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LGHL Uncut: ‘Spirited’ conversation leads to historic Ohio State women’s basketball victory

Uncut: ‘Spirited’ conversation leads to historic Ohio State women’s basketball victory
ThomasCostello 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

Head coach Kevin McGuff, Eboni Walker and Madison Greene discuss the 38-point win over the Wisconsin Badgers.

Throughout the year, Land-Grant Holy Land will be bringing you uncut audio primarily from Ohio State press conferences, but also from individual interview sessions.


Thursday night against the 10-9 Wisconsin Badgers had an air of a potential trap game, with the No. 10 Indiana Hoosiers heading to Columbus three days later. For the first half, it looked like it could be one too.

However, the Ohio State women’s basketball team had spirited conversation at halftime that turned into a historic 39-point third quarter, ending with an 87-49 Buckeye win over the Badgers.

Following the game, head coach Kevin McGuff, forward Eboni Walker and guard Madison Greene all spoke with the media.

Up first is Coach McGuff, who talks about playing Wisconsin forward Serah Williams, and adjustments made. Also, opening up the arena for Sunday’s game against Indiana and the scarlet and gray’s second half response.

Walker and Greene speak together, talking about the hard work going into the victory, looking ahead to Indiana and what they see from forward Cotie McMahon in practice that’s lending to the recent surge for the sophomore.

That and more on the latest Land-Grant Uncut.


Connect with Thomas:

Twitter: @1ThomasCostello

Threads: @1ThomasCostello

Bluesky: @thomascostello.bsky.social

Theme music provided by www.bensound.com

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LGHL You’re Nuts: Is there any reason to think the Ohio State men’s basketball team could still make the tournament?

You’re Nuts: Is there any reason to think the Ohio State men’s basketball team could still make the tournament?
Connor Lemons 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

There have been teams in this same position make the tournament before. But is this particular team capable of such a run?

For the second straight season, the Ohio State men’s basketball team appears to be finished playing for anything meaningful — and the team hasn't even plated a game in February yet. The Buckeyes still have at least 11 games left on the schedule, but with a Big Ten record of 3-7 thus far, all signs point to continued frustration and losses over these final six weeks.

More on that mess shortly.

Last week, Connor and Justin debated whether Bowen Hardman, Ohio State’s rarely-used sophomore shooting guard — the “other” guy in that 2022 recruiting class — should get some more run down the stretch. His peers credit him with being the best shooter on the team, and he put up a quick 11 points in eight minutes of mop-up duty against Nebraska last week.

65% of the readers sided with Connor — not a full-throated agreement but a “sure, why the hell not at this point?” The remaining 35% sided with Justin, saying they’d prefer to see former four-star recruit Taison Chatman get more opportunities.

After 137 weeks:​

Connor- 65
Justin- 53
Other- 15​

(There have been four ties)​


With at least 11 games left, mathematically Ohio State controls its own destiny if it wants to make it to the NCAA Tournament. Obviously, 11 wins would get you in! Realistically, seven might do the trick. Anything less than that... tough luck.

Have there been teams sitting in this same position win enough games down the stretch to make the NCAA Tournament? Yes, multiple Big Ten teams have done it. But the way this team is playing at the moment, do we think this particular group of players and coaches has what it takes to finish the season on a high note?

Today’s Question: Is there any reason to think Ohio State could still make the tournament? ​

Connor: No​

NCAA Basketball: Illinois at Ohio State
Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

The future of the Ohio State men’s basketball program is pretty murky at the moment. I’m not sure which members of this program — which includes players, coaches, and other staff members — will still be here when the dust settles in April. In order to avoid that worst-case scenario, the Buckeyes would need to win at least seven more games down the stretch.

Based on what my eyes have seen the last few weeks, I don’t think they’re going to come close to getting that.

The toughest thing to swallow in this whole mess is that the pieces of the puzzle should fit. Bruce Thornton, Roddy Gayle, and Felix Okpara playing through horrendous struggles last year was supposed to pay huge dividends this year. Allowing those freshmen to really grind it out and cut their teeth playing against bigger, older, stronger players last year was supposed to sharpen their game, especially on the defensive end.

A full off-season simmering in the reflection of the worst Ohio State basketball season in the last 25 years was hopefully going to help these guys right the ship. None of that has happened.

This team’s biggest problem is the fact that it once again can’t defend. Last year’s team struggled because it couldn’t get enough consecutive stops to either build a lead or cut into a deficit. I thought that this year’s team had enough defense on the roster to get better in that area. Bruce, Roddy and Felix all would be a year older, plus the additions of Evan Mahaffey and Scotty Middleton.

After about six weeks, it looked like that was the case. For the first time in four years, Ohio State was in the top-50 in the country in defensive efficiency, and looked like a much more well-rounded team. But since then, teams have been lighting it up from beyond the arc against the Buckeyes, and just generally running up the score. Ohio State has fallen all the way down to No. 120 in defensive efficiency — even worse than last season.

The individual pieces look nice on paper. Thornton, Gayle, and Okpara are all pretty solid defenders. But collectively, this team doesn’t know what’s up and what’s down on that end of the floor. They’re once again incapable of getting two or three stops in a row. It’s really hard to see this team winning several games down the stretch when that’s once again the case.

Justin: Yes​

COLLEGE BASKETBALL: JAN 30 Illinois at Ohio State
Photo by Jason Mowry/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Is the season cooked? Probably. But I have one more optimistic fight in me.

This comes out on Friday, Feb. 2, and the entire season will come down to whether or not they win tonight’s game. If they lose at Iowa, you can start thinking about the fall football season and watching the women’s team hopefully make a run in March.

However, if, against all odds, they actually win a road game at Iowa and break the 14-game road losing streak, the next two games are against Indiana and Maryland at home. Both of those teams are outside of the NCAA Tournament as of right now and struggle on the road, so the chance for a three-game winning streak is not out of the question.

The Buckeyes have 10 regular season games left, and seven of them are against Quad one or two teams. The three Quad three games are all at home, where the Buckeyes have, in general, been pretty good.

Also, the last two games are against Michigan and Rutgers, and they are both bad. So, they have a chance to end the season strong with those games.

At this rate, who knows what will happen. But if they can somehow beat Iowa tonight (I know, I know), they will have a chance to go on a run with how the schedule shapes out (Insert shoulder shrug emoji).


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LGHL With Hoosiers looming, Ohio State women’s basketball benefit from facing Serah Williams

With Hoosiers looming, Ohio State women’s basketball benefit from facing Serah Williams
ThomasCostello 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

How the 6-foot-4 forward gives insight into how the Buckeyes will fair Sunday against Indiana’s Mackenzie Holmes.

Against the Wisconsin Badgers, it looked the Ohio State women’s basketball team was in for a tough night in the paint.

The reason is twofold. First, Badgers forward Serah Williams entered Thursday averaging a double-double. The other reason? Ohio State isn’t known as a good team against dominant post presence, to which Williams more than fits the description.

The Buckeyes eventual 87-49 victory showed two different scarlet and gray sides, especially on defense in the paint. It also previewed how things can go Sunday for Ohio State when it faces a similar, but more dangerous, threat in Indiana Hoosiers forward Mackenzie Holmes.

In the first quarter, the 6-foot-4 Williams was the Wisconsin Badgers. The sophomore scored six of Wisconsin’s 16 points and added six rebounds. When Williams wasn’t scoring the ball, it was because the Ohio State defense gave outside shooters time to shoot due to missing assignments and lacking the energy needed to get the Buckeyes’ defense off the ground.

When Williams did get the ball, which was often, there was nobody on head coach Kevin McGuff’s roster who could take on the task of facing the forward one-on-one.

Williams entered halftime with 12 points and eight rebounds in the first 20 minutes of the game. Even so, Ohio State still had a five-point lead. For the No. 8 team in the country, it wasn’t enough, and what was specifically said is likely to stay in the Buckeyes locker room.

“Probably shouldn’t say that here,” said McGuff. “But we had a spirited conversation at halftime. Just about our, really it was our mental energy. I thought our physical energy was fine, but we weren’t really locked in mentally.”

Queue the second half.

The third quarter was what the Buckeyes needed, and will have to replicate to compete with Indiana. Ohio State’s 39 points, featuring 29 points off turnovers, left Wisconsin reeling, with the Badgers scoring 11 points and giving the ball away 12 times in the quarter.

While Williams secured her seventh double-double in a row, the sophomore had four points and three rebounds in the second half — a vastly different defensive performance against the post star. Instead of going at Williams in solo matchups, the Buckeyes began crowding the forward so she couldn’t receive passes comfortably.

Now, there are differences between Williams and Holmes.

The Indiana star leads the Big Ten in shooting efficiency, hitting 66.8% of her shots. Holmes does this by going through and around defenders. Also, the All-American isn’t a sophomore. The graduate senior Holmes has played her fair share of difficult defenders in her years in Bloomington, Indiana.

Those are all solo attributes. The support cast for Indiana is better than those playing around Williams at Wisconsin. Senior guards Chloe Moore-McNeil and Sara Scalia aren’t only more experienced, with accolades to back up their play, than the freshman and sophomore heavy Badgers but part of one of the strongest overall groups of guards in the conference.

Even so, the defensive work rate alone, with a taller and more physical Williams, could pay dividends.

“It was good that we had to play a great post player tonight because we’re going to play obviously against Mackenzie on Sunday,” said McGuff. “Who’s one of the best in the country.”

Another aspect of Holmes’ game is great rebounding ability. The Buckeyes have a new rebounding force of their own in forward Cotie McMahon.

The shorter McMahon went up against Williams many times on Thursday, grabbing 10 rebounds to Williams’ 11. While the big out rebounded her, a few of those had McMahon directly in the thick of it with the four inches taller Williams. The improved rebounding is the continuation of the growth of McMahon, looking prepared as ever for a matchup with the Hoosiers.

Guard Madison Greene, who’s a leader of the team and has seen McMahon since the sophomore enrolled early at Ohio State in the spring of 2022, has noticed the change in McMahon at practice.

“She’s really doing a really good job at rebounding. I think that’s a big thing for her right now,” said Greene. “I think it's really starting to translate what she’s doing in practice in the game.”

McMahon’s 15 points, 10 rebounds and four assist performance double-double is the fourth in a row, after entering this season with three total in her freshman campaign. Indiana was on the other end of one of those double-doubles too, in the Big Ten Tournament semifinal.

In that historic victory, the Buckeyes came back from 25 points down to shock the Hoosiers behind McMahon’s 12 points and 14 rebounds.

The Centerville, Ohio native is a star who’s growing brighter game-by-game in 2024, but Thursday showed that she can’t do it alone if the Buckeyes hope to lock in on Holmes like it did against Williams in the second half.

With the Schottenstein Center opening the upper bowl of seats again, like it did against the Iowa Hawkeyes on Jan. 21, the Buckeyes will need a performance like it had against superstar guard Caitlin Clark and the then No. 2 ranked Hawkeyes. That and the added defensive work in the paint from Thursday.

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

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

NCAA Basketball: Iowa at Indiana

Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Following Tuesday’s loss to Illinois, the Buckeyes hit the road to take on Iowa tonight.

For the second time this season Ohio State’s men’s basketball team has lost three games in a row. Following setbacks on the road to Nebraska and Northwestern last week, on Tuesday night the Buckeyes fell at home 87-75 to Illinois. With the loss to the Fighting Illini, Ohio State has lost six of their last seven games, with the only win during that span coming at home against Penn State. Along with their funk during the month of January, the Buckeyes have been atrocious on the road over the last year, losing their last 14 road games.

After a lackluster effort on Saturday at Northwestern, Ohio State showed a little more fight against a tough Illinois team on Tuesday evening. The improved effort wasn’t enough though, as the Buckeyes weren’t able to cut into a 41-34 halftime deficit in the second half. Most of the statistics in the game were pretty tight, Illinois just hit a couple more three-pointers, a few more free throws, and pulled down a couple more rebounds.

Leading Ohio State in scoring on Tuesday night was Jamison Battle, who finished with 21 points. Entering Tuesday’s contest, Battle had been in a recent slump, scoring just 32 total points over his last four games. The Minnesota transfer hit the 20-point mark for the fourth time this season, and the first time since he scored 22 points in the victory over Rutgers at the beginning of the month. Just behind Battle on Tuesday night in scoring was Roddy Gayle Jr., who netted 20 points. Evan Mahaffey was the only other Ohio State player to reach double figures in scoring, with his 13 points being his second-highest scoring total as a Buckeye.

Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

One Buckeye who has been struggling lately has been Bruce Thornton. Over the last four games, the only contest where Thornton hit more than a third of his field goal attempts came in the loss to Nebraska where he was 5-9 from the field. After reaching double figures in scoring in 13 of the first 14 games of this season, Thornton has failed to score at least 10 points in three of the last seven games. With the season spiraling out of control, Ohio State needs more from Thornton, who is looked at as one of the leaders of the team.

Preview​


Much like Ohio State, Iowa is playing some of their worst basketball of the season, having lost three of their last four games. The latest loss for the Hawkeyes came on Tuesday night to Indiana, falling to the Hoosiers 74-69 in Bloomington. Fran McCaffrey’s team at least showed some fight in the loss, rallying from a 17-point deficit in the first half, and a 12-point deficit in the second half. Iowa actually led 68-66 with 1:42 left in the game after a Payton Sandfort jumper before Indiana would go on to score the last eight points of the game.

Sandfort’s jumper late in the game to give Iowa a brief lead gave him a team-high 26 points. Sandfort’s 26-point outburst pushed his season total to five games with at least 20 points. The junior forward is tied with Ben Krikke for second in scoring, with both averaging 15 points per game. Sandfort has also been very active on the glass so far this season, leading the Hawkeyes with 6.9 rebounds per game.

This is the 169th meeting between the Buckeyes and Hawkeyes. Incredibly, the all-time series is knotted at 84. Last year the teams met three times, with Ohio State winning two of the three contests. The Buckeyes won in Columbus 93-77 in January, followed by Iowa winning 92-75 on their home court a little less than a month later. Ohio State won the rubber match at the Big Ten Tournament 73-69 in the second round. Even with the loss in Chicago, the Hawkeyes would still go on to the NCAA Tournament, losing to Auburn in the first round while the Buckeyes sat at home.

Leading Iowa in scoring this year is senior guard Tony Perkins, who is averaging 15.5 points per game. In the loss to Indiana, Perkins returned to his home state and finished with 22 points, notching the fourth straight game where he has scored at least 20 points. Along with his scoring prowess, Perkins has been very active in other areas on the court, averaging four rebounds per game, four assists per game, and nearly two steals per contest.

NCAA Basketball: Purdue at Iowa
Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

While Perkins, Sandfort, and Krikke are all capable of having monster games, the most intriguing player on Iowa’s roster is Owen Freeman. The freshman is capable of posting a double-double any time he takes the floor. So far this season Freeman has recorded three double-doubles, but there have been numerous games where he has fallen a rebound or two shy of adding to those numbers. Earlier this week Freeman was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week for the seventh time this season, tying Bryce McGowens of Nebraska for second-most in conference history. Freeman very quietly leads all Big Ten freshmen in points, rebounds, and blocks.

Prediction​


Ohio State has to be thrilled the calendar has turned to February. Even though the month has changed, the outlook for Chris Holtmann’s team hasn’t. The Buckeyes can’t win on the road, which severely hampers their NCAA Tournament hopes. With their terrible January, it is looking like the only chance for Ohio State to make the tournament is to win the Big Ten Tournament. Because of their failures so far in the conference, the Buckeyes are looking like they are going to be one of the lower seeds in next month’s conference tournament, so they aren’t doing themselves any favors.

The good news for the Buckeyes is Iowa has lost their last two games at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The bad news for Ohio State is those losses came to Maryland and Purdue, two teams that are playing at a higher level than the Buckeyes are right now. Right now Ohio State just seems lost on the basketball court. Players like Bruce Thornton seem to have hit a wall, while others like Roddy Gayle Jr. have struggled with consistency of late. Then there have been some puzzling usage decisions from Holtmann when it comes to the bench. Freshman Devin Royal has given the team quality minutes, but the problem is he is averaging just over seven minutes per game despite producing in the few minutes he’s been given.

This Iowa squad isn’t quite as feared as they have been recently since they don’t have Luka Garza or the Murray brothers. That doesn’t mean the Hawkeyes aren’t dangerous. Every time out Iowa is a threat to score at least 80 points because of their ability to score inside and out. On the other side, the Buckeyes are having a real tough time keeping up with opponents who can’t score quite at the rate Iowa can. If Ohio State isn’t on their game early tonight, things could get ugly fast in Iowa City.


ESPN BPI: Iowa 71.8%
Time: 7 p.m. ET
TV: FS1

LGHL score prediction: Iowa 81, Ohio State 72​


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Google Skull Session: Ohio State Wins the Winter Transfer Portal Window, Seth Towns is a Standout at Howard and Merce - Eleven Warriors

Skull Session: Ohio State Wins the Winter Transfer Portal Window, Seth Towns is a Standout at Howard and Merce - Eleven Warriors
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".

Skull Session: Ohio State Wins the Winter Transfer Portal Window, Seth Towns is a Standout at Howard and Merce Eleven Warriors

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OL Mike Jacobs (walk-on in 1997, now Head Football Coach at Mercer)

ScriptOhio
www.buckeyerosters.com

Mike Jacobs: Ohio State Football - Buckeye Rosters

www.buckeyerosters.com www.buckeyerosters.com

mike-jacobs-1998.png

Mike Jacobs
LS, C, OG
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 285
Birthday: 5/9/1979
Hometown: Maumee, OH
High School: Maumee
Current Team: Ohio State
Seasons: 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001

Major: Sport & Leisure Studies (1998-01), Unknown (1997)

2001 Media Guide: Mike Jacobs is a former walk-on who was converted to scholarship prior to last year … currently listed as the Buckeyes’ No. 2 center … also snaps for field goals and extra points … has worked hard to earn a spot on the depth chart … his father, Mike Jacobs, is a former Ohio State assistant coach and offensive coordinator.

2000 Season: Fulfilled a lifelong dream when he was awarded a scholarship at the start of the season … played in all 12 games, primarily as the long snapper, but did see action at center against Fresno State and Iowa.

2000 Media Guide: Everyone could learn a lesson in attitude from Mike Jacobs. Now in his fourth year in the OSU program, Jacobs has learned a number of positions and, in the words of the OSU coaching staff, “has done everything we’ve asked of him.” Jacobs has stood out as a long-snapper n the past and may get a chance to excel at that position with the departure of Kevin Houser to graduation. “Mike is a young man with a lot of willingness and a lot of want. He wants to do things really well,” George Belu, offensive line coach, said.

1999 Season: Played in three games … logged a total of five minutes, including a season-high three minutes against Iowa.

1999 Media Guide: Mike Jacobs is a hard-working young man who is entering his third full year with the Ohio State Buckeyes. He has learned a number of offensive line positions, but has stood out as a long snapper and backup center. Jacobs made the travel squad last year as a backup long snapper when Kevin Houser’s wrist was still in question.

1998 Season: Managed to see his first collegiate action, playing in three games for a total of five minutes.

1998 Media Guide: Entering his second full year as a member of the team … learning a number of offensive line positions, but stood out this spring at center, where he also displayed some long snapping capabilities … could become a valuable backup to Kevin Houser in the area of snapping.

1997 Season: Redshirted the 1997 season as a true freshman.

Personal: Is the son of Ohio State offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Mike Jacobs and Judy Jacobs … played high school football at Maumee High School … born May 9, 1979.

Just sayin': He deserves his own thread.
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Google Gavin Brindley Will Play In Columbus For First Time As Blue Jackets Prospect When Ohio State Hosts Michigan Fo - 1st Ohio Battery

Gavin Brindley Will Play In Columbus For First Time As Blue Jackets Prospect When Ohio State Hosts Michigan Fo - 1st Ohio Battery
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".

Gavin Brindley Will Play In Columbus For First Time As Blue Jackets Prospect When Ohio State Hosts Michigan Fo 1st Ohio Battery

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