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LGHL Ohio State men’s basketball vs. Purdue: Game preview and prediction
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Ohio State men’s basketball vs. Purdue: Game preview and prediction
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Joseph Scheller/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Is it possible for the dream to become a reality?
As everyone predicted on Tuesday, the Ohio State men’s basketball team is the talk of the college basketball world.
The No. 13 seed Buckeyes (16-18, 5-15) have won three games in three days, and now David is going to get a shot at Goliath as the No. 1 seed Purdue Boilermakers (27-5, 15-5) await in the 2023 Big Ten Tournament semifinals.
The Buckeyes started the week off by defeating the No. 12 seed Wisconsin Badgers 65-58 after leading by 27 points at one point in the game. They then defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes 73-69, and defeated the No. 4 seed Michigan State 68-58 in the quarterfinals last time out.
Now, the Buckeyes will take on the Purdue Boilermakers, a team they lost to twice in the regular season, and the first game turned out to be an important one to the Buckeyes.
The first game against Purdue was a loss that sent the Buckeyes into a complete tailspin. Entering that game, Ohio State was 10-3 overall, 2-0 in conference play and coming off a double-digit win over Northwestern — a team that ended up finishing second in the conference.
The Buckeyes looked poised to beat Purdue, leading them by five with just 50 seconds left, but an untimely turnover and a Fletcher Loyer three-pointer late in the game gave Purdue the win. The Buckeyes lost Zed Key to injury in that game, and would lose their next four games and 13 of their next 14 overall, turning a seemingly promising season into a complete disaster.
Can the Buckeyes get their payback on Saturday and continue this dream run as the lowest seed to ever advance this far in the Big Ten Tournament?
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Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK
When it comes to Purdue, everything starts with Zach Edey. The National Player of the Year candidate is the engine that makes Purdue go, and is almost impossible to stop when he gets the ball in the paint. Edey averages almost 22 points and 12 rebounds per game.
Purdue is the top seed in the conference tournament, so they had a double-bye and played their first game on Friday, defeating No. 9 Rutgers 70-65. Edey finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Mason Gillis finished with 20 points and nine rebounds.
Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer have been a great dynamic duo in the backcourt this season for Matt Painter and company, but they struggled in their first Big Ten Tournament game. Smith finished with eight points and Loyer finished with four points — all from the free-throw line. They combined to go 0-for-6 from behind the three-point line.
For the Buckeyes, a big question will be the health of star freshman Brice Sensabaugh. Sensabaugh, who is leading the team in scoring at 16.3 points per game, did not play against Michigan State after hurting his knee late in the game against Iowa. He was evaluated again overnight, and will likely be a game time decision.
In his absence, the other freshmen all stepped up. Roddy Gayle Jr. finished with a career-high 13 points, while Felix Okpara finished with eight points, eight rebounds and five blocks. Bruce Thornton continued his incredible play with 21 points, six assists and four rebounds. Justice Sueing added 14 points and knocked down four three-pointers.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24495924/usa_today_20194073.jpg "Syndication: Detroit Free Press")
Kirthmon F. Dozier / USA TODAY NETWORK
At this point, we have to ride with the Buckeyes for the weekend. I am picking them to beat Purdue. The question is, how do they do it?
Honestly, the answer of how to do it is pretty simple, it is just the small matter of executing it. You have to make someone not named Zach Edey beat you. Edey is an incredible talent. He is 7-foot-4, can make any post move, has solid footwork and shoots almost 80 percent from the charity stripe, so you can’t just foul him and put him on the free throw line.
Smith and Loyer are incredibly talented, but they are freshmen guards who have not played in this atmosphere before. They both struggled against Rutgers and the pressure that the Scarlet Knights were able to put on them. Edey will get his points and rebounds, but if Okpara can stay out of foul trouble and at least make him work for it and the guards can put the pressure on their guards on the perimeter, the Buckeyes can keep themselves in it.
And most importantly, they need to keep playing with this confidence and like they have nothing to lose, because they still don’t.
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
TV: CBS
Continue reading...
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Joseph Scheller/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Is it possible for the dream to become a reality?
As everyone predicted on Tuesday, the Ohio State men’s basketball team is the talk of the college basketball world.
The No. 13 seed Buckeyes (16-18, 5-15) have won three games in three days, and now David is going to get a shot at Goliath as the No. 1 seed Purdue Boilermakers (27-5, 15-5) await in the 2023 Big Ten Tournament semifinals.
The Buckeyes started the week off by defeating the No. 12 seed Wisconsin Badgers 65-58 after leading by 27 points at one point in the game. They then defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes 73-69, and defeated the No. 4 seed Michigan State 68-58 in the quarterfinals last time out.
Now, the Buckeyes will take on the Purdue Boilermakers, a team they lost to twice in the regular season, and the first game turned out to be an important one to the Buckeyes.
The first game against Purdue was a loss that sent the Buckeyes into a complete tailspin. Entering that game, Ohio State was 10-3 overall, 2-0 in conference play and coming off a double-digit win over Northwestern — a team that ended up finishing second in the conference.
The Buckeyes looked poised to beat Purdue, leading them by five with just 50 seconds left, but an untimely turnover and a Fletcher Loyer three-pointer late in the game gave Purdue the win. The Buckeyes lost Zed Key to injury in that game, and would lose their next four games and 13 of their next 14 overall, turning a seemingly promising season into a complete disaster.
Can the Buckeyes get their payback on Saturday and continue this dream run as the lowest seed to ever advance this far in the Big Ten Tournament?
Preview
When it comes to Purdue, everything starts with Zach Edey. The National Player of the Year candidate is the engine that makes Purdue go, and is almost impossible to stop when he gets the ball in the paint. Edey averages almost 22 points and 12 rebounds per game.
Purdue is the top seed in the conference tournament, so they had a double-bye and played their first game on Friday, defeating No. 9 Rutgers 70-65. Edey finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Mason Gillis finished with 20 points and nine rebounds.
Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer have been a great dynamic duo in the backcourt this season for Matt Painter and company, but they struggled in their first Big Ten Tournament game. Smith finished with eight points and Loyer finished with four points — all from the free-throw line. They combined to go 0-for-6 from behind the three-point line.
For the Buckeyes, a big question will be the health of star freshman Brice Sensabaugh. Sensabaugh, who is leading the team in scoring at 16.3 points per game, did not play against Michigan State after hurting his knee late in the game against Iowa. He was evaluated again overnight, and will likely be a game time decision.
In his absence, the other freshmen all stepped up. Roddy Gayle Jr. finished with a career-high 13 points, while Felix Okpara finished with eight points, eight rebounds and five blocks. Bruce Thornton continued his incredible play with 21 points, six assists and four rebounds. Justice Sueing added 14 points and knocked down four three-pointers.
Prediction
At this point, we have to ride with the Buckeyes for the weekend. I am picking them to beat Purdue. The question is, how do they do it?
Honestly, the answer of how to do it is pretty simple, it is just the small matter of executing it. You have to make someone not named Zach Edey beat you. Edey is an incredible talent. He is 7-foot-4, can make any post move, has solid footwork and shoots almost 80 percent from the charity stripe, so you can’t just foul him and put him on the free throw line.
Smith and Loyer are incredibly talented, but they are freshmen guards who have not played in this atmosphere before. They both struggled against Rutgers and the pressure that the Scarlet Knights were able to put on them. Edey will get his points and rebounds, but if Okpara can stay out of foul trouble and at least make him work for it and the guards can put the pressure on their guards on the perimeter, the Buckeyes can keep themselves in it.
And most importantly, they need to keep playing with this confidence and like they have nothing to lose, because they still don’t.
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
TV: CBS
LGHL score prediction: Ohio State 72, Purdue 66
Continue reading...
LGHL Ohio State’s women’s hockey team hosts Quinnipiac with a spot in the Frozen Four on the line
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Ohio State’s women’s hockey team hosts Quinnipiac with a spot in the Frozen Four on the line
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Alie Skowronski/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Last year’s quarterfinal between the teams apparently wasn’t thrilling enough, so they decided to square off again this year.
Ohio State’s women’s hockey team will see a familiar foe today in the NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals at OSU Ice Rink. Much like last year, the Buckeyes will host Quinnipiac, who are coming off a 3-2 win in triple overtime over Penn State on Thursday in Columbus. History says this will be another tight battle, as five of the first six meetings between the teams have been decided by one goal.
There is a difference between last year and this year, though. Last season Ohio State came into the NCAA Tournament having won the WCHA Final Faceoff. This year the Buckeyes lost 3-1 to Minnesota on Saturday in Minneapolis. Ohio State fell behind the Golden Gophers 2-0 before Gabby Rosenthal’s 20th goal of the season with four minutes to go in the second period cut the deficit in half.
Unfortunately, the Buckeyes weren’t able to get any closer, as Minnesota scored just over a minute later to restore their two-goal advantage. The difference in the game was the power play. The Golden Gophers were able to put two power play goals on the board, while Ohio State failed to score on their two power play chances. The lack of production on the power play was surprising considering the Buckeyes have the best power play in the country, converting on 32.3 percent of their opportunities with the skater advantage.
Even though Ohio State lost to Minnesota on Saturday, it didn’t keep the Buckeyes from being the top seed in the NCAA Tournament for the second-straight season. This marks the fourth-straight season Ohio State has made the NCAA Tournament, posting a 5-2 record all-time in those appearances.
If the Buckeyes are able to defeat Quinnipiac today, they would advance to the Frozen Four for the fourth time in school history.
Saturday’s game will be the seventh time Ohio State and Quinnipiac have met on the ice, with the Buckeyes winning all six previous meetings with the Bobcats. Last year’s double overtime thriller continued the trend of close games between the teams, as five of the six matchups have been decided by just a goal.
Last year, Quinnipiac struck first in the quarterfinal. Riley Brengman’s power play goal in the final minute of the first period tied the game, and Clair DeGeorge’s power play goal four minutes into the second period gave Ohio State their first lead of the game. The Bobcats would tie the score back up before Sophie Jaques scored early in the third period.
Quinnipiac wouldn’t go down without a fight, scoring again to tie the game and force overtime. DeGeorge won it for the Buckeyes, scoring her second goal of the game two minutes into the second overtime to earn their spot in the Frozen Four. The most incredible stat of the game was the shot difference, as Ohio State outshot Quinnipiac 77-22.
The Bobcats earned a rematch with Ohio State with a 3-2 triple overtime win over Penn State on Thursday night. Shay Maloney opened up the scoring five minutes into the game to give Quinnipiac an early lead. Penn State responded with two goals in the second period to give the Nittany Lions a 2-1 lead heading into the third period. Kate Reilly’s goal at the 13:16 mark of the third period tied up the score. Midway through the third period, Madison Chantler scored her 12th goal of the year to allow the Bobcats to advance.
Today’s game feels like another one where Quinnipiac will have to survive the waves of pressure from Ohio State. The Buckeyes have 161 goals on the season, while the Bobcats have 128 goals. Even though Amanda Thiele is a tremendous goaltender, statistically Quinnipiac has better numbers from their goaltenders. Logan Angers and Catie Boudiette are 30-9-0 this year with 12 shutouts. By comparison, Ohio State goalies have logged eight shutouts this season.
The Quinnipiac goalies will definitely be tested by the Buckeyes, who have four players with at least 20 goals this season. Leading the charge for Ohio State is Sophie Jaques, who has scored 22 goals this season. Jaques was named a finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award for the second season in a row, with Alina Mueller of Northeastern and Danielle Serdachny of Colgate joining Jaques as finalists. The senior was named WCHA Defender of the Year and Player of the Year.
Joining Jaques as 20-goal scorers this year for Ohio State is Jennifer Gardiner and Paetyn Levis, who each notched 21 goals this year. Gabby Rosenthal rounds out the quartet of 20-goal scorers for the Buckeyes this year after she scored on Saturday in the loss to Minnesota. Gardiner leads Ohio State with 54 total points. Setting up more than a few of the goals for the Buckeyes this year was Emma Maltais, who was credited with a team-high 35 assists.
Quinnipiac doesn’t have the prolific scorers that Ohio State doesn’t, but that doesn’t mean the Bobcats can’t put the biscuit in the goal. Maya Labad led the team with 16 goals this year, while Olivia Mobley and Shay Maloney each scored 15 goals so far this season. Three other Bobcats scored at least 10 goals this year. The mix of timely scoring and strong goaltending have allowed Quinnipiac to make it to the NCAA Tournament for a second straight season.
Date: Saturday, March 11, 2023
Time: 5 p.m. ET
TV: BTN+
Continue reading...
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Alie Skowronski/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Last year’s quarterfinal between the teams apparently wasn’t thrilling enough, so they decided to square off again this year.
Ohio State’s women’s hockey team will see a familiar foe today in the NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals at OSU Ice Rink. Much like last year, the Buckeyes will host Quinnipiac, who are coming off a 3-2 win in triple overtime over Penn State on Thursday in Columbus. History says this will be another tight battle, as five of the first six meetings between the teams have been decided by one goal.
There is a difference between last year and this year, though. Last season Ohio State came into the NCAA Tournament having won the WCHA Final Faceoff. This year the Buckeyes lost 3-1 to Minnesota on Saturday in Minneapolis. Ohio State fell behind the Golden Gophers 2-0 before Gabby Rosenthal’s 20th goal of the season with four minutes to go in the second period cut the deficit in half.
Unfortunately, the Buckeyes weren’t able to get any closer, as Minnesota scored just over a minute later to restore their two-goal advantage. The difference in the game was the power play. The Golden Gophers were able to put two power play goals on the board, while Ohio State failed to score on their two power play chances. The lack of production on the power play was surprising considering the Buckeyes have the best power play in the country, converting on 32.3 percent of their opportunities with the skater advantage.
Even though Ohio State lost to Minnesota on Saturday, it didn’t keep the Buckeyes from being the top seed in the NCAA Tournament for the second-straight season. This marks the fourth-straight season Ohio State has made the NCAA Tournament, posting a 5-2 record all-time in those appearances.
If the Buckeyes are able to defeat Quinnipiac today, they would advance to the Frozen Four for the fourth time in school history.
Preview
Saturday’s game will be the seventh time Ohio State and Quinnipiac have met on the ice, with the Buckeyes winning all six previous meetings with the Bobcats. Last year’s double overtime thriller continued the trend of close games between the teams, as five of the six matchups have been decided by just a goal.
Last year, Quinnipiac struck first in the quarterfinal. Riley Brengman’s power play goal in the final minute of the first period tied the game, and Clair DeGeorge’s power play goal four minutes into the second period gave Ohio State their first lead of the game. The Bobcats would tie the score back up before Sophie Jaques scored early in the third period.
Quinnipiac wouldn’t go down without a fight, scoring again to tie the game and force overtime. DeGeorge won it for the Buckeyes, scoring her second goal of the game two minutes into the second overtime to earn their spot in the Frozen Four. The most incredible stat of the game was the shot difference, as Ohio State outshot Quinnipiac 77-22.
The Bobcats earned a rematch with Ohio State with a 3-2 triple overtime win over Penn State on Thursday night. Shay Maloney opened up the scoring five minutes into the game to give Quinnipiac an early lead. Penn State responded with two goals in the second period to give the Nittany Lions a 2-1 lead heading into the third period. Kate Reilly’s goal at the 13:16 mark of the third period tied up the score. Midway through the third period, Madison Chantler scored her 12th goal of the year to allow the Bobcats to advance.
Today’s game feels like another one where Quinnipiac will have to survive the waves of pressure from Ohio State. The Buckeyes have 161 goals on the season, while the Bobcats have 128 goals. Even though Amanda Thiele is a tremendous goaltender, statistically Quinnipiac has better numbers from their goaltenders. Logan Angers and Catie Boudiette are 30-9-0 this year with 12 shutouts. By comparison, Ohio State goalies have logged eight shutouts this season.
The Quinnipiac goalies will definitely be tested by the Buckeyes, who have four players with at least 20 goals this season. Leading the charge for Ohio State is Sophie Jaques, who has scored 22 goals this season. Jaques was named a finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award for the second season in a row, with Alina Mueller of Northeastern and Danielle Serdachny of Colgate joining Jaques as finalists. The senior was named WCHA Defender of the Year and Player of the Year.
Joining Jaques as 20-goal scorers this year for Ohio State is Jennifer Gardiner and Paetyn Levis, who each notched 21 goals this year. Gabby Rosenthal rounds out the quartet of 20-goal scorers for the Buckeyes this year after she scored on Saturday in the loss to Minnesota. Gardiner leads Ohio State with 54 total points. Setting up more than a few of the goals for the Buckeyes this year was Emma Maltais, who was credited with a team-high 35 assists.
Quinnipiac doesn’t have the prolific scorers that Ohio State doesn’t, but that doesn’t mean the Bobcats can’t put the biscuit in the goal. Maya Labad led the team with 16 goals this year, while Olivia Mobley and Shay Maloney each scored 15 goals so far this season. Three other Bobcats scored at least 10 goals this year. The mix of timely scoring and strong goaltending have allowed Quinnipiac to make it to the NCAA Tournament for a second straight season.
Date: Saturday, March 11, 2023
Time: 5 p.m. ET
TV: BTN+
Continue reading...
Ivy League
- By ScriptOhio
- Buckeye Basketball
- 6 Replies
Athletes sue Ivy League over its no-scholarship policy
A pair of basketball players from Brown allege in a federal lawsuit that the Ivy League's policy of not offering athletic scholarships amounts to a price-fixing agreement that denies athletes proper financial aid and payment for their services.
Athletes sue Ivy League over its no-scholarship policy
A pair of basketball players from Brown allege in a federal lawsuit that the Ivy League's policy of not offering athletic scholarships amounts to a price-fixing agreement that denies athletes proper financial aid and payment for their services.
The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Connecticut by attorneys representing Grace Kirk, a member of Brown's women's team, and Tamenang Choh, who played for the men's team from 2017 through 2022. They are seeking class-action status to represent all current and former athletes at the eight Ivy League schools dating back to those recruited since March 2019.
The suit argues Ivy League schools illegally conspired to limit financial aid and not compensate athletes for their services.
"In either case, regardless of whether considered as a restraint on the price of education, the value of financial aid, the price of athletic services, or the level of compensation to Ivy League athletes, the Ivy League Agreement is per se illegal," the lawsuit states.
Harvard, Yale, Brown, Princeton, Dartmouth, Cornell, Columbia and Penn don't offer merit scholarships of any kind, including athletic scholarships. The policy, which dates back to 1954, makes the Ivy League the only Division I athletic conference that prohibits member schools from offering athletic scholarships.
Ivy League executive director Robin Harris defended the policy in a statement responding to the legal action, noting there are a wide variety of options when it comes to opportunities available to college-level athletes.
"The Ivy League athletics model is built upon the foundational principle that student-athletes should be representative of the wider student body, including the opportunity to receive need-based financial aid," she said. "In turn, choosing and embracing that principle then provides each Ivy League student-athlete a journey that balances a world-class academic experience with the opportunity to compete in Division I athletics and ultimately paves a path for lifelong success."
But attorneys for the Brown athletes point out that other elite academic schools, such as Stanford and Duke, do offer athletic scholarships.
"These schools are not part of the Ivy League, but they demonstrate they can maintain stellar academic standards while competing for excellent athletes, and without agreed upon limits on price," the lawsuit said.
Just sayin': If they wanted an athletic scholarship then they should of went to a school that offers them.
LGHL Column: Despite strong season, Big Ten won’t be top women’s basketball conference until it plays like one in March
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Column: Despite strong season, Big Ten won’t be top women’s basketball conference until it plays like one in March
1ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports
The Buckeyes are in a group that needs to exceed past postseason play performances.
All season, the Big Ten women’s basketball conference has been breaking records. There are more fans attending games, teams are breaking previous attendance figures and practically all season there have been at least five teams consistently in the Associated Press Top-25, usually with three in the top-10.
At the 2023 Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament, the five-day annual event climbed in average viewership on the Big Ten Network for the second season in a row. A 25% increase in viewership to go on top of an overall 19% increase in regular season views throughout the 2022-23 season.
The tournament bump is no surprise. In the 13-game tournament, eight games ended with teams within five points of each other. It also featured 18 and 24-point comebacks by the Purdue Boilermakers and Ohio State women’s basketball team.
Even if it was a pretty ugly first half for the Buckeyes in the tournament final, the championship game brought in the highest attendance of any single session of tournament basketball with 9,505.
Everything is looking up in Big Ten women’s basketball land, but it won’t drive home the conference’s dominance until it can perform on the biggest stage of them all: March Madness.
Sunday night, at 8:00 p.m. ET, ESPN reveals the NCAA committee’s 68-team tournament field. In the most recent edition of the sports network’s bracketology, there are seven Big Ten teams tentatively in the tournament — not a rare feat with the conference reaching the same total in the 2021 edition of the tournament.
However, like that 2021 edition, the Big Ten hasn’t had great history making it late into March Madness. Take that 2021 season; Only one of those seven teams made it to the Elite Eight.
To find the last time a Big Ten team made the tournament, jump in a time machine and head back to 2015, when the Maryland Terrapins played their first season in the conference. The Terps broke a 10-year drought for Big Ten teams making it to the Final Four.
Now, in 2023, the athletes and teams within the Big Ten are at a place where they can, and should, challenge the ACCs and Big Easts of the world at the top of college basketball.
In this year’s edition, the likeliest candidates are the Indiana Hoosiers, Iowa Hawkeyes and Maryland Terrapins. Each team features stars like Indiana forward Mackenzie Holmes, Terps guard Diamond Miller and, you guessed it, Iowa guard Caitlin Clark.
This season, all three have shown up in big moments. However, of the three, there are two that stood out in non-conference play. The Terrapins and Hoosiers have won against the best conferences in the country. For example, take the ACC/B1G Challenge.
Indiana convincingly defeated the North Carolina Tar Heels in Bloomington to an 87-63 score line. That’s without leader and point guard Grace Berger in the lineup.
Maryland started the year with a Miller-less lopsided loss to the No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks, but once the senior guard returned, impressive non-conference wins popped up. A win against the Baylor Bears, defeating UConn and a two-point Miller-induced buzzer beating victory against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
That’s only non-conference. Within the Big Ten schedule, it’s been nothing short of a battle. Iowa and Indiana split games, with the final day coming down to a buzzer beater three-point shot by Clark. This year, the NCAA Tournament could be different because overall there’s been an evolution in Big Ten country.
“One of the things that’s really consistent about our league at the top is we’ve got teams that can really score the ball,” said head coach Kevin McGuff at the B1G Women’s Basketball Tournament. “Vastly different when I first got here, most teams kind of walk it up, grind it out and not the offenses have really evolved.”
Any of those three teams, and even the Buckeyes too when they’re playing at their best, could be the teams that show the country that this season isn’t an outlier — it’s the new normal. That’s if the wins come in March Madness.
To put it bluntly: If a Big Ten team doesn’t at least make it to the Final Four, the league is far below its potential.
This season, it’s likely that four, maybe five, conference teams will host the first two rounds of the tournament. That’s not a guaranteed trip to the Sweet Sixteen, which the Iowa Hawkeyes showed last year, losing to the Creighton Blue Jays at home in the second round. After all, tournament time is about upsets and exciting games, but in 22-23, 100% of those home teams need to make it into the Sweet Sixteen.
From there, there’s no reason that three or four Big Ten teams couldn’t make it to the Elite Eight. The last time the Big Ten had more than one team in the tournament that late was in 2004. Most players in the conference today were barely out of diapers in 2004.
The current batch of players are some of the best in the nation. Holmes is second in the country in shooting efficiency at 68.7% and is surrounded by lethal shooters in guards Sydney Parrish, Yarden Garzon and Sara Scalia. Not to mention Berger who slid into the point guard role this season and has run one of the top three teams in the country to their best season in program history.
For Iowa, lately it’s been more than just the Clark and center Monika Czinano show. Guard Gabbie Marshall shot 57% to end the season from three-point range heading into the Big Ten tournament game. In that title win, Marshall went 3-for-3 from beyond the arc.
Maryland lost forward Angel Reese and guard Ashley Owusu but have had a better season this year. That’s with Miller’s arrival as a top WNBA lottery pick and 21-22 Ivy League Player of the Year Abby Meyers doing it all on the Terrapins lineup alongside Miller.
Also, Ohio State is still a top-10 scoring team in the nation, sitting No. 8 with 80.8 points per game. The Buckeyes’ 24-point comeback against the Hoosiers wasn’t a fluke. With guard Jacy Sheldon’s return, and the danger posed to opponents on any given night by forward Cotie McMahon and guards Taylor Mikesell and Taylor Thierry, Ohio State isn’t outside of the conversation for a deep tournament run.
The last, and only, time a Big Ten team won a national championship in women’s basketball was in 1999. That’s when the Purdue Boilermakers beat the Duke Blue Devils. There’s of course stiff competition, South Carolina isn’t going to lose easily, but don’t be surprised if there’s a Big Ten team competing for it again this season.
Continue reading...
1ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports
The Buckeyes are in a group that needs to exceed past postseason play performances.
All season, the Big Ten women’s basketball conference has been breaking records. There are more fans attending games, teams are breaking previous attendance figures and practically all season there have been at least five teams consistently in the Associated Press Top-25, usually with three in the top-10.
At the 2023 Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament, the five-day annual event climbed in average viewership on the Big Ten Network for the second season in a row. A 25% increase in viewership to go on top of an overall 19% increase in regular season views throughout the 2022-23 season.
The tournament bump is no surprise. In the 13-game tournament, eight games ended with teams within five points of each other. It also featured 18 and 24-point comebacks by the Purdue Boilermakers and Ohio State women’s basketball team.
Even if it was a pretty ugly first half for the Buckeyes in the tournament final, the championship game brought in the highest attendance of any single session of tournament basketball with 9,505.
Everything is looking up in Big Ten women’s basketball land, but it won’t drive home the conference’s dominance until it can perform on the biggest stage of them all: March Madness.
Sunday night, at 8:00 p.m. ET, ESPN reveals the NCAA committee’s 68-team tournament field. In the most recent edition of the sports network’s bracketology, there are seven Big Ten teams tentatively in the tournament — not a rare feat with the conference reaching the same total in the 2021 edition of the tournament.
However, like that 2021 edition, the Big Ten hasn’t had great history making it late into March Madness. Take that 2021 season; Only one of those seven teams made it to the Elite Eight.
To find the last time a Big Ten team made the tournament, jump in a time machine and head back to 2015, when the Maryland Terrapins played their first season in the conference. The Terps broke a 10-year drought for Big Ten teams making it to the Final Four.
Now, in 2023, the athletes and teams within the Big Ten are at a place where they can, and should, challenge the ACCs and Big Easts of the world at the top of college basketball.
In this year’s edition, the likeliest candidates are the Indiana Hoosiers, Iowa Hawkeyes and Maryland Terrapins. Each team features stars like Indiana forward Mackenzie Holmes, Terps guard Diamond Miller and, you guessed it, Iowa guard Caitlin Clark.
This season, all three have shown up in big moments. However, of the three, there are two that stood out in non-conference play. The Terrapins and Hoosiers have won against the best conferences in the country. For example, take the ACC/B1G Challenge.
Indiana convincingly defeated the North Carolina Tar Heels in Bloomington to an 87-63 score line. That’s without leader and point guard Grace Berger in the lineup.
Maryland started the year with a Miller-less lopsided loss to the No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks, but once the senior guard returned, impressive non-conference wins popped up. A win against the Baylor Bears, defeating UConn and a two-point Miller-induced buzzer beating victory against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
That’s only non-conference. Within the Big Ten schedule, it’s been nothing short of a battle. Iowa and Indiana split games, with the final day coming down to a buzzer beater three-point shot by Clark. This year, the NCAA Tournament could be different because overall there’s been an evolution in Big Ten country.
“One of the things that’s really consistent about our league at the top is we’ve got teams that can really score the ball,” said head coach Kevin McGuff at the B1G Women’s Basketball Tournament. “Vastly different when I first got here, most teams kind of walk it up, grind it out and not the offenses have really evolved.”
Any of those three teams, and even the Buckeyes too when they’re playing at their best, could be the teams that show the country that this season isn’t an outlier — it’s the new normal. That’s if the wins come in March Madness.
To put it bluntly: If a Big Ten team doesn’t at least make it to the Final Four, the league is far below its potential.
This season, it’s likely that four, maybe five, conference teams will host the first two rounds of the tournament. That’s not a guaranteed trip to the Sweet Sixteen, which the Iowa Hawkeyes showed last year, losing to the Creighton Blue Jays at home in the second round. After all, tournament time is about upsets and exciting games, but in 22-23, 100% of those home teams need to make it into the Sweet Sixteen.
From there, there’s no reason that three or four Big Ten teams couldn’t make it to the Elite Eight. The last time the Big Ten had more than one team in the tournament that late was in 2004. Most players in the conference today were barely out of diapers in 2004.
The current batch of players are some of the best in the nation. Holmes is second in the country in shooting efficiency at 68.7% and is surrounded by lethal shooters in guards Sydney Parrish, Yarden Garzon and Sara Scalia. Not to mention Berger who slid into the point guard role this season and has run one of the top three teams in the country to their best season in program history.
For Iowa, lately it’s been more than just the Clark and center Monika Czinano show. Guard Gabbie Marshall shot 57% to end the season from three-point range heading into the Big Ten tournament game. In that title win, Marshall went 3-for-3 from beyond the arc.
Maryland lost forward Angel Reese and guard Ashley Owusu but have had a better season this year. That’s with Miller’s arrival as a top WNBA lottery pick and 21-22 Ivy League Player of the Year Abby Meyers doing it all on the Terrapins lineup alongside Miller.
Also, Ohio State is still a top-10 scoring team in the nation, sitting No. 8 with 80.8 points per game. The Buckeyes’ 24-point comeback against the Hoosiers wasn’t a fluke. With guard Jacy Sheldon’s return, and the danger posed to opponents on any given night by forward Cotie McMahon and guards Taylor Mikesell and Taylor Thierry, Ohio State isn’t outside of the conversation for a deep tournament run.
The last, and only, time a Big Ten team won a national championship in women’s basketball was in 1999. That’s when the Purdue Boilermakers beat the Duke Blue Devils. There’s of course stiff competition, South Carolina isn’t going to lose easily, but don’t be surprised if there’s a Big Ten team competing for it again this season.
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LGHL Softball: Emily Ruck throws first Buckeye perfect game in 16 years
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Softball: Emily Ruck throws first Buckeye perfect game in 16 years
meganhusslein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
@_emily_ruck_ Instagram
Sophomore shortstop Kami Kortokrax hit her first collegiate home run, too!
After a tough loss to start their spring break, the Buckeyes bounced back in a HUGE way during their second game on Friday. An 8-0 run rule, a first collegiate home run AND, oh, by the way, a perfect game, all came during Ohio State’s win versus Canisius.
I won’t spend too much time harboring on the Buckeyes’ loss against Coastal Carolina, because clearly, that is not the star of the show here, but I will give a quick recap. The Buckeyes battled back in the fifth and sixth innings from being down 2-0 to being on top a 4-2 lead.
In the bottom of the sixth, Coastal Carolina hit a two-run double to tie things up, then walked it off with a home run in the bottom of the seventh with two outs. Depressing start for the Bucks, but they showed grit by coming back late in the game and not giving up.
Luckily, they immediately got a chance to redeem themselves against Canisius. Ohio State was strong from the get-go as senior Mariah Rodriguez hit an RBI triple in the first inning to give the Buckeyes the early lead. Rodriguez has been the best hitter on the team thus far, as she currently has a .474 average in 11 games played, primarily as the designated hitter but also seeing some time at second base. She also has a five-game hit streak, so keep your eye on her!
The offense came from everyone in the lineup, as four players finished with two hits against the Golden Griffins while six different players drove in runs. Sophomore shortstop Kami Kortokrax started a four-run fifth inning with her first collegiate home run! This is very exciting as she has been one of the team’s most consistent and reliable hitters last season and this season. She currently has a .349 average, good for third on the team.
Now, let’s talk about the headline of this article.
Junior right-hander Emily Ruck threw her first collegiate perfect game! It’s actually her second collegiate no-hitter, as she threw her first on March 13, 2022 vs. UMass. 12 of the 15 defensive outs recorded came via strikeout. It was one more than Ruck’s previous high of 11, which came in her no-hitter last season vs. UMass.
Think about that— 15 batters faced in a five-inning run-rule and all of them except three struck out. That’s EXTREMELY impressive! Ruck lowered her ERA to 3.32 in 25.1 innings pitched and earned her second win of the season.
The last Ohio State pitcher to throw a perfect game was Jamee Juarez against IUPUI in 2007 and was also a five-inning run-rule win.
Overall, just a fantastic performance from the Buckeyes on Friday. They did not let the first-game loss get them down. They put it entirely behind them and proceeded to have one of their best games of the season. Ruck has been dominant as of late and this should just propel her to keep on going strong. The offense looked amazing all-around and clearly, it was just a super fun and memorable game to be in.
The Buckeyes are just getting started on spring break, as they still have 11 more games in the next eight days to play. I implore you to tune in and watch, as some of their games are on ESPN+, or just follow along on their Twitter @OhioStateSB. It’s going to be a fun one down in the Carolinas!
Congratulations to Emily. Looking forward to watching her continue to dominate the rest of the season!
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meganhusslein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
@_emily_ruck_ Instagram
Sophomore shortstop Kami Kortokrax hit her first collegiate home run, too!
After a tough loss to start their spring break, the Buckeyes bounced back in a HUGE way during their second game on Friday. An 8-0 run rule, a first collegiate home run AND, oh, by the way, a perfect game, all came during Ohio State’s win versus Canisius.
I won’t spend too much time harboring on the Buckeyes’ loss against Coastal Carolina, because clearly, that is not the star of the show here, but I will give a quick recap. The Buckeyes battled back in the fifth and sixth innings from being down 2-0 to being on top a 4-2 lead.
In the bottom of the sixth, Coastal Carolina hit a two-run double to tie things up, then walked it off with a home run in the bottom of the seventh with two outs. Depressing start for the Bucks, but they showed grit by coming back late in the game and not giving up.
Luckily, they immediately got a chance to redeem themselves against Canisius. Ohio State was strong from the get-go as senior Mariah Rodriguez hit an RBI triple in the first inning to give the Buckeyes the early lead. Rodriguez has been the best hitter on the team thus far, as she currently has a .474 average in 11 games played, primarily as the designated hitter but also seeing some time at second base. She also has a five-game hit streak, so keep your eye on her!
The offense came from everyone in the lineup, as four players finished with two hits against the Golden Griffins while six different players drove in runs. Sophomore shortstop Kami Kortokrax started a four-run fifth inning with her first collegiate home run! This is very exciting as she has been one of the team’s most consistent and reliable hitters last season and this season. She currently has a .349 average, good for third on the team.
Now, let’s talk about the headline of this article.
Junior right-hander Emily Ruck threw her first collegiate perfect game! It’s actually her second collegiate no-hitter, as she threw her first on March 13, 2022 vs. UMass. 12 of the 15 defensive outs recorded came via strikeout. It was one more than Ruck’s previous high of 11, which came in her no-hitter last season vs. UMass.
Think about that— 15 batters faced in a five-inning run-rule and all of them except three struck out. That’s EXTREMELY impressive! Ruck lowered her ERA to 3.32 in 25.1 innings pitched and earned her second win of the season.
The last Ohio State pitcher to throw a perfect game was Jamee Juarez against IUPUI in 2007 and was also a five-inning run-rule win.
Overall, just a fantastic performance from the Buckeyes on Friday. They did not let the first-game loss get them down. They put it entirely behind them and proceeded to have one of their best games of the season. Ruck has been dominant as of late and this should just propel her to keep on going strong. The offense looked amazing all-around and clearly, it was just a super fun and memorable game to be in.
The Buckeyes are just getting started on spring break, as they still have 11 more games in the next eight days to play. I implore you to tune in and watch, as some of their games are on ESPN+, or just follow along on their Twitter @OhioStateSB. It’s going to be a fun one down in the Carolinas!
Congratulations to Emily. Looking forward to watching her continue to dominate the rest of the season!
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LGHL Despite 80-66 Big Ten Tournament loss to Purdue, Ohio State’s season shouldn’t be over
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Despite 80-66 Big Ten Tournament loss to Purdue, Ohio State’s season shouldn’t be over
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
The Buckeyes showed incredible heart the last few weeks, essentially guaranteeing that Chris Holtmann will return.
The Ohio State men’s basketball team’s magical Big Ten Tournament run has come to an end falling to the top-seeded Purdue Boilermakers in Saturday’s first semifinal 80-66.
Despite one of the hottest starts from deep in recent memory for the Buckeyes, the presumed national player of the year Zach Edey was effectively unstoppable as he put Purdue on his back and dominated the paint to end Ohio State’s Cinderella run. The 7-foot-4 behemoth finished the game with 32 points on 12-of-25 shooting and had 14 rebounds.
Even though they trailed by as many as 15 points in the middle of the second half, OSU refused to give up, exemplifying the character that they have shown down the stretch of the season. Chris Holtmann’s crew cut the lead back down to two possessions with just over five minutes remaining, but they could never get closer than that.
The fight that this team showed in its semifinal matchup — not the mention the last two weeks when lesser squads would have folded up the tents and looked to the transfer portal — speaks to their collective character, commitment, and competitive spirit. The season is ultimately going to be a disappointment, but this collection of Buckeyes has proven that they are much more than their painful losing streak.
OSU freshman Roddy Gayle put on a show early in the contest showing an incredibly hot hand from beyond the arc. He finished with a career-high 20 points thanks to connecting on five of his first six three-point attempts. He finished the day 7-for-9 from the floor and 5-of-6 from distance.
Ohio State senior Justice Sueing contributed 15 points in what could be the final game of his collegiate career. Bruce Thornton, who was held scoreless in the first half, figured some things out after intermission and finished with nine points.
It was announced a few hours before the game that after missing the win over Michigan State with knee soreness, all-everything freshman Brice Sensabaugh would not only miss the semifinal game against Purdue, but would be shut down for the season if the team continued on from there. He joins starting center Zed Key on the bench, following the latter’s shoulder surgery earlier this week.
Obviously missing two of your three leading scorers on the season is never ideal, especially when the team is playing its fourth game in as many days, but that is the lot that the Buckeyes brought into the semifinals, and it didn’t seem to bother early on.
At the first-half under-12 timeout, the Buckeyes had rode the hot hand of Roddy Gayle to take its first lead of the game 21-19. The freshman had hit his first three attempts from distance to lead all scorers and to essentially counteract the fact that B1G Player of the Year Zach Edey was having his way with Felix Okpara and Eugene Brown III down low.
The OSU defense started to pick it up around the middle of the first half forcing Purdue into multiple empty possessions in a row, exacerbated by the fact that Edey remained on the bench following the timeout.
This allowed Holtmann’s squad to extend its lead to seven points — 26 to 19 — thanks to a thunderous dunk by Brown and a fourth bucket from distance for Gayle.
From there, the game went from being a boxing match in which the two teams traded punches to being one in which the Buckeyes were absorbing all of the body blows. OSU turned it over five times in 4:27 of action and the top-seeded Boilermakers cut the Buckeye lead to 31-29 when Brown was called for a hook-and-hold flagrant foul.
He got tangled up with Edey and during the under-four media timeout, the officials reviewed the play and awarded two free throws and the ball to Purdue. Edey connected on both attempts and the 7-foot-4 monster connected on a hook to round out a six-point possession and a 12-2 run to give the Boilers a 33-31 lead.
But it was short-lived as on the very next possession, Gayle connected on his fourth three-pointer to give him a career-high 16 points with more than three minutes left in the first half. Despite the triple, the OSU offensive struggles continued in the final few minutes of the opening period. Ohio State went into the locker room trailing 42-34 following a 21-5 run by the Boilers to close out the first 20 minutes.
Edey led all scorers with 17, and Gayle was the top scorer for OSU with 16. No one else on either team had more than six points, but the Buckeyes did have four other players show up in the scoring column.
Purdue’s center is such a mass of humanity that he could more or less do whatever he wanted when in the lane. Despite that fact, his head coach Matt Painter was lobbying the refs throughout that he was being fouled on nearly every possession, but his size was masking the impact of the contact. Of course, that goes the other way as Edey was not called for his first foul until 5:43 left in regulation.
On the other bench, Holtmann was heard yelling for three-second violations throughout the game as the literal giant had effectively set up camp in the painted area.
Purdue’s dominance only extended coming out of the break. Edey had a pair of buckets, highlighted by an uncontested dunk to put the top-seeded Boilers up 55-40 with 13 minutes remaining in regulation.
Bruce Thornton, who had been the catalyst of much of Ohio State’s offense thus far in the tournament, finally got in the scoring column with 11:52 left as he hit a corner three to cut Purdue’s lead to 55-43. Because of the massive — physical and figurative — presence of Edey in the middle, Thornton’s typical game plan of making his money in the lane was essentially closed for business, effectively eliminating one of the Buckeyes’ most potent playmakers.
Despite the Boilers building a 15-point lead with 12:54 remaining in regulation, the Buckeyes refused to go gently into that good night. With Edey getting a blow on the bench, Sueing went on a five-point run of his own to cut Purdue’s advantage to 57-48 at the under-8 media timeout.
With just under six minutes remaining, Thornton was fouled on a three-point attempt with OSU down 61-50. The freshman connected on his first two attempts and after his third went wanting, Gayle collected the rebound and Thornton got it back to hit a floater to complete a four-point possession. Following a foul by Edey on an offensive rebound attempt, Felix Okpara hit a pair of free throws to make the game interesting again at 61-55.
Purdue got the lead back up to 10 points with just under four minutes remaining and Edey and company closed things out from there.
It used to be that in order to maintain some semblance of quality in the field, the NIT Tournament required that teams had to be at least .500 to gain entry, however, that rule changed in 2017. Under the old guidelines, coming into Saturday, there would have been no way for the Buckeyes to make the field, because at 16-18 overall, they would have needed to win their two games in the Big Ten Tournament to get to an even 18-18, but in doing so, they would have earned the conference’s automatic qualifying berth for the NCAA Tournament.
However, that didn’t stop athletic director Gene Smith from lobbying the NIT on his team’s behalf following Friday’s victory over Michigan State. Smith made it very clear on Friday that he believes Holtmann’s squad deserves to continue its season. The OSU AD told The Columbus Dispatch’s Adam Jardy, “The NIT committee should consider us. We’re not a team to host, but we’re a team that should be in the NIT.”
And you know what, he’s right. Losing 15 of 16 games in the middle of a season is not a recipe for postseason worthiness, but the Buckeyes have proven that they are more than just that horrid seven-week run. With wins in the last two weeks over tournament teams Illinois, Maryland, Iowa, and Michigan State and bubble team Wisconsin, coupled with a game effort against Purdue today, it is clear that Holtmann has found something having been forced to go younger and smaller late in the season following Key’s injury, and then relying more and more on Gayle due to Sensabaugh’s absence.
It would be a shame if this team didn’t have the opportunity to continue this run because they wrapped up the conference tournament three games below .500.
Whether the loss to Purdue was the final game of this team’s season or not, I now think that it’s pretty clear that it will not be Holtmann’s final game as Ohio State’s head coach. For a myriad of reasons (recruiting, recent contract extension, other available candidates), I already thought that it would be tough to fire him. But, a little more than five weeks ago, I wrote that I thought he was coaching for his future and that he needed to avoid a disastrous February run to keep his job in Columbus.
Obviously, the majority of last month was a disaster, but I think the last two weeks have mitigated the losing streak’s impact to a certain degree. The fact that he was able to keep his team engaged, focused, and fighting says a lot about his players and their trust in him, as well as his leadership both on and off the floor.
Now, should Holtmann return for the 2023-24 season, I think that he will need to show significant progress with whatever core returns from this team and the highly-rated recruiting class to continue from there. Gone is the opportunity to turn in moderately successful Big Ten campaigns and cap them with early exits from the Big Dance. I’m not saying that the Buckeyes have to win the conference or make the Final Four next season (although that would be nice), but significant progress must be made in order to prove that Holtmann is the right man for the job moving forward.
Whether he is or isn’t, I don’t know. I think that he is a quality human being and a really good basketball coach. The way that his team has responded in the last two weeks shows me that he is not a guy that either quits on his team or that a team will easily quit on, and that’s a big deal coming off of an often horrific season like this one.
I have really enjoyed watching this team this season, especially since the Penn State game on Feb. 23, despite it being a loss. I hope that we as Buckeye fans get the opportunity to watch them play at least one more time this season, and — even though two months of this campaign were utterly soul-crushing — I am already looking forward to what this crew can do next season.
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Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
The Buckeyes showed incredible heart the last few weeks, essentially guaranteeing that Chris Holtmann will return.
The Ohio State men’s basketball team’s magical Big Ten Tournament run has come to an end falling to the top-seeded Purdue Boilermakers in Saturday’s first semifinal 80-66.
Despite one of the hottest starts from deep in recent memory for the Buckeyes, the presumed national player of the year Zach Edey was effectively unstoppable as he put Purdue on his back and dominated the paint to end Ohio State’s Cinderella run. The 7-foot-4 behemoth finished the game with 32 points on 12-of-25 shooting and had 14 rebounds.
Even though they trailed by as many as 15 points in the middle of the second half, OSU refused to give up, exemplifying the character that they have shown down the stretch of the season. Chris Holtmann’s crew cut the lead back down to two possessions with just over five minutes remaining, but they could never get closer than that.
The fight that this team showed in its semifinal matchup — not the mention the last two weeks when lesser squads would have folded up the tents and looked to the transfer portal — speaks to their collective character, commitment, and competitive spirit. The season is ultimately going to be a disappointment, but this collection of Buckeyes has proven that they are much more than their painful losing streak.
OSU freshman Roddy Gayle put on a show early in the contest showing an incredibly hot hand from beyond the arc. He finished with a career-high 20 points thanks to connecting on five of his first six three-point attempts. He finished the day 7-for-9 from the floor and 5-of-6 from distance.
Ohio State senior Justice Sueing contributed 15 points in what could be the final game of his collegiate career. Bruce Thornton, who was held scoreless in the first half, figured some things out after intermission and finished with nine points.
It was announced a few hours before the game that after missing the win over Michigan State with knee soreness, all-everything freshman Brice Sensabaugh would not only miss the semifinal game against Purdue, but would be shut down for the season if the team continued on from there. He joins starting center Zed Key on the bench, following the latter’s shoulder surgery earlier this week.
Obviously missing two of your three leading scorers on the season is never ideal, especially when the team is playing its fourth game in as many days, but that is the lot that the Buckeyes brought into the semifinals, and it didn’t seem to bother early on.
At the first-half under-12 timeout, the Buckeyes had rode the hot hand of Roddy Gayle to take its first lead of the game 21-19. The freshman had hit his first three attempts from distance to lead all scorers and to essentially counteract the fact that B1G Player of the Year Zach Edey was having his way with Felix Okpara and Eugene Brown III down low.
Roddy Gayle Jr is making it rains here at the United Center. ️#B1GMBBT x @OhioStateHoops pic.twitter.com/MRYv8KVGAi
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) March 11, 2023
The OSU defense started to pick it up around the middle of the first half forcing Purdue into multiple empty possessions in a row, exacerbated by the fact that Edey remained on the bench following the timeout.
This allowed Holtmann’s squad to extend its lead to seven points — 26 to 19 — thanks to a thunderous dunk by Brown and a fourth bucket from distance for Gayle.
EUGENE BROWN#B1GMBBT x @OhioStateHoops pic.twitter.com/iDl9dNUmvA
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) March 11, 2023
From there, the game went from being a boxing match in which the two teams traded punches to being one in which the Buckeyes were absorbing all of the body blows. OSU turned it over five times in 4:27 of action and the top-seeded Boilermakers cut the Buckeye lead to 31-29 when Brown was called for a hook-and-hold flagrant foul.
He got tangled up with Edey and during the under-four media timeout, the officials reviewed the play and awarded two free throws and the ball to Purdue. Edey connected on both attempts and the 7-foot-4 monster connected on a hook to round out a six-point possession and a 12-2 run to give the Boilers a 33-31 lead.
But it was short-lived as on the very next possession, Gayle connected on his fourth three-pointer to give him a career-high 16 points with more than three minutes left in the first half. Despite the triple, the OSU offensive struggles continued in the final few minutes of the opening period. Ohio State went into the locker room trailing 42-34 following a 21-5 run by the Boilers to close out the first 20 minutes.
Edey led all scorers with 17, and Gayle was the top scorer for OSU with 16. No one else on either team had more than six points, but the Buckeyes did have four other players show up in the scoring column.
Purdue’s center is such a mass of humanity that he could more or less do whatever he wanted when in the lane. Despite that fact, his head coach Matt Painter was lobbying the refs throughout that he was being fouled on nearly every possession, but his size was masking the impact of the contact. Of course, that goes the other way as Edey was not called for his first foul until 5:43 left in regulation.
On the other bench, Holtmann was heard yelling for three-second violations throughout the game as the literal giant had effectively set up camp in the painted area.
Purdue’s dominance only extended coming out of the break. Edey had a pair of buckets, highlighted by an uncontested dunk to put the top-seeded Boilers up 55-40 with 13 minutes remaining in regulation.
Bruce Thornton, who had been the catalyst of much of Ohio State’s offense thus far in the tournament, finally got in the scoring column with 11:52 left as he hit a corner three to cut Purdue’s lead to 55-43. Because of the massive — physical and figurative — presence of Edey in the middle, Thornton’s typical game plan of making his money in the lane was essentially closed for business, effectively eliminating one of the Buckeyes’ most potent playmakers.
Despite the Boilers building a 15-point lead with 12:54 remaining in regulation, the Buckeyes refused to go gently into that good night. With Edey getting a blow on the bench, Sueing went on a five-point run of his own to cut Purdue’s advantage to 57-48 at the under-8 media timeout.
With just under six minutes remaining, Thornton was fouled on a three-point attempt with OSU down 61-50. The freshman connected on his first two attempts and after his third went wanting, Gayle collected the rebound and Thornton got it back to hit a floater to complete a four-point possession. Following a foul by Edey on an offensive rebound attempt, Felix Okpara hit a pair of free throws to make the game interesting again at 61-55.
Purdue got the lead back up to 10 points with just under four minutes remaining and Edey and company closed things out from there.
Is Ohio State men’s basketball season over following Big Ten Tournament?
It used to be that in order to maintain some semblance of quality in the field, the NIT Tournament required that teams had to be at least .500 to gain entry, however, that rule changed in 2017. Under the old guidelines, coming into Saturday, there would have been no way for the Buckeyes to make the field, because at 16-18 overall, they would have needed to win their two games in the Big Ten Tournament to get to an even 18-18, but in doing so, they would have earned the conference’s automatic qualifying berth for the NCAA Tournament.
However, that didn’t stop athletic director Gene Smith from lobbying the NIT on his team’s behalf following Friday’s victory over Michigan State. Smith made it very clear on Friday that he believes Holtmann’s squad deserves to continue its season. The OSU AD told The Columbus Dispatch’s Adam Jardy, “The NIT committee should consider us. We’re not a team to host, but we’re a team that should be in the NIT.”
And you know what, he’s right. Losing 15 of 16 games in the middle of a season is not a recipe for postseason worthiness, but the Buckeyes have proven that they are more than just that horrid seven-week run. With wins in the last two weeks over tournament teams Illinois, Maryland, Iowa, and Michigan State and bubble team Wisconsin, coupled with a game effort against Purdue today, it is clear that Holtmann has found something having been forced to go younger and smaller late in the season following Key’s injury, and then relying more and more on Gayle due to Sensabaugh’s absence.
It would be a shame if this team didn’t have the opportunity to continue this run because they wrapped up the conference tournament three games below .500.
Will Ohio State Fire Chris Holtmann Following the Season?
Whether the loss to Purdue was the final game of this team’s season or not, I now think that it’s pretty clear that it will not be Holtmann’s final game as Ohio State’s head coach. For a myriad of reasons (recruiting, recent contract extension, other available candidates), I already thought that it would be tough to fire him. But, a little more than five weeks ago, I wrote that I thought he was coaching for his future and that he needed to avoid a disastrous February run to keep his job in Columbus.
Obviously, the majority of last month was a disaster, but I think the last two weeks have mitigated the losing streak’s impact to a certain degree. The fact that he was able to keep his team engaged, focused, and fighting says a lot about his players and their trust in him, as well as his leadership both on and off the floor.
Now, should Holtmann return for the 2023-24 season, I think that he will need to show significant progress with whatever core returns from this team and the highly-rated recruiting class to continue from there. Gone is the opportunity to turn in moderately successful Big Ten campaigns and cap them with early exits from the Big Dance. I’m not saying that the Buckeyes have to win the conference or make the Final Four next season (although that would be nice), but significant progress must be made in order to prove that Holtmann is the right man for the job moving forward.
Whether he is or isn’t, I don’t know. I think that he is a quality human being and a really good basketball coach. The way that his team has responded in the last two weeks shows me that he is not a guy that either quits on his team or that a team will easily quit on, and that’s a big deal coming off of an often horrific season like this one.
I have really enjoyed watching this team this season, especially since the Penn State game on Feb. 23, despite it being a loss. I hope that we as Buckeye fans get the opportunity to watch them play at least one more time this season, and — even though two months of this campaign were utterly soul-crushing — I am already looking forward to what this crew can do next season.
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LGHL Ohio State takes on Michigan on the ice in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals
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Ohio State takes on Michigan on the ice in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Jaime Crawford/Getty Images
The Buckeyes head to Ann Arbor looking to secure a spot in the Big Ten Tournament title game.
After edging Penn State in the best-of-three quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament last weekend, Ohio State heads north for the single-elimination semifinals tonight against Michigan. The Buckeyes will be trying to make it to the Big Ten Tournament final for the third time in school history. Ohio State and Michigan State are the only teams in the conference that have yet to win the Big Ten Tournament.
Ohio State was pushed to the limit last weekend by Penn State. The Buckeyes cruised to a 5-1 win on Friday, scoring the first four goals of the game. Stephen Halliday scored a goal and dished out three assists. Davis Burnside, Tyler Duke, Cam Thiesing, and Cole McWard added goals in the blowout.
Things tightened up on Saturday, with no goals being scored until the 16:03 mark of the third period when Penn State’s Ryan Kirwan broke the scoreless tie. With an extra attacker on the ice, Joe Dunlap scored two minutes later, and the game would go into overtime. Kevin Wall made a game three necessary when he scored the game-winning goal halfway into the first overtime period.
After ending Saturday night’s game, Wall opened the scoring in the second period of the elimination game. The goal must have woken the Buckeyes up, as six minutes later Cole McWard tied the game, and three minutes after Scooter Brickey netted his third goal of the season for Ohio State. Tate Singleton’s empty net goal with less than two minutes left sealed the series for Steve Rohlik’s team.
Now Ohio State heads to Ann Arbor to play Michigan for the third time in the history of the Big Ten Tournament. The Buckeyes won the 2018 semifinal in Columbus, while Michigan took a neutral-site elimination quarterfinal in 2021. Overall in the rivalry, the Wolverines hold a 92-51-15 advantage in the series, with a 47-20-8 record in Ann Arbor.
The teams played four games in the regular season, with the Buckeyes winning two of those contests in regulation and one in a shootout. The first two games took place in Ann Arbor, with Ohio State winning the first game 7-2 before Michigan regrouped to win the second game 4-2. In mid-February the Wolverines came down to Columbus and took the Buckeyes to a shootout, but Ohio State would wind up winning.
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Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
The most notable game of the regular season matchups between the teams came a couple days later, when they played an outdoor game on the shores of Lake Erie at FirstEnergy Stadium. After a scoreless first period, Ohio State scored three goals in the second period, and held a 3-1 lead after 40 minutes of play. Michigan would inch closer with a goal from Eric Ciccolini in the third, but the Buckeyes responded a minute later when Stephen Halliday scored a power play goal.
Halliday is Ohio State’s leading scorer on the season, recording 39 points, with 30 of those points being assists. With his strong play throughout the season, Halliday was named to the Tim Taylor Award watch list, with the honor being given annually to the nation’s freshman of the year. Along with Halliday leading the team in points and assists, another freshman leads Ohio State in goals, as Davis Burnside has buried 14 biscuits this season.
While youth is running wild on offense for Ohio State, a veteran is doing a great job at keeping opponents off the scoreboard. Jakub Dobes has been named a finalist for Big Ten Goaltender of the Year for a second straight season, as well as a semifinalist for the Mike Richter Award, which is given annually to the best Division I goaltender. Dobes has been on the ice in goal for nearly 2,200 minutes this season.
Oddly enough, Ohio State might be even more dangerous when they are shorthanded. Of the 149 times the Buckeyes have been shorthanded this year, they have killed off 133 of those penalties, with the 89.3 kill rate being the best mark in the country. Ohio State doesn’t just kill penalties off, they are a threat to score when their opponents on the power play, as they have scored 10 shorthanded goals this season.
The Buckeyes have a tough task on their hands tonight when they try and slow down Adam Fantilli, who is projected to be the second pick in this year’s NHL Draft after Connor Bedard. Fantilli has 25 goals and 31 assists this season, with his 56 points being a team-high, 16 more than Luke Hughes has. Ohio State doesn’t have a skater with more than 14 goals this year, while Fantilli is one of three Wolverines with at least 15 tallies.
Date: Saturday, March 11
Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
TV: Big Ten Network
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The Buckeyes head to Ann Arbor looking to secure a spot in the Big Ten Tournament title game.
After edging Penn State in the best-of-three quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament last weekend, Ohio State heads north for the single-elimination semifinals tonight against Michigan. The Buckeyes will be trying to make it to the Big Ten Tournament final for the third time in school history. Ohio State and Michigan State are the only teams in the conference that have yet to win the Big Ten Tournament.
Ohio State was pushed to the limit last weekend by Penn State. The Buckeyes cruised to a 5-1 win on Friday, scoring the first four goals of the game. Stephen Halliday scored a goal and dished out three assists. Davis Burnside, Tyler Duke, Cam Thiesing, and Cole McWard added goals in the blowout.
Things tightened up on Saturday, with no goals being scored until the 16:03 mark of the third period when Penn State’s Ryan Kirwan broke the scoreless tie. With an extra attacker on the ice, Joe Dunlap scored two minutes later, and the game would go into overtime. Kevin Wall made a game three necessary when he scored the game-winning goal halfway into the first overtime period.
After ending Saturday night’s game, Wall opened the scoring in the second period of the elimination game. The goal must have woken the Buckeyes up, as six minutes later Cole McWard tied the game, and three minutes after Scooter Brickey netted his third goal of the season for Ohio State. Tate Singleton’s empty net goal with less than two minutes left sealed the series for Steve Rohlik’s team.
Preview
Now Ohio State heads to Ann Arbor to play Michigan for the third time in the history of the Big Ten Tournament. The Buckeyes won the 2018 semifinal in Columbus, while Michigan took a neutral-site elimination quarterfinal in 2021. Overall in the rivalry, the Wolverines hold a 92-51-15 advantage in the series, with a 47-20-8 record in Ann Arbor.
The teams played four games in the regular season, with the Buckeyes winning two of those contests in regulation and one in a shootout. The first two games took place in Ann Arbor, with Ohio State winning the first game 7-2 before Michigan regrouped to win the second game 4-2. In mid-February the Wolverines came down to Columbus and took the Buckeyes to a shootout, but Ohio State would wind up winning.
The most notable game of the regular season matchups between the teams came a couple days later, when they played an outdoor game on the shores of Lake Erie at FirstEnergy Stadium. After a scoreless first period, Ohio State scored three goals in the second period, and held a 3-1 lead after 40 minutes of play. Michigan would inch closer with a goal from Eric Ciccolini in the third, but the Buckeyes responded a minute later when Stephen Halliday scored a power play goal.
Halliday is Ohio State’s leading scorer on the season, recording 39 points, with 30 of those points being assists. With his strong play throughout the season, Halliday was named to the Tim Taylor Award watch list, with the honor being given annually to the nation’s freshman of the year. Along with Halliday leading the team in points and assists, another freshman leads Ohio State in goals, as Davis Burnside has buried 14 biscuits this season.
While youth is running wild on offense for Ohio State, a veteran is doing a great job at keeping opponents off the scoreboard. Jakub Dobes has been named a finalist for Big Ten Goaltender of the Year for a second straight season, as well as a semifinalist for the Mike Richter Award, which is given annually to the best Division I goaltender. Dobes has been on the ice in goal for nearly 2,200 minutes this season.
Oddly enough, Ohio State might be even more dangerous when they are shorthanded. Of the 149 times the Buckeyes have been shorthanded this year, they have killed off 133 of those penalties, with the 89.3 kill rate being the best mark in the country. Ohio State doesn’t just kill penalties off, they are a threat to score when their opponents on the power play, as they have scored 10 shorthanded goals this season.
The Buckeyes have a tough task on their hands tonight when they try and slow down Adam Fantilli, who is projected to be the second pick in this year’s NHL Draft after Connor Bedard. Fantilli has 25 goals and 31 assists this season, with his 56 points being a team-high, 16 more than Luke Hughes has. Ohio State doesn’t have a skater with more than 14 goals this year, while Fantilli is one of three Wolverines with at least 15 tallies.
Date: Saturday, March 11
Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
TV: Big Ten Network
Continue reading...
