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LGHL Ohio State hosts Maryland this afternoon in a men’s lacrosse showdown

Ohio State hosts Maryland this afternoon in a men’s lacrosse showdown
Brett Ludwiczak
via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


ohio_state_mens_lacrosse.0.png

Ohio State vs Virginia 02/22/25 | Ohio State Athletics

The Buckeyes will look to extend their winning streak to 12 games when they take on the Terrapins at the Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium.

Ohio State football isn’t the only Buckeye team hitting the field in Columbus on Saturday. The second-ranked men’s lacrosse team has a huge game, as they’ll be hosting the sixth-ranked Maryland Terrapins in the final regular season home game of the season for the Buckeyes. Ohio State will be looking for its first win over the Terrapins since 2018, and its first win in Columbus over Maryland since an 11-10 triumph in overtime back in 2017.

The Buckeyes enter today’s game against Maryland with an 11-1 record, their only loss coming at the hands of Utah to kick off the season. Since then, Ohio State has won 11 straight games, the latest being a 14-10 victory over Johns Hopkins. The Buckeyes jumped out to a 3-0 lead early in the first quarter, pushing their advantage over Maryland to 8-3 at halftime. The Terrapins would get as close as 10-8, but Nick Myers’ team would regain its focus to earn its first win over Johns Hopkins since 2021, becoming the first Big Ten team this season to earn three conference wins.

Leading the charge for Ohio State against Johns Hopkins was Alex Marinier, who scored six goals on his way to earning his fourth Big Ten Player of the Week honor. The only game this season where Marinier netted more goals was when he scored seven goals in a win over Air Force back in February. Marinier now has 40 goals this season, making him the 15th player in Ohio State history to record at least 40 goals in a season.

Along with Marinier, Ohio State has six other players who have scored at least 10 goals this season. Garrett Haas had three goals in the win over Johns Hopkins, pushing his season total to 20 goals. Ryan Donnery has 17 goals, Ed Shean has scored 14 times, and Shane O’Leary has 13 goals to round out this season’s top five when it comes to goal scoring on the team. Jack McKenna currently has the team lead with 14 assists.

Patrolling the goal for the Buckeyes is Caleb Fyock, who is coming off a 15-save performance against Johns Hopkins to earn his 11th victory of the season. Fyock is a perfect 11-0 with a 7.13 goals against average and a .626 save percentage. Ohio State has one of the toughest defenses to crack in the country, allowing just 102 goals through their first 12 games of the season. By comparison, the Buckeye offense has scored 160 goals.

Maryland enters today’s game with an 8-2 record this year, but the Terrapins have struggled recently, losing two of their last three games. The latest loss was an 8-6 setback at Rutgers. Even with their recent slump, Maryland is still one of the most dangerous teams in the country. The Terrapins were runners-up last year, falling to Notre Dame 15-5 in the title game. The last national championship for Maryland came in 2022. Since joining the Big Ten in 2015, head coach John Tillman has led the program to seven Final Four appearances.

Powering the Maryland offense is Eric Spanos, who has 19 goals and 11 assists this season> Braden Erska and Daniel Kelly each have 18 goals, while Matthew Keegan has netted 14 goals, and Bryce Ford has been credited with 13 goals for a Terrapin offense that has scored 110 goals this season. The defense has allowed just 76 goals, with Logan McNaney patrolling the goals, posting an 8-2 record with a 7.47 goals against average, and a .615 save percentage.

Even though this game is the final regular-season home game for Ohio State this year, the seniors will likely get another chance to soak in their final home game when they play in the Big Ten Tournament, which will be played at campus sites. Since they have already excelled in conference play this year, the Buckeyes have pretty much assured themselves of at least one more game in Columbus.

Despite attention in Columbus being given to football’s spring game, this lacrosse contest is massive. Ohio State needs a win over a Maryland team that is often in the Final Four to show Nick Myers’ team they can take down some of the top talent in the country. Even though Ohio State has earned its highest ranking in school history, they don’t want to waste a season like this by getting bounced from the NCAA Tournament early. A win over the Terrapins could truly show the Buckeyes that they belong in the conversation with some of the perennial lacrosse powers.



Time: 2 p.m. ET
TV: Big Ten Network

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LGHL Buckeye fans think Sayin will be QB1, offensive line will impress in Spring Game

Buckeye fans think Sayin will be QB1, offensive line will impress in Spring Game
Matt Tamanini
via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch

Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

You ask, we answer. Sometimes we ask, others answer. And then other times, we ask, we answer.

Throughout the year, we will be asking and answering questions about various
Ohio State teams, the players, and anything else on our collective minds of varying degrees of importance. If you have a question that you would like to ask, you can tweet us @LandGrant33, or if you need more than 280 characters, send an email HERE.



Buckeye fans, believe it or not, but we have an actual, real-life Ohio State football game to watch today. Granted, the term “game” will likely be rather loosely applied to this game, but nonetheless, the Scarlet and Gray will be on the field at Ohio Stadium today, so ahead of what will hopefully be an awe-inspiring and revelatory intrasquad scrimmage, we asked Buckeye Nation some questions this week about the future (near and long-term) of the program.


Earlier this week, in our weekly fan survey, we asked LGHL readers to put their two cents in on who would eventually win out in the battle to be the OSU QB. While Ryan Day has said that the two main contenders are neck and neck, you never know what can happen. The other question had to do with the performance of individual position groups in the scrimmage today.

So, check out the responses below and see if you agree with your fellow fans. If now, head to the comments at the bottom of the article and let us know your thoughts.


Question 1: Who wins Ohio State’s quarterback battle?



The smart money is on Julian Sayin, but if I’m being honest, I am surprised how many people are predicting Lincoln Kienholz to win this job. There is likely no chance that Day — short of an absolutely mind-blowing performance today — will declare a starting quarterback before halfway through fall camp. Even in seasons when we all knew what the result would be, Day has stuck to his timeline, and I think that will be the case this season.

While I too expect the former Alabama recruit to take the snaps this fall, there is still a long way between now and the season opener.


Question 2: Which position group will be the most pleasantly surprising in the Spring Game?



You know, it’s tough to argue with the offensive line at this point. I know that all of his success has been confined to the recruiting trail, but Tyler Bowen has been pretty darn impressive since landing in Columbus. Admittedly, Justin Frye did a pretty bang-up job down the stretch with the shuffled offensive line, but if Bowen’s boys can come out and looked good against a completely new defensive line, there should be a lot of confidence about that unit heading into the summer.



Throughout the year, we ask questions of the most plugged-in Ohio State fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

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LGHL Three things to watch for during Ohio State’s Spring Game

Three things to watch for during Ohio State’s Spring Game
Jami Jurich
via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Ohio State Spring Practice

Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images

We’ll be keeping a close eye on these storylines during Saturday’s Spring Game as we start to get a feel for what lies ahead.

After four weeks of practice, Buckeye fans will finally get a sneak peek at the 2025 football team during Saturday’s Spring Game, which begins at 12 noon ET. The game is a chance for the team to feel things out in a game environment, while fans will have the opportunity to scope out new coaches and player dynamics alike. While new questions about the fall usually arise during the game, it can also bring some early answers about what to expect in the team’s bid to defend its 2024 National Championship title come fall.

Here are three things to keep an eye on during Saturday’s Spring Game today as we look to learn more about the new version of Ohio State football.


Coaching Changes


The coaching staff has seen a few major changes since the National Championship back in January, with defensive coordinator Jim Knowles heading to Penn State in the same role, and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly to return to the NFL as the Raiders’ OC.

The Spring Game is our first chance to get a feel for new defensive coordinator Matt Patricia and to see how Brian Hartline, the former co-offensive coordinator who was promoted into the role outright, handles his new play-calling responsibilities.

Ohio State Spring Practice
Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images

Under Knowles, the defense returned to powerhouse status. Aggressive and versatile, Knowles’ defense improved each year, and they finished last season as the statistical best in the nation. Patricia will look to continue that excellence but with his own look and feel — and while players like safety Caleb Downs have already sung his praises, it will be exciting to see Patricia’s work in action on Saturday as we get a feel for how the defense will measure up to last year’s title winners.

On the offensive side of the ball, Hartline is a familiar face, but with increased play-calling responsibilities, we might get to see a different side of him. Saturday won’t show his full hand, and we will likely only see very minor snapshots of his playbook, but it could give us an idea of what sort of tendencies we might see from the offense this fall.


Who will replace Will Howard at quarterback?


Staffing changes weren’t the only changes for Ohio State, and one of the top players they’ll need to replace is quarterback Will Howard, who used his last year of eligibility during the championship season and declared for the NFL Draft.

Former five-star recruit Julian Sayin was widely considered the clear-cut favorite for the starting job, but head coach Ryan Day announced this past week that Sayin and Lincoln Kienholz are “neck-and-neck” for the starting job.

Ohio State Spring Practice
Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images

Sayin is a true dual threat on the field, but Kienholz has, by all accounts, looked great in practice. Now, both quarterbacks will have the chance to show how they handle the pressure of a crowd.

We’ll also probably see some snaps from freshman quarterback Tavien St. Clair, a five-star recruit who, while unlikely to start in the fall simply due to inexperience, will hopefully factor in heavily for the Buckeyes in years to come. Saturday will be our first chance to see what he’s made of at this level and how well he lives up to the hype.

Will Saturday’s game be the deciding factor for who starts in the fall? Not at all. But though the Spring Game isn’t make-or-break, it is certainly a good opportunity for these two signal-callers to make a case for themselves.


Who are the new players to watch?


Much like the quarterback battle, the Spring Game isn’t a perfect crystal ball into how players will perform during the regular season. You might have guys who look just okay during the Spring Game but turn a corner in their development as a player over the summer and have a lights-out season, or you could have guys who leave it all on the field in the Spring Game but can’t replicate that later on.

But the game is data — often important data — into both which individuals will shine and into each unit’s dynamic. It tells us a lot about the freshmen, transfers and replacements for former players.

Heading into the Spring Game, there are some exciting transfers and freshmen to keep an eye on.

In addition to St. Clair, the Buckeyes have some other freshmen who are coming to the team as highly rated, highly touted names to pay attention to. Perhaps most exciting is Devin Sanchez, a top-five recruit in the country and the top-ranked cornerback in his class. Wide receiver Quincy Porter could also be a huge playmaker for the team in time. He comes to OSU as a five-star recruit and one of the top-five wide receivers in his class. Under Hartline, whose skill as a wide receivers coach is renowned, Porter has the potential to develop into a household name.

On the transfer front, I’ll be keeping my eye on tight end Max Klare, coming to the Buckeyes from Purdue. Additionally, I’m keeping my eye on offensive tackle Ethan Onianwa out of Rice. Onianwa lost his black stripe earlier this week and is in a good position to win a starting job at left tackle in the fall.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: OCT 26 Rice at UConn


For every player you intend to pay close attention to in the Spring Game, there will surely be four more names who jump out and surprise you in the moment, so I’m also excited to see who we aren’t talking about yet but can’t shut up about come tomorrow evening.

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LGHL The Autopsy: Five areas where Ohio State men’s basketball fell short

The Autopsy: Five areas where Ohio State men’s basketball fell short
Connor Lemons
via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


NCAA Basketball: Indiana State at Ohio State

Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

Diving into what actually held Ohio State back this season.

The Ohio State men’s basketball season ended one month ago with a loss to Iowa in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament, finishing with a final record of 17-15.


The Buckeyes missed the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive season – the first time that’s happened since they missed the 2003-2005 NCAA Tournaments. It was a painful finish to a disappointing season that began with a ton of enthusiasm and momentum after a fun, exciting finish season to the 2023-2024 season that ultimately ended with Ohio State making a run to the third run of the NIT.

Jake Diebler parlayed his impressive showing as interim head coach into the full-time head coaching job, and by late January, it looked like Ohio State was going to return to the NCAA Tournament. A 19-point road win over Penn State at historic Rec Hall put the Buckeyes at 13-8 overall and 5-5 in Big Ten play.

Things went south from there, however, as the Buckeyes won 4 of their final 11 games and missed the big dance yet again.

It’s been one month since the season ended, and I’ve had some time to look back on the year with a wider lens. It seems most fans are pinning the lost season on Diebler alone, and yes, the buck stops with the head coach. When you put together the roster, you shoulder the blame for its faults.

But if you’re interested in a more technical assessment of why this Ohio State team fell short, here are (in my opinion) the five reasons why the 126th version of Buckeye basketball did not meet expectations.


No. 1 - Poor evaluation of the transfer portal


Listen, if you’re trying to put together an IKEA dresser, but your toolbox is filled with nothing but plastic spoons, you’re going to have a hard time putting the dresser together. Even if you understand the instructions and have all the motivation in the world to put that dresser together, only having plastic spoons is going to make that job much more difficult.

In a similar sense, Jake Diebler’s biggest fault from this past season wasn’t something that he did or did not do on the basketball court – it was how he evaluated the transfer portal last April when he was building his first team. Once the roster was set in July, the tools he had to work with were finalized, and it was his job to win with them.

Perhaps it was because he didn’t have a coaching staff yet – Diebler was hired on March 17, 2024 – one day before the transfer portal window opened. He didn’t have much help, so he acted fast in adding Aaron Bradshaw, Sean Stewart, and Meechie Johnson to the roster.

Unfortunately, Diebler’s evaluation of the players he added in the portal last spring was probably his undoing. Bradshaw and Johnson combined to miss 32 games – Johnson missed 22 games for mental health-related matters, and Bradshaw missed 10 games combined between illness, injury, and a university investigation.

Those two combined to score 223 points in 32 games last season – an average of 6.9 points per game.

NCAA Basketball: Washington at Ohio State
Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

Now, there was no way for Diebler to foresee Bradshaw missing several games due to a university investigation of which the results were not made public. Nor could he have predicted Johnson, who played a combined 63 games at South Carolina from 2022-2024, to play 10 games and then step away from the program.

However, the basketball side of it? That could’ve been better. Bradshaw started the season as Ohio State’s starting center, but at 7-foot-1, 215 pounds was dominated by Big Ten as well as mid-major centers. He averaged just 2.7 rebounds per game and had no post moves or presence to provide. The incorrect assessment that Bradshaw’s athleticism would make up for his slim frame was a critical mistake, and it hurt Ohio State in a major way.

Stewart, unlike Bradshaw, provided stability at times in the Ohio State frontcourt, but was not on the floor consistently enough be the type of difference-maker that the team needed him to be. He was third in the nation last year in fouls per 40 minutes, averaging a whopping 7.5 per 40 minutes and one foul every 5.4 minutes he was on the floor.

The 6-foot-9, 220-pounder was a good cutter, high-flyer, and found himself in position to score easy baskets when he was on the floor, but had poor touch around the basket and was an even worse free throw shooter. Nearly all of Stewart’s shots came right below the basket, yet he only shot 54.2% from the floor. He was also a 50% free throw shooter, which made him a liability in late-game situations.

His 27.1% defensive rebounding rate was 14th-best in the nation, showing that if he can stay out of foul trouble, Stewart should be able to coast to 10 rebounds per game in the future. Since he only played 18 minutes per game last year, that talent wasn’t as noticeable to people as his offensive struggles.

The bottom line with the transfers – Ohio State had all of their eggs in Stewart, Bradshaw, and Johnson’s baskets last season. Diebler had no choice but to lean on those players in a big way, and they were not able to provide the production Ohio State absolutely needed to get from its (expected) starting shooting guard, power forward, and center.

No. 2 – They were a very bad rebounding team


A quick summary of Ohio State’s rebounding woes last season:

  • 13th in the Big Ten in rebounds per game (33.7)
  • 13th in the Big Ten in offensive rebounds per game (9.5)
  • 10th in the Big Ten in defensive rebounds per game (24.1)
  • 15th in the Big Ten in opponent offensive rebounds per game (10.6)
  • 12th in the Big Ten in opponent rebounds per game (34)

It’s easy to look at Ohio State’s lineup and assume that the reason they were so often dominated on the glass is because of Bradshaw and Stewart, and that is partially true. Bradshaw, despite being 7-foot-1, was not strong enough to rebound in the Big Ten. Because of that, Stewart was often forced to play out of position at center, where he was usually giving up an inch or two and 20-30 pounds on opposing centers. That did not help.

But as a team, Ohio State did not rebound. The Buckeyes’ loss to Indiana on March 8 sticks out as a good example. The Hoosiers had five different players – including guards Anthony Leal and Luke Goode – grab five or more rebounds. In a six-point loss, Ohio State was out-rebounded 40-31 overall, 14-8 on the offensive glass, and gave up 18 second-chance points.

It wasn’t just Oumar Ballo that tormented Ohio State that game – it was all of Indiana’s roster. Up and down the lineup, Hoosiers were getting the best of Ohio State on the glass. To me, that’s not just a size problem — that’s a team-wide, rebounding philosophy issue. How is it that IU had five different players grab multiple offensive rebounds? How did Indiana want the ball so much more than Ohio State?

“We’ve got some guys who are a little too reliant on their athleticism in rebounding and not reliant enough on our physicality,” Diebler said after the game. “Our effort is not the issue. Our awareness at times, we get caught staring. Instead of going to create more space for us to rebound by initiating contact further out on the floor, we wait too much for guys to hit us.”

So yes, Ohio State being the 95th-smallest team in the country last year hurt it, but in my eyes, it was a team-wide mentality (or lack thereof) that plagued them on the glass all year long. That must change.

No. 3 -Ohio State fouled at a near-historic rate

Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It’d be easy to pin Ohio State’s fouling issues solely on Sean Stewart, but that’s not just a lazy assessment, it would also be unfair to him. Yes, Stewart did foul at an impressively high rate, but Ohio State ‘s 19.6 team fouls per game not only led the Big Ten this season, but it was also the highest per-game average for any Big Ten team since the 2020-2021 Michigan State Spartans, which averaged 19.8 per game.

The Buckeyes also had the critically unfortunate combination of fouling far too often and fouling players who shot free throws well. Ohio State was 13th nationally in fouls per game and were also 39th in the country in opponent free throw percentage – their opponents were 75.2% from the stripe, the second-best mark in the Big Ten. Pair that with opponents taking 23.1 free throws per game against Ohio State (33rd-most in the country and most in the Big Ten), and you get a lot of free points.

All of that equated to Ohio State opponents scoring a whopping 23.6% of their points from the free throw line last season – the 13th-highest mark in the nation and by far the highest mark in the Big Ten conference.

It just comes down to playing smart – too many fouls late in possessions when the shot clock was nearing zero, and too many fouls on plays where opponents were probably going to score anyway.

No. 4 - They did not share the ball well enough


If it felt like the ball “stuck” with one player too often, that’s because it’s true. On far too many possessions, the ball would get to one player, the shot clock would hit 10 or 11 seconds, and that player would end up having to take the shot at the end of the shot clock.

Diebler has a lot of confidence in his guys to “go make a play” which at times can be a blessing as well as a hindrance. Bruce Thornton, John Mobley, and Micah Parrish were all capable of taking on a defender in isolation and scoring, but there are times when – even if you hit that tough, isolation shot – that it was not the best possible shot you could’ve gotten.

It’s not just on the ball handler, either. When those possessions broke down, there was a clear lack of movement away from the ball – four players on the perimeter, one inside, and everyone watching the ball instead of moving to create space. That led to over-dribbling and bad shots.

On the season, Ohio State was 16th in the Big Ten with 13.2 assists per game, ahead of just Rutgers and Washington. That equated to a 47.9% assist rate, which was 282nd nationally and 17th in the Big Ten.

The Buckeyes still ended the season with a 1.209 assist-to-turnover ratio, which was 139th in the country and better than the median ratio of 1.127. That’s largely as a credit to how rarely Ohio State turned the ball over this year, headlined by Thornton’s 3-1 assist-to-turnover ratio at point guard.

No. 5 - Lack of urgency

NCAA Basketball: Northwestern at Ohio State
Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

After a 24-point home win over Washington on February 12, Ohio State found itself sitting at 15-10 overall, and 7-7 in the Big Ten, with three home games and three road games remaining. Two of those home games – Northwestern and Nebraska – were games in which Ohio State was favored. Win those two games, and just one of Michigan, USC, UCLA, and Indiana, and Ohio State could’ve stamped their ticket to the NCAA Tournament.

With March Madness firmly within their grasp, Ohio State came out and laid the eggiest egg that has ever been egged against Northwestern eight days later by a final score of 70-49. The Wildcats were without two of its three leading scorers (Brooks Barnhizer and Jalen Leach) who to that point in the season had combined to average 31.4 points per game.

Northwestern took a seven-point lead into halftime, and then came out of the locker room and started the second half on a 17-2 run, taking a 48-26 lead early in the second half. Ohio State never showed any fight in that game, getting kicked to the curb by a Big Ten team that was – at the time – 4-11 in Big Ten play and not even thinking about the NCAA Tournament.

That theme repeated itself in Ohio State’s season-ending loss to Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament. The Hawkeyes – which needed a win over Nebraska on the final day of the season just to get into the Big Ten Tournament – had nothing to play for and had a coach that was going to be fired the moment their season ended.

The Buckeyes made Iowa AD Beth Goetz wait one extra day before she could fire Fran McCaffery, as a late 9-2 run in the closing minutes helped Iowa – the first ever 15-seed in the Big Ten Tournament – knock off Ohio State, 77-70.

In both games, it looked like Ohio State was unaware of what was at stake against teams who had far less to play for. If either of those games flipped, Ohio State may have found themselves in Dayton for the NCAA First Four. Somehow, the light never turned on. Somehow, Ohio State forgot to play up to the significance of the moment.

Collectively, we waited for Ohio State to snap out of it, stop toying with their food, and win a game that they needed to win. It never happened.

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