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LGHL It’s okay to get your hopes up about this Ohio State men’s basketball team

It’s okay to get your hopes up about this Ohio State men’s basketball team
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: Hall of Fame Series-Las Vegas-Texas at Ohio State

Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The Buckeyes have plenty of room for improvement, even after beating a ranked Texas team on Monday.

Listen, I get it. Over the past eight seasons, the Ohio State men’s basketball team has a 37-9 record in November, including this week’s 80-72 win over No. 19 Texas — good for an .804 winning percentage.

That is a considerably better winning percentage than the Buckeyes’ overall record over the past eight seasons, which at 136-89 comes out to a .604 winning percentage.

Under Chris Holtmann, the Buckeyes were the November national champions, spending 11 weeks in the AP Top 25 during that month over his seven seasons, even climbing inside the top-10 here and there. Then, more often than not, the wheels would fall off the bus in late December or early January, and the Buckeyes would have to dig their heels in for the stretch run to make the NCAA Tournament.

I understand your hesitation to allow Monday night’s win over a ranked Texas team get your hopes up for Ohio State men’s basketball this season. Keep your expectations low, and you can never be disappointed, right?

But I’m giving you permission to get excited. The 126th edition of Ohio State men’s basketball could turn out to be a special team, with young, raw players who should hit their stride as the season progresses.


Here’s why I think this Ohio State team is going to continue to build off the good vibes it had on Monday night, and why — unlike some recent Buckeye basketball teams — this group will not fall off.

They outplayed No. 19 Texas from start to finish


Ohio State began the game on an 8-0 run thanks to a three-pointer from Bruce Thornton and then back-to-back baskets from Micah Parrish. It took the Buckeyes all of 13 seconds to take the lead, and Texas was never able to catch up. The Longhorns did cut Ohio State’s lead to three points multiple times, but the Buckeyes always paired a defensive stop with a basket to prevent Texas from ever tying the game.

The fact that Ohio State never trailed is significant, because it had been over three years since the Buckeyes led wire-to-wire like that over a ranked opponent. The last time Ohio State beat a ranked opponent and never trailed was Jan. 23, 2021, when the Buckeyes beat the Wisconsin Badgers 74-62 at the Kohl Center.

E.J. Liddell scored within the first 16 seconds in that game, and the Buckeyes would ride a game-opening 6-0 run to victory over the 10th-ranked Badgers. Dominating a quality opponent from start to finish doesn’t happen often.

Multiple key players did not play well, but Ohio State won (handily) anyway


There was a moment during the second half of Monday night’s game when I remembered that Meechie Johnson played for Ohio State. I was at media day and have already spoken to Meechie this year, so I didn’t actually forget he was on the team, but by and large, Johnson was not a factor against Texas on Monday night.

Johnson finished the game with six points on 2-11 shooting in 30 minutes. He also had four rebounds, three assists, three turnovers, and a steal. He showed up in the box score, but seven of Meechie’s 11 shots were three-pointers, several of which were rushed and defended well by Texas.

Last season at South Carolina, Johnson was named Second Team All-SEC, averaging 14.1 points per game on 39.9% shooting (32.1% from three). He was brought in this summer to pair with Bruce Thornton and create one of the better backcourts in the country, but on Monday night he didn’t impact the game at the level he probably should have. That will change moving forward. Ohio State won anyway.

Additionally, Aaron Bradshaw and Sean Stewart — Ohio State’s starting center and power forward — combined to score just four points on 1-8 shooting in 34 minutes. Each player struggled defensively, picking up four fouls apiece.

Both Bradshaw and Stewart were five-star recruits and high-profile transfers. Both are expected to contribute at a much higher level this year than either did on Monday. Ohio State won the game anyway, with very little contributions from their starting frontcourt.

John Mobley Jr. and Devin Royal are ahead of schedule


The freshman with 9️⃣ points from deep pic.twitter.com/5g2RcUzeA9

— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) November 5, 2024

Mobley Jr., known as “Juni” to his teammates, was the best shooter in the 2024 recruiting class, but getting shots off in high school and in college are two different tasks. Not only does Mobley need to mix up the shots he takes so that teams can’t paint him as someone who exclusively shoots three-pointers, he also needs to be creative in how he creates space for himself to shoot the ball. At 6-foot-1, he’s always going to be one of the shorter players on the floor.

He had no issue whatsoever getting shots off or hitting them on Monday night, checking in six or so minutes into the game and knocking down a logo three about one minute later. He went on to finish with 14 points and one rebound in 13 minutes, going 4-for-4 from beyond the arc.

Mobley probably won’t average 14 points per game this season, but the fact that he was able to create his own offense against a very good team in his first college game bodes well for the rest of the season — many of Ohio State’s opponents won’t be as good as Texas this year.

At the same time, Royal chipped in 16 points in 25 minutes off the bench. The 16 points were a career-high, as were the 25 minutes. He also knocked down a pair of three-pointers — one of which gave Ohio State a 12-point lead with just over five minutes remaining in the game. In 33 games last season, Royal hit a total of three three-pointers. He almost matched that on Monday against Texas.

Royal was expected to take a step forward this season after averaging 4.7 points and 2.4 rebounds per game as a freshman, but perhaps we under-sold just how much better he’s going to be as a sophomore.

Ohio State had basically zero post presence the entire game and still won


As mentioned above, Bradshaw and Stewart struggled against Texas quite a bit. Austin Parks subbed in for six minutes as well, but missed his only shot. That means the three players who played the most at center for Ohio State on Monday night combined to score four points on 1-of-9 shooting.

The Longhorns had 26 paint points to Ohio State’s 22. Many of those paint points from the Buckeyes came from guards like Thornton and Parrish cutting to the basket on the dribble, or Royal cleaning up a missed shot here and a loose ball there before quickly dunking or laying the ball in. There were very few set plays for Bradshaw, Stewart, or Parks below the basket.

Diebler wants the ball to touch the paint “on every possession” but that really didn’t happen Monday night. Ohio State shot 45% overall, 50% from three and led by as much as 15 at one point. It was not necessarily a sustainable method, but it worked.

The bright side is that Diebler and his staff will undoubtedly go over film and try to find better, more creative ways to get Stewart and Bradshaw looks below the basket moving forward.

Room for improvement


Ohio State has a lot of room for improvement, despite the win against Texas. Guys who did not contribute much on Monday will get better. Areas where the Buckeyes struggled — like below the basket — will improve. Players who were expected to be key contributors off the bench — like Mobley and Royal — were the reason Ohio State won the season opener.

There’s a lot of space between where the Buckeyes are right now, and their ceiling.

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LGHL I-80 Football Show: Where the Big Ten stands after the first playoff rankings

I-80 Football Show: Where the Big Ten stands after the first playoff rankings
JordanW330
via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Illinois v Oregon

Photo by Brandon Sloter/Image Of Sport/Getty Images

In this episode, Dante and Jordan discuss The first edition of the 12-team playoff rankings dropped

Welcome to a new episode of Land-Grant Podcast Network’s I-80 Football Show. On this show, we travel down I-80 to talk all things Big Ten Football. This is the only Big Ten Podcast that’ll cover all 18 teams. After every week of action, we will catch you up on all the conference’s games and look ahead at the matchups, storylines, and players you should be paying attention to for the next week. My name is Jordan Williams, and I am joined by my co-host Dante Morgan.

Listen to the episode and subscribe:



Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | iHeart Radio



The guys are back to discuss the results of the College Football Playoff rankings but first, they have to talk about Ohio State - Penn State. Dante feels it’s unfair to switch sides and call Penn State a bad team after losing to Ohio State again. Despite James Franklin’s clear struggles winning big games, Penn State is still one of the best teams in the country and should be a factor in the playoffs as long as they win out and go 11-1.

There may be concerns about their championship ability but State College will be electric when they host a first-round playoff game. Jordan’s feelings on Ryan Day haven’t changed but he was impressed with this win. Most Ohio State teams don’t fight to come back and dominate this game after being down 10-0 in the first quarter and their defense had a second goal-line stand in as many games.

In the other big news from Tuesday, the 12-team playoff ranking dropped this week and the guys break down the Big Ten’s showing. As expected, Oregon landed at no. One. Based on only losing to the no. one team in the country, Ohio State jumped Georgia and landed at no. Two. Penn State comes in at no. Six and Indiana despite being 9-0 come in a no. Eight.

The playoff committee again shows that it values “good” losses over winning if they don’t respect your resume. Penn State lost to Ohio State by seven points and that’s better than Indiana being undefeated without any top 25 wins, even though Penn State also doesn’t have any top 25 wins. The first rankings confirmed that the Big Ten has a really good shot at getting four teams into the playoffs this year.

In the MapQuest segment, we have Iowa-UCLA on Friday night. Saturday has good games but not in the noon slot, it’s the perfect time to run errands unless you’re a fan of a team playing. Midday Indiana looks to continue its dominance against Michigan and the evening wraps up with Washington-Penn State.

In his weekly pitstop, Jordan laughs at the Colts immediately having their worst offensive performance after benching Anthony Richardson.



If you like the show, please share it with friends and family and leave a five-star review. If you want to keep up with the show you can subscribe to the Land-Grant Podcast Network Feed where new episodes drop every Thursday.

You can also find Jordan’s article ‘B1G Thoughts’ on Land-Grant Holy Land.

Follow the show on YouTube: @JordanW330

Follow the podcast on Instagram: @I80FootballShow

Connect with us on Twitter: Jordan: @JordanW330 and Dante: @DanteM10216

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LGHL Things you need to know about the Purdue Boilermakers — and a few you don’t need to know, but are fun anyway

Things you need to know about the Purdue Boilermakers — and a few you don’t need to know, but are fun anyway
Josh Dooley
via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


1245178551.0.jpg

Photo by James Black/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

OSU hosts Purdue in The Shoe this weekend, and... Well, if the Buckeyes don’t bludgeon this version of the Boilermakers, then Ryan Day might want to sign up for LinkedIn Premium and prepay for the post-trial period.

Ohio State hosts Purdue at noon this Saturday, in what should absolutely, unequivocally be a get-right game for the Buckeyes. Because the Boilermakers are bad, bad. Like, ranked outside the top 118 nationally in points per game scored and allowed-bad (there are only 134 FBS teams).

Which is surprising to some, including yours truly. I had high expectations for Ryan Walters when he took the Purdue HC gig, but things just haven’t worked out – for him or the team – in West Lafayette.

The Boilermakers are 1-7 this season, with their sole win coming against Indiana State in Week 1. The team is scoring just 20.2 points per game, while allowing 36.9. And they haven’t been competitive against an opponent with a pulse, aside from Illinois, Walters’ former/employer.

Oddly enough, Purdue has struggled immensely despite having two of the better duos in the Big Ten at two high(er)-profile positions. Running backs Devin Mockobee and Reggie Love III have joined forces to produce nearly 1,000 total yards, while hybrid edge defenders Kydran Jenkins and Will Heldt have combined for 10.5 sacks.

So who knows, maybe the Boilermakers will turn this weekend’s game with the Buckeyes into a competitive one... Even though they shouldn’t. Especially since it’s being played in The Shoe, as opposed to Ross-Ade Stadium AKA the House of Horrors. OSU fans, you know what I’m talking about.

Here are a few more things you should know about the Purdue Boilermakers:



Purdue University sends a lot of folks to space. Maybe not directly, but more than one-third of all NASA’s crewed space missions have included at least one Purdue graduate as a crew member. Famous Boilermakers-turned-astronauts include Neil Armstrong and Gus Grissom.

The school’s nickname/mascot is, sadly, not a reference or nod to the pairing of whiskey and beer. If you want to experience a night you’ll never remember, I suggest knocking back a few boilermakers with the shot dropped directly into the beer. I’m a Jack Daniels and Bud heavy guy, but any pairing of whiskey and beer will do.

Anyway, the Purdue Boilermaker(s) is a nod to a certain type of big, burly skilled tradesperson. Prior to adopting the current moniker, Purdue athletes were called pumpkin-shuckers (I might have stuck with that one), railsplitters, and cornfield sailors, among other nicknames.

Photo By Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images

Purdue was a founding member of the Big Ten, along with the University(s) of Chicago, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Northwestern.

Purdue is one of only two college football programs to have produced three Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks... Seriously. The school/program even went as far as to trademark the nickname/term “Cradle of Quarterbacks”, thinking people might actually refer to it as such for years to come. But I think the term kind of – or definitely should have – died out at the conclusion of Drew Brees’ college career.

Speaking of QBs, Walters and his staff may unearthed a hidden gem in Ryan Browne. Browne is a redshirt freshman who began the season as Hudson Card’s backup. But when the latter was forced to miss the Boilermaker’s game at Illinois, Browne sprang into action... Or was forced into it. Either way, he did not disappoint.

In fact, Browne played out of his mind. QB55 in 247Sports’ 2023 recruiting rankings accounted for 415 total yards and three TDs against the Fighting Illini, finishing the game with a 203.3 passer rating while helping his team drop 49 points on one of the better defenses in the Big Ten.

Browne’s brilliant performance seemed to come out of nowhere, as he then failed to impress (putting it mildly) against Oregon. But if nothing else, he earned a right to see the field for Purdue. This weekend’s visiting team has since experimented with playing both Card and Browne, something that Ohio State’s coaching staff must consider when devising their defensive strategy.

The Boilermakers have an edge rusher named Shitta Sillah. And frankly, that’s just an amazing name. The Boston College transfer is definitely a First Team All-Name All-American.

Mockobee, Jenkins, and Dillon Thieneman are really good players stuck on a really bad not so good team. To be fair and honest, there are several talented players on this Purdue team. But the offensive line gives up too many sacks, the passing game in general is not good, and the Boilermakers’ defense doesn’t force turnovers.

Individual players can win individual matchups, but it takes more than a few studs to win games in the Big Ten.

Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images

Purdue has never beaten Ohio State in The Shoe. However, the Boilermakers are an impressive and surprising 9-5 against the Buckeyes in Ross-Ade. So seriously, and with all due respect, f*ck that place.

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LGHL Will Howard is a ‘tough MF-er’ according to Seth McLaughlin

Will Howard is a ‘tough MF-er’ according to Seth McLaughlin
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 Register Guard

Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via 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.

You’re welcome!


For your Earholes...


Subscribe to the Land-Grant Podcast Network for all of your Ohio State needs
Matt Tamanini, Land-Grant Holy Land


Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | iHeart Radio


On the Gridiron


Quick Hits: Seth McLaughlin Calls Will Howard a “Tough MF-er” and Denzel Burke Says “We’ll See Them Again” While Reflecting on the Oregon Game
Garrick Hodge, Andy Anders, Dan Hope, Chase Brown; Eleven Warriors

What is the status of OSU DT Tyleik Williams for game against Purdue?
Joey Kaufman, The Columbus Dispatch

Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith named semifinalist for Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year award
Patrick Murphy, Bucknuts


Our Freshman is HIM
@Jermiah_Smith1 is a Semifinalist for the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the year Award ‼️ pic.twitter.com/tcM7Cx86Qb

— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) November 6, 2024

Will Kacmarek injury update: Ryan Day gives positive news on Buckeyes tight end
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row

Nearly 10 Million People Watched Ohio State Earn Its Eighth Straight Win Over Penn State
Dan Hope, Eleven Warriors

Ohio State: ‘Back to basics’ approach has Buckeye defense ascending again
Bill Landis, Dotting The Eyes


‘I think we know we can do it.’ Takeaways from Ryan Day’s pre-Purdue press conference
Patrick Murphy, Bucknuts

You’re Nuts: Who would you want to see Ohio State host in a CFP first round game?
Brett Ludwiczak and Matt Tamanini, Land-Grant Holy Land

Six Buckeyes we want to see earn more playing time in next two Big Ten games
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row


On the Hardwood


Jaloni Cambridge Emerges As Immediate Star for Ohio State Women’s Basketball With Historically Great Debut
Dan Hope, Eleven Warriors


Successful business trip for the Buckeyes #Team126 | #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/VFJPhs9HLw

— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) November 6, 2024

Outside the Shoe and Schott


Men’s Swim & Dive: Jankovics Named Big Ten Swimmer of the Week
Ohio State Athletics

Women’s Swim & Dive: Pineda Vazquez Claims Second Straight Diver of the Week Award
Ohio State Athletics

Women’s Tennis: Nishino Named B1G Athlete of the Week
Ohio State Athletics

Field Hockey: Five Buckeyes Earn Big Ten Postseason Recognition
Ohio State Athletics


And now for something completely different...


Can’t wait to see this show next week:


Till We Reach That Day.

RAGTIME at New York City Center—through Sunday. pic.twitter.com/4iEJmGZ3ma

— NEW YORK CITY CENTER (@NYCityCenter) November 6, 2024

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LGHL Big Ten Top 10: Indiana joins Oregon and Ohio State in SBN Big Ten Writers’ top 4

Big Ten Top 10: Indiana joins Oregon and Ohio State in SBN Big Ten Writers’ top 4
Matt Tamanini
via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


NCAA Football: Indiana at Michigan State

Dale Young-Imagn Images

The official SB Nation Big Ten writers poll is the only truly unbiased poll any college football fan could ever need.

AP Poll? Shmay Pee Poll! Coaches Poll? We all know that coaches don’t have time to fill out a weekly survey, let alone watch enough games to make informed choices! That’s why your friendly neighborhood Big Ten writers from across the SB Nation universe have banded together to come up with the only fair, accurate, non-biased poll in all of college football.

Every week, a writer from the 16 sites covering specific B1G schools (lowly UCLA and USC don’t have SBN sites) will submit their picks, and O Basse from Michigan State site The Only Colors will compile them into the official SBN Big Ten Writers Poll™️.

I will keep you updated on our selections here on Land-Grant Holy Land, and I will let you know how I vote every week because we believe in truth, justice, and transparency in journalism here in Buckeye Country.

There will also be a Player of the Week selected by the Big Ten writers and a Heisman Trophy leaderboard. So, without further ado, here is the post-Week 10 SB Nation Big Ten Writers Poll.


SB Nation Big Ten Writers Poll | Week 10


My Personal Top-10 Rankings | Week 10


These rankings coincide with my Top-12 picks every week on the “No Fall Weddings” podcast in the Land-Grant Podcast Network feed, which you can subscribe to anywhere you get your favorite audio entertainment.


New episodes generally come out on Wednesday afternoons, but sometimes on Friday mornings. “No Fall Weddings” is your one-stop shop for everything you need to know about the Buckeyes and the rest of the college football world.


Player of the Week | Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss


I am of the opinion that the Ole Miss Rebels are just a wee bit overrated, but quarterback Jaxson Dart had a monster day this past weekend in their 63-31 win over the Arkansas Razorbacks, which is why he was my Player of the Week pick. The QB was 25-for-31 for 515 yards and touchdowns; he also added 47 yards on the ground.

Others receiving votes:

Omarion Hampton | UNC, RB
Jordan Watkins | Ole Miss, WR
Rocket Sanders | South Carolina, RB
Cameron Skattebo | Arizona St., RB


Heisman Trophy Leaderboard


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LGHL No Fall Weddings: Did Penn State win get you back on the Ryan Day bandwagon?

No Fall Weddings: Did Penn State win get you back on the Ryan Day bandwagon?
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

Jami and Matt also make predictions for the final CFP rankings and the Heisman Trophy finalists.

Every week during the college football season, Matt Tamanini and Jami Jurich will be getting into all things Ohio State, previewing the weekend’s slate, unveiling their individual CFP rankings, and picking Heisman contenders on “No Fall Weddings.”

Listen to the episode and subscribe:


Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | iHeart Radio



On this episode of the Land-Grant Podcast Network’s “No Fall Weddings,” Jami Jurich and Matt Tamanini react to Ohio State’s season-saving win over Penn State and spin forward what it could mean for the rest of the season, especially with a top-10 Indiana team slated to come to Columbus in a few weeks. They also dive into the debate over whether or not playing games at noon is as awful as the internet makes it seem.

Then, after a break, Jami and Matt reveal their first College Football Playoff and Heisman Trophy finalist predictions, pick games to watch in each window of the college football weekend, and recommend something from outside the world of college football that you need to watch.



Connect with Jami Jurich:
Twitter:
@JamiJurich

Connect with Matt Tamanini:
Online Portfolio:
https://authory.com/MattTamanini

Theme music provided by audiio.com

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