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LGHL Ohio State men’s basketball vs. Purdue: Game preview and prediction

Ohio State men’s basketball vs. Purdue: Game preview and prediction
justingolba
via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch

Joseph Scheller/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Is it possible for the dream to become a reality?

As everyone predicted on Tuesday, the Ohio State men’s basketball team is the talk of the college basketball world.

The No. 13 seed Buckeyes (16-18, 5-15) have won three games in three days, and now David is going to get a shot at Goliath as the No. 1 seed Purdue Boilermakers (27-5, 15-5) await in the 2023 Big Ten Tournament semifinals.

The Buckeyes started the week off by defeating the No. 12 seed Wisconsin Badgers 65-58 after leading by 27 points at one point in the game. They then defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes 73-69, and defeated the No. 4 seed Michigan State 68-58 in the quarterfinals last time out.


Now, the Buckeyes will take on the Purdue Boilermakers, a team they lost to twice in the regular season, and the first game turned out to be an important one to the Buckeyes.

The first game against Purdue was a loss that sent the Buckeyes into a complete tailspin. Entering that game, Ohio State was 10-3 overall, 2-0 in conference play and coming off a double-digit win over Northwestern — a team that ended up finishing second in the conference.

The Buckeyes looked poised to beat Purdue, leading them by five with just 50 seconds left, but an untimely turnover and a Fletcher Loyer three-pointer late in the game gave Purdue the win. The Buckeyes lost Zed Key to injury in that game, and would lose their next four games and 13 of their next 14 overall, turning a seemingly promising season into a complete disaster.

Can the Buckeyes get their payback on Saturday and continue this dream run as the lowest seed to ever advance this far in the Big Ten Tournament?


Preview

Syndication: USA TODAY
Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK

When it comes to Purdue, everything starts with Zach Edey. The National Player of the Year candidate is the engine that makes Purdue go, and is almost impossible to stop when he gets the ball in the paint. Edey averages almost 22 points and 12 rebounds per game.

Purdue is the top seed in the conference tournament, so they had a double-bye and played their first game on Friday, defeating No. 9 Rutgers 70-65. Edey finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Mason Gillis finished with 20 points and nine rebounds.

Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer have been a great dynamic duo in the backcourt this season for Matt Painter and company, but they struggled in their first Big Ten Tournament game. Smith finished with eight points and Loyer finished with four points — all from the free-throw line. They combined to go 0-for-6 from behind the three-point line.

For the Buckeyes, a big question will be the health of star freshman Brice Sensabaugh. Sensabaugh, who is leading the team in scoring at 16.3 points per game, did not play against Michigan State after hurting his knee late in the game against Iowa. He was evaluated again overnight, and will likely be a game time decision.

In his absence, the other freshmen all stepped up. Roddy Gayle Jr. finished with a career-high 13 points, while Felix Okpara finished with eight points, eight rebounds and five blocks. Bruce Thornton continued his incredible play with 21 points, six assists and four rebounds. Justice Sueing added 14 points and knocked down four three-pointers.


Prediction

Syndication: Detroit Free Press
Kirthmon F. Dozier / USA TODAY NETWORK

At this point, we have to ride with the Buckeyes for the weekend. I am picking them to beat Purdue. The question is, how do they do it?

Honestly, the answer of how to do it is pretty simple, it is just the small matter of executing it. You have to make someone not named Zach Edey beat you. Edey is an incredible talent. He is 7-foot-4, can make any post move, has solid footwork and shoots almost 80 percent from the charity stripe, so you can’t just foul him and put him on the free throw line.

Smith and Loyer are incredibly talented, but they are freshmen guards who have not played in this atmosphere before. They both struggled against Rutgers and the pressure that the Scarlet Knights were able to put on them. Edey will get his points and rebounds, but if Okpara can stay out of foul trouble and at least make him work for it and the guards can put the pressure on their guards on the perimeter, the Buckeyes can keep themselves in it.

And most importantly, they need to keep playing with this confidence and like they have nothing to lose, because they still don’t.



Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
TV: CBS

LGHL score prediction: Ohio State 72, Purdue 66


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LGHL Ohio State’s women’s hockey team hosts Quinnipiac with a spot in the Frozen Four on the line

Ohio State’s women’s hockey team hosts Quinnipiac with a spot in the Frozen Four on the line
Brett Ludwiczak
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

Alie Skowronski/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Last year’s quarterfinal between the teams apparently wasn’t thrilling enough, so they decided to square off again this year.

Ohio State’s women’s hockey team will see a familiar foe today in the NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals at OSU Ice Rink. Much like last year, the Buckeyes will host Quinnipiac, who are coming off a 3-2 win in triple overtime over Penn State on Thursday in Columbus. History says this will be another tight battle, as five of the first six meetings between the teams have been decided by one goal.

There is a difference between last year and this year, though. Last season Ohio State came into the NCAA Tournament having won the WCHA Final Faceoff. This year the Buckeyes lost 3-1 to Minnesota on Saturday in Minneapolis. Ohio State fell behind the Golden Gophers 2-0 before Gabby Rosenthal’s 20th goal of the season with four minutes to go in the second period cut the deficit in half.

Unfortunately, the Buckeyes weren’t able to get any closer, as Minnesota scored just over a minute later to restore their two-goal advantage. The difference in the game was the power play. The Golden Gophers were able to put two power play goals on the board, while Ohio State failed to score on their two power play chances. The lack of production on the power play was surprising considering the Buckeyes have the best power play in the country, converting on 32.3 percent of their opportunities with the skater advantage.

Even though Ohio State lost to Minnesota on Saturday, it didn’t keep the Buckeyes from being the top seed in the NCAA Tournament for the second-straight season. This marks the fourth-straight season Ohio State has made the NCAA Tournament, posting a 5-2 record all-time in those appearances.

If the Buckeyes are able to defeat Quinnipiac today, they would advance to the Frozen Four for the fourth time in school history.


Preview


Saturday’s game will be the seventh time Ohio State and Quinnipiac have met on the ice, with the Buckeyes winning all six previous meetings with the Bobcats. Last year’s double overtime thriller continued the trend of close games between the teams, as five of the six matchups have been decided by just a goal.

Last year, Quinnipiac struck first in the quarterfinal. Riley Brengman’s power play goal in the final minute of the first period tied the game, and Clair DeGeorge’s power play goal four minutes into the second period gave Ohio State their first lead of the game. The Bobcats would tie the score back up before Sophie Jaques scored early in the third period.

Quinnipiac wouldn’t go down without a fight, scoring again to tie the game and force overtime. DeGeorge won it for the Buckeyes, scoring her second goal of the game two minutes into the second overtime to earn their spot in the Frozen Four. The most incredible stat of the game was the shot difference, as Ohio State outshot Quinnipiac 77-22.

The Bobcats earned a rematch with Ohio State with a 3-2 triple overtime win over Penn State on Thursday night. Shay Maloney opened up the scoring five minutes into the game to give Quinnipiac an early lead. Penn State responded with two goals in the second period to give the Nittany Lions a 2-1 lead heading into the third period. Kate Reilly’s goal at the 13:16 mark of the third period tied up the score. Midway through the third period, Madison Chantler scored her 12th goal of the year to allow the Bobcats to advance.

Today’s game feels like another one where Quinnipiac will have to survive the waves of pressure from Ohio State. The Buckeyes have 161 goals on the season, while the Bobcats have 128 goals. Even though Amanda Thiele is a tremendous goaltender, statistically Quinnipiac has better numbers from their goaltenders. Logan Angers and Catie Boudiette are 30-9-0 this year with 12 shutouts. By comparison, Ohio State goalies have logged eight shutouts this season.

For the second year in a row, @_sophiejaques is a - for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award #GoBucks | https://t.co/Zul7GiH6B8 pic.twitter.com/JqDOu70n6j

— Ohio State Women's Hockey (@OhioStateWHKY) March 8, 2023

The Quinnipiac goalies will definitely be tested by the Buckeyes, who have four players with at least 20 goals this season. Leading the charge for Ohio State is Sophie Jaques, who has scored 22 goals this season. Jaques was named a finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award for the second season in a row, with Alina Mueller of Northeastern and Danielle Serdachny of Colgate joining Jaques as finalists. The senior was named WCHA Defender of the Year and Player of the Year.

Joining Jaques as 20-goal scorers this year for Ohio State is Jennifer Gardiner and Paetyn Levis, who each notched 21 goals this year. Gabby Rosenthal rounds out the quartet of 20-goal scorers for the Buckeyes this year after she scored on Saturday in the loss to Minnesota. Gardiner leads Ohio State with 54 total points. Setting up more than a few of the goals for the Buckeyes this year was Emma Maltais, who was credited with a team-high 35 assists.

Quinnipiac doesn’t have the prolific scorers that Ohio State doesn’t, but that doesn’t mean the Bobcats can’t put the biscuit in the goal. Maya Labad led the team with 16 goals this year, while Olivia Mobley and Shay Maloney each scored 15 goals so far this season. Three other Bobcats scored at least 10 goals this year. The mix of timely scoring and strong goaltending have allowed Quinnipiac to make it to the NCAA Tournament for a second straight season.



Date: Saturday, March 11, 2023
Time: 5 p.m. ET
TV: BTN+

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