point guard Jaloni Cambridge, guard/forward Taylor Thierry, forward Cotie McMahon and guard Madison Greene each earning awards in the annual awards selected by the media and coaches.
Cambridge won the lone individual award, picking up the Freshman of the Year award from the media and a co-Freshman of the Year award with Michigan Wolverines’ guard Olivia Olson on the coaches’ side. The point guard averaged 16.0 points, 4,4 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.1 steals in her first regular season of NCAA basketball.
This award adds to the four Freshman of the Week awards earned by Cambridge, a conference high. Cambridge is the 11th Buckeye to earn Freshman of the Year honor and the second in three years with McMahon winning it for her debut 22-23 season.
The guard also landed on the All-Big Ten First Team for coaches, and Second Team for the media, along with a spot on the All-Freshman team. Cambridge was fourth in the conference with 2.1 steals per game and 10th in defensive rating at 81.5 points allowed per 100 possessions.
McMahon joined Cambridge on an All-Big Ten team, voted onto the First Team after a career season where McMahon scored a personal best 16.9 points per game. The junior also lowered her turnovers to a career low 2.2, now in a leadership role for Ohio State. Both McMahon and Cambridge were selected unanimously by the Big Ten coaches.
Throughout the season, when the Buckeyes dealt with problems normally coming from having three new starters and a large roster turnover, McMahon was the one who battled to keep Ohio State in games. The junior still attacked the basket but added deep shooting with 1.1 made three-point shots per game at 37 percent efficiency. McMahon’s previous high was 21.2 percent shooting from deep on 1.8 attempts per game, hitting only .4 per contest.
In Thierry’s last season, the guard/forward hybrid earned a spot on the All-Defensive Team for the first time in her career, following the lead of guard Celeste Taylor who earned a place last season. Thierry had 2.4 steals per game but a down offensive side of the year, scoring a career low 10.0 points as a starter.
USC Trojans’ guard JuJu Watkins won Player of the Year, along with a unanimous selection onto the Big Ten’s First Team. UCLA Bruins center Lauren Betts was the only other player with a unanimous selection to the First Team.
Betts also picked up the Big Ten Defensive player of the Year award and joined Thierry, Watkins, USC’s Rayah Marshall and Wisconsin Badgers’ center Serah Williams on the All-Defensive Team.
Joining Watkins in award celebrations was head coach Lindsay Gottlieb, named Big Ten Coach of the Year. Gottlieb led her the Trojans to a 17-1 record in conference play, including two wins over the UCLA Bruins.
In the category of sportsmanship honorees, guard Madison Greene won the award for the Buckeyes, with each Big Ten side winning the honor.
Click here for the full list of winners.
Continue reading...
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Ben Jackson/Getty Images
The Buckeyes play in the 2024-25 season garnered attention in the annual postseason awards announcement
With the Big Ten Tournament looming, it’s time for postseason awards. This season, three members of Ohio State women’s basketball won awards, with point guard Jaloni Cambridge, guard/forward Taylor Thierry, forward Cotie McMahon and guard Madison Greene each earning awards in the annual awards selected by the media and coaches.
Cambridge won the lone individual award, picking up the Freshman of the Year award from the media and a co-Freshman of the Year award with Michigan Wolverines’ guard Olivia Olson on the coaches’ side. The point guard averaged 16.0 points, 4,4 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.1 steals in her first regular season of NCAA basketball.
This award adds to the four Freshman of the Week awards earned by Cambridge, a conference high. Cambridge is the 11th Buckeye to earn Freshman of the Year honor and the second in three years with McMahon winning it for her debut 22-23 season.
The guard also landed on the All-Big Ten First Team for coaches, and Second Team for the media, along with a spot on the All-Freshman team. Cambridge was fourth in the conference with 2.1 steals per game and 10th in defensive rating at 81.5 points allowed per 100 possessions.
McMahon joined Cambridge on an All-Big Ten team, voted onto the First Team after a career season where McMahon scored a personal best 16.9 points per game. The junior also lowered her turnovers to a career low 2.2, now in a leadership role for Ohio State. Both McMahon and Cambridge were selected unanimously by the Big Ten coaches.
Throughout the season, when the Buckeyes dealt with problems normally coming from having three new starters and a large roster turnover, McMahon was the one who battled to keep Ohio State in games. The junior still attacked the basket but added deep shooting with 1.1 made three-point shots per game at 37 percent efficiency. McMahon’s previous high was 21.2 percent shooting from deep on 1.8 attempts per game, hitting only .4 per contest.
In Thierry’s last season, the guard/forward hybrid earned a spot on the All-Defensive Team for the first time in her career, following the lead of guard Celeste Taylor who earned a place last season. Thierry had 2.4 steals per game but a down offensive side of the year, scoring a career low 10.0 points as a starter.
USC Trojans’ guard JuJu Watkins won Player of the Year, along with a unanimous selection onto the Big Ten’s First Team. UCLA Bruins center Lauren Betts was the only other player with a unanimous selection to the First Team.
Betts also picked up the Big Ten Defensive player of the Year award and joined Thierry, Watkins, USC’s Rayah Marshall and Wisconsin Badgers’ center Serah Williams on the All-Defensive Team.
Joining Watkins in award celebrations was head coach Lindsay Gottlieb, named Big Ten Coach of the Year. Gottlieb led her the Trojans to a 17-1 record in conference play, including two wins over the UCLA Bruins.
In the category of sportsmanship honorees, guard Madison Greene won the award for the Buckeyes, with each Big Ten side winning the honor.
Click here for the full list of winners.
Continue reading...
LGHL Not dead yet! Ohio State men defeat Nebraska 116-114 in double OT to keep tournament dreams alive
- News
- 0 Replies
Not dead yet! Ohio State men defeat Nebraska 116-114 in double OT to keep tournament dreams alive
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 via Imagn Images
Holy crap! I really hope you stayed up for that game!
There was an unspoken urgency heading into Tuesday night’s game between Ohio State and Nebraska. Both teams were teetering on the edge of either making the NCAA Tournament or earning the far less coveted auto-bid to the NCAA Crown Tournament.
Entering Tuesday night, both Ohio State and Nebraska were listed as 11-seeds on Bracket Matrix, a website that aggregates all of the online NCAA Tournament models to produce one bracket. Both the Buckeyes and Cornhuskers would have been Dayton play-in teams if they were seeded before tonight’s game. If the season had ended before tonight's game, both teams would’ve made the NCAA Tournament.
A balanced scoring attack carried the Buckeyes to a 116-114 win over the visiting ‘Huskers Tuesday night, although they need double overtime to do it after blowing a seven-point lead with two minutes remaining. Thornton led the Buckeyes with 29 points on 12-of-20 shooting.
Bruce Thornton set the tone right away in this game, scoring seven points on a perfect 3-of-3 shooting in the first five minutes of the game. Ohio State took a 12-6 lead into the very first timeout, with Thornton out-scoring Nebraska all by himself.
The Buckeyes were hawking over to Brice Williams on defense, paying a ton of attention to the Big Ten’s second-leading scorer and preventing him from getting downhill against Thornton and John Mobley Jr., each of whom are multiple inches shorter than Williams.
Ohio State extended that lead to 11 points a few minutes later, thanks in part to a 5-0 Aaron Bradshaw run. After knocking down a triple to make it 17-8, he Euro-stepped around Nebraska’s Andrew Morgan on the very next possession to score at the basket, making it 19-8 with 11:55 left in the first half.
The ‘Huskers took advantage of some head-scratching fouls by Ohio State on made baskets to cut into the 11-point deficit and trail by just four points, 27-23, at the under-eight media timeout. Essegian and Gary were making shots for Nebraska, while Stewart was nailed to the bench and Ivan Njegovan struggled to hang on to the basketball in a very brief first-half appearance.
With six seconds remaining in the first half, Thornton raced down the floor and cut to his left, pivoting at the last second and finding Mobley for a deep three, which he buried with the help of Thornton immediately setting a screen on Gary after the pass. That triple by Mobley made it 45-39 at halftime in favor of the Buckeyes.
Ohio State’s double-digit lead only lasted 21 seconds, but they did stop Nebraska from putting together any kind of extended run in the first half and were able to protect the lead for the full 20 minutes. The two teams shot an identical 57.1% in the first half. Ohio State assisted on nine of its 16 made baskets in the first half, with five of those assists being credited to Thornton.
An Ohio State turnover on an inbounds pass turned into a fast break for Nebraska, which led to a Brice Williams three-pointer that gave the Cornhuskers their first lead of the game, 48-47, with 17:09 left in the game. The ‘Huskers outscored Ohio State 11-6 over the first 4:19 of the second half, cutting the Buckeyes’ lead from six points to just one when the first media timeout hit at the 15:41 mark.
Thanks to a couple big baskets from Stewart and a corner three-pointer from Parrish, Ohio State was able to go on a 10-2 run and go ahead, 61-53, with just over 13 minutes left in the game. By the under-12 media timeout, that lead held at eight points, 63-55.
Williams poked Royal in the eye while battling for an offensive rebound with 8:11 left in the game. Royal doubled over and held his eye, and Williams immediately stopped to make sure Royal was alright. It was clearly not intentional or malicious, but Williams was assessed a flagrant foul after a quick review. It turned what would have been a Nebraska rebound into two free throws for Royal, who made both. The Buckeyes got the possession as well, and Thornton scored to make it 70-62 Ohio State with 8:02 remaining.
For almost five straight minutes the two teams traded baskets, with neither squad scoring more than three consecutive points for most of the final seven minutes of the game. A Thornton runner off the glass dropped in to make it 83-76 Ohio State with 2:55 left in the game, and Ohio State called timeout.
Nebraska’s Andrew Morgan scored on a pick and roll below the basket to make it 88-87, and was fouled by Thornton as well. He hit the free throw to tie the game 88-88 with 43 seconds remaining, and the Buckeyes used their final timeout.
Mobley was fouled on the next possession, and split the pair to put Ohio State up 89-88, which made Nebraska use their final timeout. Out of the timeout, Nebraska got the ball to Williams, who drove on Parrish and drew a foul. He split the pair, tying the game, and Parrish wasn’t able to get a shot off before the buzzer, sending the game to overtime.
Williams scored the first five points of overtime for Nebraska, putting the ‘Huskers up 94-89 with 3:51 remaining in overtime. A three-pointer from Parrish got it back to a one-point game, 99-98, with 46 seconds remaining.
After Williams missed a fading jumper with 15 seconds left on the clock, the Buckeyes had one final possession. Royal drove to the basket against Morgan and was fouled with seven seconds remaining. He split the pair to tie the game 99-99, and then Williams missed a tough baseline jumper at the buzzer, sending this game to a SECOND overtime!
Williams hit his fourth three-pointer of the game to put Nebraska up 102-99, 17 seconds into the second overtime period. A pair of free throws from Parrish put the Buckeyes up 104-103 with 2:50 remaining in the game, and he drilled a three-pointer two minutes later to make it 110-106 with 43 seconds left in double OT.
The Buckeyes got two big defensive stops in the final 30 seconds, and were able to ice it away to win a massive game with huge NCAA Tournament implications, 116-114.
If you weren’t around late Tuesday night to watch Ohio State continue its push to the Big Dance with a win over Nebraska, here are a few key moments and plays that happened along the way:
After having a great game against Washington on February 12, Aaron Bradshaw has not contributed much since, scoring a combined six points against Michigan and USC. The seven-footer saw the floor more in the first half against Nebraska, scoring five consecutive points at one point to give the Buckeyes a 19-8 lead. One of those baskets was a straightaway three-pointer, which made him (at the time) four for his last five from beyond the arc.
Nebraska trailed Ohio State 19-8 with 11:41 remaining in the first half when Morgan dribbled in the paint, inched closer to the basket while defended by Sean Stewart, and finally scored over Stewart, through contact. The Ohio State sophomore picked up his second foul of the game and headed to the bench, but Morgan missed the free throw.
However, Nebraska’s Juwan Gary grabbed the rebound and got the ball to Connor Essegian, who knocked down a long two-pointer... while being fouled from behind by Mahaffey. Essegian went to the line and knocked down the extra, cutting Ohio State’s lead to 19-13 with 11:34 left in the first half.
With the Buckeyes up 35-27, sophomore center Austin Parks checked in to give Bradshaw a breather. Stewart was on the bench with foul trouble, and Njegovan had turned the ball each of the last two times he touched it, going back to the UCLA game.
Parks checked in and was guarding Nebraska’s Bereke Buyuktuncel. The left-handed Turk spun and bumped into Parks, who was camped behind him, knocking Parks over. An offensive foul was called on the lefty, giving Ohio State the ball going the other way with a 38-30 lead and three minutes to go until halftime.
(This felt like an important moment if for no other reason than I’ve never seen Austin Parks draw a charge)
John Mobley Jr. is on pace to break the Ohio State program record for free throw percentage in a season, coming into Tuesday night’s game sitting at 90.7%. That’s just a smidge higher than Jody Finney’s 90% mark during the 1968-1969 season.
With the Buckeyes up 38-31 and three minutes left until halftime, Mobley was fouled by the coach’s son — Sam Hoiberg — going for a layup on the right side of the tin. Mobley promptly stepped to the line and missed both free throws after hitting 19 of his previous 20.
Gary scored on the very next Nebraska possession to make it sting even more, cutting the lead to 38-33.
After Williams drove directly into Thornton’s chest to score a bucket and make it 42-39, Thornton inbounded the ball and streaked up the floor with just a few seconds to go until halftime. He drove to his right before spinning and passing to Mobley, and immediately setting a screen on Gary to give Mobley some space to let it rip.
The freshman lifted up and drained it to put Ohio State up 45-39 at halftime. Mobley had 11 points in the first half, including three three-point makes.
One minute after a Gary three cut Ohio State’s lead to two points, Williams effortlessly knocked down his second three-pointer of the game to put Nebraska up 48-47 with just over 17 minutes left in the game. It was Nebraska’s first lead of the game.
Nebraska had a brief lead in the second half, but the Buckeyes used a 12-2 run to go ahead by double-digits for the first time in the second half, 63-53. Thornton dribbled with his right hand towards the free throw line, pump faked to get Rollie Worster in the air, and then rose up from about six feet to knock down the mid-range shot to put the Buckeyes up 10 once again.
Morgan cut to the basket and got a pass from Williams and scored through contact, with Thornton the culprit. Morgan hit the free throw as well to tie the game 88-88 with 43 seconds remaining in the game.
Parrish fouled Brice Williams with eight seconds remaining, and the 90% free throw shooter split the pair, making it 89-89 with eight seconds left.
On Ohio State’s final possession of regulation, Parrish had the ball and did not see Mobley next to him, and was unable to get a shot off before the buzzer, sending the game to overtime.
Williams scored the first five points of overtime, putting Nebraska up 94-89 right away and putting the Buckeyes in a big hole right away.
With seven seconds remaining in overtime, Royal drove to the basket and was fouled by Morgan, sending him to the line with a chance to tie or take the lead.
Royal hit the first to tie the game 99-99, but missed the second. Williams went the other way and missed a tough baseline jumper with two defenders in his face, sending the game to a second overtime.
With Ohio State up 107-106 and the shot clock ticking down, Parrish jab-stepped four times with Essegian in his face, eventually lifting up and nailing a triple with 43 seconds remaining to put the Buckeyes up 110-106 in the second overtime period.
Ohio State has three days off before traveling to Bloomington, Indiana on Saturday to take on their fellow bubble-tenant, the Indiana Hoosiers. Indiana started slow this season, but has won three of their last four games, heading into their road game Tuesday night against Oregon. Both teams desperately need a win to help insure a place in the NCAA Tournament.
The Hoosiers have won each of the last four meetings with Ohio State, most recently beating the Buckeyes 77-76 in Columbus back on Jan. 17.
Ohio State’s game against Indiana is set to tip off at 3:45 p.m. ET and will be broadcast nationally on CBS.
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
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Holy crap! I really hope you stayed up for that game!
There was an unspoken urgency heading into Tuesday night’s game between Ohio State and Nebraska. Both teams were teetering on the edge of either making the NCAA Tournament or earning the far less coveted auto-bid to the NCAA Crown Tournament.
Entering Tuesday night, both Ohio State and Nebraska were listed as 11-seeds on Bracket Matrix, a website that aggregates all of the online NCAA Tournament models to produce one bracket. Both the Buckeyes and Cornhuskers would have been Dayton play-in teams if they were seeded before tonight’s game. If the season had ended before tonight's game, both teams would’ve made the NCAA Tournament.
A balanced scoring attack carried the Buckeyes to a 116-114 win over the visiting ‘Huskers Tuesday night, although they need double overtime to do it after blowing a seven-point lead with two minutes remaining. Thornton led the Buckeyes with 29 points on 12-of-20 shooting.
Bruce Thornton set the tone right away in this game, scoring seven points on a perfect 3-of-3 shooting in the first five minutes of the game. Ohio State took a 12-6 lead into the very first timeout, with Thornton out-scoring Nebraska all by himself.
The Buckeyes were hawking over to Brice Williams on defense, paying a ton of attention to the Big Ten’s second-leading scorer and preventing him from getting downhill against Thornton and John Mobley Jr., each of whom are multiple inches shorter than Williams.
Ohio State extended that lead to 11 points a few minutes later, thanks in part to a 5-0 Aaron Bradshaw run. After knocking down a triple to make it 17-8, he Euro-stepped around Nebraska’s Andrew Morgan on the very next possession to score at the basket, making it 19-8 with 11:55 left in the first half.
The ‘Huskers took advantage of some head-scratching fouls by Ohio State on made baskets to cut into the 11-point deficit and trail by just four points, 27-23, at the under-eight media timeout. Essegian and Gary were making shots for Nebraska, while Stewart was nailed to the bench and Ivan Njegovan struggled to hang on to the basketball in a very brief first-half appearance.
With six seconds remaining in the first half, Thornton raced down the floor and cut to his left, pivoting at the last second and finding Mobley for a deep three, which he buried with the help of Thornton immediately setting a screen on Gary after the pass. That triple by Mobley made it 45-39 at halftime in favor of the Buckeyes.
Ohio State’s double-digit lead only lasted 21 seconds, but they did stop Nebraska from putting together any kind of extended run in the first half and were able to protect the lead for the full 20 minutes. The two teams shot an identical 57.1% in the first half. Ohio State assisted on nine of its 16 made baskets in the first half, with five of those assists being credited to Thornton.
An Ohio State turnover on an inbounds pass turned into a fast break for Nebraska, which led to a Brice Williams three-pointer that gave the Cornhuskers their first lead of the game, 48-47, with 17:09 left in the game. The ‘Huskers outscored Ohio State 11-6 over the first 4:19 of the second half, cutting the Buckeyes’ lead from six points to just one when the first media timeout hit at the 15:41 mark.
Thanks to a couple big baskets from Stewart and a corner three-pointer from Parrish, Ohio State was able to go on a 10-2 run and go ahead, 61-53, with just over 13 minutes left in the game. By the under-12 media timeout, that lead held at eight points, 63-55.
Williams poked Royal in the eye while battling for an offensive rebound with 8:11 left in the game. Royal doubled over and held his eye, and Williams immediately stopped to make sure Royal was alright. It was clearly not intentional or malicious, but Williams was assessed a flagrant foul after a quick review. It turned what would have been a Nebraska rebound into two free throws for Royal, who made both. The Buckeyes got the possession as well, and Thornton scored to make it 70-62 Ohio State with 8:02 remaining.
For almost five straight minutes the two teams traded baskets, with neither squad scoring more than three consecutive points for most of the final seven minutes of the game. A Thornton runner off the glass dropped in to make it 83-76 Ohio State with 2:55 left in the game, and Ohio State called timeout.
Nebraska’s Andrew Morgan scored on a pick and roll below the basket to make it 88-87, and was fouled by Thornton as well. He hit the free throw to tie the game 88-88 with 43 seconds remaining, and the Buckeyes used their final timeout.
Mobley was fouled on the next possession, and split the pair to put Ohio State up 89-88, which made Nebraska use their final timeout. Out of the timeout, Nebraska got the ball to Williams, who drove on Parrish and drew a foul. He split the pair, tying the game, and Parrish wasn’t able to get a shot off before the buzzer, sending the game to overtime.
Williams scored the first five points of overtime for Nebraska, putting the ‘Huskers up 94-89 with 3:51 remaining in overtime. A three-pointer from Parrish got it back to a one-point game, 99-98, with 46 seconds remaining.
After Williams missed a fading jumper with 15 seconds left on the clock, the Buckeyes had one final possession. Royal drove to the basket against Morgan and was fouled with seven seconds remaining. He split the pair to tie the game 99-99, and then Williams missed a tough baseline jumper at the buzzer, sending this game to a SECOND overtime!
Williams hit his fourth three-pointer of the game to put Nebraska up 102-99, 17 seconds into the second overtime period. A pair of free throws from Parrish put the Buckeyes up 104-103 with 2:50 remaining in the game, and he drilled a three-pointer two minutes later to make it 110-106 with 43 seconds left in double OT.
The Buckeyes got two big defensive stops in the final 30 seconds, and were able to ice it away to win a massive game with huge NCAA Tournament implications, 116-114.
If you weren’t around late Tuesday night to watch Ohio State continue its push to the Big Dance with a win over Nebraska, here are a few key moments and plays that happened along the way:
Early points for Aaron Bradshaw
After having a great game against Washington on February 12, Aaron Bradshaw has not contributed much since, scoring a combined six points against Michigan and USC. The seven-footer saw the floor more in the first half against Nebraska, scoring five consecutive points at one point to give the Buckeyes a 19-8 lead. One of those baskets was a straightaway three-pointer, which made him (at the time) four for his last five from beyond the arc.
Buckeyes foul Nebraska on made baskets... twice in seven seconds
Nebraska trailed Ohio State 19-8 with 11:41 remaining in the first half when Morgan dribbled in the paint, inched closer to the basket while defended by Sean Stewart, and finally scored over Stewart, through contact. The Ohio State sophomore picked up his second foul of the game and headed to the bench, but Morgan missed the free throw.
However, Nebraska’s Juwan Gary grabbed the rebound and got the ball to Connor Essegian, who knocked down a long two-pointer... while being fouled from behind by Mahaffey. Essegian went to the line and knocked down the extra, cutting Ohio State’s lead to 19-13 with 11:34 left in the first half.
Austin Parks draws a charge
With the Buckeyes up 35-27, sophomore center Austin Parks checked in to give Bradshaw a breather. Stewart was on the bench with foul trouble, and Njegovan had turned the ball each of the last two times he touched it, going back to the UCLA game.
Parks checked in and was guarding Nebraska’s Bereke Buyuktuncel. The left-handed Turk spun and bumped into Parks, who was camped behind him, knocking Parks over. An offensive foul was called on the lefty, giving Ohio State the ball going the other way with a 38-30 lead and three minutes to go until halftime.
(This felt like an important moment if for no other reason than I’ve never seen Austin Parks draw a charge)
Elite free throw shooter misses both free throws
John Mobley Jr. is on pace to break the Ohio State program record for free throw percentage in a season, coming into Tuesday night’s game sitting at 90.7%. That’s just a smidge higher than Jody Finney’s 90% mark during the 1968-1969 season.
With the Buckeyes up 38-31 and three minutes left until halftime, Mobley was fouled by the coach’s son — Sam Hoiberg — going for a layup on the right side of the tin. Mobley promptly stepped to the line and missed both free throws after hitting 19 of his previous 20.
Gary scored on the very next Nebraska possession to make it sting even more, cutting the lead to 38-33.
Mobley knocks one down at the buzzer to end the half
After Williams drove directly into Thornton’s chest to score a bucket and make it 42-39, Thornton inbounded the ball and streaked up the floor with just a few seconds to go until halftime. He drove to his right before spinning and passing to Mobley, and immediately setting a screen on Gary to give Mobley some space to let it rip.
The freshman lifted up and drained it to put Ohio State up 45-39 at halftime. Mobley had 11 points in the first half, including three three-point makes.
Nebraska takes its first lead
One minute after a Gary three cut Ohio State’s lead to two points, Williams effortlessly knocked down his second three-pointer of the game to put Nebraska up 48-47 with just over 17 minutes left in the game. It was Nebraska’s first lead of the game.
Thornton’s middie puts Buckeyes up 10
Nebraska had a brief lead in the second half, but the Buckeyes used a 12-2 run to go ahead by double-digits for the first time in the second half, 63-53. Thornton dribbled with his right hand towards the free throw line, pump faked to get Rollie Worster in the air, and then rose up from about six feet to knock down the mid-range shot to put the Buckeyes up 10 once again.
Morgan ties it with 43 seconds left
Morgan cut to the basket and got a pass from Williams and scored through contact, with Thornton the culprit. Morgan hit the free throw as well to tie the game 88-88 with 43 seconds remaining in the game.
Parrish can’t get a shot off, overtime!
Parrish fouled Brice Williams with eight seconds remaining, and the 90% free throw shooter split the pair, making it 89-89 with eight seconds left.
On Ohio State’s final possession of regulation, Parrish had the ball and did not see Mobley next to him, and was unable to get a shot off before the buzzer, sending the game to overtime.
Williams scores five in a row to start overtime
Williams scored the first five points of overtime, putting Nebraska up 94-89 right away and putting the Buckeyes in a big hole right away.
Royal ties it, sends game to second overtime
With seven seconds remaining in overtime, Royal drove to the basket and was fouled by Morgan, sending him to the line with a chance to tie or take the lead.
Royal hit the first to tie the game 99-99, but missed the second. Williams went the other way and missed a tough baseline jumper with two defenders in his face, sending the game to a second overtime.
Parrish drills the three, puts Ohio State up four with 43 seconds left
With Ohio State up 107-106 and the shot clock ticking down, Parrish jab-stepped four times with Essegian in his face, eventually lifting up and nailing a triple with 43 seconds remaining to put the Buckeyes up 110-106 in the second overtime period.
What’s next?
Ohio State has three days off before traveling to Bloomington, Indiana on Saturday to take on their fellow bubble-tenant, the Indiana Hoosiers. Indiana started slow this season, but has won three of their last four games, heading into their road game Tuesday night against Oregon. Both teams desperately need a win to help insure a place in the NCAA Tournament.
The Hoosiers have won each of the last four meetings with Ohio State, most recently beating the Buckeyes 77-76 in Columbus back on Jan. 17.
Ohio State’s game against Indiana is set to tip off at 3:45 p.m. ET and will be broadcast nationally on CBS.
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LGHL A rough weekend for teams bidding to host March Madness benefits Ohio State
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A rough weekend for teams bidding to host March Madness benefits Ohio State
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images
The Buckeyes lost in Maryland, but hope is not lost for First and Second Round games in Columbus.
On Thursday, Ohio State women’s basketball dropped to No. 16 in the NCAA Tournament committee’s top-16 rankings — which comprises the list of teams that would currently be seeded Nos. 1-4 were the March Madness bracket announced today. In the women’s tourney, that is extra important, because those 16 teams would all be in line to host the first and second rounds. That meant the margin for error was thin for the Buckeyes, needing a strong showing in the last game of the season, which more or less didn’t happen.
The Buckeyes traveled to College Park, Maryland and lost two starters to fouls and fell to the Terrapins on a last second shot in overtime.
Considering that the committee looks at not only AP rankings but also NET rankings and the quality of wins, the 'Buckeyes' loss to the Terps was a quad-one game, the highest difficulty and worth the most in the committee's eyes. It reduced Ohio State’s record in quad-one games to 4-4, which is important to remember when evaluating the teams competing for their spot in the rankings.
However, Ohio State fans do not have all hope lost. The Buckeyes received some help over the weekend.
Here’s a rundown of how close programs to the Scarlet and Gray in the NET and top-16 rankings played this weekend, and what it means for the Buckeyes. Note that rankings connected to teams reflect AP ranking on game day, not NET or top-16 committee seeding (unless mentioned).
A few hours after the committee released the 16 teams they see hosting, the Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the No. 7 LSU Tigers in an overtime thriller in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide have been in the top-25 of the Associated Press for all but two weeks this season, and sat ahead of the Buckeyes in the NET prior to the win. Defeating them only made their case stronger to slip into a top-16 seed for the NCAA Tournament.
That climb suffered a minor setback on Sunday, in Norman, Oklahoma at the hands of the No. 13 Sooners. Oklahoma sent the Crimson Tide home with a quad one defeat, putting Alabama at 5-7 in their toughest games this season. More losses than Ohio State, but Alabama also challenged themselves to four more quad one games in the regular season than the Buckeyes.
With the quality of opponent, the Crimson Tide stayed at No. 15 in the NET after the loss, three spots ahead of the Buckeyes.
Alabama heads into the SEC Tournament as the No. 6 seed. They will face the winner of the Florida Gators and the Auburn Tigers who play on the first day of the conference slate. The Crimson Tide beat the Gators twice in the regular season, and the Tigers once, and should Alabama win in the second round, it’s a rematch against the LSU Tigers in the quarterfinal in a highly anticipated rematch from only a week prior.
Ohio State benefits if Alabama is upset, obviously, but should they move on, there may be Buckeye fans cheering for head coach Kim Mulkey’s Tigers on Friday.
In a de facto Big 12 championship game, the Baylor Bears welcomed the Horned Frogs to Waco to not only lift a trophy but continue their winning streak that stretched to nine games heading into Sunday. The Horned Frogs weren’t interested in helping and center Sedona Prince had 16 points and 19 rebounds in a defensive battle that ended in TCU’s favor.
Like Alabama, the loss didn’t move the Bears down in the NET, staying set at No. 16. It gives Baylor a 3-4 record in quad one wins, giving Ohio State another advantage, although slight.
Baylor is the No. 2 seed in the Big 12 Tournament, advancing to the quarterfinals automatically, like the Buckeyes. Either the Cincinnati Bearcats, Arizona State Sun Devils or Iowa State Cyclones will face Baylor, with the Cyclones the No. 7 seed, waiting until day two to play the winner of the first two schools.
Speaking of the Iowa State Cyclones, center Audi Crooks helped Ohio State over the weekend.
The Iowa State Cyclones entered the 2024-25 season as the No. 8 team in the preseason AP Poll. After five weeks of defeats to start the season, the Cyclones left the poll altogether and have been on the periphery for most of the season, until Sunday.
With Kansas State center Ayoka Lee still sidelined with a foot injury, Cyclones star Audi Crooks had no equals inside the post and scored 36 points with 10 rebounds. Also, 17 points, 10 assists and 7 rebounds for guard Emily Ryan made Iowa State too much for Kansas State, handing the Wildcats their third loss in the last four games.
The losses too have been big, each by double-digits, with Sunday’s the largest deficit of the three losses. It dropped K-State down six places in the AP Poll Monday, but only one spot to No. 9 in the NET. That’s with a 2-5 record in quad one games.
Despite the higher than expected NET ranking, what’s important is that Kansas State was No. 15 in the NCAA Tournament committee seeding, making them at direct competition with the Buckeyes for hosting duties.
K-State dropped to a No. 5 seed for the Big 12 Tournament. Should they get past UCF or BYU on day two, the Wildcats have to face the West Virginia Mountaineers, another team that’s putting together a resume to challenge for a top-16 spot in March Madness.
Those are not the only three teams to challenge for a spot, when looking at the AP and NET rankings. Here are a few other games that could impact seeding, with some helping and others hurting Ohio State’s chances following a Sunday loss to Maryland.
At this point, the best thing the Buckeyes can do is not hope for other teams to struggle alongside them. Ohio State potentially plays either the Michigan State Spartans, Iowa Hawkeyes or Wisconsin Badgers. Of those three, two of the teams showed they can defeat the Buckeyes, with the Badgers the lone side that seems to be on a lower tier of Big Ten talent.
Regardless of what happens with the non-Ohio State teams above, a loss in the Buckeyes’ first tournament game could be a final nail in the metaphorical coffin that is traveling for early March Madness games.
However, a win in the quarterfinals and a potential shock upset against the UCLA Bruins may be enough to save the airline miles for another day.
Continue reading...
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images
The Buckeyes lost in Maryland, but hope is not lost for First and Second Round games in Columbus.
On Thursday, Ohio State women’s basketball dropped to No. 16 in the NCAA Tournament committee’s top-16 rankings — which comprises the list of teams that would currently be seeded Nos. 1-4 were the March Madness bracket announced today. In the women’s tourney, that is extra important, because those 16 teams would all be in line to host the first and second rounds. That meant the margin for error was thin for the Buckeyes, needing a strong showing in the last game of the season, which more or less didn’t happen.
The Buckeyes traveled to College Park, Maryland and lost two starters to fouls and fell to the Terrapins on a last second shot in overtime.
Considering that the committee looks at not only AP rankings but also NET rankings and the quality of wins, the 'Buckeyes' loss to the Terps was a quad-one game, the highest difficulty and worth the most in the committee's eyes. It reduced Ohio State’s record in quad-one games to 4-4, which is important to remember when evaluating the teams competing for their spot in the rankings.
However, Ohio State fans do not have all hope lost. The Buckeyes received some help over the weekend.
Here’s a rundown of how close programs to the Scarlet and Gray in the NET and top-16 rankings played this weekend, and what it means for the Buckeyes. Note that rankings connected to teams reflect AP ranking on game day, not NET or top-16 committee seeding (unless mentioned).
No. 19 Alabama - 84-91 defeat to No. 13 Oklahoma Sooners
A few hours after the committee released the 16 teams they see hosting, the Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the No. 7 LSU Tigers in an overtime thriller in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide have been in the top-25 of the Associated Press for all but two weeks this season, and sat ahead of the Buckeyes in the NET prior to the win. Defeating them only made their case stronger to slip into a top-16 seed for the NCAA Tournament.
That climb suffered a minor setback on Sunday, in Norman, Oklahoma at the hands of the No. 13 Sooners. Oklahoma sent the Crimson Tide home with a quad one defeat, putting Alabama at 5-7 in their toughest games this season. More losses than Ohio State, but Alabama also challenged themselves to four more quad one games in the regular season than the Buckeyes.
With the quality of opponent, the Crimson Tide stayed at No. 15 in the NET after the loss, three spots ahead of the Buckeyes.
Alabama heads into the SEC Tournament as the No. 6 seed. They will face the winner of the Florida Gators and the Auburn Tigers who play on the first day of the conference slate. The Crimson Tide beat the Gators twice in the regular season, and the Tigers once, and should Alabama win in the second round, it’s a rematch against the LSU Tigers in the quarterfinal in a highly anticipated rematch from only a week prior.
Ohio State benefits if Alabama is upset, obviously, but should they move on, there may be Buckeye fans cheering for head coach Kim Mulkey’s Tigers on Friday.
No. 17 Baylor Bears - 48-51 defeat to No. 10 TCU Horned Frogs
In a de facto Big 12 championship game, the Baylor Bears welcomed the Horned Frogs to Waco to not only lift a trophy but continue their winning streak that stretched to nine games heading into Sunday. The Horned Frogs weren’t interested in helping and center Sedona Prince had 16 points and 19 rebounds in a defensive battle that ended in TCU’s favor.
Like Alabama, the loss didn’t move the Bears down in the NET, staying set at No. 16. It gives Baylor a 3-4 record in quad one wins, giving Ohio State another advantage, although slight.
Baylor is the No. 2 seed in the Big 12 Tournament, advancing to the quarterfinals automatically, like the Buckeyes. Either the Cincinnati Bearcats, Arizona State Sun Devils or Iowa State Cyclones will face Baylor, with the Cyclones the No. 7 seed, waiting until day two to play the winner of the first two schools.
Speaking of the Iowa State Cyclones, center Audi Crooks helped Ohio State over the weekend.
No. 14 Kansas State - 63-85 defeat to Iowa State
The Iowa State Cyclones entered the 2024-25 season as the No. 8 team in the preseason AP Poll. After five weeks of defeats to start the season, the Cyclones left the poll altogether and have been on the periphery for most of the season, until Sunday.
With Kansas State center Ayoka Lee still sidelined with a foot injury, Cyclones star Audi Crooks had no equals inside the post and scored 36 points with 10 rebounds. Also, 17 points, 10 assists and 7 rebounds for guard Emily Ryan made Iowa State too much for Kansas State, handing the Wildcats their third loss in the last four games.
A season-high 36 points
10th double-double of the year@AudiCrooks doing Audi Crooks things
️ ️ pic.twitter.com/joPmbMZZm7
— Cyclone Basketball (@CycloneWBB) March 3, 2025
The losses too have been big, each by double-digits, with Sunday’s the largest deficit of the three losses. It dropped K-State down six places in the AP Poll Monday, but only one spot to No. 9 in the NET. That’s with a 2-5 record in quad one games.
Despite the higher than expected NET ranking, what’s important is that Kansas State was No. 15 in the NCAA Tournament committee seeding, making them at direct competition with the Buckeyes for hosting duties.
K-State dropped to a No. 5 seed for the Big 12 Tournament. Should they get past UCF or BYU on day two, the Wildcats have to face the West Virginia Mountaineers, another team that’s putting together a resume to challenge for a top-16 spot in March Madness.
Other Happenings on the Top-16 Fringe
Those are not the only three teams to challenge for a spot, when looking at the AP and NET rankings. Here are a few other games that could impact seeding, with some helping and others hurting Ohio State’s chances following a Sunday loss to Maryland.
- Ole Miss 85-77 win over LSU - Ole Miss has a strong strength of schedule in the SEC, and sits at No. 12 in the NET after winning in Baton Rouge. While they aren’t an AP ranked team, a strong tournament run could turn heads.
- No. 18 West Virginia 85-69 win over Cincinnati - The Mountaineers have two ranked wins on the season against Oklahoma State and K-State, but sit at No. 11 in the NET and have one loss in the last five games, however, that loss came to TCU in a 21-point rout for the Horned Frogs
- No. 11 Tennessee 69-72 defeat to Georgia - Tennessee came in at 12 in the top-16 seeding, but has two tough defeats since the announcement. A lopsided 58-82 defeat to the No. 15 Kentucky Wildcats and a home defeat to the then 11-18 Georgia Bulldogs. It was a close defeat, only by three points, but it dropped the Vols down two spots to No. 14 in the NET. Could no wins in the SEC Tournament and a couple of wins by Ohio State swing momentum in the Buckeyes’ favor?
At this point, the best thing the Buckeyes can do is not hope for other teams to struggle alongside them. Ohio State potentially plays either the Michigan State Spartans, Iowa Hawkeyes or Wisconsin Badgers. Of those three, two of the teams showed they can defeat the Buckeyes, with the Badgers the lone side that seems to be on a lower tier of Big Ten talent.
Regardless of what happens with the non-Ohio State teams above, a loss in the Buckeyes’ first tournament game could be a final nail in the metaphorical coffin that is traveling for early March Madness games.
However, a win in the quarterfinals and a potential shock upset against the UCLA Bruins may be enough to save the airline miles for another day.
Continue reading...
LGHL KenPom gives Ohio State a 33% chance to close out season with wins over Nebraska, Indiana
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KenPom gives Ohio State a 33% chance to close out season with wins over Nebraska, Indiana
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 via Imagn Images
The Buckeyes need to win out to make the NCAA Tournament and not mess with fate in the Big Ten Tournament.
The Ohio State men’s basketball team (16-13, 8-10), has two potential paths to the NCAA Tournament — one simple, and one messy.
The simple, yet difficult path is to win its final two regular season games — at home tonight against Nebraska, and on the road at Indiana this weekend. That would give Ohio State an extra Quad-2 win and an extra Quad-1 win, making them 11-13 against Quad-1 and Quad-2 teams this year. It would also put them at an overall record of 18-13, and an even 10-10 in Big Ten play.
Even if the Buckeyes were to lose in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, they would likely find themselves in Dayon as a First Four play-in game if this was to happen. Perhaps this would make the team play a little more free in the conference tournament, knowing they really do not need to achieve anything more to have their names called.
The messy path is to not win the final two regular season games, and instead win enough Big Ten Tournament games to beef up the resume and sneak in. If Ohio State splits the final two regular season games and ends the year 17-14, they would likely need to win two games in the conference tournament to feel safely in — this would put them at 19-15.
The issue with sweetening your resume with conference tournament wins is that — fair or not — they do not hold the same weight as regular season games. For example, the NCAA Selection Show starts moments after the Big Ten Tournament winner is crowned — how much are they really valuing this conference tournament if they have the order and process nailed down before a Big Ten champion is even crowned?
For what it’s worth, KenPom.com is currently giving Ohio State a 33% chance to run the table across these last two games and (likely) lock up an at-large bid. (.71 x .46)
According to the popular analytics site, Ohio State has a 71% chance to beat the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Tuesday night, who have lost each of their last three games. Standout guard Brice Williams has continued to roll despite Nebraska’s troubles, averaging 21.3 points per game during the losing streak. The issue is that Nebraska may have relied on him too much, as the senior scored 33% of Nebraska’s points during that stretch.
After Nebraska, Ohio State will get four days off before heading to Bloomington, Indiana to take on the Hoosiers — another fellow NCAA Tournament bubble team. Assembly Hall is a tough place to win, and KenPom is giving Ohio State a 46% chance to win that one — just a bit less than a coin flip.
The Hoosiers had a rocky start but have since won four of their last five, including wins over Michigan State and Purdue. If Ohio State beats Nebraska tonight and Indiana beats Oregon, then Saturday’s game will essentially be a play-in game for the NCAA Tournament — the winner is in, the loser still has some work to do.
Combining those two probabilities brings us to 32.7% - for rounding purposes, we’ll go with 33%. They’ll be heavy favorites at home against Nebraska, but knocking off Indiana at Assembly Hall will be a brutally tough job. On top of the normal chaos and crowd at IU, it is also Senior Day for senior players like Trey Galloway and Anthony Leal —ctwo fan favorites — and the final home game for head coach Mike Woodson, who is expected to retire at the end of the season.
After getting railroaded by Northwestern two weeks ago, most fans would have been happy with “just win your last two games and you’re in” two weeks ago. Now, Ohio State really is just two wins away from punching their ticket, but 33% isn’t a super high likelihood of it working it out that way.
A dominant win over the Cornhuskers is the first step in beating those odds.
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
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The Buckeyes need to win out to make the NCAA Tournament and not mess with fate in the Big Ten Tournament.
The Ohio State men’s basketball team (16-13, 8-10), has two potential paths to the NCAA Tournament — one simple, and one messy.
The simple, yet difficult path is to win its final two regular season games — at home tonight against Nebraska, and on the road at Indiana this weekend. That would give Ohio State an extra Quad-2 win and an extra Quad-1 win, making them 11-13 against Quad-1 and Quad-2 teams this year. It would also put them at an overall record of 18-13, and an even 10-10 in Big Ten play.
Even if the Buckeyes were to lose in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, they would likely find themselves in Dayon as a First Four play-in game if this was to happen. Perhaps this would make the team play a little more free in the conference tournament, knowing they really do not need to achieve anything more to have their names called.
The messy path is to not win the final two regular season games, and instead win enough Big Ten Tournament games to beef up the resume and sneak in. If Ohio State splits the final two regular season games and ends the year 17-14, they would likely need to win two games in the conference tournament to feel safely in — this would put them at 19-15.
The issue with sweetening your resume with conference tournament wins is that — fair or not — they do not hold the same weight as regular season games. For example, the NCAA Selection Show starts moments after the Big Ten Tournament winner is crowned — how much are they really valuing this conference tournament if they have the order and process nailed down before a Big Ten champion is even crowned?
For what it’s worth, KenPom.com is currently giving Ohio State a 33% chance to run the table across these last two games and (likely) lock up an at-large bid. (.71 x .46)
According to the popular analytics site, Ohio State has a 71% chance to beat the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Tuesday night, who have lost each of their last three games. Standout guard Brice Williams has continued to roll despite Nebraska’s troubles, averaging 21.3 points per game during the losing streak. The issue is that Nebraska may have relied on him too much, as the senior scored 33% of Nebraska’s points during that stretch.
After Nebraska, Ohio State will get four days off before heading to Bloomington, Indiana to take on the Hoosiers — another fellow NCAA Tournament bubble team. Assembly Hall is a tough place to win, and KenPom is giving Ohio State a 46% chance to win that one — just a bit less than a coin flip.
The Hoosiers had a rocky start but have since won four of their last five, including wins over Michigan State and Purdue. If Ohio State beats Nebraska tonight and Indiana beats Oregon, then Saturday’s game will essentially be a play-in game for the NCAA Tournament — the winner is in, the loser still has some work to do.
Combining those two probabilities brings us to 32.7% - for rounding purposes, we’ll go with 33%. They’ll be heavy favorites at home against Nebraska, but knocking off Indiana at Assembly Hall will be a brutally tough job. On top of the normal chaos and crowd at IU, it is also Senior Day for senior players like Trey Galloway and Anthony Leal —ctwo fan favorites — and the final home game for head coach Mike Woodson, who is expected to retire at the end of the season.
After getting railroaded by Northwestern two weeks ago, most fans would have been happy with “just win your last two games and you’re in” two weeks ago. Now, Ohio State really is just two wins away from punching their ticket, but 33% isn’t a super high likelihood of it working it out that way.
A dominant win over the Cornhuskers is the first step in beating those odds.
Continue reading...