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LGHL Hangout in the Holy Land: We finally get to play some football again
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Hangout in the Holy Land: We finally get to play some football again
justingolba 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
After almost a month off, the Tennessee game and the first round of the CFP are here, and we have a full preview and prediction for you.
The latest episode of Land-Grant Holy Land’s flagship podcast is here! Join LGHL personalities as they discuss Ohio State football, basketball, recruiting, and much more! Come for the hot takes. Stay for the warm ones.
Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
On this brand new episode of Hangout in the Holy Land, Justin is joined by Land-Grant Holy Land’s managing editor Gene Ross for a full Tennessee game preview.
For the first time in almost a month, we finally have an Ohio State football game, and it is the biggest one of the year.
Simply put, what does Ohio State have to do to win this game? We break down Tennessee's offense and defense, talk about some narratives coming into the game, X-factors, our confidence in Ryan Day, and making our official predictions.
Make sure to like and subscribe to the podcast. As always, Go Bucks!
Connect with the pod:
Twitter: @HolyLandPod
Connect with Justin Golba:
Twitter: @justin_golba
Connect with Gene Ross:
Twitter: @Gene_Ross23
Continue reading...
justingolba 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
After almost a month off, the Tennessee game and the first round of the CFP are here, and we have a full preview and prediction for you.
The latest episode of Land-Grant Holy Land’s flagship podcast is here! Join LGHL personalities as they discuss Ohio State football, basketball, recruiting, and much more! Come for the hot takes. Stay for the warm ones.
Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
On this brand new episode of Hangout in the Holy Land, Justin is joined by Land-Grant Holy Land’s managing editor Gene Ross for a full Tennessee game preview.
For the first time in almost a month, we finally have an Ohio State football game, and it is the biggest one of the year.
Simply put, what does Ohio State have to do to win this game? We break down Tennessee's offense and defense, talk about some narratives coming into the game, X-factors, our confidence in Ryan Day, and making our official predictions.
Make sure to like and subscribe to the podcast. As always, Go Bucks!
Connect with the pod:
Twitter: @HolyLandPod
Connect with Justin Golba:
Twitter: @justin_golba
Connect with Gene Ross:
Twitter: @Gene_Ross23
Continue reading...
LGHL Ohio State takes care of business at home, beating Valpo 95-73
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Ohio State takes care of business at home, beating Valpo 95-73
Connor Lemons 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
Devin Royal was otherworldly in the win, scoring a career-high 31 points and grabbing 15 rebounds.
With another game against a top-five opponent looming, the Ohio State men’s basketball team (7-4, 1-1) needed to take care of business at home Tuesday night against Valparaiso despite being down 25% of the active roster.
They did that, beating Jake Diebler’s scrappy alma mater at the Schottenstein Center, 95-73. Devin Royal was a man on a mission, finishing with career-highs in points (31) and rebounds (15).
In addition to Ques Glover and Colin White, who are both nursing ankle injuries, Aaron Bradshaw missed his seventh consecutive game, and second since the team announced he’d rejoined team activities. Head coach Jake Diebler said on Monday afternoon that Bradshaw was still in a “return to play” progression and that he physically had not gotten to a level that warranted his return. There are now serious doubts that the sophomore center will be available on Saturday against No. 5 Kentucky, which also happens to be his former team.
On top of those three absences, it was announced on Tuesday night that senior guard Meechie Johnson has decided to take a personal leave of absence from the program. There is no timeline for his return, but Ohio State resumes classes on January 6, so Johnson would likely need to be back on campus by then to retain his eligibility.
With all of those absences in mind, Diebler went with a starting lineup of Bruce Thornton, Micah Parrish, Sean Stewart, Devin Royal, and John Mobley. It was Mobley’s first collegiate start.
Valparaiso head coach Roger Powell went with a starting five of Tyler Schmidt, All Wright (yup, that’s his name), Jefferson De La Cruz Monegro, Kaspar Sepp, and Cooper Schwieger. Wright is coming off a career-high 26-point game against Central Michigan on Saturday.
Whether it was the off-the-court stuff or the after-effects of having been thoroughly pantsed by Auburn three days earlier, the Buckeyes came out flat defensively against Valpo. The Beacons knocked down a trio of three-pointers before the first media timeout, not even five minutes into the game. Diebler’s alma mater held a 12-8 lead after four minutes inside a sleepy late-night Schottenstein Center crowd of just over 8,000 people.
Valpo wasn’t able to extend that four-point lead, and it wasn’t nearly enough to hold off Ohio State once the offense got going. Eight minutes into the game Ohio State started what would eventually turn into a 12-0 run, pulling ahead by double-digits momentarily before Valpo cut the lead back to six.
The Beacons got to the free throw line four times in the final 5:06 of the first half and went 6-for-8 from the stripe, cutting Ohio State’s 10-point lead to four momentarily before Royal and Parrish closed the half with a combined five points in the final 17 seconds of the half. The Buckeyes went to the locker room up 41-30, with Royal scoring 18 of the Buckeyes’ 41. He also had nine of Ohio State’s 21 rebounds in the first half.
By the 11-minute mark of the second half Ohio State had extended its lead to 19 over Valpo. The Beacons didn’t have the muscle or motor to hang with Royal or his accomplices on Tuesday night, letting a close game dissolve into an easy win with more than 10 minutes remaining.
Basketball was played over the final few minutes, but little of it was of consequence with Ohio State up 20 points for the final quarter of the game. After sitting most of the first half, Stewart scored on three consecutive possessions late in the game to extend the lead, including two big dunks. Royal scored just before the final media timeout to notch his first career 30-point game.
If you weren’t among the dozens of people in attendance Tuesday night or forgot to renew your Peacock subscription to watch, here were a few key moments and plays that were pivotal — or at least noteworthy — during Ohio State’s win:
The sophomore forward had picked up at least three fouls in each of his last five games and was off to a really fast start Tuesday night if he wanted to extend that streak. The 6-foot-9 forward picked up his second foul of the game 3:46 into the contest and was quickly replaced by Austin Parks. Not too long later, Parks was pulled for Evan Mahaffey, who scored moments later off a smooth feed from Thornton to cut Valpo’s lead to 12-10.
Up 19-16 with 9:40 remaining in the first half, Bruce Thornton powered his way to the baseline and tried to drop in a jumper off the glass from about six feet up the line. It was long and rolled off the front of the basket, but Thornton moved and was able to collect his own miss and kick it out to Parrish.
Parrish’s three-point try was no good, but Royal snagged another offensive rebound and got the ball to Mobley, who took Schwieger for a little dance on the perimeter before stepping back and knocking down his second three-pointer of the game. It made the score 22-16, and the possession was only possible because Thornton chased down his own miss.
With Bradshaw out, Stewart in early foul trouble, and Parks not playing particularly well the last two games, Ohio State resorted to using Royal and Mahaffey at center for much of this game. The Beacons didn’t throw their weight around below the basket, but they were able to draw a handful of fouls at the end of the first half and get to the line four times over the final five minutes, hitting six of their eight free throws. This stopped Ohio State’s 12-0 run.
Royal finished the first half with 18 points and nine rebounds, finishing just one rebound short of a double-double in the first half alone. He also came four points and three rebounds short of tying his career highs, just in the first half.
With Bruce Thornton in foul trouble, Royal turned into Ohio State’s go-to option, and Valpo had no clear way to stop him.
Royal was able to quickly register that double-double in the second half, grabbing his 10th rebound 2:15 into the second half to give him 22 points and 10 boards, at that point.
Ohio State hoisted five three-point tries in the first 2:13 of Tuesday night’s game, hitting one of them and falling behind early to a team they needed to take care of. After that, the Buckeyes were more selective with their triples and even then were still not hitting them at a high clip.
Ohio State finished the first half 4-for-13 from beyond the arc and missed the first three in the second half as well to start 4-for-16 from long range.
But Ohio State — mostly Royal, but also Mahaffey and at times Parrish — did their best work right around the basket. The Buckeyes scored 34 paint points against Valpo Tuesday night.
Prior to Tuesday night’s game Ohio State was the third-worst free throw shooting team in the Big Ten, hitting 66.7% of their tries from the charity stripe. They also shot the fourth-fewest free throws per game in the conference, averaging 19.2 attempts per game. Royal (70%) and Parrish (65.2%) were two regulars who are struggling at the line this year, but find themselves at the stripe fairly often.
It was a complete 180 Tuesday night for Ohio State, as Diebler’s Buckeyes were 23-for-27 from the free throw line. The aforementioned strugglers Royal and Parrish combined to go 16-for-17 at the line.
In three days Ohio State will travel to the Big Apple to take on No. 5 Kentucky (10-1) in the CBS Sports Classic. The Buckeyes are 4-1 over the last five seasons in the event but will be up against a Goliath of a team in the Wildcats.
Mark Pope’s first Kentucky team is No. 11 in KenPom, No. 7 in the NET rankings, and has ranked wins over Duke and Gonzaga on its resume already.
Ohio State’s game against Kentucky will tip off at 5:30 p.m. ET 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
Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images
Devin Royal was otherworldly in the win, scoring a career-high 31 points and grabbing 15 rebounds.
With another game against a top-five opponent looming, the Ohio State men’s basketball team (7-4, 1-1) needed to take care of business at home Tuesday night against Valparaiso despite being down 25% of the active roster.
They did that, beating Jake Diebler’s scrappy alma mater at the Schottenstein Center, 95-73. Devin Royal was a man on a mission, finishing with career-highs in points (31) and rebounds (15).
In addition to Ques Glover and Colin White, who are both nursing ankle injuries, Aaron Bradshaw missed his seventh consecutive game, and second since the team announced he’d rejoined team activities. Head coach Jake Diebler said on Monday afternoon that Bradshaw was still in a “return to play” progression and that he physically had not gotten to a level that warranted his return. There are now serious doubts that the sophomore center will be available on Saturday against No. 5 Kentucky, which also happens to be his former team.
On top of those three absences, it was announced on Tuesday night that senior guard Meechie Johnson has decided to take a personal leave of absence from the program. There is no timeline for his return, but Ohio State resumes classes on January 6, so Johnson would likely need to be back on campus by then to retain his eligibility.
With all of those absences in mind, Diebler went with a starting lineup of Bruce Thornton, Micah Parrish, Sean Stewart, Devin Royal, and John Mobley. It was Mobley’s first collegiate start.
Valparaiso head coach Roger Powell went with a starting five of Tyler Schmidt, All Wright (yup, that’s his name), Jefferson De La Cruz Monegro, Kaspar Sepp, and Cooper Schwieger. Wright is coming off a career-high 26-point game against Central Michigan on Saturday.
Whether it was the off-the-court stuff or the after-effects of having been thoroughly pantsed by Auburn three days earlier, the Buckeyes came out flat defensively against Valpo. The Beacons knocked down a trio of three-pointers before the first media timeout, not even five minutes into the game. Diebler’s alma mater held a 12-8 lead after four minutes inside a sleepy late-night Schottenstein Center crowd of just over 8,000 people.
Valpo wasn’t able to extend that four-point lead, and it wasn’t nearly enough to hold off Ohio State once the offense got going. Eight minutes into the game Ohio State started what would eventually turn into a 12-0 run, pulling ahead by double-digits momentarily before Valpo cut the lead back to six.
The Beacons got to the free throw line four times in the final 5:06 of the first half and went 6-for-8 from the stripe, cutting Ohio State’s 10-point lead to four momentarily before Royal and Parrish closed the half with a combined five points in the final 17 seconds of the half. The Buckeyes went to the locker room up 41-30, with Royal scoring 18 of the Buckeyes’ 41. He also had nine of Ohio State’s 21 rebounds in the first half.
By the 11-minute mark of the second half Ohio State had extended its lead to 19 over Valpo. The Beacons didn’t have the muscle or motor to hang with Royal or his accomplices on Tuesday night, letting a close game dissolve into an easy win with more than 10 minutes remaining.
Basketball was played over the final few minutes, but little of it was of consequence with Ohio State up 20 points for the final quarter of the game. After sitting most of the first half, Stewart scored on three consecutive possessions late in the game to extend the lead, including two big dunks. Royal scored just before the final media timeout to notch his first career 30-point game.
If you weren’t among the dozens of people in attendance Tuesday night or forgot to renew your Peacock subscription to watch, here were a few key moments and plays that were pivotal — or at least noteworthy — during Ohio State’s win:
Stewart picks up two quick fouls and promptly takes a seat
The sophomore forward had picked up at least three fouls in each of his last five games and was off to a really fast start Tuesday night if he wanted to extend that streak. The 6-foot-9 forward picked up his second foul of the game 3:46 into the contest and was quickly replaced by Austin Parks. Not too long later, Parks was pulled for Evan Mahaffey, who scored moments later off a smooth feed from Thornton to cut Valpo’s lead to 12-10.
Thornton grabs his own miss, keeps possession alive for a Buckeye bucket
Up 19-16 with 9:40 remaining in the first half, Bruce Thornton powered his way to the baseline and tried to drop in a jumper off the glass from about six feet up the line. It was long and rolled off the front of the basket, but Thornton moved and was able to collect his own miss and kick it out to Parrish.
Parrish’s three-point try was no good, but Royal snagged another offensive rebound and got the ball to Mobley, who took Schwieger for a little dance on the perimeter before stepping back and knocking down his second three-pointer of the game. It made the score 22-16, and the possession was only possible because Thornton chased down his own miss.
With nobody down low, Valpo getting to the line
With Bradshaw out, Stewart in early foul trouble, and Parks not playing particularly well the last two games, Ohio State resorted to using Royal and Mahaffey at center for much of this game. The Beacons didn’t throw their weight around below the basket, but they were able to draw a handful of fouls at the end of the first half and get to the line four times over the final five minutes, hitting six of their eight free throws. This stopped Ohio State’s 12-0 run.
Devin Royal nearly had a first-half double-double
Royal flush
Devin’s got 18 points at the halfpic.twitter.com/ZZQpOcKE4a
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) December 18, 2024
Royal finished the first half with 18 points and nine rebounds, finishing just one rebound short of a double-double in the first half alone. He also came four points and three rebounds short of tying his career highs, just in the first half.
With Bruce Thornton in foul trouble, Royal turned into Ohio State’s go-to option, and Valpo had no clear way to stop him.
Royal was able to quickly register that double-double in the second half, grabbing his 10th rebound 2:15 into the second half to give him 22 points and 10 boards, at that point.
Buckeyes lean on muscle, not threes, to pull away
Ohio State hoisted five three-point tries in the first 2:13 of Tuesday night’s game, hitting one of them and falling behind early to a team they needed to take care of. After that, the Buckeyes were more selective with their triples and even then were still not hitting them at a high clip.
Ohio State finished the first half 4-for-13 from beyond the arc and missed the first three in the second half as well to start 4-for-16 from long range.
But Ohio State — mostly Royal, but also Mahaffey and at times Parrish — did their best work right around the basket. The Buckeyes scored 34 paint points against Valpo Tuesday night.
Money at the stripe?
Prior to Tuesday night’s game Ohio State was the third-worst free throw shooting team in the Big Ten, hitting 66.7% of their tries from the charity stripe. They also shot the fourth-fewest free throws per game in the conference, averaging 19.2 attempts per game. Royal (70%) and Parrish (65.2%) were two regulars who are struggling at the line this year, but find themselves at the stripe fairly often.
It was a complete 180 Tuesday night for Ohio State, as Diebler’s Buckeyes were 23-for-27 from the free throw line. The aforementioned strugglers Royal and Parrish combined to go 16-for-17 at the line.
What’s next?
In three days Ohio State will travel to the Big Apple to take on No. 5 Kentucky (10-1) in the CBS Sports Classic. The Buckeyes are 4-1 over the last five seasons in the event but will be up against a Goliath of a team in the Wildcats.
Mark Pope’s first Kentucky team is No. 11 in KenPom, No. 7 in the NET rankings, and has ranked wins over Duke and Gonzaga on its resume already.
Ohio State’s game against Kentucky will tip off at 5:30 p.m. ET on CBS.
Continue reading...
LGHL No. 11 Ohio State women’s basketball ends home non-conference play, defeats Grand Valley State 82-57
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No. 11 Ohio State women’s basketball ends home non-conference play, defeats Grand Valley State 82-57
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Ohio State University Athletic Department
Ohio State struggled in moments but played a strong first half to come away with the win
No. 11 Ohio State women’s basketball finished up their home non-conference schedule Tuesday afternoon, defeating Grand Valley State 82-57 behind the junior duo of Cotie McMahon and Chance Gray scoring a combined 44 points.
Without point guard Jaloni Cambridge for the second game in a row, the Buckeyes had a nine-player rotation with older sister Kennedy Cambridge returning from two games away, and early on they showed their class over the Lakers.
In the first quarter, Ohio State scored 17 of the first 19 points behind blistering interior play from forward Cotie McMahon. The junior went to the basket three times in the first 10 minutes, each time hitting a layup and adding a free throw in the process. Combine that with 12 forced turnovers and it looked like the rout was on.
Everything seemed to go right for the Scarlet and Gray, even when things got ugly. Halfway through the first quarter, McMahon stood at the top of the key and fell over. It wasn’t due to contact, but the forward tripped over herself. It gave Grand Valley State a fast break, but guard Ava Watson stopped it at the basket to give Ohio State another turnover. Watson sent the ball down the court to a smiling McMahon, still laughing off the tumble, to put the home side up 18 points.
After defeating the Youngstown State Penguins Saturday, Ohio State lamented not playing with intensity for the full 40 minutes, and the start of the second quarter Tuesday followed that same trend.
Ohio State started the second quarter going 2-of-7 from the floor. It prompted McMahon to yell to her teammates, “Come on, let’s go!” It was in hopes of waking up her fellow Buckeyes on the court, and it worked. Grand Valley State scored three points in the final six minutes and finished going 4-of-8 offensively to end the final 4:21 of the half and entered halftime up 44-18.
Grand Valley came back for the third quarter and played more composed than the first half. In the quarter, the Lakers matched their point total from the entire first 20 minutes of the game, scoring 20 points, including runs of seven and five points. Aiding the visitors was doing a better job of holding onto the ball.
Following the 19-turnover first half, Grand Valley gave the ball away once in the third quarter, limiting Ohio State’s ability to run. The Scarlet and Gray also struggled to hit shots in the second half of the quarter, going 1-of-7 and getting outscored 10-2.
Even so, the Buckeyes still had a 21-point lead with 20 minutes left in the game.
Head coach Kevin McGuff didn’t appear satisfied with the Buckeyes, opting to bring his starters into the game to start the final 10 minutes. With the primary group on the court, Ohio State scored the first five points of the quarter, but three came from the free throw line. Cold shooting continued to plague the Scarlet and Gray, hitting one of their first five shots in the first 3:18 of the quarter.
The defense picked up for the offense, and three early turnovers in the period kept the Lakers from getting much down on offense to make it more of a contest.
With three minutes remaining, McGuff had a mostly back-up group on the court and the game crawled to a finish. In front of a lower capacity game than most, the byproduct of playing at noon on a weekday, Ohio State held onto the lead, beating the Lakers for a second consecutive season.
Ohio State women’s basketball faces their toughest, and last, game of the non-conference schedule Friday when the Buckeyes face the Stanford Cardinal in San Fransisco, CA. Part of the Invisalign Bay Area Women’s Classic.
It’s the lone game of the non-conference regular season schedule against a power conference school, although the Cardinal are in a moment of transition. Beginning the year unranked, Stanford started strong to get back in the top 25 but losses to Indiana and LSU have the now-ACC team regrouping.
The Buckeyes are 1-2 all-time against Stanford in the official record book but do have two wins in 2017 that were vacated due to Ohio State recruiting violations.
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
Ohio State University Athletic Department
Ohio State struggled in moments but played a strong first half to come away with the win
No. 11 Ohio State women’s basketball finished up their home non-conference schedule Tuesday afternoon, defeating Grand Valley State 82-57 behind the junior duo of Cotie McMahon and Chance Gray scoring a combined 44 points.
Without point guard Jaloni Cambridge for the second game in a row, the Buckeyes had a nine-player rotation with older sister Kennedy Cambridge returning from two games away, and early on they showed their class over the Lakers.
In the first quarter, Ohio State scored 17 of the first 19 points behind blistering interior play from forward Cotie McMahon. The junior went to the basket three times in the first 10 minutes, each time hitting a layup and adding a free throw in the process. Combine that with 12 forced turnovers and it looked like the rout was on.
Everything seemed to go right for the Scarlet and Gray, even when things got ugly. Halfway through the first quarter, McMahon stood at the top of the key and fell over. It wasn’t due to contact, but the forward tripped over herself. It gave Grand Valley State a fast break, but guard Ava Watson stopped it at the basket to give Ohio State another turnover. Watson sent the ball down the court to a smiling McMahon, still laughing off the tumble, to put the home side up 18 points.
After defeating the Youngstown State Penguins Saturday, Ohio State lamented not playing with intensity for the full 40 minutes, and the start of the second quarter Tuesday followed that same trend.
Ohio State started the second quarter going 2-of-7 from the floor. It prompted McMahon to yell to her teammates, “Come on, let’s go!” It was in hopes of waking up her fellow Buckeyes on the court, and it worked. Grand Valley State scored three points in the final six minutes and finished going 4-of-8 offensively to end the final 4:21 of the half and entered halftime up 44-18.
Grand Valley came back for the third quarter and played more composed than the first half. In the quarter, the Lakers matched their point total from the entire first 20 minutes of the game, scoring 20 points, including runs of seven and five points. Aiding the visitors was doing a better job of holding onto the ball.
Following the 19-turnover first half, Grand Valley gave the ball away once in the third quarter, limiting Ohio State’s ability to run. The Scarlet and Gray also struggled to hit shots in the second half of the quarter, going 1-of-7 and getting outscored 10-2.
Even so, the Buckeyes still had a 21-point lead with 20 minutes left in the game.
Head coach Kevin McGuff didn’t appear satisfied with the Buckeyes, opting to bring his starters into the game to start the final 10 minutes. With the primary group on the court, Ohio State scored the first five points of the quarter, but three came from the free throw line. Cold shooting continued to plague the Scarlet and Gray, hitting one of their first five shots in the first 3:18 of the quarter.
The defense picked up for the offense, and three early turnovers in the period kept the Lakers from getting much down on offense to make it more of a contest.
With three minutes remaining, McGuff had a mostly back-up group on the court and the game crawled to a finish. In front of a lower capacity game than most, the byproduct of playing at noon on a weekday, Ohio State held onto the lead, beating the Lakers for a second consecutive season.
What’s Next
Ohio State women’s basketball faces their toughest, and last, game of the non-conference schedule Friday when the Buckeyes face the Stanford Cardinal in San Fransisco, CA. Part of the Invisalign Bay Area Women’s Classic.
It’s the lone game of the non-conference regular season schedule against a power conference school, although the Cardinal are in a moment of transition. Beginning the year unranked, Stanford started strong to get back in the top 25 but losses to Indiana and LSU have the now-ACC team regrouping.
The Buckeyes are 1-2 all-time against Stanford in the official record book but do have two wins in 2017 that were vacated due to Ohio State recruiting violations.
Continue reading...
LGHL Ohio State men’s basketball vs. Valparaiso: Game preview and prediction
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Ohio State men’s basketball vs. Valparaiso: Game preview and prediction
Jami Jurich via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images
The Buckeyes look to bounce back from a routing as they welcome Coach Diebler’s alma mater to Columbus.
Ohio State heads home to regroup as they welcome Valparaiso to Value City Arena tonight.
The Buckeyes (6-4 overall, 5-1 at home) return to Columbus on the heels of their 91-53 thumping by Auburn in Atlanta on Saturday, after a slow start against a dominant team proved impossible to recover from.
The matchup with Valparaiso is a matchup of familiar faces, as Ohio State head coach Jake Dieber played his collegiate career with the Beacons (then the Crusaders) before spending four years as a member of their coaching staff. Valparaiso (5-4, 0-1 away), out of the Missouri Valley Conference, are heading to Columbus following a 16-point win over the Central Michigan Chippewas on Saturday.
Tonight’s game marks the first meeting of the two programs since 2011 and the fourth all-time, with the Buckeyes technically going 2-0 against the Beacons (with both wins at home). Diebler was on the team for Valpo’s 2006 loss to OSU. The third meeting—a win for Valpo in 2000—was later vacated by the NCAA.
The Beacons are averaging 78.8 points per game, with a 43.5 percent shooting percentage overall.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25793493/usa_today_24988463.jpg "NCAA Basketball: Holiday Hoopsgiving-Ohio State at Auburn")
Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images
There’s no way to sugarcoat Saturday’s loss against No. 2 Auburn, which marked OSU’s third loss in four games. The Buckeyes couldn’t afford to take their time against the Tigers in general, so when Auburn star Johni Broome started the game on fire (good for 11 points and six rebounds in the opening seven minutes), the slow start was an insurmountable hurdle.
Even after a seven scoreless minutes for the Tigers, the Buckeyes couldn’t get the offense going enough to overcome the deficit they’d accrued, with Auburn heading into halftime comfortably leading, 49-21. Broome alone accounted for 17 of those first half points, along with 12 rebounds.
Turnovers and poor shooting plagued Ohio State through much of the first half. The Buckeyes lost possession five times, accounting for eight points for the Tigers, and shot just 6-of-24 from the field. They made just one shot from three-point range of five attempts, and shot only 57.1 percent from the free throw line. Even into the second half, the Buckeyes never found offensive rhythm—the team’s scoring leader Bruce Thornton didn’t even record points until the final five minutes of the game.
The Tigers, on the other hand, proved why their offense is so dominant, shooting 19-for-39 from the field and 9-for-16 from long range for the first half, and finished the game 33-of-72 and 13-of-30 from three-point range. Broome totaled 21 points, a career-high 20 rebounds and six assists in the game.
The lone positive note for OSU was double-digit scoring from both sophomore forward Devin Royal (14 points, five rebounds) and senior guard Micah Parrish (10 points, two assists and a block). Sophomore forward Sean Stewart led with six rebounds.
Both Royal and Parrish have scoring averages in double-digits, at 14.1 and 10.2 points per game, respectively. Royal also leads the team in rebounds, with an average of 7.2 per game.
Though Thornton was good for just three points against Auburn, he is currently averaging 14.9 points (the team high), 2.7 rebounds and five assists per game. Freshman guard John Mobley Jr., who is averaging 12.4 points per game, still sits second in the country in three-point shooting with a 54 percent average from long range.
The Beacons spent their Saturday very differently than the Buckeyes, securing a solid win over Central Michigan to snap a two-game skid, thanks in large part to a 26-point performance from freshman guard All Wright. A whopping 57 of their 93 points came in the second half.
Wright, who is averaging 9.9 points per game this season, shot 50 percent from three-point range and 100 percent from the charity stripe in the outing.
Senior guard Tyler Schmidt sits atop the leaderboard in scoring for the Beacons, averaging 12.9 points per game. He is also good for 2.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists. Also averaging in double digits for Valpo are junior guard Jefferson De La Cruz Monegro (11.6 ppg) and sophomore forward Cooper Schwieger (11.1 ppg), who also leads the team in rebounds with 7.1 per game.
De La Cruz Monegro also faced the Buckeyes last season as a member of the Western Michigan Broncos. The junior guard scored seven points in 30 minutes as Ohio State downed WMU last November, 73-56.
PREDICTION
Tuesday is a much-needed reset opportunity for an Ohio State team that got downright dominated this weekend but should be the dominant ones on the court tonight.
The Buckeyes should be angry, which will hopefully fuel them offensively, especially against a Valpo defense that has struggled to build any sort of momentum this season. It’s an opportunity for OSU to use the three-point differential between these two teams to their advantage: OSU is shooting 41.3 percent from three-point range, compared to the Beacons’ 33.2 percent.
Thornton, who has been hit-or-miss this season, needs to take advantage of this opportunity to find his confidence, and the team must execute better. They’ll also need to keep their eye on Wright, as another lights-out performance from him could crack the door for an upset.
But ultimately, while this game should be a fun one given Diebler’s ties to Valparaiso, it should not be a close one. The Buckeyes are heavily favored—by a 20.5-point margin—so if there were ever a time for them to snap out of their slump, this is it.
ESPN BPI: Ohio State 95.8%
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
TV: Peacock
Continue reading...
Jami Jurich via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images
The Buckeyes look to bounce back from a routing as they welcome Coach Diebler’s alma mater to Columbus.
Ohio State heads home to regroup as they welcome Valparaiso to Value City Arena tonight.
The Buckeyes (6-4 overall, 5-1 at home) return to Columbus on the heels of their 91-53 thumping by Auburn in Atlanta on Saturday, after a slow start against a dominant team proved impossible to recover from.
The matchup with Valparaiso is a matchup of familiar faces, as Ohio State head coach Jake Dieber played his collegiate career with the Beacons (then the Crusaders) before spending four years as a member of their coaching staff. Valparaiso (5-4, 0-1 away), out of the Missouri Valley Conference, are heading to Columbus following a 16-point win over the Central Michigan Chippewas on Saturday.
Tonight’s game marks the first meeting of the two programs since 2011 and the fourth all-time, with the Buckeyes technically going 2-0 against the Beacons (with both wins at home). Diebler was on the team for Valpo’s 2006 loss to OSU. The third meeting—a win for Valpo in 2000—was later vacated by the NCAA.
The Beacons are averaging 78.8 points per game, with a 43.5 percent shooting percentage overall.
PREVIEW
There’s no way to sugarcoat Saturday’s loss against No. 2 Auburn, which marked OSU’s third loss in four games. The Buckeyes couldn’t afford to take their time against the Tigers in general, so when Auburn star Johni Broome started the game on fire (good for 11 points and six rebounds in the opening seven minutes), the slow start was an insurmountable hurdle.
Even after a seven scoreless minutes for the Tigers, the Buckeyes couldn’t get the offense going enough to overcome the deficit they’d accrued, with Auburn heading into halftime comfortably leading, 49-21. Broome alone accounted for 17 of those first half points, along with 12 rebounds.
Turnovers and poor shooting plagued Ohio State through much of the first half. The Buckeyes lost possession five times, accounting for eight points for the Tigers, and shot just 6-of-24 from the field. They made just one shot from three-point range of five attempts, and shot only 57.1 percent from the free throw line. Even into the second half, the Buckeyes never found offensive rhythm—the team’s scoring leader Bruce Thornton didn’t even record points until the final five minutes of the game.
The Tigers, on the other hand, proved why their offense is so dominant, shooting 19-for-39 from the field and 9-for-16 from long range for the first half, and finished the game 33-of-72 and 13-of-30 from three-point range. Broome totaled 21 points, a career-high 20 rebounds and six assists in the game.
The lone positive note for OSU was double-digit scoring from both sophomore forward Devin Royal (14 points, five rebounds) and senior guard Micah Parrish (10 points, two assists and a block). Sophomore forward Sean Stewart led with six rebounds.
Both Royal and Parrish have scoring averages in double-digits, at 14.1 and 10.2 points per game, respectively. Royal also leads the team in rebounds, with an average of 7.2 per game.
Though Thornton was good for just three points against Auburn, he is currently averaging 14.9 points (the team high), 2.7 rebounds and five assists per game. Freshman guard John Mobley Jr., who is averaging 12.4 points per game, still sits second in the country in three-point shooting with a 54 percent average from long range.
The Beacons spent their Saturday very differently than the Buckeyes, securing a solid win over Central Michigan to snap a two-game skid, thanks in large part to a 26-point performance from freshman guard All Wright. A whopping 57 of their 93 points came in the second half.
Wright, who is averaging 9.9 points per game this season, shot 50 percent from three-point range and 100 percent from the charity stripe in the outing.
Senior guard Tyler Schmidt sits atop the leaderboard in scoring for the Beacons, averaging 12.9 points per game. He is also good for 2.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists. Also averaging in double digits for Valpo are junior guard Jefferson De La Cruz Monegro (11.6 ppg) and sophomore forward Cooper Schwieger (11.1 ppg), who also leads the team in rebounds with 7.1 per game.
De La Cruz Monegro also faced the Buckeyes last season as a member of the Western Michigan Broncos. The junior guard scored seven points in 30 minutes as Ohio State downed WMU last November, 73-56.
PREDICTION
MONEGROOOO ️@M0negro delivers with the wide openoff the pass from @Tyler_schmidt23 #GoValpo pic.twitter.com/aRKOPoLjab
— Valpo Basketball (@ValpoBasketball) December 14, 2024
Tuesday is a much-needed reset opportunity for an Ohio State team that got downright dominated this weekend but should be the dominant ones on the court tonight.
The Buckeyes should be angry, which will hopefully fuel them offensively, especially against a Valpo defense that has struggled to build any sort of momentum this season. It’s an opportunity for OSU to use the three-point differential between these two teams to their advantage: OSU is shooting 41.3 percent from three-point range, compared to the Beacons’ 33.2 percent.
Thornton, who has been hit-or-miss this season, needs to take advantage of this opportunity to find his confidence, and the team must execute better. They’ll also need to keep their eye on Wright, as another lights-out performance from him could crack the door for an upset.
But ultimately, while this game should be a fun one given Diebler’s ties to Valparaiso, it should not be a close one. The Buckeyes are heavily favored—by a 20.5-point margin—so if there were ever a time for them to snap out of their slump, this is it.
ESPN BPI: Ohio State 95.8%
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
TV: Peacock
LGHL score prediction: Ohio State 76, Valparaiso 53
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LGHL Ryan Day says Buckeyes will ‘play their tails off’ against Tennessee
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Ryan Day says Buckeyes will ‘play their tails off’ against Tennessee
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
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!
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
Presser Bullets: Ryan Day Says Ohio State Will “Play Their Tails Off” Against Tennessee, Chip Kelly Doesn’t Feel Offensive Coaches Put Players in Position to Succeed
Andy Anders, Eleven Warriors
Key Takeaways as Buckeyes start playoff-week prep for Tennessee
Austin Ward, Dotting The Eyes
Four lessons learned from Ryan Day, Chip Kelly as Tennessee week arrives for Buckeyes
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row
Luke Montgomery ‘deserves an opportunity,’ preparing to have role in CFP
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row
Ohio State needs double-digit transfer additions this offseason to even compete in 2025
Gene Ross, Land-Grant Holy Land
Ohio State Quarterback Will Howard Believes Only Way to Send Himself, Buckeye Seniors Out is With National Title
Andy Anders, Eleven Warriors
Devin Brown Remains Ohio State’s Backup Quarterback for College Football Playoff Despite Entering Transfer Portal
Dan Hope, Eleven Warriors
Buckeyes freshman quarterback Air Noland enters transfer portal
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row
Things about to get all scarlet up in the Shoe on Saturday!
Caleb Downs earns consensus All-American status; four other Buckeyes named AP All-Americans
Patrick Murphy, Bucknuts
Ohio State’s returning draft-eligible players have just one remaining goal among the “unfinished business”
Michael Citro, Land-Grant Holy Land
That’s good marketing.
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
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
Presser Bullets: Ryan Day Says Ohio State Will “Play Their Tails Off” Against Tennessee, Chip Kelly Doesn’t Feel Offensive Coaches Put Players in Position to Succeed
Andy Anders, Eleven Warriors
Key Takeaways as Buckeyes start playoff-week prep for Tennessee
Austin Ward, Dotting The Eyes
Four lessons learned from Ryan Day, Chip Kelly as Tennessee week arrives for Buckeyes
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row
Luke Montgomery ‘deserves an opportunity,’ preparing to have role in CFP
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row
Ohio State needs double-digit transfer additions this offseason to even compete in 2025
Gene Ross, Land-Grant Holy Land
Ohio State Quarterback Will Howard Believes Only Way to Send Himself, Buckeye Seniors Out is With National Title
Andy Anders, Eleven Warriors
Devin Brown Remains Ohio State’s Backup Quarterback for College Football Playoff Despite Entering Transfer Portal
Dan Hope, Eleven Warriors
Buckeyes freshman quarterback Air Noland enters transfer portal
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row
Things about to get all scarlet up in the Shoe on Saturday!
Caleb Downs earns consensus All-American status; four other Buckeyes named AP All-Americans
Patrick Murphy, Bucknuts
Ohio State’s returning draft-eligible players have just one remaining goal among the “unfinished business”
Michael Citro, Land-Grant Holy Land
On the Hardwood
And now for something completely different...
That’s good marketing.
Continue reading...
LGHL Ohio State men’s basketball needs more from its transfer class if they have NCAA aspirations
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Ohio State men’s basketball needs more from its transfer class if they have NCAA aspirations
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
Thus far, the sky-high potential of Ohio State’s transfer class has far outweighed the results.
When Jake Diebler was hired back in March, one of the perceived benefits of that decision was that Ohio State would keep the most talented bits of a middling roster around for at least one more season. While each came with their own flaws and quirks, Bruce Thornton, Roddy Gayle, Felix Okpara, Devin Royal, Scotty Middleton, and Taison Chatman were all talents that Diebler and his staff were hoping to keep.
That’s not quite how it turned out. Despite Diebler being their lead recruiter and the person most responsible for getting them to Columbus, Middleton, Gayle, and Okpara all chose to transfer out of the program when the season ended.
Thornton, Royal, and Chatman stayed put at Ohio State. A 50% retention rate for those six players could be looked at as a win or a failure right now, depending on who you ask. Regardless, the departures – in addition to four other players leaving the program or graduating, left several open scholarships.
Diebler – operating largely on his own while he was simultaneously trying to put together a coaching staff in April – swung high in the transfer portal, prioritizing raw talent and high ceilings over known commodities.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25793601/usa_today_24802011.jpg "Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch")
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Aaron Bradshaw and Sean Stewart were players who probably didn’t even expect to be playing a second year of college, yet here they are, trying to live up to their vast potential in Columbus after starting out elsewhere as freshmen. Meechie Johnson averaged better than 14 points per game last year at South Carolina but did so on sub-40% shooting both overall and behind the three-point line, and is still struggling to find his footing during his second stint donning the scarlet and gray.
Micah Parrish is the exception to the trend this off-season – a consistent and hard-nosed defender from a consistent and hard-nosed program, San Diego State. Parrish’s scoring has historically lagged well behind his defense. Ironically enough, he’s flipped that assumption a bit at Ohio State thus far, shooting a career-high 36.6% from three-point range and scoring 10.2 points per game.
The Buckeyes are 6-4 through 10 games and 1-1 in the Big Ten. It’s the worst 10-game start for an Ohio State team since the 2015-2016 team started the year 5-5 with losses to Louisiana Tech and UT-Arlington mixed in. That team missed the NCAA Tournament and the NIT.
The Buckeyes have lost three of their last four games, with two of those losses coming by 24 and 38 points. They’re 5-0 in Quad-3 and 4 games, but 1-4 in Quad-1 games, with their only good win so far coming against Texas on opening night.
Ohio State has not put itself in a great position to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2022 as they get ready to dive into Big Ten play. The Buckeyes’ losses against Pitt, Maryland, Texas A&M, and now Auburn will not hurt them, because those are all quality teams that will make the tournament. However, at a certain point the Buckeyes need to beat those good teams in the non-conference, too, rather than just giving those teams credit for being quality opponents. And they’re almost out of opportunities.
With just one quality win on the resume, the bar that Ohio State will need to meet to earn an at-large bid come March could be a smidge higher than teams like Michigan, Oregon, and Purdue. Those Big Ten teams may sneak into the Big Dance with nine or 10 conference wins plus non-conference wins over teams like Alabama and Texas A&M. Ohio State may need to be in the 10-11 range if they end the non-conference with their only good win being over Texas.
Stinkers against Maryland and Auburn aside, Thornton has by and large continued to be a stud for Ohio State. He is well on his way to becoming one of the all-time leading scorers in program history, currently pacing to finish in the top-five with an outside chance at finishing third or even second. Thornton has not been the issue for Ohio State.
It’s been the transfers.
In the loss to Auburn, Stewart, Parrish, Johnson, and the absent Bradshaw combined for 23 points on 8-of-22 shooting. Against Maryland, that group, which again includes the absent Bradshaw for context, scored 14 points on 4-of-22 shooting and were 1-of-9 from beyond the arc. Against Pitt, Parrish played well, but Johnson and Stewart struggled.
The elephant in the room is Bradshaw’s absence. The 7-foot-1 center has now missed six consecutive games, leaving the Buckeyes criminally undersized below the basket. 6-foot-6 Devin Royal is playing center at times. Texas A&M, Pitt, and Auburn all rebounded at least 35% of their own misses. There’s simply no resistance near the rim right now from this Ohio State team.
Even if Bradshaw never blossoms into a superstar center, his length and freakish athleticism is an asset to Ohio State on the defensive end and around the basket. The Buckeyes have missed having him around, there’s no doubt about it. We may never know the full circumstances as to why he has been out or if Bradshaw actually did anything wrong to deserve it, but the bottom line is that through the first third of the season, it has not worked out for him.
Not to belabor the point, but Jake Diebler’s first Ohio State team is not going to go very far if his talented (and expensive) quartet of transfers don’t improve as the season goes on. There have been flashes and moments where Johnson, Stewart, and Bradshaw play well individually, and Parrish has been very impressive in several games thus far.
But if Ohio State is going to make it back to the NCAA Tournament, which is the entire reason Johnson transferred back and Thornton stayed, the group of transfers has to provide better results.
Ohio State went for high upside this summer in the transfer portal, knowing there were also question marks with each player and it was completely possible that the potential just doesn’t pan out. With 21 games remaining, there is time for guys like Bradshaw and Stewart to realize that potential.
But at 6-4 through 10 games, they might want to speed it up just a tad.
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
Thus far, the sky-high potential of Ohio State’s transfer class has far outweighed the results.
When Jake Diebler was hired back in March, one of the perceived benefits of that decision was that Ohio State would keep the most talented bits of a middling roster around for at least one more season. While each came with their own flaws and quirks, Bruce Thornton, Roddy Gayle, Felix Okpara, Devin Royal, Scotty Middleton, and Taison Chatman were all talents that Diebler and his staff were hoping to keep.
That’s not quite how it turned out. Despite Diebler being their lead recruiter and the person most responsible for getting them to Columbus, Middleton, Gayle, and Okpara all chose to transfer out of the program when the season ended.
Thornton, Royal, and Chatman stayed put at Ohio State. A 50% retention rate for those six players could be looked at as a win or a failure right now, depending on who you ask. Regardless, the departures – in addition to four other players leaving the program or graduating, left several open scholarships.
Diebler – operating largely on his own while he was simultaneously trying to put together a coaching staff in April – swung high in the transfer portal, prioritizing raw talent and high ceilings over known commodities.
Aaron Bradshaw and Sean Stewart were players who probably didn’t even expect to be playing a second year of college, yet here they are, trying to live up to their vast potential in Columbus after starting out elsewhere as freshmen. Meechie Johnson averaged better than 14 points per game last year at South Carolina but did so on sub-40% shooting both overall and behind the three-point line, and is still struggling to find his footing during his second stint donning the scarlet and gray.
Micah Parrish is the exception to the trend this off-season – a consistent and hard-nosed defender from a consistent and hard-nosed program, San Diego State. Parrish’s scoring has historically lagged well behind his defense. Ironically enough, he’s flipped that assumption a bit at Ohio State thus far, shooting a career-high 36.6% from three-point range and scoring 10.2 points per game.
The Buckeyes are 6-4 through 10 games and 1-1 in the Big Ten. It’s the worst 10-game start for an Ohio State team since the 2015-2016 team started the year 5-5 with losses to Louisiana Tech and UT-Arlington mixed in. That team missed the NCAA Tournament and the NIT.
The Buckeyes have lost three of their last four games, with two of those losses coming by 24 and 38 points. They’re 5-0 in Quad-3 and 4 games, but 1-4 in Quad-1 games, with their only good win so far coming against Texas on opening night.
Ohio State has not put itself in a great position to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2022 as they get ready to dive into Big Ten play. The Buckeyes’ losses against Pitt, Maryland, Texas A&M, and now Auburn will not hurt them, because those are all quality teams that will make the tournament. However, at a certain point the Buckeyes need to beat those good teams in the non-conference, too, rather than just giving those teams credit for being quality opponents. And they’re almost out of opportunities.
With just one quality win on the resume, the bar that Ohio State will need to meet to earn an at-large bid come March could be a smidge higher than teams like Michigan, Oregon, and Purdue. Those Big Ten teams may sneak into the Big Dance with nine or 10 conference wins plus non-conference wins over teams like Alabama and Texas A&M. Ohio State may need to be in the 10-11 range if they end the non-conference with their only good win being over Texas.
Stinkers against Maryland and Auburn aside, Thornton has by and large continued to be a stud for Ohio State. He is well on his way to becoming one of the all-time leading scorers in program history, currently pacing to finish in the top-five with an outside chance at finishing third or even second. Thornton has not been the issue for Ohio State.
It’s been the transfers.
In the loss to Auburn, Stewart, Parrish, Johnson, and the absent Bradshaw combined for 23 points on 8-of-22 shooting. Against Maryland, that group, which again includes the absent Bradshaw for context, scored 14 points on 4-of-22 shooting and were 1-of-9 from beyond the arc. Against Pitt, Parrish played well, but Johnson and Stewart struggled.
The elephant in the room is Bradshaw’s absence. The 7-foot-1 center has now missed six consecutive games, leaving the Buckeyes criminally undersized below the basket. 6-foot-6 Devin Royal is playing center at times. Texas A&M, Pitt, and Auburn all rebounded at least 35% of their own misses. There’s simply no resistance near the rim right now from this Ohio State team.
Even if Bradshaw never blossoms into a superstar center, his length and freakish athleticism is an asset to Ohio State on the defensive end and around the basket. The Buckeyes have missed having him around, there’s no doubt about it. We may never know the full circumstances as to why he has been out or if Bradshaw actually did anything wrong to deserve it, but the bottom line is that through the first third of the season, it has not worked out for him.
Not to belabor the point, but Jake Diebler’s first Ohio State team is not going to go very far if his talented (and expensive) quartet of transfers don’t improve as the season goes on. There have been flashes and moments where Johnson, Stewart, and Bradshaw play well individually, and Parrish has been very impressive in several games thus far.
But if Ohio State is going to make it back to the NCAA Tournament, which is the entire reason Johnson transferred back and Thornton stayed, the group of transfers has to provide better results.
Ohio State went for high upside this summer in the transfer portal, knowing there were also question marks with each player and it was completely possible that the potential just doesn’t pan out. With 21 games remaining, there is time for guys like Bradshaw and Stewart to realize that potential.
But at 6-4 through 10 games, they might want to speed it up just a tad.
Continue reading...
LGHL Game Preview: No. 11 Ohio State women’s basketball vs. Grand Valley State
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Game Preview: No. 11 Ohio State women’s basketball vs. Grand Valley 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 Kirk Irwin/Getty Images
The Buckeyes take on the top Division II for the second time in just over a year.
No. 11 Ohio State women’s basketball closes out its final home game of the 2024 calendar year Tuesday, when they welcome the Grand Valley State Lakers for some weekday lunchtime basketball.
The Scarlet and Gray defeated the Lakers last year soundly, but its a different year for both teams, and Grand Valley comes in with a distinct advantage.
On Dec. 15, 2023, the Buckeyes welcomed the Lakers to the Schottenstein Center, sending the Division II side back near the shores of Western Michigan with a 73-49 defeat. In the game, guard Jacy Sheldon led Ohio State scorers with 15 points in a game where head coach Kevin McGuff used 13 players on his roster to coast to a comfortable victory.
The same could very well happen Tuesday, but Grand Valley State is no slouch when it comes to Division II basketball. The Lakers are No. 1 in the country among DII programs, carrying an 11-0 record and outscoring opponents by 30.2 points per game.
Compare that to entering their matchup with Ohio State last season, still undefeated with a couple overwhelming wins over opponents, but it also included a few close games. This season, Grand Valley isn’t showing mercy on the court and hasn't won a game by less than 15 points.
They’re able to excel this year because of the strong backbone of Lakers players returning after last year’s run to the Regional Semifinal, what Division I calls the Elite Eight.
The No. 1 seeded Lakers lost to Ferris State in the postseason, and coincidentally in the regular season too as the only other team they lost to all season outside of the Buckeyes, ending the 23-24 campaign with a 31-3 record.
In that game against Ohio State, guard Ellie Droste led all scorers with 17 points. Droste returns along with 10 other Lakers players from the defeat last season.
Now look at Ohio State’s roster, and there are questions. The Buckeyes return three players from last year’s game, and injuries may keep some players out again, especially with a trip to San Fransisco and a matchup with Stanford on Friday looming.
Guards Jaloni and Kennedy Cambridge both missed against Youngstown State Saturday with injury, the right shoulder for freshman point guard Jaloni and lower leg injury for her defensive-minded older sister. After the Saturday victory, McGuff said Kennedy is close to returning, as evidenced by the redshirt sophomore no longer wearing a boot on her leg over the weekend.
The question mark surrounds Jaloni. When asked if Jaloni could’ve played if against a power conference opponent, McGuff gave an unconvincing “maybe,” acting unsure if the No. 1 point guard recruit really could’ve went.
With Jaloni potentially still out, graduate senior Madison Greene is more than capable to fill in, playing staunch defense and bringing an air of calm to the team offensively. The only wild card is if Grand Valley State learned how to break the press.
Last year, Ohio State forced 32 turnovers and scored 34 points off those extra possessions. With a potentially new group of less experienced Buckeyes running the show, can they adjust how they play this time around?
G- Madison Greene
G- Chance Gray
G- Taylor Thierry
F- Cotie McMahon
F- Ajae Petty
G - Nicole Kamin
G - Abre Cabana
G - Molly Anderson
F - Rylie Bisballe
F - Kathryn Schmidt
The Buckeyes will overpower the Lakers regardless of who starts at point guard for Ohio State. The size of forward Ajae Petty and center Elsa Lemmilä won’t be stopped by Grand Valley State, even with the experienced group.
Ohio State won’t have any problems with looking ahead to Stanford on Friday, with Petty leading the team scoring. If Grand Valley puts more pressure in the paint, it’ll give Chance Gray and Cotie McMahon the chance to hurt the Lakers from the outside.
Date: Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024
Time: 12 p.m. ET
Where: Schottenstein Center, Columbus, Ohio
Stream: B1G+
Tuesday is the final game of 2024 in the Schottenstein Center. In 17 games, the Buckeyes won 15, with the lone loss coming in the NCAA Tournament against the Duke Blue Devils.
It’s another early game too, following an 11 a.m. ET tipoff time against Youngstown on Saturday. The reason for this earlier-than-normal start is the same as Saturday. Instead of hockey following the game, like over the weekend, it's the men’s basketball team playing Tuesday night at 8 p.m. ET.
Head coach Jake Diebler’s side welcomes the Valparaiso Crusaders, hoping to recover from a lopsided loss to the No. 2 Auburn Tigers over the weekend.
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 Kirk Irwin/Getty Images
The Buckeyes take on the top Division II for the second time in just over a year.
No. 11 Ohio State women’s basketball closes out its final home game of the 2024 calendar year Tuesday, when they welcome the Grand Valley State Lakers for some weekday lunchtime basketball.
The Scarlet and Gray defeated the Lakers last year soundly, but its a different year for both teams, and Grand Valley comes in with a distinct advantage.
Preview
On Dec. 15, 2023, the Buckeyes welcomed the Lakers to the Schottenstein Center, sending the Division II side back near the shores of Western Michigan with a 73-49 defeat. In the game, guard Jacy Sheldon led Ohio State scorers with 15 points in a game where head coach Kevin McGuff used 13 players on his roster to coast to a comfortable victory.
The same could very well happen Tuesday, but Grand Valley State is no slouch when it comes to Division II basketball. The Lakers are No. 1 in the country among DII programs, carrying an 11-0 record and outscoring opponents by 30.2 points per game.
Compare that to entering their matchup with Ohio State last season, still undefeated with a couple overwhelming wins over opponents, but it also included a few close games. This season, Grand Valley isn’t showing mercy on the court and hasn't won a game by less than 15 points.
They’re able to excel this year because of the strong backbone of Lakers players returning after last year’s run to the Regional Semifinal, what Division I calls the Elite Eight.
The No. 1 seeded Lakers lost to Ferris State in the postseason, and coincidentally in the regular season too as the only other team they lost to all season outside of the Buckeyes, ending the 23-24 campaign with a 31-3 record.
In that game against Ohio State, guard Ellie Droste led all scorers with 17 points. Droste returns along with 10 other Lakers players from the defeat last season.
Now look at Ohio State’s roster, and there are questions. The Buckeyes return three players from last year’s game, and injuries may keep some players out again, especially with a trip to San Fransisco and a matchup with Stanford on Friday looming.
Guards Jaloni and Kennedy Cambridge both missed against Youngstown State Saturday with injury, the right shoulder for freshman point guard Jaloni and lower leg injury for her defensive-minded older sister. After the Saturday victory, McGuff said Kennedy is close to returning, as evidenced by the redshirt sophomore no longer wearing a boot on her leg over the weekend.
The question mark surrounds Jaloni. When asked if Jaloni could’ve played if against a power conference opponent, McGuff gave an unconvincing “maybe,” acting unsure if the No. 1 point guard recruit really could’ve went.
With Jaloni potentially still out, graduate senior Madison Greene is more than capable to fill in, playing staunch defense and bringing an air of calm to the team offensively. The only wild card is if Grand Valley State learned how to break the press.
Last year, Ohio State forced 32 turnovers and scored 34 points off those extra possessions. With a potentially new group of less experienced Buckeyes running the show, can they adjust how they play this time around?
Projected Starters
Ohio State
G- Madison Greene
G- Chance Gray
G- Taylor Thierry
F- Cotie McMahon
F- Ajae Petty
Lineup Notes
- Despite averaging 18.7 minutes per game, Greene is third on the team with 22 steals, one behind Jaloni Cambridge and Taylor Thierry who are tied at 23.
- Ajae Petty grabbed her 600th rebound against the Penguins Saturday, now sitting at 601 in her NCAA career.
- Chance Gray is 51 points away from scoring her 1,000th NCAA point.
Grand Valley State
G - Nicole Kamin
G - Abre Cabana
G - Molly Anderson
F - Rylie Bisballe
F - Kathryn Schmidt
Lineup Notes
- Grand Valley State has 11 players averaging double-digit minutes per game, and nobody averages more than 20 minutes per game, a by-product of their 11 blowout wins.
- Rylie Bisballe leads the Lakers with 14.1 points per game, a career high for the redshirt senior.
- GVSU allows 48.9 points per game, the third lowest in Division II NCAA women’s basketball.
Prediction
The Buckeyes will overpower the Lakers regardless of who starts at point guard for Ohio State. The size of forward Ajae Petty and center Elsa Lemmilä won’t be stopped by Grand Valley State, even with the experienced group.
Ohio State won’t have any problems with looking ahead to Stanford on Friday, with Petty leading the team scoring. If Grand Valley puts more pressure in the paint, it’ll give Chance Gray and Cotie McMahon the chance to hurt the Lakers from the outside.
How to Watch
Date: Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024
Time: 12 p.m. ET
Where: Schottenstein Center, Columbus, Ohio
Stream: B1G+
LGHL Score Prediction: Ohio State 80, Grand Valley State 52
Closing Out the Calendar
Tuesday is the final game of 2024 in the Schottenstein Center. In 17 games, the Buckeyes won 15, with the lone loss coming in the NCAA Tournament against the Duke Blue Devils.
It’s another early game too, following an 11 a.m. ET tipoff time against Youngstown on Saturday. The reason for this earlier-than-normal start is the same as Saturday. Instead of hockey following the game, like over the weekend, it's the men’s basketball team playing Tuesday night at 8 p.m. ET.
Head coach Jake Diebler’s side welcomes the Valparaiso Crusaders, hoping to recover from a lopsided loss to the No. 2 Auburn Tigers over the weekend.
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LGHL B1G Thoughts: Is Ohio State’s Season Already Over or Can They Bounce Back?
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B1G Thoughts: Is Ohio State’s Season Already Over or Can They Bounce Back?
JordanW330 via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images
The last time the vibes around Ohio State were this bad they laid an egg, can they right the ship in time for the Tennessee game? Plus first-round playoff predictions.
Every week after the Big Ten games, I will bring you some B1G thoughts on everything that happened! This will include analysis, stats, key players, moments, and more. With the Big Ten expanding from 14 teams to 18 teams in 2024 we will have a bunch of storylines to follow.
Ryan Day and Ohio State are all in for the 2024 season. Is Oregon a national championship contender or will they stumble in their first Big Ten season? How do the former members of the Big Ten West fair in the new divisionless format? We will track all these storylines and more as the Big Ten hopes to win back-to-back national championships.
Check out the I-80 Football Show for more in-depth analysis and to preview the next week of B1G games.
Recently Ohio State’s head coach Ryan Day sat down for an interview that has been making its rounds on social media and has made fans upset. In said interview, Day lays out a list of reasons — or excuses, depending on who you ask — explaining why the Buckeyes didn’t reach their goals in 2024, including the conference changing and injuries.
Day also goes on to say multiple times that the goal of this season was to make the 12-team playoff, which is simply not true. For years, including this entire offseason, Day has preached that the Buckeyes have three goals: Beat That Team Up North, win the Big Ten Conference, and compete for a National Championship. For the fourth year in a row under Day, the Buckeyes have failed to complete the first two of their goals, and unless there is a miraculous turnaround, they won’t compete for a national championship either.
The last time the vibes were this bad around the Buckeyes, they went out and lost 14-3 to Mizzou in their bowl game. This time they still have an arguably overrated SEC team in front of them, but it’s a home playoff game instead of a meaningless bowl game.
For most fans it’s been a brutal couple of weeks, with losing to Michigan, getting out-recruited by Oregon both on the large scale and with individual recruiting battles, and the lack of transfer portal commitments despite the portal being open for eight days already. The one hope that fans have is that this team will bounce back and play well on the field, as they have for most of Day’s tenure and at least 10 of their 12 games this year outside Michigan and Nebraska.
The stakes of this game should be low enough after the athletic director doubled down on his commitment to Day being the head coach next season that Day should have his team ready to play. Yet, if that interview is any indication of where this program and its head coach are right now, then we may have a problem.
The clips of the interview feel like Day is trying to convince himself that there is more to play for, and it’s hard to believe that even he has faith in his own words. Right now Ohio State feels like a juiceless program, and we can only hope that they come out on Saturday with an edge and wash this nasty taste out of the mouths of the fanbase.
After a largely stellar season for the conference, the Big Ten landed four teams — Oregon, Penn State, Ohio, State, and Indiana — in the College Football Playoff. Oregon has the No. 1 seed and first-round bye, while Penn State and Ohio State are both hosting playoff games. Indiana is the only program going on the road, but they have a short trip after landing in-state foe Notre Dame.
Heading into Saturday, the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions are expected to make it to the second round of the playoffs, as Ohio State is a 7.5-point favorite over Tennesse and Penn State is an 8.5-point favorite over SMU. Indiana is a 7.5-point underdog to Notre Dame, but if I was a betting man I might put money on that. I’m not sure Notre Dame is a better team than the Hoosiers.
This is not betting advice, but you can check out my predictions below.
Notre Dame is on a heater, winning 10-straight games after their shocking upset loss to Northern Illinois. Since then, the Fighting Irish has played a weak schedule headlined by Louisville, Army, and Navy. Army and Navy are fake wins, as service academies rarely compete against teams with superior talent. Notre Dame is a beatable team when it faces a talented team, and even sometimes when it doesn’t.
Indiana on the other hand has only struggled twice this season, including a blowout loss to Ohio State. In 12 games, Indiana has looked unstoppable unless their opponent has a team that can physically dominate their offensive line. If they can keep Kurtis Rourke upright, their offense is going to move the ball. While Notre Dame is physical on offense, I’m not sure if they’ll bully Indiana on defense.
Prediction: Indiana 24-21
Since the playoff bracket has dropped, many media pundits and fans alike have claimed that Penn State has the easiest path in the College Football Playoff by getting to face SMU in the first round and a date with Boise State if they win. Penn State should be wary of overlooking the Mustangs, who rank sixth in scoring offense and 27th in scoring defense.
SMU struggled under the pressure of their first ACC playoff game, but found a way to overcome and tied the game late in the fourth quarter only to lose on a 56-yard field goal. If SMU could hang with Clemson, they can hang with Penn State. James Franklin and Co. are going to need to play like they did in the Big Ten Championship Game, as this match-up has shootout potential.
Prediction: Penn State 38-34
On paper, Ohio State should win this game. Tennesse has the fourth-ranked defense and the eighth-ranked offense, but those numbers are inflated by four blowout wins against Chattanooga, NC State, Kent State, and UTEP. In their other eight games, the Volunteers have only scored 30 points twice, including being held to 14 and 17 points against Arkansas and Georgia.
Ohio State’s defense has played at a special level all season, and should be able to shut down Tennessee’s hot and cold passing game. The problem is which team will show up on offense. Specifically, which coaches will show up.
Under Ryan Day, Ohio State tends to forget its talent and try to play a bruising style of football that it’s not designed to play. When Ohio State gets its athletes in space and throws to their bevy of first-round wide receivers, they’re almost impossible to stop. As soon as you try to focus on the passing game, Quinshon Judkins or TreVeyon Henderson can break off big runs to steal momentum.
The problem with the Buckeyes is whether they will choose to play this way or not. Tennesse has one of the better defensive lines in the country, and Ohio State has some injuries on the offensive line. With three weeks off to prepare the Buckeyes should be able to manage. If Day and Chip Kelly press the right buttons, they should get a win.
Prediction: Ohio State 31-20
Follow The I-80 Football Show on YouTube: @GetDefensiveSportsNetwork.
Subscribe to the podcast: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
Connect with me on Twitter: @JordanW330
Follow I-80 Football Show on Instagram: @I80FootballShow
Continue reading...
JordanW330 via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images
The last time the vibes around Ohio State were this bad they laid an egg, can they right the ship in time for the Tennessee game? Plus first-round playoff predictions.
Every week after the Big Ten games, I will bring you some B1G thoughts on everything that happened! This will include analysis, stats, key players, moments, and more. With the Big Ten expanding from 14 teams to 18 teams in 2024 we will have a bunch of storylines to follow.
Ryan Day and Ohio State are all in for the 2024 season. Is Oregon a national championship contender or will they stumble in their first Big Ten season? How do the former members of the Big Ten West fair in the new divisionless format? We will track all these storylines and more as the Big Ten hopes to win back-to-back national championships.
Check out the I-80 Football Show for more in-depth analysis and to preview the next week of B1G games.
In a sport dominated by vibes, the Buckeyes’ vibes are awful
Recently Ohio State’s head coach Ryan Day sat down for an interview that has been making its rounds on social media and has made fans upset. In said interview, Day lays out a list of reasons — or excuses, depending on who you ask — explaining why the Buckeyes didn’t reach their goals in 2024, including the conference changing and injuries.
Day also goes on to say multiple times that the goal of this season was to make the 12-team playoff, which is simply not true. For years, including this entire offseason, Day has preached that the Buckeyes have three goals: Beat That Team Up North, win the Big Ten Conference, and compete for a National Championship. For the fourth year in a row under Day, the Buckeyes have failed to complete the first two of their goals, and unless there is a miraculous turnaround, they won’t compete for a national championship either.
The last time the vibes were this bad around the Buckeyes, they went out and lost 14-3 to Mizzou in their bowl game. This time they still have an arguably overrated SEC team in front of them, but it’s a home playoff game instead of a meaningless bowl game.
For most fans it’s been a brutal couple of weeks, with losing to Michigan, getting out-recruited by Oregon both on the large scale and with individual recruiting battles, and the lack of transfer portal commitments despite the portal being open for eight days already. The one hope that fans have is that this team will bounce back and play well on the field, as they have for most of Day’s tenure and at least 10 of their 12 games this year outside Michigan and Nebraska.
The stakes of this game should be low enough after the athletic director doubled down on his commitment to Day being the head coach next season that Day should have his team ready to play. Yet, if that interview is any indication of where this program and its head coach are right now, then we may have a problem.
The clips of the interview feel like Day is trying to convince himself that there is more to play for, and it’s hard to believe that even he has faith in his own words. Right now Ohio State feels like a juiceless program, and we can only hope that they come out on Saturday with an edge and wash this nasty taste out of the mouths of the fanbase.
️B (@Buckeye_Mob) First round playoff prediction! - Big Ten edition
After a largely stellar season for the conference, the Big Ten landed four teams — Oregon, Penn State, Ohio, State, and Indiana — in the College Football Playoff. Oregon has the No. 1 seed and first-round bye, while Penn State and Ohio State are both hosting playoff games. Indiana is the only program going on the road, but they have a short trip after landing in-state foe Notre Dame.
Heading into Saturday, the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions are expected to make it to the second round of the playoffs, as Ohio State is a 7.5-point favorite over Tennesse and Penn State is an 8.5-point favorite over SMU. Indiana is a 7.5-point underdog to Notre Dame, but if I was a betting man I might put money on that. I’m not sure Notre Dame is a better team than the Hoosiers.
This is not betting advice, but you can check out my predictions below.
Indiana vs. Notre Dame - Friday, Dec. 20 - 8:00 p.m. ET
Notre Dame is on a heater, winning 10-straight games after their shocking upset loss to Northern Illinois. Since then, the Fighting Irish has played a weak schedule headlined by Louisville, Army, and Navy. Army and Navy are fake wins, as service academies rarely compete against teams with superior talent. Notre Dame is a beatable team when it faces a talented team, and even sometimes when it doesn’t.
Indiana on the other hand has only struggled twice this season, including a blowout loss to Ohio State. In 12 games, Indiana has looked unstoppable unless their opponent has a team that can physically dominate their offensive line. If they can keep Kurtis Rourke upright, their offense is going to move the ball. While Notre Dame is physical on offense, I’m not sure if they’ll bully Indiana on defense.
Prediction: Indiana 24-21
SMU vs. Penn State - Saturday, Dec. 21 - Noon ET
Since the playoff bracket has dropped, many media pundits and fans alike have claimed that Penn State has the easiest path in the College Football Playoff by getting to face SMU in the first round and a date with Boise State if they win. Penn State should be wary of overlooking the Mustangs, who rank sixth in scoring offense and 27th in scoring defense.
SMU struggled under the pressure of their first ACC playoff game, but found a way to overcome and tied the game late in the fourth quarter only to lose on a 56-yard field goal. If SMU could hang with Clemson, they can hang with Penn State. James Franklin and Co. are going to need to play like they did in the Big Ten Championship Game, as this match-up has shootout potential.
Prediction: Penn State 38-34
Tennesse vs. Ohio State - Saturday, December 22nd, 8 pm.
On paper, Ohio State should win this game. Tennesse has the fourth-ranked defense and the eighth-ranked offense, but those numbers are inflated by four blowout wins against Chattanooga, NC State, Kent State, and UTEP. In their other eight games, the Volunteers have only scored 30 points twice, including being held to 14 and 17 points against Arkansas and Georgia.
Ohio State’s defense has played at a special level all season, and should be able to shut down Tennessee’s hot and cold passing game. The problem is which team will show up on offense. Specifically, which coaches will show up.
Under Ryan Day, Ohio State tends to forget its talent and try to play a bruising style of football that it’s not designed to play. When Ohio State gets its athletes in space and throws to their bevy of first-round wide receivers, they’re almost impossible to stop. As soon as you try to focus on the passing game, Quinshon Judkins or TreVeyon Henderson can break off big runs to steal momentum.
The problem with the Buckeyes is whether they will choose to play this way or not. Tennesse has one of the better defensive lines in the country, and Ohio State has some injuries on the offensive line. With three weeks off to prepare the Buckeyes should be able to manage. If Day and Chip Kelly press the right buttons, they should get a win.
Prediction: Ohio State 31-20
Follow The I-80 Football Show on YouTube: @GetDefensiveSportsNetwork.
Subscribe to the podcast: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
Connect with me on Twitter: @JordanW330
Follow I-80 Football Show on Instagram: @I80FootballShow
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