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LGHL 2023 Buckeye signee wins Ohio’s Mr. Basketball, new names added to spring visitor list
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2023 Buckeye signee wins Ohio’s Mr. Basketball, new names added to spring visitor list
Caleb Houser via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
The beat goes on for both Ohio State football and basketball recruiting.
This basketball season for Ohio State has been a rollercoaster of emotions. From a solid start to a rather terrible finish, the Buckeyes weren’t up the their typical level of play this year. However, the Big Ten Tournament certainly gave some new life into this program and some excitement for the future.
It may not be what every fan wants to hear right now, but the truth is there’s still room for optimism in regards to what can happen as soon as next year for Ohio State on the hardwood. With Holtmann reaffirming to the Columbus Dispatch that he’s, “not going anywhere” in the midst of Notre Dame rumors, the continuity next year is important.
One of the strongest factors in why Holtmann would want to stay in Columbus is definitely what he has coming in with the 2023 recruiting cycle. Signing four guys in a top-10 nationally ranked class, the coaching staff is adding some stellar talent to a roster that will have plenty of youth to it in 2023-2024.
While the transfer portal will likely be used to their advantage as well, the Buckeyes are excited about their potential, and a big part of that will be from their own backyard thanks to Pickerington Ohio’s Devin Royal.
The No. 49 player nationally, Royal is the eighth-best power forward in the country and Ohio’s top player in 2023 per the 247Sports Composite. Arguably one of the more important signings for Ohio State this cycle, on Wednesday Royal continued to add to his already impressive list of accolades as he was named Ohio’s Mr. Basketball.
A prestigious award for the most outstanding player in the state, Royal certainly fits that mold at 6-foot-7, 210 pounds. Not a finished product either, it’s fun to think of the potential he has when he gets on campus and what he can be for the Buckeyes during his career.
The last Buckeye to win the award was Malaki Branham in 2021, and that worked out pretty well for all involved. Royal is the 12th player all-time for Ohio State to win that award, and again is another reason as to why the future in this program is brighter than the last few months. This very well could get turned around sooner rather than later.
More names will be added in the coming weeks, but one new name has surfaced as Georgia native, Walter Matthews has been slotted to also be on campus that day. A 6-foot-7, 245 pound tight end, Matthews is currently the No. 122 player nationally, the seventh best at his position, and the 20th player in Georgia per the 247Sports Composite.
Keenan Bailey is no stranger to high-profile recruiting, and now at the helm of the tight end position, he’s getting a chance to show first hand why the Buckeyes need to be right atop of his list when it comes down to decision time.
Ryan Day and the Buckeyes are clearly still in on Sayin as a potential target, and though the No. 10 player nationally in the 247Sports Composite has been committed to the Tide since November of last year, Day has enough on his resume to at least keep Julian thinking.
A visit has not yet been scheduled and may not be, but Day and position coach Corey Dennis are very much at the top when it comes to quarterback recruiting, and can’t be counted out at least for now.
Continue reading...
Caleb Houser via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
The beat goes on for both Ohio State football and basketball recruiting.
Buckeye signee wins Ohio’s Mr. Basketball
This basketball season for Ohio State has been a rollercoaster of emotions. From a solid start to a rather terrible finish, the Buckeyes weren’t up the their typical level of play this year. However, the Big Ten Tournament certainly gave some new life into this program and some excitement for the future.
It may not be what every fan wants to hear right now, but the truth is there’s still room for optimism in regards to what can happen as soon as next year for Ohio State on the hardwood. With Holtmann reaffirming to the Columbus Dispatch that he’s, “not going anywhere” in the midst of Notre Dame rumors, the continuity next year is important.
One of the strongest factors in why Holtmann would want to stay in Columbus is definitely what he has coming in with the 2023 recruiting cycle. Signing four guys in a top-10 nationally ranked class, the coaching staff is adding some stellar talent to a roster that will have plenty of youth to it in 2023-2024.
While the transfer portal will likely be used to their advantage as well, the Buckeyes are excited about their potential, and a big part of that will be from their own backyard thanks to Pickerington Ohio’s Devin Royal.
The No. 49 player nationally, Royal is the eighth-best power forward in the country and Ohio’s top player in 2023 per the 247Sports Composite. Arguably one of the more important signings for Ohio State this cycle, on Wednesday Royal continued to add to his already impressive list of accolades as he was named Ohio’s Mr. Basketball.
A prestigious award for the most outstanding player in the state, Royal certainly fits that mold at 6-foot-7, 210 pounds. Not a finished product either, it’s fun to think of the potential he has when he gets on campus and what he can be for the Buckeyes during his career.
The last Buckeye to win the award was Malaki Branham in 2021, and that worked out pretty well for all involved. Royal is the 12th player all-time for Ohio State to win that award, and again is another reason as to why the future in this program is brighter than the last few months. This very well could get turned around sooner rather than later.
Quick Hits
- The Buckeyes have hit a hiatus for spring football practice thanks to spring break, but the rest of March and early April are shaping up to be rather significant in terms of recruiting efforts. The staff hasn’t hosted tons of national targets on campus yet, but those visit opportunities are coming in the near future, with April 1 being one of the bigger days planned.
More names will be added in the coming weeks, but one new name has surfaced as Georgia native, Walter Matthews has been slotted to also be on campus that day. A 6-foot-7, 245 pound tight end, Matthews is currently the No. 122 player nationally, the seventh best at his position, and the 20th player in Georgia per the 247Sports Composite.
Keenan Bailey is no stranger to high-profile recruiting, and now at the helm of the tight end position, he’s getting a chance to show first hand why the Buckeyes need to be right atop of his list when it comes down to decision time.
- Sticking with football recruiting, there was some Ohio State smoke in the air via Rivals when current Alabama quarterback commit, Julian Sayin, shared that Ohio State is still very much trying to get him on campus and recruiting him heavily.
Ryan Day and the Buckeyes are clearly still in on Sayin as a potential target, and though the No. 10 player nationally in the 247Sports Composite has been committed to the Tide since November of last year, Day has enough on his resume to at least keep Julian thinking.
A visit has not yet been scheduled and may not be, but Day and position coach Corey Dennis are very much at the top when it comes to quarterback recruiting, and can’t be counted out at least for now.
Continue reading...
LGHL LGHL Asks: Which position needs to show big improvement this spring?
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LGHL Asks: Which position needs to show big improvement this spring?
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Jason Mowry/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
You ask, we answer. Sometimes we ask, others answer. And then other times, we ask, we answer.
The Ohio State football team has had two whole practices this spring, and they have now made like Ross and Rachel and are on a break. With the players taking their spring break, now seems like a perfect time to check in with the Ohio State fandom to see what they are hoping is achieved from this set of 15 football practices.
Last week, we asked Buckeye fans to participate in a survey to share their thoughts about their hopes and dreams for the team this spring, and we now have the results, so let’s dive in.
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To me, this is a no-brainer. The corners were without question the weakest link in the team’s chain last season and this spring needs to supply some answers. The issues last year at CB started with the fact that there was just not a lot of guys in the room, and even fewer who were healthy.
There were only six scholarship corners on the roster last season, and the top three all were injured — to varying degrees — during fall camp. So, that means that a thin, inexperienced group was thinner, banged up, and had to rely on guys who weren’t ready to play at this level.
With Denzel Burke and Jordan Hancock back — and presumably healthy — and young guys like Jermaine Mathews Jr. and Ryan Turner in the mix, this is a time for growth at the position. Interestingly, Davison Igbinosun transferred to Columbus from Ole Miss where he was a Freshman All-American at corner, but the Buckeyes currently have him listed as a safety. Reports from camp seem to have him playing cornerback, so this could just be a clerical error, but it is interesting.
If Igbinosun does slot in with the corners, a trio of him, Hancock, and Burke has the potential to be a stellar unit, assuming they can put the horrors and health issues of last year behind them.
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Man, I hope y’all are right, but I don’t know. I think Sonny Styles and C.J. Hicks are still a little bit buried on the safety depth chart. Styles is likely still behind Lathan Ransom, Cam Martinez, Josh Proctor, and Syracuse transfer Ja’Had Carter.
Similarly, in the presumably two-linebacker set-up from defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, Hicks is obviously behind returning starters Steele Chambers and Tommy Eichenberg with Cody Simon next up.
Now, I think there is still plenty of opportunities for them to break out this spring or fall and be major contributors when the team officially takes the field, but — despite their insane talent — I think they still have a bit of an uphill battle.
I would have voted for either Igbinosun or Caden Curry, just because they seem to have a much clearer path to playing time.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24505513/OhioState_3_030923.png)
First off, nice. Secondly, if Ryan Day is able to get to the point where has stated that he would like to, then I think that this is the proper answer. The head coach has been open about wanting to be able to name a starting quarterback following the spring in order to let that player be the leader for the rest of the offseason and not worry too much about looking over his shoulder throughout summer and fall.
If that does end up happening, then the guy will almost certainly be Kyle McCord. He is the more veteran of the two guys in the mix, and has actually started a game for Ohio State, albeit during the 2021 season.
However, if McCord is unable to distance himself from Devin Brown, this will likely drag out into fall camp. I think it is rather unlikely that Brown will win the job next month, one because he has a long way to go, and two, that would likely mean that McCord would transfer, and that would certainly not be what Day would like to see.
I think McCord winning the job this spring is the most likely situation, especially following early reports about how good he has looked this spring.
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
Photo by Jason Mowry/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
You ask, we answer. Sometimes we ask, others answer. And then other times, we ask, we answer.
The Ohio State football team has had two whole practices this spring, and they have now made like Ross and Rachel and are on a break. With the players taking their spring break, now seems like a perfect time to check in with the Ohio State fandom to see what they are hoping is achieved from this set of 15 football practices.
Last week, we asked Buckeye fans to participate in a survey to share their thoughts about their hopes and dreams for the team this spring, and we now have the results, so let’s dive in.
Question 1: Other than quarterback, which position group do you want to see the most improvement from this spring?
To me, this is a no-brainer. The corners were without question the weakest link in the team’s chain last season and this spring needs to supply some answers. The issues last year at CB started with the fact that there was just not a lot of guys in the room, and even fewer who were healthy.
There were only six scholarship corners on the roster last season, and the top three all were injured — to varying degrees — during fall camp. So, that means that a thin, inexperienced group was thinner, banged up, and had to rely on guys who weren’t ready to play at this level.
With Denzel Burke and Jordan Hancock back — and presumably healthy — and young guys like Jermaine Mathews Jr. and Ryan Turner in the mix, this is a time for growth at the position. Interestingly, Davison Igbinosun transferred to Columbus from Ole Miss where he was a Freshman All-American at corner, but the Buckeyes currently have him listed as a safety. Reports from camp seem to have him playing cornerback, so this could just be a clerical error, but it is interesting.
If Igbinosun does slot in with the corners, a trio of him, Hancock, and Burke has the potential to be a stellar unit, assuming they can put the horrors and health issues of last year behind them.
Question 2: Who do you think will be the biggest breakout player of spring ball?
Man, I hope y’all are right, but I don’t know. I think Sonny Styles and C.J. Hicks are still a little bit buried on the safety depth chart. Styles is likely still behind Lathan Ransom, Cam Martinez, Josh Proctor, and Syracuse transfer Ja’Had Carter.
Similarly, in the presumably two-linebacker set-up from defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, Hicks is obviously behind returning starters Steele Chambers and Tommy Eichenberg with Cody Simon next up.
Now, I think there is still plenty of opportunities for them to break out this spring or fall and be major contributors when the team officially takes the field, but — despite their insane talent — I think they still have a bit of an uphill battle.
I would have voted for either Igbinosun or Caden Curry, just because they seem to have a much clearer path to playing time.
Question 3: Who will be Ohio State’s starting quarterback at the end of the spring?
First off, nice. Secondly, if Ryan Day is able to get to the point where has stated that he would like to, then I think that this is the proper answer. The head coach has been open about wanting to be able to name a starting quarterback following the spring in order to let that player be the leader for the rest of the offseason and not worry too much about looking over his shoulder throughout summer and fall.
If that does end up happening, then the guy will almost certainly be Kyle McCord. He is the more veteran of the two guys in the mix, and has actually started a game for Ohio State, albeit during the 2021 season.
However, if McCord is unable to distance himself from Devin Brown, this will likely drag out into fall camp. I think it is rather unlikely that Brown will win the job next month, one because he has a long way to go, and two, that would likely mean that McCord would transfer, and that would certainly not be what Day would like to see.
I think McCord winning the job this spring is the most likely situation, especially following early reports about how good he has looked this spring.
Continue reading...
LGHL Column: Let’s hear it for the ladies; Ohio State women’s teams thrive this winter
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Column: Let’s hear it for the ladies; Ohio State women’s teams thrive this winter
JamiJurich via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Mark Stewart / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
It wasn’t a rough winter for the Buckeyes — if you were watching the women
Much has been written about Buckeye sports this winter. Men’s basketball, which is easily the most accessible winter sport in mainstream television coverage and news, didn’t really turn on until the Big Ten Tournament run.
Until then, there have been nearly daily calls to fire Coach. There has been endless griping on Twitter. People have turned off their TVs and called it a day.
The season was called “rough” or “unwatchable.” Even I am guilty of this – if you’ve listened to the Play Like a Girl podcast at all in recent months, you know I placed all my hope in the women, so when they had their mid-season losing streak, I did not handle it well despite it being relatively short-lived.
I still watched the men. I can’t stand people who give up on their team through one tough season, and even worse in my eyes are people who jump back on the bandwagon when things get good (like they did in the tournament). But I griped about it like the rest of you.
What we should have been doing was expanding our horizons. Because just below the surface of this long winter, the ladies of Ohio State sports were having the times of their lives.
While we griped about a tough winter for Ohio State sports, we should have been paying attention.
This is inclusive, of course, of the much-discussed and highly successful women’s basketball team who garnered a No. 3 seed in the tournament after a very impressive Big Ten Tournament run.
They accomplished this in spite of being plagued by injuries from the outset, and it seems like they are only now reaching their maximum potential, which included upending No. 1-seed Indiana in the Big Ten Tournament to reach the final.
But did you know the women’s ice hockey team is the best women’s ice hockey team in the country? I didn’t until their win last Saturday against No. 8 Quinnipiac secured them a spot in the Frozen Four and I finally saw some coverage about them.
From everything I’ve read, they were unfazed when they went down by a goal in the 19th minute of the first period. Rather, that was the wake-up call that kickstarted them for the rest of the game. They played with intense physicality, they capitalized on power plays to keep the pressure on, and not only did the Buckeyes secure a 5-2 win against a top-10 opponent, but they also outshot them 24-3.
The women of the ice are entering their third consecutive Frozen Four, this time with a No. 1 ranking. And I—a person who actively seeks out non-mainstream sports news—am still just now hearing about it.
Did you know Women’s Gymnastics is ranked No. 15 and finished their regular season with a program record home score, the second-highest score ever achieved in program history?
They head into the Big Ten Championships this weekend with top-20 rankings on three apparatuses (13th on floor, 14th on vault, and 17th on bars). Freshman all-around gymnast Payton Harris is ranked 10th in the league on the beam. You can watch their Big Ten Championship meet on the Big Ten Network at 5:30 p.m. ET this Saturday, March 18.
I am religious about watching swimming at the Olympics, but I had no idea the women’s swimming and diving team is ranked No. 5 in the country heading into the NCAA Championships in Tennessee this week. The Championship meet will take place from March 15-18.
The Buckeyes have top-10-seeded swimmers in seven different events, with senior Amy Fulmer earning a top-10 seed in all three of her individual events (4-seed in the 200 free, 6-seed in 100 free, 10-seed in the 50 free).
Did you know the women’s indoor track and field team competed in the 2023 NCAA Indoor Championships last weekend and broke records while doing so?
Adelaide Aquilla finished her Ohio State career with her fourth NCAA title in shot-put, breaking her own program record for an indoor personal best of 19.28m.
The 4x400 relay team, comprised of Alyssa Marsh, Bryannia Murphy, Chanler Robinson, and Jaydan Wood, finished 8th, breaking their own program record for a second time this season. Their previous program record had been set at the 2023 Big Ten Championships.
I suppose all this is to say, it actually hasn’t been a rough winter for Buckeye sports. If we were paying closer attention, or perhaps changing the channel instead of turning off the TV altogether, we might have found that the ladies were flying under the radar (and in some cases, literally through the air), giving us much to celebrate this winter and much to pay attention to for the future.
Continue reading...
JamiJurich via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Mark Stewart / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
It wasn’t a rough winter for the Buckeyes — if you were watching the women
Much has been written about Buckeye sports this winter. Men’s basketball, which is easily the most accessible winter sport in mainstream television coverage and news, didn’t really turn on until the Big Ten Tournament run.
Until then, there have been nearly daily calls to fire Coach. There has been endless griping on Twitter. People have turned off their TVs and called it a day.
The season was called “rough” or “unwatchable.” Even I am guilty of this – if you’ve listened to the Play Like a Girl podcast at all in recent months, you know I placed all my hope in the women, so when they had their mid-season losing streak, I did not handle it well despite it being relatively short-lived.
I still watched the men. I can’t stand people who give up on their team through one tough season, and even worse in my eyes are people who jump back on the bandwagon when things get good (like they did in the tournament). But I griped about it like the rest of you.
What we should have been doing was expanding our horizons. Because just below the surface of this long winter, the ladies of Ohio State sports were having the times of their lives.
While we griped about a tough winter for Ohio State sports, we should have been paying attention.
This is inclusive, of course, of the much-discussed and highly successful women’s basketball team who garnered a No. 3 seed in the tournament after a very impressive Big Ten Tournament run.
They accomplished this in spite of being plagued by injuries from the outset, and it seems like they are only now reaching their maximum potential, which included upending No. 1-seed Indiana in the Big Ten Tournament to reach the final.
But did you know the women’s ice hockey team is the best women’s ice hockey team in the country? I didn’t until their win last Saturday against No. 8 Quinnipiac secured them a spot in the Frozen Four and I finally saw some coverage about them.
From everything I’ve read, they were unfazed when they went down by a goal in the 19th minute of the first period. Rather, that was the wake-up call that kickstarted them for the rest of the game. They played with intense physicality, they capitalized on power plays to keep the pressure on, and not only did the Buckeyes secure a 5-2 win against a top-10 opponent, but they also outshot them 24-3.
The women of the ice are entering their third consecutive Frozen Four, this time with a No. 1 ranking. And I—a person who actively seeks out non-mainstream sports news—am still just now hearing about it.
Did you know Women’s Gymnastics is ranked No. 15 and finished their regular season with a program record home score, the second-highest score ever achieved in program history?
They head into the Big Ten Championships this weekend with top-20 rankings on three apparatuses (13th on floor, 14th on vault, and 17th on bars). Freshman all-around gymnast Payton Harris is ranked 10th in the league on the beam. You can watch their Big Ten Championship meet on the Big Ten Network at 5:30 p.m. ET this Saturday, March 18.
I am religious about watching swimming at the Olympics, but I had no idea the women’s swimming and diving team is ranked No. 5 in the country heading into the NCAA Championships in Tennessee this week. The Championship meet will take place from March 15-18.
The Buckeyes have top-10-seeded swimmers in seven different events, with senior Amy Fulmer earning a top-10 seed in all three of her individual events (4-seed in the 200 free, 6-seed in 100 free, 10-seed in the 50 free).
Did you know the women’s indoor track and field team competed in the 2023 NCAA Indoor Championships last weekend and broke records while doing so?
Adelaide Aquilla finished her Ohio State career with her fourth NCAA title in shot-put, breaking her own program record for an indoor personal best of 19.28m.
The 4x400 relay team, comprised of Alyssa Marsh, Bryannia Murphy, Chanler Robinson, and Jaydan Wood, finished 8th, breaking their own program record for a second time this season. Their previous program record had been set at the 2023 Big Ten Championships.
I suppose all this is to say, it actually hasn’t been a rough winter for Buckeye sports. If we were paying closer attention, or perhaps changing the channel instead of turning off the TV altogether, we might have found that the ladies were flying under the radar (and in some cases, literally through the air), giving us much to celebrate this winter and much to pay attention to for the future.
Continue reading...
LGHL B1G Thoughts: Five offseason questions for Michigan State
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B1G Thoughts: Five offseason questions for Michigan State
JordanW330 via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Dale Young-USA TODAY Sports
After a surprising 11-win season in 2021, Michigan State came back to earth in 2022. This spring, they must prove that 2022 was an outlier, and that they are closer to the 11-win team from 2021.
The 2022 season has come to an end. It was a great season that leaves many questions to be answered as we enter the 2023 offseason. Michigan won the Big Ten for the second year in a row, taking the crown from Ohio State.
Ohio State enters the new year a field goal away from a national championship appearance, but now has to replace C.J. Stroud. Will this be the first time in almost a decade that the best quarterback in the conference doesn’t wear scarlet and grey?
Nebraska, Purdue, and Wisconsin enter 2023 with new coaches while Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald and Indiana’s Tom Allen enter on the hot seat. Penn State has high expectations, Illinois will try to rebound from a late-season collapse, and Minnesota is trying to replace four of the best players in program history.
This is the final offseason before USC and UCLA enter the conference and the new TV deal starts. Teams must build a foundation that will last in the ever-changing landscape of college football. The 2023 offseason is essential for every team, so let’s dive in and see which five questions each team must answer before the 2023 season begins.
Can Mel Tucker develop a competent secondary?
Before becoming a head coach, Mel Tucker spent his career coaching defensive backs and as a defensive coordinator in college and the NFL. His experience as a defensive backs coach and defensive coordinator makes it all the more confusing that he has not been able to develop a competent secondary at Michigan State.
In 2021 they were the worst pass defense in the country. They got better in 2022, finishing the year ranked 87th in the country. In the Big Ten, they ranked 13th in passing yards per game and 14th in interceptions. Despite the improvement, that is not nearly good enough to reach their goals of winning the Big Ten and making the playoffs.
It’s Tucker’s fourth season in East Lansing. It’s time for him to figure out this secondary or make massive staff changes on the defensive side of the ball.
What position will Jacoby Windmon play, and can they restock the defensive line?
Michigan State lost five defensive linemen in the transfer portal and one left for the NFL Draft. To replace them they brought in three transfers, including former top 50 defensive end Tunmise Adeleye from Texas A&M. They also brought in three four-star defensive linemen in the 2023 class, headlined by Bai Jobe, the 54th-best player in the country.
Due to some injuries and depth concerns, Jacoby Windmon played many of his snaps from the defensive line position, but he is probably best as an off-ball linebacker. They know Windmon can play defensive end if need be, but that ultimately hurts their defense by weakening the linebacking corp. Outside of the secondary, this may be the biggest question that needs to be answered this spring.
They’ve recruited the position well in the last two classes. This spring, they must develop their young talent and find a way to work in their transfers, or it will be a long season against Big Ten competition which is loaded with elite running back talent.
Who is the starting quarterback?
Payton Thorne has been the starting quarterback for the Spartans for the past two seasons. In 2021, with a potent running game led by Kenneth Walker III, Thorne was an above-average starter throwing for 3,232 yards and 27 touchdowns. Without Walker, he took a step back in 2022 with 2,679 yards and 19 touchdowns.
At best, Thorne is a game manager, he can get this offense into the right plays and doesn’t make many mistakes, but he is not a difference maker. The 2022 season was not enough for Thorne to keep the starting job without any competition from the rest of the quarterback room. Entering spring ball, Noah Kim, a three-star quarterback from the 2020 class, and Katin Houser, a four-star quarterback from the 2022 class, will compete to be the quarterback in the fall.
The Spartans know what they have in Thorne. It’s time for them to see if either Kim or Houser can raise their ceiling. After 2022, every spot should be up for grabs this spring, including the quarterback position.
How do they replace Jayden Reed?
Jayden Reed has arguably been Michigan States’ best wide receiver for the past two seasons after joining the program in 2020. Reed finished his career with 2,866 yards and 26 touchdowns and has contributed since his true freshman season. Despite a down year in 2022, Reed is well-regarded in the NFL circle and had a great performance at the NFL Combine.
Reed not being in the program will be a tough loss to recover from, but his replacement may already be on the roster. Sophomore wide receiver Keon Coleman led the team in receiver with 798 yards and seven touchdowns. At 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, Coleman has the prototypical No. 1 wide receiver size and can be a match-up nightmare. Without Reed on the roster, Coleman will be the offensive player the opposing team’s defense pays the most attention to in their game prep.
Coleman will need to showcase the ability to win when he’s the defensive focus. Outside of Coleman, no one else on the roster has produced so far in their career. This spring will be pivotal for Coleman’s development, and finding at least two more wide receivers to help whoever plays quarterback.
Can they develop key contributors from their most recent recruiting classes?
Michigan State has lived or died for the past two seasons on the transfer portal. In 2021 they hit big in the portal with Kenneth Walker III. Walker instantly became one of the best running backs in the country, leading Michigan State to an 11-2 season. On the back of Walker, Mel Tucker got a market-setting 10-year contract.
In 2022 the portal was not a success. Without Walker, the offense struggled, and the defense got marginally better but did not lead to wins. Michigan State finished the 2022 season 5-7 and didn’t qualify for a bowl game.
Entering his fourth season, Tucker must develop his players via high school recruiting. He accepted the job in late 2020 and was recruiting through the pandemic. Due to this, his first true recruiting class was the 2022 class. That class ranked 23rd in 247Sports Composite rankings with six four-star commitments, including quarterback Katin Houser from St. John Bosco in California. The recently signed 2023 class also ranked 23rd according to 247Sports with eight four-star commitments.
It may be too early for the 2023 recruiting class to contribute, but this is an essential spring for the 2022 class. Quarterback Katin Houser will have a chance to compete for the starting quarterback job, and defensive lineman Alex VanSumeran, the highest-rated recruit in the 2022 class, should factor in as the Spartans replace multiple defensive linemen.
Regardless of who sees the field, this spring is important for development. You can only live and die by the transfer portal for so long if you want to maintain success.
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
Dale Young-USA TODAY Sports
After a surprising 11-win season in 2021, Michigan State came back to earth in 2022. This spring, they must prove that 2022 was an outlier, and that they are closer to the 11-win team from 2021.
The 2022 season has come to an end. It was a great season that leaves many questions to be answered as we enter the 2023 offseason. Michigan won the Big Ten for the second year in a row, taking the crown from Ohio State.
Ohio State enters the new year a field goal away from a national championship appearance, but now has to replace C.J. Stroud. Will this be the first time in almost a decade that the best quarterback in the conference doesn’t wear scarlet and grey?
Nebraska, Purdue, and Wisconsin enter 2023 with new coaches while Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald and Indiana’s Tom Allen enter on the hot seat. Penn State has high expectations, Illinois will try to rebound from a late-season collapse, and Minnesota is trying to replace four of the best players in program history.
This is the final offseason before USC and UCLA enter the conference and the new TV deal starts. Teams must build a foundation that will last in the ever-changing landscape of college football. The 2023 offseason is essential for every team, so let’s dive in and see which five questions each team must answer before the 2023 season begins.
Can Mel Tucker develop a competent secondary?
Before becoming a head coach, Mel Tucker spent his career coaching defensive backs and as a defensive coordinator in college and the NFL. His experience as a defensive backs coach and defensive coordinator makes it all the more confusing that he has not been able to develop a competent secondary at Michigan State.
In 2021 they were the worst pass defense in the country. They got better in 2022, finishing the year ranked 87th in the country. In the Big Ten, they ranked 13th in passing yards per game and 14th in interceptions. Despite the improvement, that is not nearly good enough to reach their goals of winning the Big Ten and making the playoffs.
It’s Tucker’s fourth season in East Lansing. It’s time for him to figure out this secondary or make massive staff changes on the defensive side of the ball.
What position will Jacoby Windmon play, and can they restock the defensive line?
Michigan State lost five defensive linemen in the transfer portal and one left for the NFL Draft. To replace them they brought in three transfers, including former top 50 defensive end Tunmise Adeleye from Texas A&M. They also brought in three four-star defensive linemen in the 2023 class, headlined by Bai Jobe, the 54th-best player in the country.
Due to some injuries and depth concerns, Jacoby Windmon played many of his snaps from the defensive line position, but he is probably best as an off-ball linebacker. They know Windmon can play defensive end if need be, but that ultimately hurts their defense by weakening the linebacking corp. Outside of the secondary, this may be the biggest question that needs to be answered this spring.
They’ve recruited the position well in the last two classes. This spring, they must develop their young talent and find a way to work in their transfers, or it will be a long season against Big Ten competition which is loaded with elite running back talent.
Who is the starting quarterback?
Payton Thorne has been the starting quarterback for the Spartans for the past two seasons. In 2021, with a potent running game led by Kenneth Walker III, Thorne was an above-average starter throwing for 3,232 yards and 27 touchdowns. Without Walker, he took a step back in 2022 with 2,679 yards and 19 touchdowns.
At best, Thorne is a game manager, he can get this offense into the right plays and doesn’t make many mistakes, but he is not a difference maker. The 2022 season was not enough for Thorne to keep the starting job without any competition from the rest of the quarterback room. Entering spring ball, Noah Kim, a three-star quarterback from the 2020 class, and Katin Houser, a four-star quarterback from the 2022 class, will compete to be the quarterback in the fall.
The Spartans know what they have in Thorne. It’s time for them to see if either Kim or Houser can raise their ceiling. After 2022, every spot should be up for grabs this spring, including the quarterback position.
How do they replace Jayden Reed?
Jayden Reed has arguably been Michigan States’ best wide receiver for the past two seasons after joining the program in 2020. Reed finished his career with 2,866 yards and 26 touchdowns and has contributed since his true freshman season. Despite a down year in 2022, Reed is well-regarded in the NFL circle and had a great performance at the NFL Combine.
Reed not being in the program will be a tough loss to recover from, but his replacement may already be on the roster. Sophomore wide receiver Keon Coleman led the team in receiver with 798 yards and seven touchdowns. At 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, Coleman has the prototypical No. 1 wide receiver size and can be a match-up nightmare. Without Reed on the roster, Coleman will be the offensive player the opposing team’s defense pays the most attention to in their game prep.
Coleman will need to showcase the ability to win when he’s the defensive focus. Outside of Coleman, no one else on the roster has produced so far in their career. This spring will be pivotal for Coleman’s development, and finding at least two more wide receivers to help whoever plays quarterback.
Can they develop key contributors from their most recent recruiting classes?
Michigan State has lived or died for the past two seasons on the transfer portal. In 2021 they hit big in the portal with Kenneth Walker III. Walker instantly became one of the best running backs in the country, leading Michigan State to an 11-2 season. On the back of Walker, Mel Tucker got a market-setting 10-year contract.
In 2022 the portal was not a success. Without Walker, the offense struggled, and the defense got marginally better but did not lead to wins. Michigan State finished the 2022 season 5-7 and didn’t qualify for a bowl game.
Entering his fourth season, Tucker must develop his players via high school recruiting. He accepted the job in late 2020 and was recruiting through the pandemic. Due to this, his first true recruiting class was the 2022 class. That class ranked 23rd in 247Sports Composite rankings with six four-star commitments, including quarterback Katin Houser from St. John Bosco in California. The recently signed 2023 class also ranked 23rd according to 247Sports with eight four-star commitments.
It may be too early for the 2023 recruiting class to contribute, but this is an essential spring for the 2022 class. Quarterback Katin Houser will have a chance to compete for the starting quarterback job, and defensive lineman Alex VanSumeran, the highest-rated recruit in the 2022 class, should factor in as the Spartans replace multiple defensive linemen.
Regardless of who sees the field, this spring is important for development. You can only live and die by the transfer portal for so long if you want to maintain success.
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LGHL Bucketheads Podcast: It’s tournament time! Breaking down the men’s bracket
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Bucketheads Podcast: It’s tournament time! Breaking down the men’s bracket
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports
We filled out our men’s tournament bracket, and then talked to Thomas Costello about the women’s bracket and the Buckeyes!
‘Bucketheads’ is LGHL’s men’s basketball podcast, hosted by Connor Lemons and Justin Golba. Every episode they give you the latest scoop on the Ohio State Buckeyes and everything else happening in the college hoops world.
This. Is. March. We have two brackets for the men’s and the women’s NCAA tournaments and this week we took a deep dive into each of them — with a special guest!
To start the episode, Justin and Connor talk about the Buckeyes' improbable conference tournament run (although Justin did predict it) and what it means for the Buckeyes heading into next season. Were the performances of Bruce Thornton, Roddy Gayle, and Felix Okpara a sign of things to come?
Then, the guys go through the entire NCAA men’s tournament bracket and make their final four and championship predictions. At the end, Connor and Justin are joined by LGHL’s Ohio State women’s basketball beat writer Thomas Costello and they talk all things women’s tournament and Ohio State’s path to the Final Four — which will potentially match them up with a former Buckeye in the Sweet Sixteen.
Connect with the Podcast:
Twitter: @BucketheadsLGHL
Connect with Connor:
Twitter: @lemons_connor
Connect with Justin:
Twitter: @justin_golba
Connect with Thomas:
Twitter: @1ThomasCostello
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
Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports
We filled out our men’s tournament bracket, and then talked to Thomas Costello about the women’s bracket and the Buckeyes!
‘Bucketheads’ is LGHL’s men’s basketball podcast, hosted by Connor Lemons and Justin Golba. Every episode they give you the latest scoop on the Ohio State Buckeyes and everything else happening in the college hoops world.
Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
This. Is. March. We have two brackets for the men’s and the women’s NCAA tournaments and this week we took a deep dive into each of them — with a special guest!
To start the episode, Justin and Connor talk about the Buckeyes' improbable conference tournament run (although Justin did predict it) and what it means for the Buckeyes heading into next season. Were the performances of Bruce Thornton, Roddy Gayle, and Felix Okpara a sign of things to come?
Then, the guys go through the entire NCAA men’s tournament bracket and make their final four and championship predictions. At the end, Connor and Justin are joined by LGHL’s Ohio State women’s basketball beat writer Thomas Costello and they talk all things women’s tournament and Ohio State’s path to the Final Four — which will potentially match them up with a former Buckeye in the Sweet Sixteen.
Connect with the Podcast:
Twitter: @BucketheadsLGHL
Connect with Connor:
Twitter: @lemons_connor
Connect with Justin:
Twitter: @justin_golba
Connect with Thomas:
Twitter: @1ThomasCostello
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LGHL Baseball: Ohio State defeats Marshall, wins fifth game in a row
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Baseball: Ohio State defeats Marshall, wins fifth game in a row
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Ohio State pitcher George Eisenhardt | via @OhioStateBASE on Twitter
The Buckeyes are riding high ahead of their home opener.
After Tuesday’s game was cancelled as a result of inclement weather, it was just a one-game series between Ohio State and Marshall on Wednesday afternoon.
It was a pitchers duel early on between the two sides, as the only run for either team over the first four innings was a solo home run by Matthew Graveline in the top of the 2nd to give the Buckeyes a 1-0 lead. Ohio State doubled its lead in the 5th inning, bringing home a run on a Trey Lipsey groundout after Josh McAlister hit a one-out triple to make it 2-0.
OSU build on its lead yet again in the 6th, this time scoring two runs on a sac fly by Mitchell Okuley and an RBI single by Nick Erwin, the Buckeyes now leading 4-0. Marshall got one run back on a passed ball in the bottom half of the frame, but Ohio State regained its four-run lead with Henry Kaczmar’s RBI single in the top of the 8th. That score would hold on, as Bill Mosiello’s group secured its fifth-straight victory overall with a 5-1 win over the Herd.
Ohio State got an excellent effort on the mound from starting pitcher George Eisenhardt, who tossed five scoreless innings allowing only two hits while striking out three. Nolan Clegg pitched the final 2.1 innings for the Buckeyes, with just one hit allowed to go with three punch outs as he secured his first save of the year.
Offensively it was a strong afternoon for Graveline, who went 2-for-4 with a home run, a double, a walk and three runs scored. Erwin was the only other Ohio State player with a multi-hit game, going 2-for-4 with an RBI. As a team, the Buckeyes drew six walks and also stole four bases, including two by Graveline.
Ohio State (9-6) now returns to Columbus for their home opener, where they will host Dayton in the first of three games this weekend at Nick Swisher Field beginning on Friday, March 17 at 6:00 p.m. ET.
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Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Ohio State pitcher George Eisenhardt | via @OhioStateBASE on Twitter
The Buckeyes are riding high ahead of their home opener.
Wednesday, March 15: 5-1 Ohio State
After Tuesday’s game was cancelled as a result of inclement weather, it was just a one-game series between Ohio State and Marshall on Wednesday afternoon.
It was a pitchers duel early on between the two sides, as the only run for either team over the first four innings was a solo home run by Matthew Graveline in the top of the 2nd to give the Buckeyes a 1-0 lead. Ohio State doubled its lead in the 5th inning, bringing home a run on a Trey Lipsey groundout after Josh McAlister hit a one-out triple to make it 2-0.
OSU build on its lead yet again in the 6th, this time scoring two runs on a sac fly by Mitchell Okuley and an RBI single by Nick Erwin, the Buckeyes now leading 4-0. Marshall got one run back on a passed ball in the bottom half of the frame, but Ohio State regained its four-run lead with Henry Kaczmar’s RBI single in the top of the 8th. That score would hold on, as Bill Mosiello’s group secured its fifth-straight victory overall with a 5-1 win over the Herd.
Ohio State got an excellent effort on the mound from starting pitcher George Eisenhardt, who tossed five scoreless innings allowing only two hits while striking out three. Nolan Clegg pitched the final 2.1 innings for the Buckeyes, with just one hit allowed to go with three punch outs as he secured his first save of the year.
Offensively it was a strong afternoon for Graveline, who went 2-for-4 with a home run, a double, a walk and three runs scored. Erwin was the only other Ohio State player with a multi-hit game, going 2-for-4 with an RBI. As a team, the Buckeyes drew six walks and also stole four bases, including two by Graveline.
Ohio State (9-6) now returns to Columbus for their home opener, where they will host Dayton in the first of three games this weekend at Nick Swisher Field beginning on Friday, March 17 at 6:00 p.m. ET.
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LGHL You’re Nuts: Who should Ohio State fans root for in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament?
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You’re Nuts: Who should Ohio State fans root for in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament?
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.
Everybody knows that one of the best parts of being a sports fan is debating and dissecting the most (and least) important questions in the sporting world with your friends. So, we’re bringing that to the pages of LGHL with our favorite head-to-head column: You’re Nuts.
In You’re Nuts, two LGHL staff members will take differing sides of one question and argue their opinions passionately. Then, in the end, it’s up to you to determine who’s right and who’s nuts.
Listen, it’s been a long season for the Buckeyes on the men’s side, but they ended on a high note, and now we’ve got the lingering taste of victory in our mouths. I wouldn’t blame you if you’re itching to cheer for a team who’s going to give you more of that. And if that’s what you’re seeking, the Cougars are your guys.
They’re a No. 1 seed for a reason, and they happen to have the best record, with only three losses this season. While there are some concerns about whether guard Marcus Sasser will be healthy as he deals with a groin injury, this team feels nearly unstoppable if he plays even in just the latter half of the tournament. The toughest competition in their region is probably Texas. Xavier and Indiana, the 3- and 4-seeds respectively, probably couldn’t really do much damage against this Houston team, and while their region definitely has the potential for some big upsets in other games (No. 12 Drake over No. 5 Miami, No. 9 Auburn over No. 8 Iowa, No. 10 Penn State over No. 7 Texas A&M), Houston themselves will probably cruise straight to the Elite Eight, possibly even to the Final Four if Texas can’t ultimately match them.
They’ve got all the makings of a championship team: Experience (most of their top scorers are non-freshmen, something that should keep the team grounded throughout a tournament run), a spectacular coach in Kelvin Sampson, and two guys poised to go in the first round of the NBA Draft (Sasser and freshman power forward Jarace Walker).
If you’re ready to relax, kick back, and watch the tournament on cruise control, go with Houston. Because your other option is Alabama, who took the No. 1 seed overall, and we do NOT cheer for them.
Both No. 2 seeds have the potential to take their regions for a Final Four appearance, but they’ll have to play at the top of their game. Sometimes that makes the payoff sweeter, though. If you are feeling weird about jumping on the bandwagon of another team, perhaps rooting for a dark horse will make you feel better. It feels a little less… bandwagony?
Arizona, the No. 2-seed in the South, has a tough road that will involve some tough opponents (including No.1 overall seed Alabama, Creighton or Baylor, and Missouri or the teams that beat them). But this is a team that just won the Pac-12 tournament in a major upset over UCLA in the final seconds, and they showed they’ve got heart and grit. They’ll have to focus and execute in the tournament, but they very well could ride the momentum of their latest victory straight through to the Final Four.
UCLA for its part had a spectacular season, going into their game against Arizona ranked No. 2 in the country. And now they’ve got something to prove. Their road could also include matchups against Gonzaga or Kansas, but this is a team with the talent and poise to go far into the tournament, and if you root for them, you can claim you had an eye on their talent all along.
Because sometimes, when your team isn’t in the tournament, you’re not rooting for any one team so much as you’re rooting for absolute mayhem. Duke and Creighton could be the teams to deliver that outcome for you.
I find it hilarious that Duke is the chaotic team of choice when, quite frankly, they are usually a top contender. But in the No. 5-seed, it’s hard to call them a favorite, and Buckeye fans were traumatized by Oral Roberts badly enough two years ago to know that their No.5/No.12 first-round matchup can’t be considered a shoo-in.
With that said, this Duke team has looked incredible in the last few games. They’ve overcome some tough injuries, have won the last nine straight, and when you couple that with the freshmen players finding their groove, this is a team that could really do some damage in their bracket just by being seeded as low as 5.
Creighton, for their part, is the chaotic choice in the region containing Alabama and Arizona. Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner has a nauseating 71.4% shooting percentage, and quite frankly, everyone should be terrified of that. While I have been known to call Purdue a one-trick pony where Zach Edey is concerned, I think the difference between Purdue and Creighton is that the Bluejays have other weapons in their arsenal. They’re also only a No.6-seed, so there’s the potential that teams could look past them (they would be stupid to do so, but stranger things have happened in March).
If you want people’s brackets to go berserk, get in on the ground floor of Duke or Creighton and buckle up for mayhem.
I know that Jami is trying to cover all of her bases by picking not one, not two, not three, not four, but five different teams, or 7.6% of the teams remaining at this point, but I have to give her credit for picking some good ones. In yesterday’s You’re Nuts, I picked Utah State as my double-digit seed to make it to the Sweet Sixteen, even though they’d presumably have to beat No. 2 Arizona, so I am obviously going to ride with the Aggies, but that would feel like a cop-out if I picked the same team two days in a row, so I’m going to go a different direction.
I won’t be picking five teams, I will be picking just one, and one that I think has a pretty decent shot to make it to the Elite Eight. I am picking Ohio State... no wait, slip of the tongue; I am going with Iowa State.
See, not only do the two schools have the same second word in their name, their first words each have four letters — three of which are vowels — and if you slur your words and don’t talk too loudly, they kind of sound the same. When you throw in the fact that one of the Cyclones’ colors is red (not scarlet, but close enough), it makes for a no-brainer of a pick.
Also, Iowa State is a good team, No. 24 according to KenPom, but not so good that you feel like a fraud for hopping on the bandwagon. As a six-seed, they will be favored in the first round over No. 11 Pittsburgh before potentially matching up with No. 3 Xavier in the Round of 32. Considering that the Musketeers beat the Buckeyes when they played early last season, that just brings a little more juice to that potential matchup.
Once all of the obvious rooting interests are accounted for, you’ve also got to look at the actual team itself. At 19-13 overall and 9-9 in the Big 12, it hasn’t been a great season for the Cyclones, but they’ve done well against ranked teams over the past month and a half. Iowa State beat then-No. 4 Kansas on Feb. 4 68-53. Then in their next matchup with a ranked opponent, Iowa State knocked off No. 22 TCU 70-59 on Feb. 15. Three days later, they fell to No. 15 Kansas State on the road by a respectable 61-55 margin.
They followed that up with a 72-54 defeat at No. 5 Texas on Feb. 21, but the Cyclones won the matchup between the teams in Ames 78-67 on Jan. 17 (more on that in a second), before beating No. 11 Baylor in back-to-back games 73-58 in the regular season finale and 78-72 in their first game of the Big 12 Tournament.
The No. 1 Jayhawks knocked the Cyclones out of the conference tournament 71-58, but it’s clear that T.J. Otzelberger’s squad will not be afraid of anyone they face. So, if Iowa State beats Pitt and Xavier, who are they most likely to match up with in the Sweet Sixteen? The No. 2 Texas Longhorns.
In the first matchup of the season between the teams, Iowa State senior guard Jaren Holmes essentially had his way with the Longhorns, scoring 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting. He was buoyed by 17 points from fellow backcourt senior Caleb Grill. However, in the rematch in Austin, Grill did not play, and Holmes only accounted for nine points.
Unfortunately, Iowa State won’t be able to rely on a return to form from Grill for the tournament, because a few weeks after the loss to UT, Otzelberger dismissed the team’s third-leading scorer from the team for “failing to meet expectations.”
So, if the ‘Clones (does anyone call them the ‘Clones?) want to make it to the regional championship game, Holmes will need to turn in a better effort, and guards Gabe Kalscheur and Tamin Lipsey will need to step up as well (the pair combined for 18 in the second game against UT. All three Iowa State guards will need to perform on both ends of the floor, as Longhorn guards Marcus Carr, Tyrese Hunter, and Sir’Jabari Rice combined for 43 of Texas’ 72 points in the second game of the season series, just a few buckets shy of the Cyclones’ 54.
So, for the following reasons, I believe that Iowa State is the best and only rooting option for Ohio State fans looking to latch onto a team for the tournament.
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Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.
Everybody knows that one of the best parts of being a sports fan is debating and dissecting the most (and least) important questions in the sporting world with your friends. So, we’re bringing that to the pages of LGHL with our favorite head-to-head column: You’re Nuts.
In You’re Nuts, two LGHL staff members will take differing sides of one question and argue their opinions passionately. Then, in the end, it’s up to you to determine who’s right and who’s nuts.
Today’s Question: Who should Ohio State fans root for in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament?
Jami’s Take
If you want to win: Houston
Listen, it’s been a long season for the Buckeyes on the men’s side, but they ended on a high note, and now we’ve got the lingering taste of victory in our mouths. I wouldn’t blame you if you’re itching to cheer for a team who’s going to give you more of that. And if that’s what you’re seeking, the Cougars are your guys.
They’re a No. 1 seed for a reason, and they happen to have the best record, with only three losses this season. While there are some concerns about whether guard Marcus Sasser will be healthy as he deals with a groin injury, this team feels nearly unstoppable if he plays even in just the latter half of the tournament. The toughest competition in their region is probably Texas. Xavier and Indiana, the 3- and 4-seeds respectively, probably couldn’t really do much damage against this Houston team, and while their region definitely has the potential for some big upsets in other games (No. 12 Drake over No. 5 Miami, No. 9 Auburn over No. 8 Iowa, No. 10 Penn State over No. 7 Texas A&M), Houston themselves will probably cruise straight to the Elite Eight, possibly even to the Final Four if Texas can’t ultimately match them.
They’ve got all the makings of a championship team: Experience (most of their top scorers are non-freshmen, something that should keep the team grounded throughout a tournament run), a spectacular coach in Kelvin Sampson, and two guys poised to go in the first round of the NBA Draft (Sasser and freshman power forward Jarace Walker).
If you’re ready to relax, kick back, and watch the tournament on cruise control, go with Houston. Because your other option is Alabama, who took the No. 1 seed overall, and we do NOT cheer for them.
If you love a dark horse: Arizona or UCLA
Both No. 2 seeds have the potential to take their regions for a Final Four appearance, but they’ll have to play at the top of their game. Sometimes that makes the payoff sweeter, though. If you are feeling weird about jumping on the bandwagon of another team, perhaps rooting for a dark horse will make you feel better. It feels a little less… bandwagony?
Arizona, the No. 2-seed in the South, has a tough road that will involve some tough opponents (including No.1 overall seed Alabama, Creighton or Baylor, and Missouri or the teams that beat them). But this is a team that just won the Pac-12 tournament in a major upset over UCLA in the final seconds, and they showed they’ve got heart and grit. They’ll have to focus and execute in the tournament, but they very well could ride the momentum of their latest victory straight through to the Final Four.
UCLA for its part had a spectacular season, going into their game against Arizona ranked No. 2 in the country. And now they’ve got something to prove. Their road could also include matchups against Gonzaga or Kansas, but this is a team with the talent and poise to go far into the tournament, and if you root for them, you can claim you had an eye on their talent all along.
If you want chaos: Duke or Creighton
Because sometimes, when your team isn’t in the tournament, you’re not rooting for any one team so much as you’re rooting for absolute mayhem. Duke and Creighton could be the teams to deliver that outcome for you.
I find it hilarious that Duke is the chaotic team of choice when, quite frankly, they are usually a top contender. But in the No. 5-seed, it’s hard to call them a favorite, and Buckeye fans were traumatized by Oral Roberts badly enough two years ago to know that their No.5/No.12 first-round matchup can’t be considered a shoo-in.
With that said, this Duke team has looked incredible in the last few games. They’ve overcome some tough injuries, have won the last nine straight, and when you couple that with the freshmen players finding their groove, this is a team that could really do some damage in their bracket just by being seeded as low as 5.
Creighton, for their part, is the chaotic choice in the region containing Alabama and Arizona. Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner has a nauseating 71.4% shooting percentage, and quite frankly, everyone should be terrified of that. While I have been known to call Purdue a one-trick pony where Zach Edey is concerned, I think the difference between Purdue and Creighton is that the Bluejays have other weapons in their arsenal. They’re also only a No.6-seed, so there’s the potential that teams could look past them (they would be stupid to do so, but stranger things have happened in March).
If you want people’s brackets to go berserk, get in on the ground floor of Duke or Creighton and buckle up for mayhem.
Matt’s Take
I know that Jami is trying to cover all of her bases by picking not one, not two, not three, not four, but five different teams, or 7.6% of the teams remaining at this point, but I have to give her credit for picking some good ones. In yesterday’s You’re Nuts, I picked Utah State as my double-digit seed to make it to the Sweet Sixteen, even though they’d presumably have to beat No. 2 Arizona, so I am obviously going to ride with the Aggies, but that would feel like a cop-out if I picked the same team two days in a row, so I’m going to go a different direction.
I won’t be picking five teams, I will be picking just one, and one that I think has a pretty decent shot to make it to the Elite Eight. I am picking Ohio State... no wait, slip of the tongue; I am going with Iowa State.
See, not only do the two schools have the same second word in their name, their first words each have four letters — three of which are vowels — and if you slur your words and don’t talk too loudly, they kind of sound the same. When you throw in the fact that one of the Cyclones’ colors is red (not scarlet, but close enough), it makes for a no-brainer of a pick.
Also, Iowa State is a good team, No. 24 according to KenPom, but not so good that you feel like a fraud for hopping on the bandwagon. As a six-seed, they will be favored in the first round over No. 11 Pittsburgh before potentially matching up with No. 3 Xavier in the Round of 32. Considering that the Musketeers beat the Buckeyes when they played early last season, that just brings a little more juice to that potential matchup.
Once all of the obvious rooting interests are accounted for, you’ve also got to look at the actual team itself. At 19-13 overall and 9-9 in the Big 12, it hasn’t been a great season for the Cyclones, but they’ve done well against ranked teams over the past month and a half. Iowa State beat then-No. 4 Kansas on Feb. 4 68-53. Then in their next matchup with a ranked opponent, Iowa State knocked off No. 22 TCU 70-59 on Feb. 15. Three days later, they fell to No. 15 Kansas State on the road by a respectable 61-55 margin.
They followed that up with a 72-54 defeat at No. 5 Texas on Feb. 21, but the Cyclones won the matchup between the teams in Ames 78-67 on Jan. 17 (more on that in a second), before beating No. 11 Baylor in back-to-back games 73-58 in the regular season finale and 78-72 in their first game of the Big 12 Tournament.
The No. 1 Jayhawks knocked the Cyclones out of the conference tournament 71-58, but it’s clear that T.J. Otzelberger’s squad will not be afraid of anyone they face. So, if Iowa State beats Pitt and Xavier, who are they most likely to match up with in the Sweet Sixteen? The No. 2 Texas Longhorns.
In the first matchup of the season between the teams, Iowa State senior guard Jaren Holmes essentially had his way with the Longhorns, scoring 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting. He was buoyed by 17 points from fellow backcourt senior Caleb Grill. However, in the rematch in Austin, Grill did not play, and Holmes only accounted for nine points.
Unfortunately, Iowa State won’t be able to rely on a return to form from Grill for the tournament, because a few weeks after the loss to UT, Otzelberger dismissed the team’s third-leading scorer from the team for “failing to meet expectations.”
So, if the ‘Clones (does anyone call them the ‘Clones?) want to make it to the regional championship game, Holmes will need to turn in a better effort, and guards Gabe Kalscheur and Tamin Lipsey will need to step up as well (the pair combined for 18 in the second game against UT. All three Iowa State guards will need to perform on both ends of the floor, as Longhorn guards Marcus Carr, Tyrese Hunter, and Sir’Jabari Rice combined for 43 of Texas’ 72 points in the second game of the season series, just a few buckets shy of the Cyclones’ 54.
So, for the following reasons, I believe that Iowa State is the best and only rooting option for Ohio State fans looking to latch onto a team for the tournament.
- Name bares phonetic and phonographic similarities to Ohio State.
- You can still wear the team’s color without buying new clothes.
- They aren’t a blue-blood, so you don’t have to feel icky for rooting for them.
- They are good enough to make a run, but not so good that everybody is picking them.
- They have a chance to beat a team from Ohio that defeated the Buckeyes last season.
- They have beaten a lot of ranked teams this season, including the one they could meet in the Sweet Sixteen.
- Oh, and did I forget to mention? In 2019, the No. 11 Buckeyes upset No. 6 Iowa State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
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LGHL Column: My probably wrong NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament bracket
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Column: My probably wrong NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament bracket
1ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Joseph Scheller/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Where do the Buckeyes land? Is Drake really going to do that? Which Big Ten teams are showing up?
It’s March Madness and like everyone else, I’m filling out a bracket in the Land-Grant Holy Land Women’s Bracket Challenge competition. While I can’t win the grand prize, it’s a rite of passage to fill out a bracket as the season changes over to Spring. Since adding a challenge for the women’s tournament in 2023, I thought I’d share with you who I chose in this year’s bracket.
With some explanation, here are my picks:
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Thomas Costello’s Women’s Tournament Challenge bracket
Last week, I made it clear that I think all the top-16 Big Ten teams have the ability to at least make it out of the first two rounds. Of the four teams who fit that billing, the Ohio State women’s basketball team has arguably the toughest route.
If the Buckeyes beat the James Madison Dukes, it’s no slouch of a second-round game. Ohio State would face either the North Carolina Tar Heels or the winner of the Purdue Boilermakers and St. John’s Red Storm.
While this section isn’t specifically about upsets, I think the Boilermakers can beat St. John’s and North Carolina. More on that shortly. Back to the Buckeyes.
A second-round match against UNC or Purdue would be challenging for Ohio State, but this Buckeyes team is at a different place than they were even during the latter games of their 19-0 run. Outside of that first half against Iowa, the Buckeyes held their own against a tough Maryland Terrapins to end the regular season and had two impressive Big Ten Tournament victories.
Looking ahead at a potential Sweet Sixteen matchup though — it's rough. The UConn Huskies aren’t the same “dominate everyone” Huskies of the last two decades, but they’re still in the top tier of college teams. Something in Ohio State’s favor in the potential game is that it’s played in neutral territory. Not like last year’s UConn “away” game against NC State in Bridgeport, Connecticut, as a No. 2 seed.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24510053/usa_today_20161953.jpg "NCAA Womens Basketball: Big East Conference Tournament Championship-Villanova vs Connecticut")
David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
However, the Scarlet & Gray would need a perfect night against the Huskies to come out on top. Guard Azzi Fudd is back for UConn after an injury kept her out a chunk of the season and it will be tough for the Buckeyes to stop former member of the Scarlet & Gray, forward Dorka Juhasz. So, I have Ohio State leaving the dance in the same spot they left it last season.
Overall, I have eight games where I chose the lower seed over the favorites. That’s where Purdue and UNC come back into the equation.
This upset impacts Ohio State directly. The Tar Heels have two losses to the Big Ten this season, against the Indiana Hoosiers and Michigan Wolverines. While it's true that Purdue lost to both of those sides in the regular season, head coach Katie Gearlds has instilled a lot of fight in this team.
Purdue is in their first tournament since 2017, and that coupled with the road they took to get to the tournament, defeating ranked Illinois Fighting Illini and Ohio State sides, has them ready for what UNC will throw their way.
The Tar Heels enter Saturday night’s game averaging 56.6 points in their final five games of the season. On the other side, Purdue showed their might with an 18-point comeback against a Wisconsin Badgers team on the rise and held their own against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal.
Elsewhere, I’m likely way too high on the Drake Bulldogs. Drake is a Missouri Valley side that forced overtime from the Iowa Hawkeyes and beat the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
As the non-conference schedule ended, Drake had their hiccups in conference play but made up for them with a Missouri Valley Tournament championship as a No. 4 seed. Impressive work.
In what’s likely to be my most incorrect pick of the tournament, I have the Bulldogs not only beating the No. 5 Louisville Cardinals but also the No. 4 Texas Longhorns, in Austin, Texas. Every bracket needs a Cinderella, and that’s the Drake Bulldogs. Don’t do me wrong, Drake.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24510003/drake.jpg)
Drue Wolfe
Also, I gave the Florida Gulf Coast University Eagles a win over the shock No. 7 Pac-12 Tournament seed champions, the Washington State Cougars. Washington went 9-9 in conference play and FGCU is a team that dominated the ASUN Conference. This pick completely ignores the fact that the Eagles lost handily to Stanford and Duke.
The final mini-upset is with the Creighton Blue Jays. Creighton dismantled the Cornhuskers early in the season, knocking Nebraska out of the top-25, a blow from which Big Red couldn’t recover. They’ll beat Illinois in the first round and a potentially Olivia Miles-less Notre Dame side in the second round.
If the star Notre Dame guard Miles is playing, it’s a different story. Miles injured her knee in the final regular season game, a win over the Louisville Cardinals to lock up the ACC regular season title. While the Fighting Irish managed to beat NC State in their first game of the conference tournament, Louisville held Notre Dame to 38 points in 40 minutes of basketball.
The Big Ten doesn’t need to win the entire tournament to earn the respect of the rest of college basketball. While the regular season more than proved that the conference is near the top, it won’t matter until there are consistent performances in March, and this is that year.
Iowa and Indiana each get into the Final Four on my bracket. Of the two, Iowa has the toughest road going up against No. 3 Duke and No. 1 Stanford, but when Iowa is on they’re on. For Indiana, I have them in the National Championship game, despite their 24-point lapse against the Buckeyes in the Big Ten Tournament.
Of those two picks, the one that gives me the most pause is Iowa. Sure, guard and two-time All-American Caitlin Clark is a phenom, but the Hawkeyes haven’t had the best results against top teams outside of the Big Ten.
Last year’s famous second-round defeat to the Creighton Blue Jays comes to mind, but this year there have been lapses too. The Hawkeyes lost big at home to the NC State Wolfpack in the ACC/B1G Challenge 94-81. Then, against a mostly healthy UConn side, mostly because guard Paige Bueckers is out all season with an ACL injury, Iowa worked to a halftime lead before squandering it in the second half.
Also, a loss to unranked Kansas State and that overtime win over soon-to-be tournament darlings in the Drake Bulldogs, come to mind.
In Maryland’s case, being in the same bracket as the South Carolina Gamecocks is not great. Earlier this season, the Gamecocks embarrassed the Terrapins but that was against a team still adjusting to losing key names last year and without star guard Diamond Miller.
Even so, South Carolina is the team to beat until they get beaten. Something head coach Dawn Staley’s side hasn’t done all season.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24510099/usa_today_18016967.jpg "NCAA Womens Basketball: Final Four Championship")
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Center Aliyah Boston lifting the 2022 National Championship
Overall, two Final Four Big Ten teams, a national runner-up and six of seven teams winning at least one game is a good start for the conference.
Continue reading...
1ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Joseph Scheller/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Where do the Buckeyes land? Is Drake really going to do that? Which Big Ten teams are showing up?
It’s March Madness and like everyone else, I’m filling out a bracket in the Land-Grant Holy Land Women’s Bracket Challenge competition. While I can’t win the grand prize, it’s a rite of passage to fill out a bracket as the season changes over to Spring. Since adding a challenge for the women’s tournament in 2023, I thought I’d share with you who I chose in this year’s bracket.
With some explanation, here are my picks:
Thomas Costello’s Women’s Tournament Challenge bracket
Ohio State’s Run
Last week, I made it clear that I think all the top-16 Big Ten teams have the ability to at least make it out of the first two rounds. Of the four teams who fit that billing, the Ohio State women’s basketball team has arguably the toughest route.
If the Buckeyes beat the James Madison Dukes, it’s no slouch of a second-round game. Ohio State would face either the North Carolina Tar Heels or the winner of the Purdue Boilermakers and St. John’s Red Storm.
While this section isn’t specifically about upsets, I think the Boilermakers can beat St. John’s and North Carolina. More on that shortly. Back to the Buckeyes.
A second-round match against UNC or Purdue would be challenging for Ohio State, but this Buckeyes team is at a different place than they were even during the latter games of their 19-0 run. Outside of that first half against Iowa, the Buckeyes held their own against a tough Maryland Terrapins to end the regular season and had two impressive Big Ten Tournament victories.
Looking ahead at a potential Sweet Sixteen matchup though — it's rough. The UConn Huskies aren’t the same “dominate everyone” Huskies of the last two decades, but they’re still in the top tier of college teams. Something in Ohio State’s favor in the potential game is that it’s played in neutral territory. Not like last year’s UConn “away” game against NC State in Bridgeport, Connecticut, as a No. 2 seed.
However, the Scarlet & Gray would need a perfect night against the Huskies to come out on top. Guard Azzi Fudd is back for UConn after an injury kept her out a chunk of the season and it will be tough for the Buckeyes to stop former member of the Scarlet & Gray, forward Dorka Juhasz. So, I have Ohio State leaving the dance in the same spot they left it last season.
Upset Specials
Overall, I have eight games where I chose the lower seed over the favorites. That’s where Purdue and UNC come back into the equation.
This upset impacts Ohio State directly. The Tar Heels have two losses to the Big Ten this season, against the Indiana Hoosiers and Michigan Wolverines. While it's true that Purdue lost to both of those sides in the regular season, head coach Katie Gearlds has instilled a lot of fight in this team.
Purdue is in their first tournament since 2017, and that coupled with the road they took to get to the tournament, defeating ranked Illinois Fighting Illini and Ohio State sides, has them ready for what UNC will throw their way.
The Tar Heels enter Saturday night’s game averaging 56.6 points in their final five games of the season. On the other side, Purdue showed their might with an 18-point comeback against a Wisconsin Badgers team on the rise and held their own against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal.
Elsewhere, I’m likely way too high on the Drake Bulldogs. Drake is a Missouri Valley side that forced overtime from the Iowa Hawkeyes and beat the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
As the non-conference schedule ended, Drake had their hiccups in conference play but made up for them with a Missouri Valley Tournament championship as a No. 4 seed. Impressive work.
In what’s likely to be my most incorrect pick of the tournament, I have the Bulldogs not only beating the No. 5 Louisville Cardinals but also the No. 4 Texas Longhorns, in Austin, Texas. Every bracket needs a Cinderella, and that’s the Drake Bulldogs. Don’t do me wrong, Drake.
Also, I gave the Florida Gulf Coast University Eagles a win over the shock No. 7 Pac-12 Tournament seed champions, the Washington State Cougars. Washington went 9-9 in conference play and FGCU is a team that dominated the ASUN Conference. This pick completely ignores the fact that the Eagles lost handily to Stanford and Duke.
The final mini-upset is with the Creighton Blue Jays. Creighton dismantled the Cornhuskers early in the season, knocking Nebraska out of the top-25, a blow from which Big Red couldn’t recover. They’ll beat Illinois in the first round and a potentially Olivia Miles-less Notre Dame side in the second round.
If the star Notre Dame guard Miles is playing, it’s a different story. Miles injured her knee in the final regular season game, a win over the Louisville Cardinals to lock up the ACC regular season title. While the Fighting Irish managed to beat NC State in their first game of the conference tournament, Louisville held Notre Dame to 38 points in 40 minutes of basketball.
Big Ten’s Year
The Big Ten doesn’t need to win the entire tournament to earn the respect of the rest of college basketball. While the regular season more than proved that the conference is near the top, it won’t matter until there are consistent performances in March, and this is that year.
Iowa and Indiana each get into the Final Four on my bracket. Of the two, Iowa has the toughest road going up against No. 3 Duke and No. 1 Stanford, but when Iowa is on they’re on. For Indiana, I have them in the National Championship game, despite their 24-point lapse against the Buckeyes in the Big Ten Tournament.
Of those two picks, the one that gives me the most pause is Iowa. Sure, guard and two-time All-American Caitlin Clark is a phenom, but the Hawkeyes haven’t had the best results against top teams outside of the Big Ten.
Last year’s famous second-round defeat to the Creighton Blue Jays comes to mind, but this year there have been lapses too. The Hawkeyes lost big at home to the NC State Wolfpack in the ACC/B1G Challenge 94-81. Then, against a mostly healthy UConn side, mostly because guard Paige Bueckers is out all season with an ACL injury, Iowa worked to a halftime lead before squandering it in the second half.
Also, a loss to unranked Kansas State and that overtime win over soon-to-be tournament darlings in the Drake Bulldogs, come to mind.
In Maryland’s case, being in the same bracket as the South Carolina Gamecocks is not great. Earlier this season, the Gamecocks embarrassed the Terrapins but that was against a team still adjusting to losing key names last year and without star guard Diamond Miller.
Even so, South Carolina is the team to beat until they get beaten. Something head coach Dawn Staley’s side hasn’t done all season.
Center Aliyah Boston lifting the 2022 National Championship
Overall, two Final Four Big Ten teams, a national runner-up and six of seven teams winning at least one game is a good start for the conference.
Continue reading...
