B1G WBB Week 10: Indiana and Maryland battle, Ohio State shines in award predictions
1ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
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The non-Buckeyes news you need from across Big Ten women’s basketball

It’s easy to get into an Ohio State bubble but there’s a lot going on around the Big Ten, especially this season in women’s basketball. The conference has the most teams in the AP Top-25 poll and features a wide array of talented seniors who are destined for the professional level.

Last week, two teams with those types of players were on display. Also, with the end of the season approaching, it’s time to predict some awards.

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Indiana and Maryland Battle​

Thursday, Jan. 12, it was a top-10 showdown between the No. 6 Indiana Hoosiers and No. 9 Maryland Terrapins. It was Indiana’s dynamic duo of center Mackenzie Holmes and guard Grace Berger versus soon-to-be WNBA lottery pick in Maryland’s star guard Diamond Miller.

Played at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana, the Hoosiers’ fans witnessed a physical game. In Maryland’s starting five, four players picked up at least three fouls with three starters grabbing four apiece.

The Terrapins picked up 20 overall. Miraculously, nobody fouled out and Maryland kept it a close game for three of four quarters.

Indiana’s halfcourt defense held Maryland to 61 points, but the quarter that hurt the Terrapins the most was the second. The Hoosiers held Miller and her side to 27.3% from the field, compared to the best shooting quarter of the game for either team by Indiana, shooting 63.6%.

Leading Indiana in that category was Indiana native and Oregon Ducks transfer Sydney Parrish. The guard notched a team-high 18 points for Indiana. That performance plus freshman Yarden Garzon going 3-for-5 from deep was the difference in the 68-61 victory.

Photo by Jeremy Hogan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Maryland guard Diamond Miller (left) guarding Sydney Parrish (right) in a physical game on Thursday, Jan. 12.

On Maryland’s side, Miller still played an impressive game, scoring 19 points and six rebounds. Unfortunately for the Terrapins, only one of her teammates, substitute guard Brinae Alexander, contributed more than 10 points and they couldn’t match an even scoring day for the Hoosiers in the 68-61 Indiana victory.

Unfortunately for fans of the conference, the two sides don’t meet again in the regular season. Hopefully, there’s a Big Ten tournament rematch between the two sides with even more on the line.

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Predicting Conference Awards​

Land-Grant Holy Land doesn’t have a media vote in any of the postseason awards, so consider this a draft of what we could potentially send to the Big Ten come season’s end. There’s still time for players to make an impact but with 10 weeks of the season down, it’s a good time to take a guess at the individual awards.

Player of the Year: Caitlin Clark, Iowa Hawkeyes​

Duh. Iowa guard Caitlin Clark is having the best scoring season of her career, which is saying a lot. It’s not in the total points per game, that’s slightly down, but the Naismith Player of the Year contender is shooting 1.5% higher than last season, shooting 46.7%. With South Carolina Gamecocks center Aaliyah Boston getting more attention on defense and playing under her normal game-shattering impact, Clark is a good pick to win not only B1G Player of the Year but the Naismith award too.

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Freshman of the Year: Cotie McMahon, Ohio State Buckeyes​

This one is a close between McMahon, Minnesota Guard Mara Braun, Indiana’s Garzon, and Rutgers guard Kaylene Smikle but McMahon edges them out. The freshman forward might not have the same scoring numbers as Braun, but in-game impact McMahon’s becoming a key piece of the No. 2 team in the country, which says a lot.

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Defensive Player of the Year: Diamond Miller, Maryland Terrapins​

Now that Northwestern Wildcat forward Veronica Burton is out of college, it’s someone else’s turn to win Defensive Player of the Year. Miller’s ability to cover the best player on the court, steal, block, and rebound are unmatched. With Clark the surefire pick for Player of the Year, it seems fair that Miller wins the Defensive Player of the Year Award for her incredible play.

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Sixth Player of the Year: Rikki Harris, Ohio State Buckeyes​

Sixth player is normally the player who consistently comes off the bench first for a team and impacts the game. Now, Harris has started due to injuries, but the guard’s ability to play four out of five positions on the court, and even the move to starting point guard, shows versatility. The Indiana native’s part of the reason the Buckeyes are undefeated. If guard Jacy Sheldon returns, Harris moves back to that traditional sixth player but starting shouldn’t punish the redshirt junior for her accolades in the Big Ten.

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Coach of the Year: Shauna Green, Illinois Fighting Illini​

We know, we know. Buckeyes’ head coach Kevin McGuff is leading a surprise Ohio State side to their best season ever. That’s great, and in any other year he’s a lock for Coach of the Year, but what Green’s done is incomparable in the Big Ten.


Illinois Fighting Illini coach Shauna Green at Big Ten media day on Oct. 11, 2022.

The former Dayton Flyers coach came to a seven-win Illinois team who returned only five players. Through a combination of former Dayton players, other transfers, and impact players within those five returners, the Illini are playing their best season in program history. Illinois already doubled their wins from last season and are back in the top-25 AP poll for the first time since 2000.

If you have your own picks, share them on the Land-Grant Holy Land Twitter page or in the comments below.

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Elsewhere Around the B1G​

• The Michigan Wolverines had a week showing they’re not out of the running yet, beating the Purdue Boilermakers convincingly and a 15-point win over in-state rivals, the Michigan State Spartans. Maize & Blue is still a team to watch in the Big Ten.
• Clark and the Hawkeyes showed no mercy against the Penn State Nittany Lions. Iowa beat the visitors 108-67, with Clark playing well into the fourth quarter.
• Still no conference wins for the Northwestern Wildcats, losing to Purdue and Iowa.
• Wisconsin’s comeback from a tough start to the season to win two conference games in a row, with an overtime win over the Spartans, led by forward Serah Williams who had 31 points and 13 rebounds.

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Conference Standings​

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AP Poll​

The same six teams represent the Big Ten in the most recent AP poll, but the Hawkeyes jump the Terrapins for a spot in the top 10.

2 - Ohio State (+1)
6 - Indiana (NC)
10 - Iowa (+2)
11 - Maryland (-2)
14 - Michigan (+3)
21 - Illinois (+3)

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Conference Schedule​

Here’s what the rest of the conference schedule looks like in week 11, plus the first day of Week 12 because, just look at it.

Wednesday, Jan. 18​

• No. 10 Iowa Hawkeyes at Michigan State Spartans - 7:00 p.m. ET
• Nebraska Cornhuskers at Purdue Boilermakers - 7:00 p.m. ET
• Minnesota Golden Gophers at Penn State Nittany Lions - 7:00 p.m. ET
• No. 6 Indiana Hoosiers at No. 21 Illinois Fighting Illini - 8:00 p.m ET

Thursday, Jan. 19

• Northwestern Wildcats at No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes - 6:30 p.m. ET
• No. 11 Maryland Terrapins at Wisconsin Badgers - 7:30 p.m. ET
• No. 14 Michigan Wolverines at Rutgers Scarlet Knights - 8:30 p.m. ET

Saturday, Jan 22​

• Minnesota Golden Gophers at Purdue Boilermakers - 2:00 p.m. ET

Sunday, Jan. 23​

• No. 11 Maryland Terrapins at Nebraska Cornhuskers - 2:00 p.m. ET
• No. 21 Illinois Fighting Illini at Northwestern Wildcats - 3:00 p.m. ET
• Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Michigan State Spartans - 3:00 p.m. ET
• Wisconsin Badgers at Penn State Nittany Lions - 5:00 p.m. ET

Monday, Jan. 24

• No. 10 Iowa Hawkeyes at No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes - 7:00 p.m. ET
• No. 6 Indiana Hoosiers at No. 14 Michigan Wolverines - 8:00 p.m. ET

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Home Stretch​

There are 39 days until the Big Ten regular season ends. Week 11, and the spillover into Week 12, shows how the schedule was put together with a purpose. The top teams are starting to play.

While this week won’t decide who wins the conference, Indiana’s two ranked opponents and Iowa’s trip to Columbus on Monday will start to separate teams or bring the pack even closer together.

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Oof, reached this lull in the season. No thread.

Bucks lead Rutgers 23-20 at half.

You’re Nuts: Who will replace C.J. Stroud as Ohio State’s quarterback?
Matt Tamanini 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

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 will replace C.J. Stroud as Ohio State’s quarterback?​

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Jami’s Take: Kyle McCord​

When C.J. Stroud declared for the 2023 NFL Draft on Monday, the Buckeyes’ first battle for next season became choosing QB1.

Stroud’s shoes won’t be easy to fill. A team leader who threw for 8,123 yards and 85 touchdowns in his time as a Buckeye, Stroud set 16 Ohio State records for passing or offense, three Big Ten records, and he was the first quarterback in conference history to have back-to-back seasons with 30+ touchdown passes. These stats led him to be named a two-time Big Ten Conference offensive player of the year and quarterback of the year, along with being the only two-time Heisman finalist in Ohio State history (Finalists weren’t named prior to 1982).

For Kyle McCord, the wait to compete for the starting job has been particularly grueling. Now, his time has come to show Buckeye Nation what he is truly capable of.

McCord came into the program a five-star recruit with the 2021 class with a stronger recruiting profile than Stroud. But stats aren’t everything, as Stroud won the starting spot over McCord when it came time to choose Justin Fields’ replacement.

But McCord isn’t completely without experience at the collegiate level – he is currently the most experienced quarterback on the Buckeyes’ roster. And experience can be a game-changer when it comes to high-stakes games.

McCord, by his own admission, is still working on his leadership skills, so that’s not to say his experience will be enough to win him the starting job, but it should certainly be a factor, especially considering he is the only quarterback to have started in place of Stroud during Stroud’s time as QB1.

McCord made his debut as a true freshman (one of only four in program history to do so) in 2021 with a 59-7 victory over Akron when Stroud was battling a shoulder injury. While he was a little shaky to start, he did eventually settle in, throwing for 319 yards and two touchdowns.

Now listen, I’m not delusional enough to state with certainty that one starting win against Akron of all teams qualifies someone to follow Stroud as the starter. McCord wasn’t perfect in that game by any means, even ending his night with an interception. He has a tendency to throw off his back foot, which could interfere with his accuracy. And though McCord has taken snaps in other games, we haven’t really seen the breadth of what he can do when captaining the ship against ranked opponents like Michigan.

There is a plus side to that win though – his messy moments were fixable, and the coaches were able to start working on them back in 2021.

So this gives McCord the advantage of far more reps than his competition Devin Brown. In fact, it makes McCord more experienced than Stroud was when he was named the starter.

McCord’s experience with Buckeye playmakers actually extends beyond his collegiate career. He and Marvin Harrison Jr. played together in high school, giving him the added benefit of established chemistry with one of the Buckeyes’ star receivers.

When you consider the elements that create a star turn for quarterbacks, it goes beyond the Xs and Os. An accurate arm is just part of what it takes to excel with an elite program (which is to say nothing of excelling in the pros), and McCord has proven his patience and work ethic over the last two seasons, in addition to having the technical skills.

For example, McCord could bring some added rushing ability to the quarterback position, a nice change of pace after Stroud’s two years of being mostly a pocket player. McCord has shown that he is capable of throwing accurately on the run or rushing to pick up a few extra yards, both elements the Buckeyes have been lacking in the last two years.

After keeping his head down and biding his time, McCord’s patience and experience should pay off come this fall.

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Matt’s Take: Devin Brown​

If I’m being honest, I recognize that McCord is the most likely candidate to take over behind center for the Buckeyes in the fall. He has more time in the program, he was a five-star prospect, he has the longstanding relationship with Marvin Harrison Jr. and everything else that Jami talked about above.

But here’s the thing that has me hung up, despite starting a game in 2021 while Stroud was dealing with a shoulder injury, he only threw a total of 20 passes in 2022. Now, I know that Ryan Day is frustratingly hesitant to let his offensive backups cook late in games for fear of embarrassing his opponents. I also know that he essentially did the same thing to C.J. when he was the heir apparent behind Justin Fields, but that was in the COVID-shortened 2020 season, and Day said he regretted how he handled that situation.

Of course, that very well could just be coach speak, because Day basically didn’t change a damn thing in what he had to assume would be Stroud’s final season in Columbus (despite the fact that he waited to declare until nearly the last possible second). So either Day didn’t follow his own advice in handling his backup QB this season, lied about regretting it in the first place, or he wasn’t comfortable with running McCord out there.

Kyle’s numbers were good — 16 for 20 (80%), 9.5 yards per attempt, 1 touchdown — but he was mostly doing check downs and almost never got a chance to run anything even resembling the actual Ohio State offense, and that makes me curious. It could just be Day’s fear of rubbing it in, or it could be that he doesn’t think McCord is ready.

So, if Kyle wasn’t ready in Year 2, is it better to run him out there in Year 3, or give the younger player the chance to start in his sophomore season? Brown was also a top-50 prospect, but he seemingly has something that McCord doesn’t, but Buckeye fans have been dying to see more of... elite running ability. While he doesn’t have Terrelle Pryor or Justin Fields athleticism, reports from Buckeye practices this season have made it sound like Brown might have an extra gear that could come in handy for a first-time starter playing behind a rebuilt offensive line.

We know that under Day, Buckeye quarterbacks have been hesitant to run the ball, but this fall could be the perfect opportunity to change that narrative with a willing runner who might be scrambling for his life more than other recent OSU QBs.

I imagine that Ryan Day will play this out as long as possible in an effort to maintain his roster and not give either quarterback reason to leave before the season (for the record, if McCord is the starter, I don’t expect Brown to transfer), but given the fact that Day actively avoided getting McCord any actual experience this past season and the athletic advantages that Brown can bring to the offense, I would not be shocked if he ended up being the guy when the Buckeyes opened the season in Bloomington, Ind.

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A larger coaching role should lead to a larger recruiting role for Brian Hartline and Ohio State
Caleb Houser 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

Brian Hartline is an incredible recruiter. This new role should only expand his recruiting responsibilities.

It’s no secret how valuable Brian Hartline is to Ohio State’s football program. An alum, NFL veteran, and dynamic position coach ever since he stepped foot on campus, everything Hartline has put his hands on has seen success. Whether it be the on-field numbers his players have put up in their careers or the NFL success his guys are having each year, Hartline quickly cemented himself as the top receivers coach in the country.

Arguably Ryan Day’s most important position coach on offense, what Hartline has done as a receivers coach alone is worthy of continued praise, and is one of the main reasons Day has worked so hard to keep him over the last couple years. That has included pay raises, new titles, and now of course his latest promotion as the offensive coordinator.

Looking specifically at the job he’s done with his position, the receiver production has never been higher at Ohio State. Hartline has raised the level to an all-time high, and that’s seen at both the collegiate and professional levels when you look at this season of Marvin Harrison Jr. and in the NFL with rookies like Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave. Hartline is incredible at development, and virtually everything else he’s tasked with on a daily basis as an Ohio State coach.

With an increased role as the team’s new offensive coordinator, there should also be an increased role in his recruiting responsibilities that stem beyond just his immediate position group. Hartline has basically focused solely on receivers when it comes to recruiting, but seeing how successful he’s been when it comes to landing elite playmakers and building relationships, surely him helping with other position groups would be beneficial for the program as a whole.

Seemingly every cycle Hartline is getting who he wants when it comes to landing players for his position room. Likewise, landing the top receiver in the country has happened more times than not since he’s been at the helm. Ehile Day has crushed it with quarterback recruiting, seeing Hartline help in other areas such as offensive line or even with running backs is reasonable, as he will in large part be calling a lot of the shots from here on with Day overseeing the operation.

Looking at offensive line, Justin Frye is only entering year two with Ohio State, and as he saw his title grow to run game coordinator this coming season, offensive line recruiting is where it all starts. The best college football programs are elite up front, and the Buckeyes have been very good, but there’s always room for improvement. Who better to help land elite players along the offensive trenches than Hartline?

He has experience recruiting in every corner of the country, and his track record alone would give him a foot in the door. Additionally, when you look at where he’s pulling these top players, many times it’s those same regions that are also producing the best offensive linemen — and even other skill positions.

It’s easier said than done, but it also doesn’t really seem that Hartline would be spread too thin in multiple areas rather than just his lone position group. Having a bigger role with the offense is something that he’s earned, and while he’s never done it before, his success everywhere else gives reason to believe that this too will go in Ohio State’s favor.

The 2024 cycle is already off and running, and recruiting efforts are being put to work daily. If the Buckeyes really want to continue being atop of the college football landscape when it comes to both recruiting and on-field success, Hartline needs to have an extended role on the trail where he’s seen so much success already.

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And lets try not to have too much side discussion about them.

So far I saw:

-BpSpy missing
-Bookies can't make new events
-New Posts button is in Forum drop down (as opposed the top bar or something like that)
-2FA is shown as enabled in my profile but I was not prompted for an Authenticator App code either from my PC or my phone to login.
-Need to Nuke Donate button

(Also, it looks like Buckeye Huddle, and I think we MAY play with the color schemes some, but I did see an upvote for "Night Game" as it is)

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Nebraska vs. Ohio State: How to watch NCAAB online, TV channel, live stream info, game time​

The Buckeyes are a solid 5.5-point favorite against the Cornhuskers, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Buckeyes as a 4.5-point favorite.
Over/Under: -110

Entire article: https://www.cbssports.com/college-b...-channel-live-stream-info-game-time-28986351/

College Basketball Odds, Picks & Predictions for Ohio State vs. Nebraska (Wednesday, Jan. 18)​

Ohio State needs to rebound, and outside of matching up with Minnesota at home — whom it lost to — Nebraska is the next best bet for an “easy” win.
That said, Lincoln, Nebraska is not the easiest place to play, and the Cornhuskers carry a pretty strong defensive squad.
Unfortunately, the Cornhuskers are only good when it comes to not fouling. Teams are shooting well against them, so OSU will probably come out on fire.
In addition, the Buckeyes have a top-four offense because they are sound when it comes to taking care of the ball and crashing the glass offensively.
Since Nebraska struggles in these areas, the Buckeyes should take advantage and notch a win and a cover.

Entire article: https://www.actionnetwork.com/ncaab...-vs-nebraska-cornhuskers-wednesday-january-18

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Tough choice!

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Was originally a 4-star 2017 Nebraska signee (NATL #200, PRO #9) in the same class as Tyjon Lindsey.

Per 11W:

"A seventh-year senior who started his career at Nebraska as a member of the recruiting class of 2017, Gebbia is expected to be a backup for the Buckeyes. While he started five games for Oregon State between the 2019 and 2020 seasons, he did not play at all in 2021 due to a hamstring injury and played in just four games in 2022, completing 10 of 11 passes for 79 yards."

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