Uncut Podcast: Chris Holtmann, Zed Key, and Evan Mahaffey discuss Ohio State’s seventh consecutive win
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Buckeyes knocked off in-state foe Miami on Wednesday night to advance to 8-1 on the season.

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

Listen to the episode and subscribe: ​

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Following Ohio State’s 84-64 win over Miami on Wednesday night, Chris Holtmann, Zed Key, and Evan Mahaffey spoke to the media about the win.

Key said that people “get hung up too much on points” when talking about his teammate, Mahaffey. He said Evan can guard the other team’s best player and rebound the basketball, so just “let him do his thing.” Mahaffey spent some time discussing preparation for this game that was wedged in between two Big Ten games, saying that the best teams get up for every game and don’t overlook anyone.

Holtmann spent some time discussing Jamison Battle’s well-rounded offensive night that saw him take six two-point shot attempts before even considering a three-pointer. He also said that the coaching staff was mildly concerned with the team’s focus heading into this game, with Minnesota in the rearview mirror but Penn State coming up this weekend.

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Connect with Connor:
Twitter: @lemons_connor

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Ohio State Wrestling: Buckeyes take third at Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, prepare to host top-20 Pitt squad
Josh Dooley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Ohio State Wrestling - X/Twitter, @wrestlingbucks

Tom Ryan’s squad also crowned an individual champion and saw two other Buckeyes secure podium finishes in Sin City.

Nearly two weeks removed from their back-to-back, same-day drubbings of Columbia and Hofstra on Nov. 19, the Ohio State wrestling Buckeyes were back in action this past Friday and Saturday, competing in the prestigious Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Buoyed by three podium finishes – including one individual champion – Tom Ryan’s young squad would go on to place third (among teams) in the desert, showing little rust and lots of promise.

The Buckeyes finish in third place in the team race with 123.5 points #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/9RrICPOwEl

— Ohio State Wrestling (@wrestlingbucks) December 3, 2023

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OSU finished behind only Iowa State and Big Ten foe Nebraska, in an event that has treated the Scarlet and Gray very well over the years. Under Ryan, the Buckeye grapplers have now finished among the top-5 in 12 of the last 14 Keen Invitationals, winning three consecutive team titles from 2016-2018.

This year’s Keen results were generally rather promising for Ohio State, as five wrestlers advanced to the quarterfinals. Said group of five included 133-pound redshirt freshman Nic Bouzakis, who was forced to claw his way back into contention via the consolation bracket.

After dropping his opening match to Stanford’s Tyler Knox, Bouzakis then reeled off seven straight wins (!) to secure a third-place podium finish. The latter also earned the event’s Most Pins Award – giving him five on the season, to go with four tech falls – and pushed his overall record to 13-4.

Most pins #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/411fpuEj5e

— Ohio State Wrestling (@wrestlingbucks) December 3, 2023

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While Bouzakis continues to show serious breakout potential, OSU’s MVP of the weekend was stud sophomore and 2022-23 All-American Jesse Mendez, who was crowned individual champion at 141 pounds. Now 11-0 on the young season, he went a perfect 5-0 in Sin City, including a major decision over fourth-ranked Brock Hardy of Nebraska. Mendez also defeated No. 7 Ryan Jack of NC State and No. 14 Vince Cornella of Cornell (yes, really), putting together arguably the most impressive individual performance of the entire weekend.

Veteran Buckeye Carson Kharchla was Ohio State’s other podium finisher, taking third (like Bouzakis) at 174. The Columbus native took a more traditional route than his younger teammate, winning each of his first three matches. He then slipped up against South Dakota State’s Cade DeVos, before rebounding with back-to-back victories in the consolation bracket. Kharchla finished 5-1 on the weekend, pushing his season record to 6-2.

Lastly, Dylan D’Emilio (149), Paddy Gallagher (157) and Nick Feldman (HWT) were among those who narrowly missed out on a podium finish, coming in fourth, seventh, and sixth, respectively. The latter began his tournament 5-1 but appeared to suffer an injury in the consolation semifinal. Feldman then medically forfeited his fifth-place match. Here’s hoping the promising big man can return to action quickly.

Here are your weekend results for all (Buckeyes) who competed in Sin City:

Brendan McCrone (125) – 3-2, two wins over top-25 opponents​

Nic Bouzakis (133) – 7-1, third place​

Jesse Mendez (141) – 5-0, first place​

just the champ cheesin’ #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/uLCqY2GzLX

— Ohio State Wrestling (@wrestlingbucks) December 2, 2023

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Dylan D’Emilio (149) – 5-2, fourth place​

Paddy Gallagher (157) – 5-2, seventh place​

Isaac Wilcox (165) – 2-2​

Carson Kharchla (174) – 5-1, third place​

Carson Kharchla plays his cards right and ends the day with a dominant 10-3 win over Danny Wask (Navy) taking third place #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/GNc9QlMQQw

— Ohio State Wrestling (@wrestlingbucks) December 3, 2023

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Gavin Hoffman (184) – 2-2​

Luke Geog (197) – 1-2​

Nick Feldman (HWT/285) – 5-3, sixth place​

Ohio State hits the mat(s) again this Sunday, when Ryan’s squad hosts No. 18 Pittsburgh at the Covelli Center. The dual begins at noon, and it should be a good one. Not only is Pitt a top-20 team, but several Panthers competed in the Clarion Open earlier this year, where OSU was also well-represented. And this will be the third dual between these two teams in the last five years.

The battle between the Buckeyes and Panthers will be televised on Big Ten Network, so you’ve got no excuse not to tune in! Go Bucks.

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Things got suprisingly chippy during Ohio State’s win over Miami Wednesday night
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

Three technical fouls were assessed during the second half of Wednesday night’s game between the in-state foes.

Things got exceptionally chippy between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Miami Redhawks on Wednesday night, in a game that the Buckeyes were favored to win by 22 points and was generally considered a tune-up for Big Ten play. Three technical fouls were assessed during the second half of Wednesday night’s game, which ultimately resulted in an 84-64 win for Ohio State.

“I think there’s a reason coaches have not played a ton of Ohio schools, you know?” Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann said after the game. He went on, “Ohio schools, they play with a different way about them when they come in here. I was reminded of that before we played them. I think there’s always an energy in those games that’s just different, and we respect it.”

Miami coach Travis Steele was not made available to the media following Wednesday night’s game (as is typical for many non-conference games).


With 17:12 remaining in the game, Miami head coach Travis Steele — a former GA at Ohio State 20 years ago — took exception to a play where Ohio State’s Felix Okpara impacted Miami’s Evan Ipsaro’s shot, but no foul was called. After Ohio State went to the other end and scored on an Evan Mahaffey layup to take a 46-33 lead, Steele called timeout and immediately let the closest official hear it. Steele was assessed a technical within seconds, and Ohio State’s Jamison Battle knocked down both free throws to make it a 15-point lead.

Less than three minutes later, Miami was trying to inbound the basketball on the far end of the court, with Ohio State leading 51-35. Ipsaro (who seemed to be in the middle of everything) was the intended inboundee, but Scotty Middleton was all over him. In what looked like a big brother/little brother “I’m not touching you, I’m not touching you” moment, the 6-foot-7 Middleton was leaning on the 6-foot tall Ipraso, impeding him from moving towards the ball. Meanwhile, Middleton had both arms in the air, trying to show the officials that he wasn’t touching him (despite him leaning and bumping into him with his entire lower body).


The two started leaning shoulders into each other and were talking to each other, with the much shorter Ipsaro not giving an inch on his fellow freshman. The nearby official had to come over and separate the two of them, before giving Miami the basketball and allowing it to inbound the ball. To Ipsaro’s credit, he went at Middleton on the other end and wound up scoring about 10 seconds later. He would finish with eight points and five rebounds, while Middleton finished with just three points.

Not even 30 seconds later, it was Ohio State that was trying to inbound the basketball under its own basket. Bruce Thornton was struggling to find a target on the near side of the court, so Roddy Gayle started running towards the backcourt, with his back to Thornton and the rest of the action. Miami’s Ryan Mabrey chased him down, and when Thornton’s long inbounds pass came down, Mabrey unintentionally tripped Gayle, causing the Ohio State sophomore to fall awkwardly with his legs pointing to the side.

The other eight players on the floor immediately rushed over, a few guys had words for each other, and not much else came of it other than Mabrey being assessed a common foul.

Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Then, with 12:19 remaining in the game (yes, all of this happened in a five-minute stretch of play) Zed Key went straight up for a layup, and Ipsaro poked it out of his hand. The ball was loose, and several players dove into the pile for it, including Key, Ipsaro, Thornton, and Miami’s Darweshi Hunter.

In a massive pile of arms and legs, it was Key and Hunter who started to get into it, before teammates separated them. Key hopped up, put his arms in the air (the universal sign of “I did nothing wrong”), and jogged towards the other end of the court, away from the scrum. Offsetting technical fouls were assessed to Key and Hunter, who were coincidentally two of the biggest performers Wednesday night. Key had 13 points and 10 rebounds, good for his second double-double of the season. Hunter led Miami with 16 points and played a game-high 37 minutes.

After the game, Key said, “It was a whole big thing, but at the same time it wasn’t even a big thing.” Key also said that there were several men on top of his legs, and Key — who missed several months of action over with a shoulder injury this year — just wanted to get his legs free. Key also defended his sterling behavioral record, saying this was the first technical that he’s received in four years. This, in hindsight, turned out to be false, as Key was given a technical during Ohio State’s 77-44 win over Morehead State back on December 2, 2020 — Zed’s freshman year — for a hook-and-hold.

Technical given to Zed Key for, you guessed it, a hook and hold. Now a media timeout is called, even though we're not to the under-16 break.
We're all just muddling through, people. https://t.co/Vd9kBm0hTP

— Adam Jardy (@AdamJardy) December 2, 2020

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All in all, Wednesday night’s game between the two Ohio programs was accompanied by a whole lot more drama than anyone expected. This was only the 10th meeting between the two programs, with the last meeting coming back in 2017. There was no existing rivalry between the teams before this, but perhaps moving forward this will be a matchup to keep an eye on — if for no other reason than hoping for more fireworks.

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Ohio State women’s basketball doesn’t want to become a light switch
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Brooke LaValley/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Head coach Kevin McGuff strives to put past inconsistency in the dark with Big Ten play on the doorstep

Great basketball teams know they’re great. Despite what is sometimes said in media availability about taking things one game at a time, some games grab more attention than others. For Ohio State women’s basketball, Tuesday was not one of those games.

No offense to the Ohio University Bobcats, but the game against a 6-23 MAC side from last season fell during an interesting stretch of the Buckeyes’ 23-24 season. The game came two days after a trip to SEC country, facing the Tennessee Volunteers. Then on Sunday it's the first Big Ten game of the season against a Penn State Nittany Lions team on the rise. Look a little bit further into the future and the No. 2 team in the country comes to the Schottenstein Center on Dec. 18, the UCLA Bruins.

Considering the increased difficulty of schedule that the scarlet and gray are in, taking a day off on Tuesday against the Bobcats made all the sense in the world. That’s not a strategy of interest to head coach Kevin McGuff.

“We can’t turn on, turn off,” said McGuff. “If we’re gonna be who we’re capable of being, then we need to be on all the time.”

That was the message to the Buckeyes’ locker room at halftime. At that moment, Ohio State was up 29 points to the Bobcats. A marked improvement compared to last year’s final score when coach McGuff and the Buckeyes played Ohio in Athens, winning by 30 points.

The Buckeyes pushed the lead up to 41 points, with starters playing a majority of the third quarter. Guard Celeste Taylor was the last remaining starter to play, finishing the final three and a half minutes of the third quarter with four teammates off the bench. In other words, Ohio State didn’t relent.

Two days prior, the scarlet and gray did the same thing. The Buckeyes defeated the Vols, leading from jump ball to final buzzer. These kind of performances haven’t been the case for Ohio State in the past two seasons.

In the first 19 games of the scarlet and gray’s 22-23 season, Ohio State was 5-0 in games where it went down by double-digit points. Against the Tennessee Volunteers, Louisville Cardinals and Minnesota Golden Gophers, the deficits were early enough in the game where it didn’t cause too much of a headache for the Buckeyes to flip the switch and come out on top.

However, in December and January the cracks almost stopped the Buckeyes’ record start to the campaign.

Against the USF Bulls on Dec. 20, Ohio State needed a miraculous comeback in the final minute of regulation and overtime to squeak by with a victory. On Jan. 8, the Buckeyes cut down a 17-point third quarter lead for the Illinois Fighting Illini in one quarter. Following that Buckeyes win, the tide finally turned.

“You start turning on, turning off, and that’s kind of who you become, and it’ll show up in bigger games,” said McGuff.

That’s exactly what happened. Over the remaining 17 games, coach McGuff’s side went down by double-digits nine times, winning only twice. While one was a record-breaking 24-point comeback against the Indiana Hoosiers in the Big Ten Tournament, there were also 36 and 38-point defeats to the Maryland Terrapins and Iowa Hawkeyes. Each game exposing a Buckeyes team that was either unprepared or expecting that switch to flip.

The last two weeks of Buckeyes basketball shows a team getting closer to its goal of playing four quarters of consistent basketball. Leaving the switch at the on position.

Since the defeat to the USC Trojans to start the year, Ohio State’s been outscored in only three out of 24 quarters. Of those three, one was the fourth quarter of a win against Boston College where the Buckeyes didn’t play any starters. The other two came during the Pink Flamingo Championship (one against both the East Carolina Pirates and Oklahoma State Cowgirls).

Each time, McGuff chalked lulls in play down to a general lack of energy. Buckeyes didn’t get into rebounding positions, close down shooters or make extra passes in situations where Ohio State was already in the lead.

Albeit a small sample size, Sunday and Tuesday’s wins are more indicative of the team the scarlet and gray are hoping to become. The upcoming stretch of games for the Buckeyes gives this improved form the chance for stiffer competition. Starting with the Nittany Lions.

Penn State started the year strong, going 7-1 with the only defeat coming at the hands of the USC Trojans, and even that was only by a single point. Sunday, the Lions enter the Schottenstein Center after suffering what looks like a focus-based stumble of their own.

Monday night In Morgantown, WV, the Mountaineers went down early but dominated three quarters of play against Penn State, on their way to an 83-65 defeat. While the ACC side was undefeated going into the game, it wasn’t against the same caliber of competition Penn State’s faced so far this season.

Plus, the Nittany Lions haven’t lost to their former conference rivals since 1989, long before any player on either side was even born. The defeat was a perfect example of what happens when a team relies on flipping that switch. It also means Penn State enters Sunday with more motivation than there already is facing a Buckeyes team who’s competing for a National Championship.

“Their (Penn State’s) chemistry is good, and this will be a really big test for us,” said McGuff. “All of that will get our players’ attention, and they know that we’ve got a really terrific opponent coming in this Sunday.”

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With Kyle McCord in the portal, who do you think should be Ohio State’s QB in 2024?
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/Getty Images

Also, what (if anything) are you looking forward to from the Cotton Bowl?

Throughout the Ohio State football season, we will be asking and answering questions about the team, college football, and anything else on our collective minds of varying degrees of importance. If you have a question that you would like to ask, you can tweet us @LandGrant33 or if you need more than 280 characters, send an email HERE.


Take a look below and make sure to register your vote in the survey. Then, if you have additional thoughts, hit up the comments at the bottom of the page!

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Question 1: With Kyle McCord in the transfer portal, who do you want to be the Buckeyes starting quarterback in 2024?​

I know that Kyle McCord wasn’t exactly everybody’s favorite Buckeye following the loss to Michigan last month, but I think that I can speak for just about all of Buckeye Nation in saying that I was still incredibly surprised that he entered his name in the transfer portal as soon as it opened.

But, for better or for worse, the Buckeyes will have a third starting quarterback in as many years when they take to the field in September 2024. As of now — if I’m being honest — none of the options are especially reassuring, even if they all bring their own level of potential and intrigue. Devin Brown is technically the backup, assuming he is healthy, so going into the Cotton Bowl against Missouri, I guess we should assume that he will get the first chance to take over as the starter.

While I was not particularly impressed with his limited snaps running the offense (I’m not counting his red zone running package), I am open to seeing what he is able to do getting the bulk of the bowl reps, if that is where the next three weeks take us. And, if he proves himself against Mizzou, I’m obviously ready to welcome him with open arms heading into next season.

However, I do think that there is a decently sized chance that true freshman Lincoln Kienholz might actually end up being the guy for the Cotton Bowl. Either because Brown’s injured ankle isn’t 100% or he just straight-up wins the job. While his time was also pretty limited this season, he looked pretty good, especially considering that he only got to Columbus in the summer. If his freakish South Dakotan athleticism proves enough for Day to make him QB1 for the Cotton Bowl, you’d have to assume that he would immediately jump to the front of the conversation for the fall.

Of course, there will be at least one guy in that room that isn’t in Columbus just yet. Five-star QB prospect Air Noland will be coming to campus in 2024, and while I think a ton of people ar rightly excited about what he could mean to the Ohio State offense, I am always very hesitant about even entertaining the idea that a true freshman could become a starting quarterback for the Buckeyes. So, I am holding off on getting too excited about what Air can do next season. If he ends up being the guy, great. I would still have reservations about his inexperience, but if you’ve watched his film at all, you know he’s got all of the tools.

Then that brings us to OSU potentially bringing somebody in from the transfer portal. I think it is almost a necessity that Day finds at least another body for the room, especially because if Kienholz wins the job, Brown will almost certainly depart. But the question is, would he be looking more for a Tristan Gebbia, Gunnar Hoak type of transfer, or a Justin Fields type?

There are some interesting names already in the portal, and some that still might land there, and it will be interesting to see what direction Day decides to go. If he is looking for a potential starter, does he opt for a guy with only a single year of eligibility left, essentially filling the role that McCord had occupied? If so, that player would almost certainly have to be assured of the starting job, otherwise, he wouldn’t want to waste his last chance to play college football holding a clipboard.

Of course, Day could also try to bring in a younger guy with multiple years of eligibility remaining to compete for the job. But, if he does go that route, how does that impact Kienholtz and Noland?

There are a lot of factors at play in this quarterback decision and Day needs to get it right, because if he doesn’t... he might not have any other decisions to make as the Buckeyes’ head coach.

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Question 2: What are you most looking forward to from the Cotton Bowl matchup with Missouri?​

I said it on Twitter when the transfer portal opened, but if this means that we get to see a bunch of the young players in meaningful reps against an SEC opponent in an exhibition game, then I am excited about the possibility of what the Cotton Bowl could bring.

ngl, McCord being in the portal makes the Cotton Bowl and the month of prep even more interesting and exciting for me. With him gone, eventual opt-outs, and veteran depth guys already in the portal, lots of young talent going to be on display vs. Mizzou, and I’m here for that!

— Land-Grant Holy Land (@Landgrant33) December 4, 2023​

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Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Ohio State fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

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Bowl practices vital for Devin Brown, Lincoln Kienholz and Ohio State
Michael Citro via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Barbara J. Perenic/The Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

It’s trial by fire time for the Buckeyes’ 2023 backup quarterbacks.

With the surprising announcement that Ohio State starting quarterback Kyle McCord decided to enter the transfer portal, the next few weeks become huge ones for backups Devin Brown and Lincoln Kienholz. As the Buckeyes prepare for a game against Missouri in the Cotton Bowl, head coach Ryan Day has only a few weeks to prepare someone with limited snaps against an opposing defense to lead his offense in a New Year’s Six matchup against a solid Tigers squad.

Neither Brown nor Kienholz were given much to do on game days in 2023, and the former’s season was exacerbated by an injury, keeping him sidelined for a few weeks. Brown was fighting McCord for the starting position even as the season was getting underway, but ultimately lost the battle.

The sophomore got more meaningful snaps, as he was inserted into a red zone package designed to take advantage of his skills as a runner. Brown completed 12-of-22 passes (54.5%) for 197 yards and two touchdowns, but he also threw an interception. He also carried the ball as a runner 19 times for 35 yards and a touchdown, averaging just 1.84 yards per carry.

Kienholz got to throw a few passes, albeit in low-pressure situations when the game was well in hand. The sample size is small, but the freshman was the more accurate passer of the two backups who saw snaps this year, completing four of his five attempts (80%) for 25 yards. He did not throw a touchdown pass or an interception, and was mainly just asked to throw short and move the chains to eat up clock at the end of games.

The Buckeyes’ current situation is a byproduct of Day’s refusal to let his backups run more of the team’s normal offense when they get into games. Some may see this as not wanting to run up the score or put the ball in harm’s way with a big lead, and those are valid reasons. But those snaps are too important in the development of a young quarterback to simply keep handing the ball off, running into a pile three times, and punting.

Had Day allowed McCord to run the offense normally when he was spelling C.J. Stroud late in games the last two years, McCord may have been better prepared for 2023, fully seized the starting spot earlier (and more decisively), and perhaps earned enough confidence to expect the job to be his next year, negating the need to go look for a starting job somewhere else in order to raise his draft stock.

The quarterback battle over the next few weeks should be an interesting one. Brown seems to have a leg up in Day’s eyes, based on where he started the season. But Kienholz looked like the real deal as a passer in his limited live snaps. This competition is likely Brown’s to lose, but he’ll need to be much more precise with his passing than he showed in the regular season if Ohio State is to have a chance against Missouri.

Could we see a two-headed quarterback system against the Tigers? That is a strong possibility. Day has already shown that if a battle is close, he’s willing to give both guys a look in live action.

But the next few weeks of practice are more important than just giving the Buckeyes a chance to win a meaningless exhibition game — one that several key players will likely opt out of, including potentially the entire starting receiving corps (Julian Fleming has already entered the transfer portal).

This battle may determine the course of the 2024 Ohio State season, and who might be in the best position to challenge an incoming new quarterback from the portal. Multiple big names from the portal have already been potentially linked to a move to Columbus, and they’ll likely arrive with expectations of winning the starting job.

For Brown, the next few weeks may determine whether he finishes his college career at Ohio State. For Kienholz, it’s an opportunity to lay some groundwork to at least stay ahead of incoming freshman Air Noland in the pecking order, and, at best, to claim the job himself.

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Missouri Valley, it means more!

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Seventh heaven: Buckeyes stifle Redhawks 84-64, extend winning streak to seven games
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

Ohio State completes a clean three-game sweep of the MAC portion of their schedule.

Sandwiched in between two Big Ten games this week, the Ohio State men’s basketball team (8-1, 1-0) welcomed in-state foe Miami (OH) (4-4) to the Schott on Wednesday evening. Calling Wednesday night’s tilt a “trap” game takes away from Ohio State’s MAC foe, but the coaching staff’s ears were certainly perked up for this one.

The Redhawks were fresh off a win against Marshall, and are led by former Xavier head man and Ohio State GA Travis Steele. Miami also shot the three-ball at a 38% clip coming into this game— the second-highest clip in the MAC. Toss in the fact that this game was squeezed in between two seemingly more important games, and you had a recipe for a potential letdown.

Chris Holtmann did not change the starting lineup he’s been using for the entire season, going with sophomores Bruce Thornton, Roddy Gayle, Evana Mahaffey, Felix Okpara and senior forward Jamison Battle.

Travis Steele went with a lineup of Ryan Mabrey, Evan Ipsaro, Darweshi Hunter, Bryson Bultman, and Jaquel Morris.

Miami led 7-6 at the first media timeout that happened 4:04 into the game. The Buckeyes struggled to contain the ball, and Steele was doing a good job drawing up plays to isolate his guys against Battle and Okpara early on. Thanks to a Roddy Gayle steal-and-slam, Ohio State was able to retake the lead, 17-13, by the under-12 timeout.

RODDY @OhioStateHoops pic.twitter.com/peIIrOyPV4

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) December 7, 2023

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The story of the first half was Ohio State’s inbility to finish at the rim, but the second-most important stat of the first half was all of the second-chance points the Buckeyes scored over a smaller Miami team. Zed Key, Gayle, Dale Bonner, and Devin Royal all missed point-blank attempts in the first half, but the Buckeyes racked up 15 second-chance points over the first 20 minutes. It grabbed 12 offensive rebounds in the first half alone, and led 39-26 at the halftime break.

ZED SLAM. @OhioStateHoops pic.twitter.com/5c65XxvySk

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) December 7, 2023

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As a unit, the Buckeyes shot 38.2% in the first half, which was one of its worst offensive halves of basketball it has played this year so far. Both Thornton (11) and Gayle (12) scored double-digit points in the first half. Hunter had seven points for Miami on 3-7 shooting in the first half, but oddly enough was a team-worst -13 plus/minus for the Redhawks in the opening stanza.

Miami was pretty clearly out-classed in this one, but there was never a point during the game where it felt like Ohio State was going to run them off the floor — nor was there ever a moment where the outcome of this game felt like it might be in doubt. With 8:49 remaining in the game, Battle scored on back-to-back possessions (the second being his first three of the game), giving Ohio State a 63-44 lead — its largest of the game at the time.

We could watch Zed Key dunk all day long. @OhioStateHoops pic.twitter.com/jftRoHNoNU

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) December 7, 2023

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Even though it trailed for the first five minutes or so of this game, Ohio State’s offense was steady, even if it was a bit slow to develop. Its defense wasn’t great when Miami was able to slow down and run its sets, but the Buckeyes did force Redhawks into 17 turnovers, which kneecapped their chances at an upset. When the final buzzer sounded, the Buckeyes had wrapped up their seventh consecutive win, 84-64.

Gayle led Ohio State in scoring with 15 points on 4-of-9 shooting over 32 minutes, while also chipping in four rebounds, three assists, and one steal. Five other Buckeyes also scored in double digits, including Zed Key, who had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Hunter led Miami with 15 points as well, although he did it on a less than efficient 6-of-16 shooting over 37 minutes.

If you weren’t around tonight to see Ohio State extend its winning streak to seven games (or you don’t have BTN+, which is understandable), here are some key stats and figures that were noteworthy during the Buckeyes’ seventh consecutive win.

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5:30​

How long Miami led to start the game​

This isn’t Travis Steele’s first ride on the turnip truck, having coached at Xavier from 2018-2022. The now-second year Miami coach did a good job early on of drawing up sets to isolate his guys against Battle and Okpara, two defenders that Ohio State would prefer not be the ones chasing around ballhandlers. The Redhawks led for the first several minutes in this one, before Gayle’s steal near midcourt and fastbreak slam made it 10-9, 5:30 into the game.

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Nine​

Consecutive points to take the lead back​

After Miami got back-to-back back buckets to drop to re-take a 13-12 lead, Bruce Thornton and Zed Key went on a 9-0 run to turn the one-point deficit into an eight-point lead. Over a span of 3:26, Thornton knocked down two free throws and knocked down a three, followed by a dunk from Key followed by a pair of free throws. During that time, Miami missed the three shots they took.

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12 ​

Offensive rebounds in the first half for the Buckeyes​

As noted above, Ohio State missed more than a handful of point-blank shots in the first half of this one. The plays that were being called led to open looks, but pretty much everyone chipped in at least one miss for the collective cause. However, the Buckeyes crashed the offensive glass like they hadn’t all season to this point, snagging 12 offensive rebounds in the first half. Key had six of them by himself. Those second-chance points were a big difference maker, since Ohio State wasn’t exactly lights-out from distance (3-10 in the first half) either.

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One​

Technical foul for Travis Steele​

With Ohio State leading 44-33 just over minutes into the second half, Miami’s Evan Ipsaro drove to the basket but was fouled by Okpara as he went up. No foul was called, however, so after Mahaffey scored at the other end to put OSU up 13, Steele took an opportunity to call a timeout and discuss the no-call with the officials.

Unsuprisingly, the zebras weren’t too appreciative of Steele’s feedback, and he was slapped with a technical foul. Battle knocked down both free throws to push Ohio State’s lead to 13 points with over 17 minutes left in the game.

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Three​

Scuffles in the second half ​

With 14:46 left in the game, Ipsaro was trying to get free of Scotty Middleton to recieve an inbounds pass, but Middleton was leaning on him and preventing him from getting free, while also putting his hands high in the air to say “I’m not touching you.” Ipsaro tried to shove through him, and the two had words for each other until a ref separated the two of them. To Ipsaro’s credit, he did go down to the other end and score on Middleton 10 seconds later.

Then, 28 seconds later, Ryan Mabrey unintentionally tripped Gayle on a long inbounds play, sending the sophomore sliding to the ground in an awkward position. The two had words, and both teams ran over. After a mostly uneventful shouting match, the squads separated and nothing came of it.

Not even two minutes after that, Ipsaro slapped the ball away from Key below the basket on a layup attempt, and both teams were immediately on the ground grabbing for it. Key and Thornton were two of the last guys on the pile. During the pileup, Key and Hunter got into it, and both were assessed technical fouls. The call, ultimately, was a jump ball, with the possession aarow pointing to the Redhawks.

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Six​

Buckeyes in double digits​

Despite this game being a slower developing one from an offensive standpoint, Ohio State still wound up scoring 84 points, with six guys in double digits.

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Up Next:​

Ohio State (8-1, 1-0) has a quick turnaround, as it travels to Penn State (4-4) on Saturday for its second Big Ten game of the season. The Nittany Lions are now led by Mike Rhoades, who took over the program after Micah Shrewsberry took the Notre Dame job. Penn State has the lowest KenPom rank of any Big Ten team this year, at No. 129.

Ohio State’s game against Penn State will tip off at 6:00 p.m. and will be broadcast on Big Ten Network.

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Uncut: Kevin McGuff on Buckeyes in-state rivalry win and upcoming Penn State matchup
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Jason Mowry/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Plus guards Emma Shumate and Kaia Henderson talk career nights.

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


Tuesday night, the Ohio State women’s basketball team welcomed in-state Ohio University to the Schottenstein Center. After 40 minutes, the Buckeyes record against the Athens, Ohio side improved to 23-1 after defeating the Bobcats 85-45.

In the win, guards Emma Shumate and Kaia Henderson had career nights. Shumate led all Buckeyes with 22 points (a career high), with six shots from beyond the arc. Henderson followed suit with a career-high six points on perfect shooting from the floor. This episode of Uncut features both guards plus head coach Kevin McGuff.

Coach McGuff discusses what guard Emma Shumate needs to do to get into bigger games, what he said to the team at halftime, already up 29 points, and looking ahead to the first conference game of the season against the Penn State Nittany Lions.

Shumate and Henderson talk about their impressive evenings. Shumate talks about the support from her teammates, the boost in confidence from last season to this season and Henderson goes deeper into her perfect shooting performance.

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Twitter: @1ThomasCostello

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BASKETBALL PREVIEW: OHIO STATE PLAYS PENULTIMATE MID-MAJOR TUNEUP VS. MIAMI (OHIO) BEFORE SCHEDULE RAMPS UP​

By Andy Anders on December 6, 2023 at 8:35 am @andyanders55

• OSU BASKETBALL

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If one were still caught up in the throes of football season, it might be a surprise to find out that only two mid-major opponents remain on the Ohio State men’s basketball schedule.
MIAMI
REDHAWKS

4 - 3
ROSTER | SCHEDULE
DEC. 6, 2023 - 7 PM ET
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COLUMBUS, OHIO
B1G+OSU -21
The Buckeyes play their second Big Ten game of the season at Penn State on Sunday and will see UCLA and West Virginia sandwiched around their final mid-major, New Orleans, before they hit the conference-only portion of their schedule starting in January.
First, however, Ohio State clashes with Miami (Ohio) on Wednesday. The Buckeyes are riding a six-game winning streak with a victory in their first conference contest against Minnesota on Sunday, and Chris Holtmann says his squad will need “great preparation” to maintain momentum before its first true road game against the Nittany Lions.
The RedHawks have a 4-3 record after a 0-2 start to the year, but Ohio State will be their first opponent of the season from a power conference.
“(Miami) is playing well right now, just won at Marshall, won four of the last five games they’ve played,” Holtmann said. “They’ve got a great, very skilled group that is difficult (to defend), their effective field goal percentage is really good. They’re a disciplined group and well-coached and (we) need to have a readiness to play tomorrow.”

NEED TO KNOW​

SUBOPTIMAL SCORING​

Miami ranks 243rd in college basketball with 71.7 points per game, and its rate statistics aren’t any better. The Redhawks are only 240th nationally with 102.7 points per 100 possessions. Only one player on the team averages double figures, that being the 13.4 per contest scored by Darweshi Hunter.
To Holtmann’s point about effective field goal percentage, however, a big contributing factor to that statistic is 3-point percentage, which Miami is 42nd nationally in at 38.1%. Conversely, however, it is 240th converting from inside the arc at 49.8%.

XAVIER BEHAVIOR​

Travis Steele, head coach of the RedHawks, has experience from another, larger basketball program in Ohio. Steele spent four seasons as head coach of Xavier from 2018-22 after spending nine seasons as an assistant for the Musketeers. However, his four-year stint as head coach coincided with Xavier’s only four-year NCAA Tournament drought since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985. He had a 70-50 career record with the Cincinnati-based university and was fired immediately following a first-round victory in the NIT in 2022.
The system Steele ran at Xavier is alike in some ways to what he’s running at Miami and different in others, Holtmann said.
“There are some similarities for sure, but there’s also some differences there,” Holtmann said. “They’re different offensively than what they were when he was (at Xavier), (Miami) is predicated on great spacing and skill. They’ve got some really good young players, a couple are returning players that have done some really high-level things for them.”

GRAY UNIS​

Ohio State will be pulling out its gray alternate uniforms for the first time this season when it faces Miami.

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Ohio State Men’s Basketball vs. Miami (OH): Game Preview and Prediction
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

Tonight’s contest against the RedHawks is sandwiched between Ohio State’s first two Big Ten games of the season.

After opening up their Big Ten schedule with an 84-74 win over Minnesota on Sunday evening, Ohio State’s men’s basketball team jumps back out of conference tonight to host the Miami (OH) RedHawks. Tonight’s matchup marks the 10th meeting between the in-state foes, with the Buckeyes holding a 7-2 edge in the series. The last time the teams met saw Ohio State beat the RedHawks 72-59 in the 2017-18 season. Aside from Miami winning the first game between the schools in 1916, their only other win came in 1993 when they defeated the Buckeyes 56-53 in the first round of the NIT.

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Preview​

Since losing to Texas A&M in the second game of the season, Ohio State enters tonight’s contest riding a six-game winning streak. In their last time on the court, the Buckeyes never trailed against Minnesota, scoring 42 points in each half to down the Golden Gophers. Not only did Jamison Battle put home a season-high 25 points against his former team, Bruce Thornton added a team-high 26 points in the victory, and Roddy Gayle Jr. scored 16 points on Sunday night. Ohio State blocked six shots in the game, with five of those swats coming from Felix Okpara, tying his career-high.

With his performance against the Golden Gophers, Thornton has now scored in double figures in seven of eight games this season, and cracked the 20-point mark in three of the last four games. After scoring 26 points on Sunday night, Thornton surpassed 500 career points in the scarlet and gray. Thornton is not only filling it up in the scoring column, he is also doing a great job at finding his teammates, registering at least five assists in a game for the fifth time this season.

Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports

Miami comes to Columbus on a two-game winning streak after beating Marshall 79-74 on Saturday. The RedHawks led 77-59 with just over three minutes left in the second half before the Thundering Herd were able to go on a 15-2 run to close the gap before the game ended. Miami was able to earn the victory because of their ability to hit shots from beyond the arc, netting 13 of their 26 three-point attempts. Mekhi Cooper led the RedHawks with a career-high 17 points in the win, while Evan Ipsaro added 16 points, and Bradley Dean scored 14 points in 22 minutes off the bench.

With the win, Miami is now 4-3 on the season, with their losses coming to Evansville, Texas State, and St. Bonaventure. The RedHawks are coached by former Xavier coach Travis Steele, who is in his second season in Oxford. During his four seasons at Xavier after replacing Chris Mack, Steele posted a 70-50 record, and he was 12-20 last year in his debut season at Miami. Steele is hoping to bring the RedHawks back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2007. Along with coaching at two Division I programs in Ohio, Steele is the brother of former Ohio State assistant coach and current Akron head coach John Groce.

Through seven games this season, Miami is led in scoring by Darweshi Hunter, who is averaging 13.4 points per game. The senior guard is also second on the team with 5.1 rebounds per contest. Oddly enough, Hunter has been at his best this year in Miami’s losses, with his three highest scoring outputs of the season all coming in the three setbacks the RedHawks have suffered. This is Hunter’s first season in Oxford after spending the last two at Northern Illinois.

Along with Hunter, Miami has a couple freshmen at guard that are averaging at least 24 minutes per game this year. Evan Ipsaro is second on the team in scoring, averaging 9.1 points per game, and Mekhi Cooper is right behind Cooper, scoring 8.9 points per game. On Saturday night, Ipsaro hit four three-pointers, which is the most of his young career. Cooper will likely enter tonight’s game with a ton of confidence after leading the RedHawks in scoring against the Thundering Herd.

In the frontcourt, center Jaquel Morris will have his hands full with Felix Okpara and Zed Key. Miami doesn’t look for Morris to do a ton of the offensive end, instead hoping the sophomore big man makes a difference on the defensive end of the floor. So far this year, Morris has blocked at least two shots in over half of Miami’s games. Along with Morris, Bryce Bultman will also try and make a difference in the paint. The graduate transfer in his first season with the RedHawks after spending four years at Division-II McKendree University.

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Prediction​

Tonight will mark the third game this season Ohio State has played against a team from the MAC. In their first two games against teams from the conference this year, the Buckeyes have had little trouble, beating Western Michigan and Central Michigan by a combined 44 points. As long as the Buckeyes aren’t looking ahead to Saturday’s Big Ten game at Penn State, Chris Holtmann’s team shouldn’t have much trouble with the RedHawks.

Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

So far this year Miami hasn’t played all that tough of a schedule and they have still lost three games. If the RedHawks can’t beat teams like Texas State and Evansville, they are going to have a lot of trouble against an Ohio State team that is gaining confidence with each game. Bruce Thornton is playing like a leader, Roddy Gayle Jr. is consistently getting better, Jamison Battle provides a veteran presence, and Felix Okpara and Zed Key are a force in the paint. The Buckeyes are going to overwhelm a Miami team that can struggle to score at times.

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ESPN BPI: Ohio State 92.7%
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
TV: B1G+

LGHL score prediction: Ohio State 78, Miami (OH) 59​

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Hangout in the Holy Land Podcast: CFP reactions, Ohio State deserved better, and who the hell is suiting up for the Cotton Bowl!?
Josh Dooley 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

Josh and Chuck react to controversial (or not?) CFP selections, before turning their attention to... uh... certain, unnamed Buckeyes who are probably playing in a less-than-meaningful bowl game. Seriously, who’s in and who’s out!?

The latest episode of Land-Grant Holy Land’s flagship podcast is here! Join LGHL’s Josh Dooley and Chuck Holmes as they discuss Ohio State football, recruiting, and much, much more! Come for the hot takes, stay for the warm ones.

Listen to the episode and subscribe:

Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio​

On this episode of “Hangout in the Holy Land,” Josh and Chuck do their best to recap – and react to – a wild couple of days in college football, especially as it pertains to the Ohio State Buckeyes.

It was common knowledge that OSU would not be receiving an invite to this year’s College Football Playoff, but did the selection committee get it right? And why didn’t Florida State just win their conference title game 59-0, making the process easier for everyone?

While the Buckeyes were left out of the CFP, they have remained relevant in the CFB news cycle. Several Ohio State players have already announced their intent to transfer, including QB Kyle McCord. The hosts discuss potential comings and goings, as well as who might actually participate in the team’s upcoming bowl game.

Cotton Bowl fever, baby! Feel the excitement!

Please make sure to like, rate, review, and subscribe to the podcast! And as always, Go Bucks!

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Connect with the pod
Twitter: @HolyLandPod

Connect with Josh Dooley
Twitter: @jdooleybuckeye

Connect with Chuck Holmes
Twitter: @ctholmes3

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No. 12 Ohio State women’s basketball takes bite out of Ohio Bobcats 85-45
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Ohio State University athletic department

There was no upsetting the Buckeyes before the move to Big Ten play

Tuesday, the Ohio State women’s basketball team took the court less than two days since beating the Tennessee Volunteers in Knoxville, Tennessee. The task wasn’t as big at the Schottenstein Center, taking on in-state MAC school Ohio University.

After a close first half of the first quarter, the Buckeyes surged and never looked back, defeating the Bobcats 85-45.

Ohio University came in the heavy underdogs but didn’t look like it on the defensive end of the court to start the game. Halfway through the first quarter, the Buckeyes were 1-for-7 from the floor, with a lone three-point shot made by forward Rebeka Mikulášiková.

That’s because the Bobcats controlled the perimeter on defense, not allowing players like forwards Cotie McMahon and Taylor Thierry much room to work inside the paint. The Buckeyes combated it with passes around the arc but the open three attempts weren’t falling early.

Head coach Kevin McGuff adjusted, deciding to go right at the paint, leaning on Thierry and McMahon to do more. It worked, with Ohio State responding with 6-for-10 shooting to end the quarter, with Thierry’s seven points and McMahon’s four leading the scarlet and gray to a 16-6 lead at the end of the first quarter, with 10 points coming off turnovers.

Defensively, the Buckeyes limited shots, outshooting the Athens, Ohio side 17-11. The Bobcats hit two, both from deep, and had other chances but failed to convert.

The second quarter began with much of the same, plus a familiar moment for Buckeyes fans, courtesy of guard Celeste Taylor. The Big Ten Player of the Week added another impressive block to her scarlet and gray resume. Guard Kate Dennis went for the inside shot, but Taylor came up from behind and stuffed the shot out of bounds. It was that kind of first half for the Bobcats.

Although Ohio responded with a three-point shot, only its third made shot of the game, the Buckeyes’ offense nullified it quickly. Mikulášiková scored the first eight points of the second quarter. The first from deep and then hurting the visitors from inside the paint.

It was clear that the Bobcats’ burst of energy to start the game waned, and then the threes began falling for the Buckeyes.

Ohio State started the game going 1-for-7 from beyond the arc in the first quarter. In the second, it shot up to 5-for-8, with guard Emma Shumate doing the most damage. The Newark, Ohio high school graduate shot 4-for-5 from beyond the arc; all corner threes. At halftime, the Buckeyes were up 42-13, with Shumate’s career high 12 points outscoring the entire Bobcats team 12-7 in the second quarter.

Out of the locker room for the second half, the Buckeyes kept its starters in the game. On Ohio’s first offensive possession, Taylor grabbed another block, this time on a spinning layup attempt by guard Monica Williams. Outside of a three-point shot by Bobcats’ guard Kennedi Watkins, the Buckeye domination continued, responding with an 11-point run to extend the lead to 36 points with 16 minutes remaining in the game.

Taylor was the lone starter on the court with under four minutes remaining in the third quarter, still not losing intensity. After missing a layup, Taylor ran behind the Ohio player taking the ball up the court and took over her dribbling, turning into another offensive possession. It was that kind of night for the Buckeyes.

The fourth quarter saw no Buckeye starters on the court, giving them rest before Sunday’s visit from the Nittany Lions. Of the starting five, three scored in double figures on the night: Thierry and Mikulášiková each scoring 15 points and McMahon not far behind with 13 points.

While the Bobcats cut into its deficit at moments in the fourth quarter, there was no coming back from the mid-major. Ohio State held on comfortably, beating Ohio 85-45.

Shumate Shooting Continues​

Leading the Buckeyes from deep was Shumate. Hitting an NCAA career high six in the game, the guard showed why Coach McGuff has so much faith in the shooter. Shumate wasn’t only hitting shots, but hitting them confidently without hesitation. The guard led the Buckeyes with 22 points.

It came after not receiving many minutes against the Vols on Sunday, playing only two of the 40 minutes, and not taking a shot. Granted the competition wasn’t the same as the SEC Side on Sunday, if Shumate continues shooting like she did from deep on Tuesday, it’ll be hard to not see the guard in bigger game scenarios.

In-State Dominance​

While it wasn’t a record-breaking winning margin for the Buckeyes over the Bobcats, that was a 70-point Ohio State walloping on Dec. 1, 2004, it was a one-sided game for most of the 40 minutes of basketball. After defeating OU in Athens by 30 points last season, a Buckeyes side with improved defense from last time out were already up 29 points at the half.

At one point in the second half, the lead stretched to 41 points in the scarlet and gray’s favor. With the win, Ohio State goes to 23-1 against the Bobcats all-time.

What’s Next​

Now the Buckeyes start the Big Ten conference schedule, at least for one game. Ohio State welcomes the Penn State Nittany Lions to the Schottenstein Center Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET. The Nittany Lions grabbed attention to start the season, going 7-1 and losing to the USC Trojans by only a single point it its lone loss, but tripped up on the team’s first day back in the AP poll in ten years.

Monday, Penn State lost to the West Virginia Mountaineers in Morgantown 83-65. The Mountaineers used a pressing defensive style to disrupt the Big Ten side for its first win over Penn State since 1989.

Ohio State played Penn State once last year. After amassing a big lead after three quarters, Nittany Lions’ guard Makenna Marisa scored 19 points in the fourth quarter to bring the game to a 67-55 scoreline.

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Bucketheads Podcast: The Ohio State men’s basketball team is on a six-game winning streak
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Clare Grant/The Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Plus, is the Big Ten up for grabs after Purdue’s loss to Northwestern?

“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.

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Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio

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On episode 95 of Bucketheads, Connor and Justin talk about the Buckeyes six-game winning streak and the 84-74 win over Minnesota. Again, it was not perfect, but a conference win is a conference win, and if the season ended today, Ohio State would win the Big Ten!

What has been going right for the Buckeyes? And just how good is this backcourt of Bruce Thornton and Roddy Gayle?

Also, we have to have a conversation about Purdue. Does their upset against Northwestern change our opinion of them? And what is wrong with Maryland? And is quote tweeting bad?

Be sure to like and subscribe to the podcast and leave a review of your thoughts on the show!

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Connect with the Podcast:

Twitter: @BucketheadsLGPN

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Twitter: @lemons_connor

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Twitter: @justin_golba

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You’re Nuts: Which non-CFP bowl game are you most interested in watching?
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Brian Bishop-USA TODAY Sports

Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.

With the revealing of the College Football Playoff matchups on Sunday, the rest of the bowl schedule was set soon after. The bowl season will kick off on Saturday December 16 with the Myrtle Beach Bowl between Georgia Southern and Ohio being the first bowl game of the season. Five other bowl games will take place on that day, and by the time bowl season wraps up in early January, over 40 bowl games will have been played.

This year’s bowl season will be the last that will accompany the four-team College Football Playoff. It will be interesting to see how schools approach the 12-team playoff starting next year, especially after the changes we have seen after the introduction of the College Football Playoff at the end of the 2014 season. Along with the playoff, the transfer portal and more players sitting out bowl games to focus on the NFL Draft have changed how bowl games are treated by teams.

Despite some of the prestige of bowl games being diminished by changes over the last decade, the final couple weeks of college football for nine months still can be a ton of fun. Not only does it provide people with something to watch during the holidays, it can also be a hit with gamblers if they are on the right side. There are also some interesting sponsors for bowl games. Just look at the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. You don’t have much of a pulse if you don’t want to see the winning coach showered with a bunch of mayo.

Today we want to know which bowl game outside the College Football Playoff you are most interested in watching this year. Maybe you want to get a look at one of the teams joining the Big Ten, or another conference, this offseason. It could be a battle between a couple of college football’s top programs. Or you could be a fan of a team that is going to have a lot of turnover in the transfer portal, so you want to see who could be next in line at a certain position. There’s no wrong answer, since if you’re spending the holidays watching college football bowl games then you are already on the right side.

Today’s question: Which non-CFP bowl game are you most interested in watching?​

We’d love to hear your choices. Either respond to us on Twitter at @Landgrant33 or leave your choice in the comments.​

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Brett’s answer: Liberty v. Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl​

This New Year’s Six bowl game already received a shot in the arm when Oregon head coach Dan Lanning revealed quarterback Bo Nix wants to play in the New Year’s Day game. After starting for multiple years at Auburn and Oregon, there really isn’t much to be gained from Nix playing in this game aside from Nix wanting to finish out his college career with his teammates on the field and not on the sidelines. Even though things could change between now and when the game kicks off on the first day of 2024, it sounds like Oregon is taking this game seriously.

On the other side, Liberty will not only be trying to pull a huge upset, as they head into this game as two-touchdown underdogs, they also will be trying to finish the season undefeated. In Jamey Chadwell’s first season as head coach, Liberty has a high-powered offense that has scored at least 30 points in 12 of 13 games so far this year. Sophomore quarterback Kaidon Salter has not only thrown for 2,750 yards and 31 touchdowns this year, he has added 1,064 yards and 12 scores on the ground.

Another reason this game is so interesting to me is because the Group of Five team playing in a New Year’s Six bowl always seems to bring it. At the end of the 2015 season, Houston beat Florida State. UCF beat Auburn to cap off an undefeated 2017 season, and then pushed LSU to the limit the next year. Last year Tulane stunned Caleb Williams and USC 46-45 in the Cotton Bowl. Even if they aren’t able to beat Oregon, Liberty should at least make this contest interesting in Oregon’s last game as a member of the Pac-12.

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Matt’s answer: Las Vegas Bowl: Utah vs. Northwestern​

I think the easy answer here would be something along the lines of the Orange Bowl with a pair of disgruntled teams who both feel that they should have been included in the College Football Playoff field. However, that’s too easy, so I’m going with a bit of a deep cut.

Yes, I know that this probably won’t be an enjoyable game to watch if you like a bunch... or any offense, but I don’t know how you can be a college football fan and not root for David Braun and Northwestern. He was thrown into an absolutely horrendous situation that he had no hand in creating and still led his team to a bowl game while earning Big Ten Coach of the Year honors. Now, the university has removed the interim tag and he is the Wildcats’ full-time head coach. In the new B1G alignment, will he ever have the success that Pat Fitzgerald did? Honestly, it’s doubtful, but that doesn’t diminish that accomplishment of this season.

Then there’s the Utah Utes. Obviously playing in the Las Vegas Bowl two days before Christmas isn’t what Kyle Whittingham and his team had in mind coming into the season Coming off of back-to-back Pac-12 titles, I am sure they wanted to close out the conference as the definitive top dog out West. However, the fact that Cam Rising never fully recuperated from his ACL tear suffered in last year’s bowl game essentially led to the Utes never being able to capitalize on a top-notch defense.

So, while there likely won’t be a ton of offensive fireworks in this one, it features a couple of coaches that you have to respect and root for, or at least I do, which is why I am interested in watching this one, even if it won’t be the most aesthetically pleasing game on the 2023-24 bowl schedule.

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Ohio State five-star OL target sets commitment date
Dan Hessler via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


2024 five-star OT Jordan Seaton via @JordanSeaton_ on X

Ohio State learned when its biggest remaining target in the 2024 class will commit, and the Buckeyes also made the top-10 schools for a 2025 four-star DE.

Ohio State’s football team has had a busy 48 hours. The Buckeyes learned their opponent and bowl game location on Sunday, and will now get to work preparing for Missouri. However, the news did not stop there, as Monday brought even more headlines for Ohio State.

Ryan Day’s program saw multiple players officially enter their names into the transfer portal, including starting quarterback Kyle McCord. The Buckeyes’ starting quarterback was not the only guy starter to enter his name into the portal, but he certainly stole many of the headlines — rightfully so. Land-Grant Holy Land is compiling a live, running list of Buckeyes that enter their names into the portal, so keep up with it here.

The transfer portal has proven that recruiting is never allowed a pause if a football program wants to remain elite. Fortunately for Ohio State, Day and his coaching staff know this as the Buckeyes made multiple recruiting headlines to start the week.

Jordan Seaton announces commitment date​

Fresh off an official visit, 2024 five-star offensive tackle Jordan Seaton (Brandton, FL / IMG Academy) has announced a commitment date and a top six schools list.

BREAKING: Five-Star Plus+ OT Jordan Seaton tells me he will announce his Commitment on Thursday, December 7th

The 6’6 290 OT from Washington D.C. is ranked as the No. 1 OT in the ‘24 Class

Where Should He Go? https://t.co/CS5FVOR3GA pic.twitter.com/kX0vtTVuea

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) December 4, 2023​

Click to expand...

Alongside Ohio State, Seaton included Maryland, Oregon, Alabama, Florida and Tennessee as finalists in his recruitment which is scheduled to end this Thursday. Ohio State was once viewed as the leaders in Seaton’s recruitment, but the other remaining schools have made strong pushes late in the battle, especially Oregon and Tennessee.

The Buckeyes have long wanted to get Seaton on campus, and as was previously mentioned, Seaton finally was able to take an official visit to Ohio State this weekend. The elite talent had previously scheduled an official visit in November for the Michigan State game. However, because his high school team was still playing in the playoffs, he had to reschedule. Unfortunately for him and the Buckeyes, he was unable to do so for a gameday.

This led many to believe the Buckeyes chances in landing Seaton had dropped, which made sense. However, Ohio State seemingly impressed Seaton enough last weekend as they are still in contention to land him. Not only that, some believe Ohio State is among the leaders in his recruitment with the Ducks and Volunteers.

"I would go with Oregon, Ohio State and Tennessee..."

- @ChadSimmons_ says three teams in 5 ️ Jordan Seaton's top-7 are trending above the rest

More Seaton talk: https://t.co/v9aNJOIxs8 pic.twitter.com/rzvRhyrsNU

— Josh Newberg (@josh_newberg) December 4, 2023​

Click to expand...

Ohio State would love to add Seaton to its class, as the program has wanted to add an elite talent to its offensive line haul which includes four-star Ian Moore and three-stars Gabe VanSickle, Devontae Armstrong and his twin Deontae Armstrong.

Seaton is the No. 1 OT in the 247Sports Composite Rankings and is the No. 15 overall prospect. He is also the No. 4 recruit out of the talent-rich state of Florida.

Ohio State a top 10 school for 2025 four-star DE​

Ohio State is making the defensive line a position of importance in the 2025 recruiting class. Already, the Buckeyes have offered nearly 20 prospects along the defensive line. The team has yet to secure a commitment, but the hard work may soon payoff as the Buckeyes made the top-10 schools for four-star defensive end, Javion Hilson (Cocoa, FL / Cocoa).

#AGTG @Cocoa_Schneider @J55FoFo@mdiesel321 @OfficialAthlete @CocoaFootball @BHoward_11 @larryblustein @Rivals @RivalsFriedman @247Sports @SWiltfong247 @adamgorney pic.twitter.com/dWIHhaTpbU

— Javion Hilson (@javion_hilson) December 3, 2023​

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Ohio State has some difficult competition for the blue-chip edge as Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Penn State, Miami, Florida, Florida State, Tennessee and UCF all made the list for the 6-foot-3.5, 225-pound lineman.

Hilson was able to travel to Columbus in June to participate in a recruiting camp, and this visit helped him build a solid relationship with the Ohio State coaching staff. The Buckeyes will likely try and get him back on campus next year for another recruiting visit and then a visit during a gameday.

Hilson is the No. 7 DE in the 247Sports Composite Rankings and is the No. 48 overall prospect. He is also the No. 6 recruit out of Florida.

Ohio State offers 2025 DL​

Keeping with theme of the defensive line in the 2025 recruiting class, Ohio State officially offered four-star DL Jaylen Williams (Palatine, IL / Palatine) on Monday.

#AGTG!! Extremely blessed to receive an offer from The Ohio State university!!! ️ @EDGYTIM @Rivals_Clint @R2X_Rushmen1 @OhioStateFB @JoshBostick8 @PHS_Football @AllenTrieu @LemmingReport @On3sports @adamgorney @TH3FBA pic.twitter.com/659tKHEJ9Y

— Jaylen williams ✞ (@jay_williams55) December 4, 2023​

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The Buckeyes are not alone in their pursuit for Williams, as he holds offers from some of the nation’s top programs like Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Oregon, USC, Florida State, Auburn, Louisville, Tennessee and Texas A&M. Currently, Michigan is the favorite to land him, but the Buckeyes will try and turn the tide now that they have offered him.

Williams has not yet made an Ohio State visit, but look for the Buckeyes to try and bring him in for a spring or summer recruiting visit next year. Williams is the No. 26 DL in the 247Sports Composite Rankings and is the No. 228 overall prospect. He is also the No. 6 recruit out of Illinois.

Quick Hits​

• With all the news surrounding Kyle McCord transferring out of the program on Monday, there has been a lot of talk around Buckeye Nation on what the future of the quarterback position may hold for the Buckeyes. Ohio State 2024 five-star quarterback commit Air Noland took to X to provide as much relief as possible, reaffirming his commitment to Ryan Day and the Buckeyes.

I’m a 100% committed to
The Ohio State ️

— Pʀᴇɴᴛɪss Aɪʀ Nᴏʟᴀɴᴅ. (@AirNoland_) December 4, 2023​

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• Noland was not the only talk Monday regards to the next Ohio State quarterback. Many believe the Buckeyes could now turn to the transfer portal themselves to replace McCord, and two of the names linked most with the Buckeyes are Duke QB Riley Leonard and Washington State QB Cam Ward.

Leonard seems to be favoring Notre Dame, but the Buckeyes are making a strong push. Ward, however, may take more time in deciding his next school, and he has an impressive list of suitors including Oregon, USC, Washington, Wisconsin, Miami, Florida State and others.

Still like #NotreDame here on the Crystal Ball.

Schools like Ohio State, Auburn and others are making a strong, late push to pull him away from the Fighting Irish.

I feel good about the Irish here barring an unexpected last second change of heart@247Sports / @247SportsPortal https://t.co/3oR4V5INNJ

— Tom Loy (@TomLoy247) December 4, 2023​

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NEWS: Ohio State, Oregon, USC, Florida State, Washington, Miami and Wisconsin have emerged as schools to watch for transfer QB Cam Ward, @PeteNakos_ reports https://t.co/D3Iy0VADZ3 pic.twitter.com/A8clqpcS5V

— On3 (@On3sports) December 4, 2023​

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247
Rivals
Twitter
HudL



Class: 2025
Position: DE
School: Palatine(IL) Palatine
Height: 6-foot-6
Weight: 265lbs

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With McCord in the portal, what will the Cotton Bowl and beyond look like for Ohio State?
Megan.Husslein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

The Buckeyes’ future plans changed on Monday.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who rolled over to check their phone this morning and was immediately awakened by the news of Kyle McCord entering the transfer portal. A million thoughts were swirling around in my brain. When did he decide on this? What does this mean for the Cotton Bowl? What quarterback should the Buckeyes target in the transfer portal? And so much more... let’s get into it.

First off, this isn’t a total shock. During Sunday’s press conference, Ryan Day hinted that he wasn’t sure who the starting quarterback would be in the bowl game or next year. Every time a reporter asked a question about the position, he kept dancing around it, never truly giving an answer.

Ryan Day would not commit to Kyle McCord as QB1 in the Cotton Bowl or the 2024 season:

"I think that's a long way away right now...everyone is going to have an opportunity to compete and get after it during bowl practice." pic.twitter.com/pOT49Xr8Jr

— Lantern Sports (@LanternSports) December 3, 2023​

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"I think he is a good quarterback I do, so after the year you try and evaluate everything and figure out what to do next"

Looking back realizing Kyle McCord would announce he is transferring the next day, the end of this Ryan Day answer on McCord's OSU career is interesting. pic.twitter.com/f9zIZa3jut

— Adam King (@AdamKing10TV) December 4, 2023​

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I wonder if Day’s answers at the press conference and their conversations about the future behind closed doors are what pushed McCord over the edge and made the decision final for him. Once he learned that he wasn’t the definite QB1 any more, maybe that is what changed his mind.

So, what is the Cotton Bowl going to look like? I’m sure we will hear more about this in the weeks to come, but my guess is that we are going to see Devin Brown and Lincoln Kienholz split time. Why wouldn’t you? Yes, Day said that his priority is winning the game, but you also have to see what you have in store for next season. Plus, I believe these guys also have the talent to help the team win the game. Win-win situation.

It will be interesting to see what weapons Ohio State will have on offense. With a lot of guys going pro and maybe opting out of the game, and some in the portal, who knows who Brown and/or Kienholz will be throwing to. Julian Fleming is a definite no as he is in the portal. TreVeyon Henderson and Marvin Harrison Jr. are questionable, as they will most likely be going pro.

That leaves them with (most likely) Emeka Egbuka, Cade Stover (I feel like this man will refuse to NOT play), Carnell Tate, Brandon Innis, Xavier Johnson, Chip Trayanum and Dallan Hayden. This is a pretty darn good group of guys, with a nice mix of veteran experience and some freshmen getting the opportunity to show what they’re all about.

Photo by Ben Jackson/Getty Images

McCord’s decision to transfer makes the bowl game a lot more intriguing. Now, we will have the opportunity to see Brown play in (potentially) a full game, and Kienholz play some meaningful snaps. This will be the first true look at who Buckeye fans could be watching on Saturdays next fall.

Or, it could be a totally different guy who isn’t even on the team yet. Air Noland is the five-star commit who will be a freshman next year, but I honestly don’t see Day starting a true freshman when he has other options.

Who are those other options? Well, McCord isn’t the only highly-touted QB who put his name in the transfer portal. Oklahoma’s Dillon Gabriel, Oregon State’s DJ Uiagalelei, Washington State’s Cam Ward, UCLA’s Dante Moore and so many more have entered the portal as well.

Photo by Tom Hauck/Getty Images

Gabriel had a really nice season with the Sooners, throwing for over 3,600 yards, 30 touchdowns, six picks and finishing with a 87.3 QBR, good for fourth in the nation. Uiagalelei put up solid numbers, with 2,600 yards, 21 TDs, 7 INTs, and a 80.8 QBR.

Rumors are that Ward could be the No. 1 target for the Buckeyes. He threw for 3,700 yards, 25 touchdowns and seven picks, but finished with a 60.6 QBR. He has one year of eligibility remaining, so he could be the one-year veteran QB that the Buckeyes need while they let Noland take a year to develop.

I feel like I could write ‘what if’s’ all day about who could end up under center next year. Arch Manning could enter the portal if Quinn Ewers decides to stay another year at Texas. What if he wanted to be a Buckeye? I mean at this point, half of college football’s quarterbacks are in the portal, so anything is possible.

Either way, I think this is a win-win for both sides. I wish nothing but the absolute best for McCord, and I hope he balls out wherever he ends up. I think a fresh start is needed for both him and for the Buckeyes. He was getting relentlessly hated on by a vocal minority of the fanbase, as people didn’t believe he was the man for the job. Now, someone else will have the opportunity to prove that they are. Let the madness begin!

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Game Preview: No. 12 Ohio State women’s basketball vs. Ohio University
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Ohio University Women’s basketball Twitter | @OhioWBasketball

The in-state rivalry returns for a second straight season

When it comes to in-state games, Ohio State women’s basketball doesn’t lose too often. In the past 20 years, it's happened three times in 38 games. The latest was against the Ohio Bobcats back on Nov. 17, 2019. Last year, the scarlet and gray avenged that defeat in Southeast Ohio, and Tuesday, the Buckeyes take on those same Bobcats again looking to continue its in-state dominance.

In what looks like a tune-up game before the start of Big Ten basketball, Ohio State needs to avoid looking too far into the future.

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Preview​

Tuesday night looks like a chance for the Buckeyes to put up a lot of points and continue working towards the team it wants to be come March.

Last season, head coach Kevin McGuff’s side traveled to Ohio University and defeated the Bobcats 86-56. This season, Ohio returns only 25% of the scoring from last year, and are off to a 2-3 start for head coach Bob Bolden. However, this matchup is likely the game Ohio University players are most looking forward to, which means anything could happen if the Buckeyes are caught in an off night.

The likelihood of that happening is fairly slim. So far this season, outside of the first game of the year, Ohio State’s looked like a team on the same page. Plus its an improved side defensively, while the Bobcats lost a key piece on the offensive end of the court.

Guard Yaya Felder stood out in a big way against the scarlet and gray last year, scoring 21 points and leading all scorers from either team. Now the junior is in Big 12 country, transferring to Baylor University following the Bobcats’ 6-23 season. Who does that leave then for Ohio on Tuesday?

A bulk of the scoring will land at the hands of Jaya McClure. The 5-foot-6 sophomore leads Ohio, averaging 14.5 points per game. The sophomore has flourished this year after a debut season averaging eight points.

However, McClure and the Bobcats haven’t faced a team of the Buckeyes’ caliber so far this season. Ohio’s lone wins come against the Dayton Flyers and a team Ohio State took care of handedly in the IUPUI Jaguars.

For the Buckeyes, Tuesday is a brief hiatus from Power Five conference competition, sandwiched in the middle of a win over the Tennessee Vols and its first Big Ten opponents in the No. 25 Penn State Nittany Lions.

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Lineup Notes​

• Guard Celeste Taylor enters Tuesday coming off her best game as a Buckeye, scoring 15 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in the victory over the Tennessee Volunteers. It won Taylor the Big Ten Player of the Week award.
• Sunday’s win against the Vols featured a quieter performance by uard/forward Taylor Thierry, who had nine points and four rebounds. The first game this season where Thierry didn’t get to double-digit scoring.
• Last season, guard Jacy Sheldon led the Buckeyes with 16 points against Ohio University, but it was one of her last games before a foot injury kept her out most of the regular season.

Lineup Notes​

• Ohio is likely to start two transfers: Junior forward Kennedi Watkins from Southeast Missouri State and guard Bengisu Alper. The Turkish guard Alper is on her fourth team in five years, after stints with Maine, Colorado State and Northwestern State.
• The 14-player Bobcats roster features only three seniors who play minutes and seven underclassmen, of which five are freshman.
• McClure’s 21 points in a win against IUPUI is a season high for Ohio.

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Prediction​

Ohio State won’t have too many wholesale problems against the Bobcats. Sunday’s win showed a Buckeyes’ team hitting its stride, which is bad news for the MAC side. Expect Thierry and forward Cotie McMahon to have big games against a unit that’s not strong in the paint.

If there are multiple starters playing for the scarlet and gray in the fourth quarter, something has gone terribly wrong.

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How to Watch​

Date: Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Where: Schottenstein Center, Columbus, Ohio
Stream: B1G+

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LGHL Prediction: 98-51 Ohio State Buckeyes​

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Penn State Stumbles​

While multiple teams fell out of the AP Top 25 in the Big Ten, the story lately has been focused around a surging Penn State Nittany Lions team. After amassing a 7-1 record, with the lone loss coming against the USC Trojans by a single point, Penn State was back in the top 25 for the first time since 2014.

Then Monday night happened.

Playing away against the West Virginia Mountaineers, the Nittany Lions struggled to score against a strong Mountaineers defense, losing 83-65. It was PSU’s first loss against WVU since 1989.

Were the Lions looking ahead to the Buckeyes game on Sunday?

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NCAA proposing new college athletics subdivision rooted in direct athlete compensation

TLDR: NCAA is proposing new models for the schools with healthy resources to separate from those that are more fiscally constrained.

So many implications to this but it feels inevitable.

Silver Bullets Podcast: Bowl season, the transfer portal, and Kyle McCord
Michael Citro via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

It was an eventful week for the Ohio State Buckeyes and they didn’t even play a game.

Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio​

Ohio State’s first week off between the end of the regular season and... [checks notes] the Cotton Bowl... has been an eventful one. The Buckeyes may be preparing for a game against Missouri, but there’s no telling what that will look like.

Our show starts with a discussion of Ohio State’s bowl bid, the College Football Playoff, Florida State’s snub, and the other noteworthy games. We discuss where the other Big Ten teams ended up in terms of bowl season and how we think those matchups will go.

We then turned our attention to the transfer portal. The Buckeyes have had a dozen players declare for the portal so far. Most of them were unsurprising — players who had been backups, struggled with injuries, got passed on the depth chart by younger guys, or a combination of those things. However, there were a couple of big surprises, especially starting quarterback Kyle McCord.

We dive into McCord’s decision and how it may (or may not) work out for him, and discuss the other prominent quarterbacks who entered the portal. The other key name was Julian Fleming, and we touch on what he may be thinking in terms of improving his draft stock.

We also discussed Miyan Williams’ decision to enter the NFL Draft. Chop has struggled with injuries, but could be an intriguing player on Sundays if he can stay healthy. But is it better for him to get drafted or find a good situation as an undrafted free agent?

Finally, we are happy to talk about Tommy Eichenberg accepting his invitation to the Senior Bowl. These all-star games are a great way for players to make connections and show scouts how they stack up against other great players. It is also fun to have a rooting interest in the game, so we’re glad Tommy made the decision to accept his invitation.

We’ll be here with you every week from now until the end of the 2023 Ohio State football season (and then monthly). We’d love to hear from you, so please reach out with your feedback and questions below in the comments section or send us an email.

Be sure to subscribe, rate, review, share, and follow the show over on Twitter at @SilvrBulletsPod.

As always, thanks for listening!

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Uncut Podcast: Chris Holtmann, Ben Johnson discuss Ohio State’s 84-74 win over Minnesota
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

Both head coaches spoke to the media after the game, as well as select players.

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

Listen to the episode and subscribe: ​

Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio​

Head coaches Chris Holtmann and Ben Johnson, as well as Jamison Battle and Bruce Thornton, spoke with the media following Ohio State’s 84-74 win over the Minnesota Golden Gophers at the Schott Sunday night.

Johnson said that the Buckeyes have “taken a step up” defensively since Minnesota last faced them — which was, of course, when they beat the Buckeyes in January in Columbus. Johnson said that Ohio State’s backcourt specifically is “very long and physical” and that the games they lost last year have undoubtedly played dividends this year and both Gayle and Thornton’s development.

Thornton talked about the final stretch where Ohio State put the game away with three three-pointers from three different players on three consecutive possessions, saying that he does not want other teams to be able to “key in on” any particular guy late in games. Battle talked about Dawson Garcia (who had 36 points), saying that they were roommates last year at Minnesota, but that on the court “it’s war.”

Holtmann praised Minnesota’s rebounding and Garcia’s ability to stay mobile, but also said that he loved his team’s start to the game, when it jumped ahead by 15 early. He said his team needs to close the first half better, but was proud of their poise in the closing minutes.

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Connect with Connor:
Twitter: @lemons_connor

Theme music provided by www.bensound.com​

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Celeste Taylor named Big Ten Player of the Week after Tennessee performance
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

An impressive performance against the Vols gives Taylor her first conference hardware of the season

The Ohio State women’s basketball team looked impressive on Sunday in a total performance against the Tennessee Volunteers. In the 78-58 victory, head coach Kevin McGuff’s side led the game from the jump to the final buzzer, securing the Buckeyes’ first win against the Vols on Rocky Top after four previous defeats. From that victory, a member of the scarlet and gray secured solo recognition, when the Big Ten named guard Celeste Taylor the player of the week.

Taylor had her best performance in a short seven-game career in scarlet and gray. The graduate senior transfer from Duke University was everywhere Ohio State needed her to be against the Volunteers.

Offensively, Taylor scored a season high 15 points as a member of the Buckeyes. In addition, Taylor added six offensive rebounds, matching the entire roster of Tennessee players put together. Taylor also added three assists.

Defensively, Taylor played the game Ohio State fans are now coming to expect from the Long Island native. Taylor added two steals and a block. A look closer at the performance itself and Taylor didn’t relent.

In the first quarter, with Ohio State already up 20-9 with under four minutes remaining, the Volunteers had three players in the paint, waiting to grab a defensive rebound. With most of the Buckeyes already getting back on defense, Taylor noticed the rebound wasn’t falling cleanly to the Vols. Taylor jumped up from behind and grabbed the ball away from Tennessee for one of her six offensive rebounds on the night.

On the Buckeyes next defensive possession, 6-foot-3 forward Karoline Striplin had the ball in the paint and went up for a layup. The 5-foot-11 Taylor didn’t let Striplin get the ball in the net, swatting the ball away for her lone block of the game.

Taylor also excelled in the half court. Tennessee guard Jasmine Powell, who started against the Buckeyes Sunday, entered the game averaging 12.7 points per contest. With Taylor involved in guarding on defense, Powell ended the game scoring just two points.

Overall, the win against Tennessee put Taylor within one rebound of her four-year career high, spanning stops with the Texas Longhorns and Duke Blue Devils.

While it was a weekly award, Taylor’s defense has impressed all season. While still adjusting to a new system, Taylor averages 2.0 steals per game and is third on the roster in defensive rating.

This award is the first for Taylor, and the first Buckeye to win the honor since Taylor’s predecessor at shooting guard, now professional Taylor Mikesell, won on Jan. 9, 2023. In two seasons with the Blue Devils, Taylor didn’t earn the honor of ACC Player of the Week but did win Defensive Player of the Year and was one of three finalists for Naismith Defensive Player of the Year.

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Ohio State women’s basketball a different team from first game of the season
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

After starting the campaign with a tough defeat, the Buckeyes’ focus on key parts of its game yields results

Last season, the Ohio State women’s basketball team made a reputation for its ability to come back from deficits. Big deficits. The Buckeyes scaled 14, 17, and even 24-point mountains. Mountains might not be fair though; it was more like climbing out of self-dug holes. At the start of the 23-24 season, Ohio State almost did it again.

Down 18 points to the USC Trojans at halftime, the scarlet and gray ended the third quarter with a two-point lead. Except the script was a little different than the 22-23 season. The Buckeyes lost in a fourth quarter where USC looked like the dominant side behind 32 points and six rebounds from Juju Watkins, who might not be competing for only Freshman of the Year but maybe even Player of the Year.

Coming back from deficits is great for the onlooker but teams and coaches would rather have Sunday’s Buckeyes game against the Tennessee Volunteers.

The game was entertaining, highlighting talented teams with stars on each side, but competitively it was one-sided. The Buckeyes led from the jump, never relinquishing its lead; a juxtaposition to game one.

“I don’t think we put our best foot forward in that first game,” said head coach Kevin McGuff. “I told the team after the game that this is the best week of practice that we had. And that’s why we improved and that’s why we played well.”

What did Ohio State practice that showed on the court? Rebounding.

Tennessee entered the game with four players averaging at least five rebounds a game, not including injured forward Rickea Jackson who averages 12 per game. Not a huge total but compared to the Buckeyes whose lone player above or close to that amount was guard/forward Taylor Thierry averaging 7.7 per game.

The Vols are a team with tall, athletic, forwards who can make things difficult inside the paint, limiting offensive rebounds. Ohio State had 17 against Tennessee. That’s the highest offensive rebound total in a game for the Buckeyes in almost four years, grabbing 17 against the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Feb. 2, 2020.

Leading the way for the Scarlet and Gray weren’t the usual suspects of Thierry or forward Cotie McMahon. Nope, it was the starting guard duo of Celeste Taylor and Jacy Sheldon.

After making passes, the guards found solid positioning in the paint, boxing out taller Tennessee players, to better positions to jump and grab loose balls on the offensive boards. Of Taylor’s 12 rebounds on the night, half came offensively. It was by design.

“I knew rebounding would be a huge key to this game, but we did emphasize offensive rebounding all week because what happens is they’re so big around the basket. When you drive it, their post players do a good job. They come over, test shots, trying to take it away, which allows the person that they’re guarding to come in offensive,” said McGuff. “So I thought our guards did a good job attacking and making the post help.”

For Taylor and Sheldon, it wasn’t only rebounding. A look at the stat lines for the two guards tells the story of being everywhere on the court, and finding a way to make an impact:


It was part of an overall fantastic gift for coach McGuff on his birthday, with Taylor even regifting following the game, in the locker room.

Got @CoachMcGuff a 20-point ranked road win for his birthday pic.twitter.com/RkqApHDYbf

— Ohio State WBB (@OhioStateWBB) December 4, 2023​

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The fun off the court matches how the Buckeyes played on it, in Knoxville. Now, the competition gets more difficult for the rest of December. On Dec. 18, the No. 2 team in the nation, the UCLA Bruins, descended on the Schottenstein Center. However, Sunday showed a team that’s growing in the early part of the season.

“We looked really connected out there today,” said McGuff. “I think both ends of the court did a really good job playing together.”

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