Jaxbuck said:

For the record I absolutely like Day as a person, hope he is The Guy and avoids the fate of Cooper (for him and for us). I'm just not anywhere near optimistic about it.

Click to expand...

That's fair enough. I think we might have broached the topic a few beers in at Adriatico's lol. I'm not as sold as I was that night though, this next game is a very important one for Day without a doubt.

As Buckeyes head to Atlanta for the playoffs, it’s time for redemption
David M Wheeler via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images

Time for some players to step up and take advantage of a second chance.

Look at the numbers. 2022 is Ryan Day’s fourth season as the head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes football team. His record in those four seasons is 42-5. If we add the victories from 2018, when Day was Interim Coach during Urban Meyer’s suspension, that record extends to 45-5 — a very handsome 90%. (For the record, Meyer’s OSU record was 83-9, or 91.2%.)

Day’s Bucks won the Big Ten Championship in 2019 and 2020. They’ve made the four-team College Football Playoffs three of the four years that Day has been at the helm. Almost unrivalled success.

Yet... there’s no national title. No B1G titles the last two years. And only a 1-2 record against TTUN. (Yes, the 2020 game should have been a forfeit!) As a consequence, there are unmet expectations, some frustration and disappointment. Partly because Meyer set the bar so high, but mainly because of the level of talent on these Buckeye teams.

Do you want an interesting stat? Try this one: of the top 20 recruits in the history of the storied Ohio State football program (or at least since statisticians started tracking such things), six of them will be playing against Georgia on New Year’s Eve. Here they are, with their all-time rankings. No. 4 J.T. Tuimoloau, No. 5 Jack Sawyer, No. 6 Julian Fleming, No. 14 Paris Johnson, No. 15 Emeka Egbuka, and No. 18 Zach Harrison.

The Buckeyes have a rare opportunity. It’s been referred to redemption. But I see the opportunity as something simpler – a second chance. They don’t come often, and, when they do, they shouldn’t be wasted.

Here’s my list of guys with big second chances.

Obviously


Ryan Day and C.J. Stroud are the obvious choices here, so I won’t say much about them. Day was a golden boy, an offensive genius, but he’s lost the last two Michigan games, and diehard Buckeye fans are demanding his head. Stroud entered the 2022 season as the nation’s top QB and the leader for the Heisman. The big prize eluded him, and he’s slipped in the quarterback rankings. Several players have simply been better than Stroud this year. And they’ve won the big games.

Ryan and C.J., here’s your second chance.

Underachievers


I’m limiting myself to three players in this category, but clearly, we could add more. Two of them are among the six listed above.

Zach Harrison. Harrison has had a decent career as a Buckeye, but he’s never really broken out and lived up to his billing. And that billing was written in big, bold letters. Harrison was the Buckeyes’ top recruit in the 2019 recruiting class. The five-star player was the No. 2 defensive end and the No. 12 overall player in the class nationally.

As I said, he’s been OK. But he hasn’t been a Bosa or a Chase Young. Or even the Zach Harrison that we thought he would be. Zach – here you go, a second chance.

Taron Vincent. Another five-star defensive lineman, Vincent was the No. 1 defensive tackle nationally in the recruiting class of 2018. As a Buckeye, he won a starting position pretty early on, and he’s shown flashes. Nonetheless, I’d have to rate him as an underachiever.

He’ll have a challenge against the Dawgs. Their OL is a good one, and so is their running game. How about it, Taron?

Julian Fleming. First off, Fleming has suffered a number of injuries that have hampered his play. Additionally, he’s had a roomful of superstars to compete with for playing time at his wide receiver position. But if you look at OSU’s 2020 recruiting class, Fleming was at the top. He was the No. 1 receiver nationally in that class and the No. 3 player at any position.

He’s healthy, and he’ll be on the field against Georgia. Flex your muscles, Julian.

All-Americans


These three guys earned All-America status at the end of the season. While they’re certainly not “underachievers,” they might feel that they have something to prove. Well, here’s their chance to show the country that they’ve earned the accolades.

Marvin Harrison Jr. Not just Buckeye writers, but sportswriters and college football followers generally are calling Harrison Jr. the best wide receiver in America. OK, Marvin, let’s see it. UGA is vulnerable to a good passing attack, as we saw in the SEC championship game against LSU. And the Tigers’ passing game is nothing like OSU’s.

I’m not saying that you can win this game by yourself, but you can make it really tough on the Bulldog defense. Get open. Catch the ball. Run like the wind.

Paris Johnson Jr. and Dawand Jones. I’m lumping you together because your roles are similar. As offensive tackles, you’re primarily responsible for protecting Stroud in the pocket against outside rushes. You’ve got to do it. The Buckeye offense depends on protecting Stroud. You can do it; you’re All Americans, after all. Yes, their D-line is very good. Keep them away from your quarterback and seal them off on running plays.

Show everybody why you’re the best in the country.

Defensive team leaders


Against Michigan, the Buckeye defense fell apart, collapsed, giving up huge play after huge play. That kind of performance cannot happen again. There are a number of you who have played well all season. Here’s your chance to step up and assume a leadership role. Other guys look up to you. Do your job and help your teammates do theirs.

I’m talking to you, J.T. Tuimoloau, Ronnie Hickman, Tommy Eichenberg, Tanner McCalister, Steele Chambers, and Lathan Ransom.

Surprise performance?


Now and then comes a big surprise. Trey Sermon against Northwestern in the Big Ten Championship game of 2020 will serve as my example. I have several prime candidates here: Emeka Egbuka, Jack Sawyer, Miyan Williams, Xavier Johnson.

All of the above


Maybe to beat a team as dominant as Georgia has been over the past few seasons, the Buckeyes will need for most (if not all) of these guys to step up, to realize the significance of this game and to turn in the performance of a lifetime. Surely the talent is there. But they’ll need the leadership, the discipline, and the will to win.

Win this one and there’s a third chance, one that could erase all of the bad plays, frustrations, and disappointments of the Ryan Day era.

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Peach Bowl Film Preview: Georgia’s offensive line is consistent, run game is eerily similar to Ohio State’s
Chris Renne via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Georgia has one of the best pass protection units in college football and uses physicality on the ground to find success, despite having an uninventive run game.

Success for the Georgia Bulldogs over the years has started up front on both sides of the football. On the backs of NFL level players on the offensive line, a solid foundation is set with this group allowing the offensive coordinator Todd Monken to get into what they really want to do strategically.

This year is no different. Georgia’s offensive line was a finalist for the Joe Moore Award for the best offensive line group in the country. The offensive line on the other hand has given up seven total sacks on the year. They’ve had some help from quarterback Stetson Bennett’s elusiveness, but that number is elite.

Ohio State’s defensive line has created pressure, but they will need to be at their best to have an impact in this game. Georgia’s run scheme uses leverage and strength, which their offensive line does a great job with. If Jim Knowles needs to bring additional pressure, they can hurt Georgia’s offense. The few times they’ve given up sacks, Georgia’s offensive line has been beat in individual effort over scheme.

Looking at the success of Georgia’s offensive line, Ohio State has the talent to match on the other side, the question will once again be — Can they get the job done and be disruptive?

Pass-Pro


Starting on the offensive line, their pass protection is the first place that separates this unit. As a group they work collectively, and this collective work is what makes their protection so hard to beat. They do a great job communicating and passing off rushers. They also understand that when a rusher leaves there is work to be found.

Against Missouri, Georgia is in a 3rd-and-7 in their own territory. The down-and-distance alludes to a passing situation. Missouri shows a five man pressure, and ends up bringing three with a linebacker spying the quarterback. The defensive end slants inside and the defensive tackle loops to the outside. Georgia’s offensive tackles washes down the end into the guard and is able to still stay outside to take the looper out of the picture.

This gives Bennett the protection and time needed to throw. Unfortunately for the offensive line, not everybody did their job here.


In the next play, Auburn tries a similar strategy to create pressure against the Bulldogs. They slant the outside rusher and loop around the left defensive tackle. Georgia communicates and slides well enough to make this a non-factor in the play. Now this is important because Jim Knowles and the Buckeyes like to move players around with stunts. Georgia is smart enough to counter the stunts.

This matchup game will come down to well-timed play-calls from Knowles. Fooling Georgia should not be the plan. Creating number advantages and putting pass rushers in opportune positions should be the goal.


In this last play, we see the pass rushers rushing the quarterback with a twist between the defensive tackles for Auburn. This works because the tackles get up field, the right defensive tackle gets up field then slants to the middle. This takes two blockers out of the play, and allows the other defensive tackle to get up field without a blocker. The edge rushers keep Bennett in the pocket, and the pressure is able to get home.

This is by no means a complicated rushing scheme, but the timing and individual effort overwhelms the offensive line leading to a sack.

Run Game


While Georgia’s offensive line is one of the best pass protection units in all of football, they do rank third in the country in yards per rush. But situationally, their struggles are similar to Ohio State’s. Part of their issues stem from the same area as the Buckeyes — a lazy run scheme that is over reliant on inside and outside zone. When the run game is working, the offensive line is getting to the second level and the running backs have the feel to find the blocks.

In the first play here, Georgia is starting their drive on the 10-yard line. They are running outside zone. The defensive end for Missouri play side takes away option No. 1 from the running back which is getting outside the end. This forces the cut back to the middle, Georgia’s center and left guard double team the tackle with the center sliding off to get to the backer. The center gets to the backer and the right guard washes down the slanting tackle. They out muscle Missouri, creating a huge hole in the middle for what should have been a long gain.


Georgia in the next play is in a power run situation in 3rd-and-3. They rank 68th in power run success rate at 68.8 percent. The reason for this is they have the same tells of Ohio State and teams know what is coming in these scenarios. Missouri’s defensive end uses his eyes this time and see the play is coming his way, instead of getting up field he anchors down forcing the running back to make a choice. Interior penetration forces the back outside and doesn’t allow the Georgia offensive line to get up to the second level. This allows the backers to flow and make a tackle before the line to gain, forcing a punt.


The last strength of their run game is getting their more athletic linemen moving as pullers. Georgia uses a pin-and-pull blocking scheme to run their counter as well as their GT-Counter. Both plays are run in early downs, in this case it’s 1st-and-10 for the Bulldogs. Based off the defensive alignment means the guard and tight end are pulling across. Brock Bowers gets around the filling defender, Washington gets up to kick out the corner. This allows the back to get outside with a lot of grass in front of him.


Overall, consistency is Georgia’s offensive line’s greatest strength. They run their concepts, stay organized in pass-pro, and do both with a necessary physicality. At times the simple stuff gets to them, but generally they are a tough nut to crack. For the Buckeyes, it will require strong individual performances in matchups and well timed blitzes from the second level. If they can create confusion or get pressure with four, Georgia can be taken out of some of their more long developing concepts which would be a win for the Buckeyes.

Ohio State’s greatest strength starts with their ability to disguise pressure. That will challenge Georgia’s offensive line communication early. For the Buckeyes this can be the difference. On the other hand for Ohio State, we saw that the communication of Georgia almost completely made any stunts useless. The few times we saw Georgia’s offensive line has a misstep, it was because well designed timing and strong individual efforts.

On the other side with the run game, Georgia runs the ball well. They have three talented running backs with different skill sets. Sound familiar? Similarities aside Georgia has many of the same issues as Ohio State. Against equal talent the run game’s predictability creates problems in short yardage situations. If the Buckeyes are prepared and locked in, they should be able to key in on alignment to understand what play is coming in a given situation. Georgia is going to run a variation of zone or a pin-and-pull counter.

The talent of Georgia’s offensive line is underrated compared to some other position groups on the team, but the offense goes as they do. When they’re locked in there aren’t many better units in the country. For the Buckeyes to find success, they will need to match the physicality, and honestly, it just comes down to executing better on a play-to-play basis.

Ohio State has the talent up front, now they need to go out and prove that as a unit, they have what it takes to win the battle in the trenches against a team like Georgia.

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Why is this News? All the articles and tweets Buckeye fans need for December 22, 2022
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

All the Buckeye news thats fit to re-print.

Look, we get it. Your days are busy and you don’t have time to read all of the stories and tweets from the three dozen websites dedicated to covering Ohio State athletics, or the 237 Buckeye beat writers churning out hot takes and #content on a daily basis. But that’s ok, that’s what your friends at Land-Grant Holy Land are here for.

Monday through Friday, we’ll be collecting all of the articles, tweets, features, interviews, videos, podcasts, memes, photos, and whatever else we stumble across on the interwebz and putting them in our daily “Why is this News?” article. That way, you’ll have a one-stop shop for all of the most important Buckeye news, jokes, and analysis.

You’re welcome!

For your Earholes...


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On the Gridiron


Ohio State secures a commitment from Top247 edge rusher Joshua Mickens
Steve Wiltfong, 247Sports

Full Bios: Introducing Ohio State’s 2023 recruiting class
Steve Helwagen, Bucknuts

Listen to Ryan Day talk about the 2023 recruiting class so far.


A very good Ohio State 2023 class but… Recapping the Buckeyes’ 2023 National Signing Day
Bill Kurelic, Bucknuts

Thoughts as Ohio State signs very good, not great, 2023 recruiting class (paywall)
Jeremy Birmingham, Dotting the Eyes

Ohio State football’s strong 2023 signing class has holes only money could fill
Nathan Baird, cleveland.com

Who signed with the Buckeyes? 10 thoughts from early signing day (paywall)
Cameron Teague Robinson, The Athletic

Rapid Reaction: Buckeyes sign top-five class, but recruiting woes remain
Matt Parker, Lettermen Row

Looks like the Buckeyes add one more signee to the class late on Wednesday!


Signing Day 2022: Ryan Day not alarmed by recent rash of Ohio State football decommitments
Dean Straka, 247Sports

Ohio State’s quality 2023 recruiting class is tainted by the thought of what it could’ve been
Stephen Means, cleveland.com

National Signing Day suggests Jim Harbaugh’s reign over Ohio State and the Big Ten won’t last
Jimmy Watkins, cleveland.com

Analyzing impact as Ohio State loses commitment from cornerback Kayin Lee (paywall)
Jeremy Birmingham, Dotting the Eyes

Buckeyes add transfer kicker Casey Magyar as preferred walk-on
Joey Kaufman, The Columbus Dispatch

Ohio State also got a very talented preferred walk-on at wide receiver.


Ohio State Will Sit Down with Chip Trayanum After Season to Decide on Potential Full-Time Future at Running Back
Griffin Strom, Eleven Warriors

Ohio State’s Ryan Day supports Avery Henry after cancer diagnosis: ‘He’s got a whole team behind him’
Patrick Murphy, Bucknuts

Column: The College football calendar needs a retrofit
Meredith Hein, Land-Grant Holy Land

Three Buckeyes named to NFL Pro Bowl rosters
Patrick Murphy, Bucknuts

On the Hardwood


Buckeyes maul the Black Bears, 95-61
Connor Lemons, Land-Grant Holy Land

Buckeyes heed upset warnings, take care of business against Maine
Adam Jardy, The Columbus Dispatch


No. 3 Ohio State women’s basketball dominates No. 16 Ducks 84-67
Thomas Costello, Land-Grant Holy Land

OSU basketball remains perfect after beating Oregon, off to best start since 2011-12
Staff Reports, The Columbus Dispatch

Outside the Shoe and Schott


Short-handed Ohio State squad wrestles to mixed results in New Orleans
Josh Dooley, Land-Grant Holy Land

And now for something completely different...


Happy Holidays, from the Spartans’ coach!


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LGHL Uncut Podcast: San Diego Invitational Special with media from both games
1ThomasCostello 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

Head coach Kevin McGuff, Cotie McMahon, Taylor Thierry and Taylor Mikesell discuss the two games that kept the Buckeyes undefeated

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.


The Ohio State Buckeyes are champions of the San Diego Invitational. What’s even more important than that “trophy” is the way the Scarlet & Gray won it.

This episode of Uncut features a two-for-one special, with post-game press conferences from both games in one spot.

Up first is head coach Kevin McGuff and forwards Cotie McMahon and Taylor Thierry discussing the win against the USF Bulls. Ohio State needed overtime to beat the Bulls, and after the game coach McGuff describes what went wrong, a tough shooting performance by two of the team’s top scorers and the impact of guard Madison Greene going down for injury.

Following coach, McMahon and Thierry talk about the win, the mentality to come back from down six with less than a minute left in overtime. Also, setting up a game against the No. 16 Oregon Ducks and what it means to play for their teammate Taylor Mikesell.

After the second interview is postgame audio from the big win against those Ducks. McGuff starts things off talking about Mikesell beating her former team, rebounding from a tough third quarter and the ability of guard Rikki Harris to step in for Greene on such short notice.

Mikesell follows McGuff to talk about the feelings she had seeing Oregon on the schedule at the beginning of the season, the play of Harris and what the team focused on heading into the last quarter after a 7.7% shooting quarter in the third.


Connect with Thomas:

Twitter: @1ThomasCostello

Theme music provided by www.bensound.com

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Ohio State signed a bunch of football players who want to be Buckeyes — and that’s a good thing
Josh Dooley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Lori Schmidt/The Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Five-stars, NIL, early signing day flips... All that should matter is that this talented 2023 recruiting class wants nothing more than to win games in Columbus.

As it currently stands, Ohio State has the 5th-ranked recruiting class in all of college football... for 2023, that is. I guess I felt the need to clarify because I know some of you are already bell-aching about the 2024 class as well, but I simply do not have the mental energy to deal with “fans” who choose to be preemptively pissed off about current high school juniors.

So back to the topic at hand: No. 5 isn’t so bad, is it?

Is it?


Well, according to many who voice their displeasure on social media, apparently having the 5th-ranked recruiting class is that bad. Like, possibly the worst thing imaginable and worthy of rolling heads. So I guess I was wrong. And I came to that realization on Wednesday, with the help of certain fans and media types who spent the day lamenting losses (not actually losses) and finding a reason to gripe about OSU’s class being ranked ahead of those belonging to LSU, Oklahoma, Oregon, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Floria, Penn State, USC, Michigan.

Should I keep going? Because I can. I could list about 125 teams if I were so inclined, but I think I’ve made my point.

Ryan Day and his coaching staff inked playmakers galore, kept the best homegrown talent in Ohio... and people are mad!? Because Ohio State didn’t finish No. 1 and land every single target? Look, I get it. I am a competitive guy and I bleed scarlet and gray. I want my Buckeyes to sign the top class each and every year. But I also want to purchase a winning Powerball ticket, live in a cool RV, and look like Chris Hemsworth.

Unfortunately, we don’t always get what we want. And that is especially true in sports. They are competitive in nature, to the point where nobody wins every game and/or recruiting battle. OSU won far more than it lost on National Signing Day, but the good did not outweigh the bad for some.

And what exactly was the “bad”? Sure, Ohio State missed out on Matayo Uiagalelei and Damon Wilson. That sucked; no more eloquent way to put it. But five-star edge defenders do not grow on trees. Yes, the Buckeyes do currently have a few in-house, but they – along with every other school – are going to shoot and miss more often than they connect and close.

It should also be pointed out that Uiagalelei and Wilson both stayed relatively close to home and chose to play for winning programs. If either had chosen Fresno State or Florida Atlantic, I would be a little more upset. But it is hard to argue with a kid wanting to play for a title contender in their own backyard.

It is also hard (more like impossible) to ignore the possibility that money and/or NIL incentives may have played a role here. I certainly have no details – nor am I convinced that financial gain was the end-all, be-all for either of the previously mentioned players – but one could at least jump to some sort of conclusion, right? And if NIL was the deciding factor, well then it was never meant to be. Because Buckeye fans may not want to hear this, but OSU does not appear to be interested in auction players. Even if they were, I think the deep pockets of Nike would be tough to beat.

Ohio State also saw cornerback Kayin Lee flip to Auburn, leaving the Buckeyes with just two true corner commits. And again, I can see why that would be perceived as a negative. Lee is heck of a player. But he chose to attend Auburn, coached by Hugh Freeze. Do with that what you will. He chose to play for Ron Roberts, Auburn’s new defensive coordinator — as of one whole week ago!

But he (Roberts) did at least help Baylor finish above .500 once in three seasons, while finishing No. 63, 40, and 65 nationally in points per game allowed. So who wouldn’t be impressed? I am sure Freeze’s sterling reputation and a 15-minute relationship with his new DC were the sole reasons Lee chose to flip his commitment and join a bottom half SEC juggernaut.

By now you probably think I am just another pissed off OSU fan similar to the ones I wrote about in the first paragraph. And you would be right... But I’m not pissed off at the coaches or the players — even though I think they have underachieved to a certain extent and need to fix some things. No, my frustration is with all the negativity coming from Buckeye Nation. Is anybody supportive anymore? Is anybody excited about the Buckeyes playing in a College Football Playoff? Or would we just prefer to be pissed off all the time? Because we’re not Wooden’s UCLA Bruins or Red f*cking Auerbach’s Boston Celtics.

Lastly, why are we not more excited about a hell of a recruiting haul? I hear pissing and moaning about a few guys Ohio State missed out on, but not enough about the players who want to chase greatness in Columbus. Players who have a collective average rating of 93.57 — good for second among all classes, behind only Alabama. Players who will join a roster loaded with 2020, 2021, and 2022 talent — all (also) from top-5 classes.

This 2023 recruiting class is something special. Unless it’s not, because recruiting is a crapshoot anyway. But we should not act as if OSU failed on Wednesday. And we should not act as if this program is not flourishing. The Buckeyes are preparing to play in a(nother) CFP, with a roster full of guys who are talented, want to be part of the brotherhood, and have been developed by current coaches.


I fully expect Brandon Inniss, Luke Montgomery, Carnell Tate, Noah Rogers, Jason Moore, Joshua Mickens, and the rest of the 2023 class to be great one day. And I hope that even the most cynical fans out there will put their full support behind this class – and program – while putting aside personal complaints long enough to appreciate what Ohio State and its fans truly have.

Go Bucks!

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Maine is horrible but that’s the effort I like to see rebounding after the cluster fuck game on Saturday

Buckeyes maul the Black Bears, 95-61
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

Things got grizzly fast for the visiting Black Bears Wednesday night at the Schott.

Fresh off a crushing loss to the North Carolina Tar Heels in the CBS Sports Classic this weekend, the Ohio State Buckeyes (8-3, 1-0) returned home for a friendly matchup with the Maine Black Bears (6-6) out of the America East Conference. Maine did nab an early-season win against Boston College on the road, but two of their other five wins came against non-Division-I opponents. KenPom’s No. 303 team fought for a few minutes, but the Buckeyes had more or less wrapped this one up by the halftime buzzer.

With Ohio State being the 24-point favorite heading into the game, everyone knew it was going to be an uphill battle for their opponents from the Pine Tree State. Maine earned the Buckeyes’ respect early by knocking down a few long jumpers, but they couldn’t sustain that, and OSU ran the not-so-feisty black bears out of the building, 95-61.

With Isaac Likekele still away from the team while he deals with a family matter back home in Texas, Chris Holtmann went with a lineup of Bruce Thornton, Sean McNeil, Brice Sensabaugh, Justice Sueing, and Zed Key. Chris Markwood went with a starting five of Kellen Tynes, Ja’Shonte Wright-McLeish, Jaden Clayont, Gedi Juozapaitis, and Kristians Feierbergs.

After Maine took a brief 6-5 lead for 30 seconds early on, the Buckeyes scored seven straight points to take a 12-6 lead into the first media timeout 4:11 into the game. Key had five early points and was active on the glass, while Maine’s six points came on two three-pointers. Ohio State would not trail again from this point on.


Maine kept the Buckeyes within 10 points or so for the first eight minutes of the game, but Ohio State’s youngsters went on a tear to pretty much put the game away midway through the opening stanza. Felix Okpara checked in at the 11:43 mark to give Key a breather, and in roughly six minutes following that sub, he and his fellow freshman Sensabaugh scored 10 combined points to turn the Buckeyes’ nine-point lead into a 16-point lead, 34-18.

Ohio State took a 47-26 lead into the halftime break in thanks to a balanced scoring attack and a less-than-enthusiastic defensive effort from Maine. Sueing, Key, Sensabaugh, and Okpara all scored eight or more points, while Sensabaugh also set a career-high with four first-half assists. The Buckeyes shot a collective 55.3% in the first half, while Maine only connected on 34.4% of their field goal attempts.


Maine played Ohio State evenly for the first 10 minutes or so of the second half, but there was no chance they could close the 21-point gap that was created in the first half. A Tanner Holden layup with 11:48 remaining in the game gave Ohio State a 67-42 lead, as Chris Holtmann began to filter his rotation players in and out. The Buckeyes ran a lineup of all four freshmen alongside either Sueing or Holden a handful of times throughout the game, even early on when it wasn’t a blowout.

Not a whole lot had changed by the under-eight timeout, but the Buckeyes’ 25-point lead had shrunk to a smaller — but still insurmountable — 21-point lead. The Black Bears stunk up the joint with their first-half shooting, but improved mightily in the second half, shooting 43.8% in the second half — a marked improvement. This helped them keep up with the Buckeyes in the sense that the deficit didn’t get any worse — much to the chagrin of Chris Holtmann.

However, as time ticked away, Maine started heaving up desperate shots and essentially gave up on defense, and Ohio State’s lead got wider and wider. By the time all was said and done, the Buckeyes had completed a bounce-back blowout win over Maine, 95-61. Sensabaugh led all scorers with 19 points, as well as seven rebounds and a career-high seven assists. Sueing (15), Key (14), Thornton (11), and Okpara (10) all scored in double digits as well.

Did you miss Wednesday’s late-night Big Ten-America East action? Fear not — here are a few consequential plays and milestones we saw during the Buckeyes’ eighth win.

Maine takes an early first-half lead


The Black Bears are a below-average team shooting from distance, but were able to take an early 6-5 lead thanks to threes from Wright-McLeish and Juozapaitas. Maine held that 6-5 lead for exactly 30 seconds before Key’s and-one layup pulled the home team back ahead 8-6.

Maine finished the game going 6-25 (24%) from three-point land. Kellen Tynes led Maine with 19 points on 9-14 shooting.

No answer for Key below the basket


It happened in the first half against Rutgers and it happened against Maine tonight — when Zed Key decides to turn the motor up, there’s not much anyone can do to stop him. Key had 10 of Ohio State’s first 22 points tonight, including five points before the first media timeout.

He would go on to finish with 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks over 24 minutes.

The kids are alright


With Ohio State leading 24-15 eight minutes into the game, two of Ohio State’s freshmen — Sensabaugh and Felix Okpara — outscored Maine 10-3 to extend the lead to 34-18 at the 6:12 mark. Okpara checked in for Key at the 11:43 mark and scored six straight points including a dunk and a tip-in, and then Sensabaugh scored on back-to-back possessions as well. Not to be forgotten, Thornton opened the scoring during tonight’s game with a three-pointer 22 seconds into the game.

Ohio State’s five freshmen — including Bowen Hardman, who saw mop-up minutes — combined to score 52 points on 23-36 shooting. The freshmen also racked up 18 rebounds and had an assist-to-turnover ratio of 14:4.

McNeil hits 1K


With his first-half three-pointer Wednesday night with 2:51 remaining in the first half, McNeil hit 1,000 points for his career. 900 of those points came over three seasons at West Virginia, and the next 100 were in scarlet and gray. During the second half, it was announced to all those in attendance that McNeil had hit the 1,000-point mark, to which everyone gave him a big applause.

McNeil finished tonight’s game with eight points on 3-6 shooting over 24 minutes. He also had two assists.

Balanced attack


Key was Ohio State’s only double-digit scorer in the first half with 10 points, but all eight Buckeyes who saw time scored over the first 20 minutes. Sueing and Okpara both had eight first-half points, Sensabaugh had nine, and Thornton had five.

Sensabaugh hits double digits for the tenth time


Despite coming off the bench for all but three games this season, the reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Week had scored in double digits in nine of 10 games this year. With his turnaround jumper 1:37 into the second half tonight, Sensabaugh hit double digits for the 10th time this season.

Okpara ties a career-high


With Ohio State leading 67-45 and 10:29 remaining in the game, Thornton dribbled into the key and looked like he was going to throw up a right-handed floater. Instead, he tossed the ball up to the right of the rim, where Okpara grabbed it and slammed it home for his ninth and 10th points of the day. That bucket tied his career-high of 10 points — he also had 10 points against St. Francis on Dec. 3.

Up Next:


Ohio State (8-3, 1-0) gets one week off before returning home to face Alabama A&M (4-7) next Thursday. The Bulldogs are No. 329 in KenPom’s rankings, but they are one of the fastest-moving teams in America with an adjusted tempo of 72.2. That makes A&M the 38th-quickest team in the country as far as pace of play goes.

That game tips off at 3:00 p.m. ET on Thursday and will be broadcast on BTN.

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Is what it is. Hope the 2024 class finds a couple of high-end DEs for the Bucks.

No. 3 Ohio State women’s basketball dominates No. 16 Ducks 84-67
1ThomasCostello 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

Taylor Mikesell gets her revenge against her former Oregon team with a 25-point performance

On Tuesday, it took five quarters, a key injury and late magic for the Ohio State women’s basketball team to beat the USF Bulls in the San Diego Invitational. Less than 24 hours later, the Scarlet & Gray were back at it, this time against guard Taylor Mikesell’s former team, the No. 16 Oregon Ducks.

It was a game with a lot of hype based on the past experience of Mikesell and her teammate’s support in wanting the Ducks. Ohio State followed through with their desire to play and beat Oregon, winning 84-67 against the Pac-12 opponent.

With guard Madison Greene out, and the team announcing they’d have her checked by medical staff when Ohio State returns to Columbus, Rikki Harris stepped into the starting lineup. It was another guard standing out early though for the Buckeyes — the former Duck.

Mikesell scored 10 points in the first quarter, a far cry from her eight total points in the USF overtime victory. Part of those 10 were two three-point shots, shooting 4-for-5 overall. The Northeast Ohioan looked motivated after two rough scoring outings in a row.

Joining Mikesell in the Buckeyes’ early scoring was forward Rebeka Mikulášiková. After averaging 14.8 points on the year, the forward scored only two points Wednesday. Mikulášiková had nine herself, and Ohio State took a 25-23 lead into the second quarter.

To start the second quarter, forward Taylor Thierry joined the fun, and got going quickly. Thierry scored five points early, including a free throw. Even adding a three with the Ducks defense leaving her wide open, and gave her time to set her feet and shoot.

It was a game that Ohio State seemed to finally have the energy early that head coach Kevin McGuff’s hoped for from his side. There was still plenty of basketball to be played, but Ohio State brought intensity and made things difficult for the Ducks on defense.

Halfway into the quarter, the Buckeyes held Oregon to four points, compared to 15 points for Ohio State. The Scarlet & Gray had 10 and five-point runs with 15 assists to start the game. That 15 compared to 13 overall in four quarters and overtime against the Bulls.

On the other side of the court, the Buckeyes stifled the Ducks. Ohio State got hands in the face of defenders and minimized open shots. After a first quarter with Oregon shooting 58.8%, the defense held the Ducks to 40% and Ohio State’s 29-14 second quarter put the McGuff’s side up 54-37 going into the halftime locker room.

Ohio State came out of halftime and added another five points, including a third three-pointer on the night for Mikesell. Oregon was forced into an early third quarter timeout to adjust and thats when forward Grace VanSlooten took the offense into her own hands.

The Toledo, Ohio freshman star scored six straight points, cutting the Buckeyes’ lead down under 20 points, trimming it to 16. Ohio State called a timeout after a run of five misses and three turnovers, hoping to find their first half form offensively and defensively.

Shooting-wise, things went cold. By the time the Ducks cut the lead down to 10, Ohio State was 1-for-13, scoring five points in the quarter. The Buckeyes needed to avoid another frame like that if they wanted to continue their undefeated streak to start the year, entering the fourth up 10 points.

Oregon started quickly, hitting a three to get that lead back to single digits. A 15-point run put the Buckeyes on the ropes, but Ohio State started to respond. It began with another three by Mikulášiková, and then guard Hevynne Bristow making the most of her minutes in a big game.

Bristow hit two layups, a free throw and put herself into situations to score potentially more, if not for some more errant passing. Off one of those bad passes came another technical for coach Kevin McGuff. After getting one Tuesday for frustration late in the game, forward Cotie McMahon passed quickly, and from point blank range to Bristow.

The ball went out of bounds and McGuff leapt in frustration. That forced a whistle against the coach, and stunned looks from the bench on why he was whistled for showing some emotion. To the referee’s credit, McGuff leapt a good couple feet onto the court.

To the coach’s credit though, Ohio State players responded and pushed the lead back up to 16 points with 3:58 left in the game. It was the Taylors doing it. First, Mikesell hit a layup on the fast break off a no-look pass by Bristow. Then, Thierry hit an uncontested layup under the basket on a second chance.

It looked like Ohio State weathered the storm, but VanSlooten and the Ducks showed in the third that they have the ability to trim a lead down.

Mikulášiková and Mikesell each threes down the stretch, and ballooned the lead back up. Ohio State got their win, beating the Ducks 84-67.

Mikesell Beats the Ducks


After three straight games where it looked like Mikesell was slightly off her game, the guard came up big against her former side. Even with teammates talking about how much they wanted to face the Ducks, the pressure didn’t turn into locker room material for Oregon.

Instead, Mikesell scored 25 points on the night, with Mikulášiková adding 27 points. Both hit five three-point shots, and for one night, Mikesell got the last laugh after a seemingly difficult year in green and yellow.

Mikesell added six assists and five rebounds to a well-rounded performance.

Rikki Harris Steps In and Up


The obvious concern for Ohio State on Wednesday was at point guard. Harris stepped in for Greene and Sheldon, and even though Harris hasn’t played much point guard since high school, there was production early.

Harris went into halftime with eight assists. That was good enough for a career high with half the game still to go.

While Harris’ offensive play wasn’t flashy, the guard made good decisions early, not giving up a turnover in the first 20 minutes of the game.

What’s Next


Ohio State heads home for a week off before another game. That game comes Dec. 28, against the Northwestern Wildcats (6-5).

Time off will benefit the Buckeyes, giving Sheldon a few days to heal and allowing doctors to diagnose Greene’s injury. Also, it allows Harris to develop further as a point guard in coach McGuff’s system.

The Buckeyes return home on New Year’s Eve, when they face the Michigan Wolverines at the Covelli Center for a 1:00 p.m. ET tip. Giving the team and fans plenty of time to prepare afterwards for the ball to drop, and the calendar to flip from 2022 to 2023.

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LGHL Uncut Podcast: Ryan Day talks hits and misses of early signing period
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Ohio State Athletics

While the Buckeyes didn’t land any of the big names on Wednesday, the class is still pretty good.

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.

Listen to the episode and subscribe:

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


On today’s episode, we have uncut press conference audio from the press conference on Wednesday, Dec. 21, the first day of college football’s early signing period. During the media availability, Ohio State head football coach Ryan Day discussed the players who signed their national letters of intent by mid-day on Wednesday.

As of publishing time, the Buckeyes have the No. 5 class in the country according to 247Sports Composite rankings and the No. 2 overall per player rating, behind only Alabama.

He talked about the leadership of Luke Montgomery and Brandon Inniss, the importance of recruiting in-state players, and what might still be spots to add before the final signing day in February. The head coach also answered a lot of questions about how NIL and the transfer portal have impacted and changed how the recruiting process works in today’s landscape.

You can watch the full press conference on the official Ohio State athletics website.


Contact Matt Tamanini
Twitter: @BWWMatt

Music by: www.bensound.com

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Short-handed Ohio State squad wrestles to mixed results in New Orleans
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 Athletics / ohiostatebuckeyes.com

After securing a lopsided 39-3 victory to open the 2022 Collegiate Duals, Tom Ryan’s Buckeyes stumbled to an uneven finish.

Ohio State wrestlers took a pre-holiday trip down to the Bayou State, hoping to make their way through a unique format and secure a Collegiate Duals win. The Buckeyes were the second highest-ranked team competing in New Orleans, behind only No. 1 Penn State.

However, the two Big Ten titans were in separate divisions and never slated to face each other. Best to leave that mountain for a future climb.


For these Collegiate Duals, OSU was placed into a six-team pool, joined by Northern Iowa, Lock Haven, North Carolina State, Lehigh, and Cal Poly. Those teams were then split, creating two divisions of three. A round-robin mini-tournament determined the winner of each division, which then resulted in a final showdown between the two division winners... Got all that? It is actually a neat format, but one which unfortunately did not yield the best results for Ohio State.

The Buckeyes began their Christmas week (duals took place Monday and Tuesday) with an easy victory over Lock Haven. The Bald Eagles technically wrestle as a member of the MAC, even though Lock Haven University is considered a DII school. Their MAC affiliation seems even more peculiar when you look at the Eagles’ schedule and see the likes of Davidson, Cleveland State, and Clarion. But enough with the Lock Haven factoids, we are moving on.

OSU rolled to a 39-3 opening win, dominating a number of matches. Sammy Sasso (149 pounds), Gavin Hoffman (197), and Mike Misita (HWT) each won via pinfall, while Dylan D’Emilio (141), Ethan Smith (174), and Kaleb Romero (184) secured major decisions. The Buckeyes’ only loss against Lock Haven came at 165, where Klay Reeves dropped an 8-2 decision. Reeves was wrestling in place of Carson Kharchla; a common theme and/or occurrence for this banged up Ohio State team.

Jesse Mendez and Paddy Gallagher have also missed time, and the absence of key starters began to rear its ugly head for Coach Ryan as the duals progressed.

In their second match, Ryan’s squad went head-to-head with Northern Iowa, a top-25 program. UNI wrestles out of the Big 12 (sure, why not) and appeared to be a legitimate threat to the Buckeyes on paper. That threat was quickly realized when the Panthers took matches at 141 and 149, with the latter being an upset of Sasso. The OSU title contender dropped a back-and-forth contest to Colin Realbuto, marking his second loss in a dual this season.

Romero – Ohio State’s second-highest ranked individual – also lost his match against UNI, to Parker Keckeisen. However, this battle at 184 pounds was not considered an upset, as Keckeisen was likely favored. The Panthers’ two-time All-American and third-place NCAA finisher is one of the rare 184-pounders who can match Romero’s athleticism, doing so on his way to a 3-1 decision.

With UNI up 16-13, the Buckeyes still had a chance going into the heavyweight bout, but UNI’s Tyrel Gordon defeated OSU’s Tate Orndorff to secure a Panthers win. It was Gordon’s second victory of this season over Orndorff, as well as the nail in this particular coffin. Down a few of their key guys, Ryan’s group needed all of their vets to handle business, and that simply did not happen. Sasso’s loss was a major upset, while Orndorff was also the higher-ranked wrestler in his match.

All was not lost for Ohio State in defeat, however, as both Hoffman and freshman Nic Bouzakis wrestled especially well on Monday. Hoffman racked up a fall and a major decision, while Bouzakis went 2-0 with a defeat of UNI’s Kyle Biscoglia. The latter is currently ranked No. 6 at 133 pounds, but he could not out-point OSU’s talented newcomer. Bouzakis was part of the Buckeyes’ historic 2022 recruiting class, and has looked great throughout the first two months of the season.


Looking to shake off a tough loss and leave New Orleans with momentum, Ohio State then faced Lehigh on Tuesday — another top-25 team from a small school, with talented grapplers at many weight classes. The Mountain Hawks are/were more than capable of handing the scarlet and gray a second consecutive dual defeat, but they ran up against a motivated group of Buckeyes.

In a rather uneventful contest, OSU closed out the Collegiate Duals with a 23-12 victory over Lehigh, led by Sasso and Romero. It was dual win No. 300 for Ryan, and the two All-American candidates were among six Buckeyes to notch a dub. Smith, another All-American candidate, also won his final match at 174, finishing 3-0.

While not the result(s) Ohio State was ultimately hoping for, this team cannot be judged properly until they are wrestling at full health. With Kharchla, Gallagher, and potentially Mendez all on the shelf, the Buckeyes are simply missing too many guys. But they have a few weeks to nurse themselves back to health, before entering Big Ten competition. OSU faces Indiana in Bloomington on Jan. 6, where they will look to right the ship.

Go Bucks!

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jakenick06 said:

Carlton Davis and Jamel Dean…I was trying to be punny

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Don't forget Winfield. Tampa Bay....the DBs that could have been.

OK, did not see that it in the cards...

No. 3 Ohio State women’s dilemma at point guard vs No. 16 Oregon
1ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Joseph Scheller/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Buckeyes women’s basketball team is likely down both starting point guards, so who are the options to start?

In the joy of an overtime victory, there’s also sadness for the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes women’s basketball team. In the fourth quarter of their eventual 88-86 win over the USF Bulls, starting point guard Madison Greene went down with an apparent knee injury. The pain was evident for Greene, on the court holding her leg as teammates looked on, visibly shaken for their teammate and friend. With Greene likely out, who can fill the role Wednesday night against the No. 16 Oregon Ducks?

It’s not an easy role to fill. Greene is one of two regular point guards for the Buckeyes, along with guard Jacy Sheldon who’s also likely out due to a lingering lower leg injury. This season, the two split starting duties, with Sheldon starting the year running the Scarlet & Gray’s offense before going to the bench with her leg injury.

Greene’s come up big of late, including in Tuesday’s win. Before leaving for injury, the guard scored 14 points, with 12 coming in the second half. Her final play of the game was a three-point shot, putting the Buckeyes ahead for their first lead of the game.

Here are Ohio State’s options to replace.

Rikki Harris


The pick that makes the most sense is guard Rikki Harris. Since Sheldon’s injury, Harris is the first guard off the bench and the Buckeyes’ sixth player. When Ohio State needs a lift of energy or defense, Harris is the name to fill the role.

Harris started 11 games for the Scarlet and Gray last season after now-LSU guard Kateri Poole sustained an injury and Sheldon slid into the point guard position. While Harris didn’t play point guard, more of a third guard to stretch the floor, head coach Kevin McGuff trusts Harris in pressure situations.

Against the then-ranked Louisville Cardinals, Harris came off the bench and played 26 minutes, her highest of the year. In the win, the guard grabbed 10 rebounds and six assists.

Another positive is Harris has experience at point guard... in high school. Now, that doesn’t necessarily help in such a short turnaround between games, only 24 hours before jump-balls, but it’s the player who makes the most sense.

Taylor Mikesell


A list of options wouldn’t be complete without guard Taylor Mikesell, but that wouldn’t make much sense for Ohio State. It seems highly unlikely.

Mikesell is a shooting guard. Even though she’s tied for second on the team with 25 assists, and knowing that the First Team All-B1G guard likely has the skills to slide into a point role, that’d put Ohio State at more of a disadvantage.

Why? Because why change multiple players into different roles instead of only one? Mikesell can make plays on the defensive end of the court, find open teammates, and run an offense but Mikesell’s more dangerous in the second guard position.

Hevynne Bristow


Last season, when Greene went down in practice before the Buckeyes started their season, Bristow started the first game for the Buckeyes. The guard didn’t start again for Ohio State, mostly due to lingering injuries throughout the year, but she’s shown flashes in the early 22/23 season.

Twice this season, Bristow’s helped the Buckeyes get back into the rebounding game, grabbing eight in games against McNeese State and North Alabama. While those aren’t the same caliber of teams as the USF Bulls or No. 16 Oregon Ducks, Bristow’s healthy and could step up in a big game moment.

Last night, when foul trouble brought Harris and forward Rebeka Mikulasikova out of the game, Bristow played 10 minutes and scored two points. It’s not an offensive explosion but looking at the scoreline, it was pretty important.

Emma Shumate


Guard Emma Shumate isn’t a point guard at all. If anything, the guard’s played similarly to Taylor Thierry’s flexing between guard and forward, but Wednesday isn’t a normal situation.

Shumate averages 12.7 minutes per game, the most of any healthy non-starting guard. It’s the Newark, Ohio native’s first season with Ohio State, but coach McGuff speaks highly of her basketball knowledge, growing up with a basketball coach as a dad and playing with siblings who also play NCAA basketball.

This season, Shumate leads the Buckeyes with 10 blocks. If Ohio State plays less traditionally, without a true point guard, Shumate can come in and be that spark who finds the right positions and anticipates opponents’ moves.

It’s not likely that the start goes to Shumate, who hasn’t started a game this season but expect more minutes.


Ohio State has three other guards on the roster in Kaitlyn Costner, Kaia Henderson, and Mya Perry, but neither of the three has seen time on the court, outside the final minute of blowout Buckeye victories.

No matter who McGuff chooses on Wednesday, Ohio State’s going to look different. It’s nearly impossible to replace Sheldon or Greene on this short notice.

The best the Buckeyes can hope for is leveraging the unexpected against Oregon, which it looks like that’s what the Ducks will get from Ohio State.

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Column: The College football calendar needs a retrofit
Meredith Hein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Let’s try to keep up with the times.

Innovation without regulation breeds chaos — at least that’s a hypothesis we might draw from the recent changes impacting the college football universe. Many of the changes had the brightest intentions, like opening the transfer portal and NIL opportunities for college athletes, expanding the college football postseason, or even an early signing period for high school athletes.

Now, with several seasons with the transfer portal under our belt, three semesters of NIL deals wrapping up and an agreement for an expanded College Football Playoff, we can take a breath and look at some of the unintended consequences that have resulted from these — and more — changes.

And if there was a season where all of this chaos accumulated and exploded, it’s right now. Merry Christmas to all.

That’s because we are in the middle of bowl season, two weeks into the transfer portal and over a week from the start of the College Football Playoff. The Heisman was awarded the weekend before last. Moreover, the early signing period for high school athletes begins today.

With all these events coinciding, it’s nearly impossible for athletes at the high school or collegiate levels to make informed decisions. In some cases, it can be beneficial to make the first move a la Michigan’s Cade McNamara transferring to Iowa where he will almost assuredly win the starting role. However, in most situations, there is fog of new freshmen inbound, undeclared draft prospects and coaching carousel changes that make the transfer portal information system muddy at best.

First, we must acknowledge that the transfer portal is a good thing, but it’s not a panacea. Many players have found new programs that fit their skills or outlook better. Many others did not find a new home and lost out on a scholarship as a result. The number of undergraduate players entering the transfer portal nearly doubled from 2020 to 2021, and an estimated 16% of all FBS football players entered the transfer portal in 2021. Of the more than 2,500 undergraduate and graduate transfers, just 54% of scholarship transfers successfully enrolled at a new school.

To state the obvious, that means that 46% of transfers gave up a college scholarship and did not find a new one, which has serious developmental and financial consequences. Players might be looking to make a move for a variety of reasons (coaching change, not earning a starting role or even homesickness) and coming out the other side with a scholarship might not even be their priority. However, for those who are, while high-profile transfers get a lot of coverage (looking at you, Caleb Williams), most transfers are not on that level.

So what to do about it? In our personal lives, we know organization can solve a myriad of challenges. That’s true for college football, too.

For starters, the NCAA might consider not opening the transfer portal until after spring ball wraps. I know folks will be mad about this one, but at least players would get through another semester with their programs and have a clearer understanding of where they sit in the lineup once players have officially left for the draft and early enrollees have joined the program. In other words, the waters are less muddy. And perhaps then we might avoid seeing some of the serial transfers who moved after the regular season ended only to get shut out during spring camp and forced to move again.

Similarly, we should also leave the College Football Playoff be, since the only time there will be certainty of information for draft prospects is after the CFP is decided. For some reason, TCU quarterback Max Duggan announced his intention to enter the NFL Draft before the Horned Frogs’ game against Michigan in the CFP semi-final. While it’s his prerogative, the transfer portal becomes more challenging when decisions are made before the season is actually over.

We can assume that many of the top prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft will come from the likes of Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan and, yes, TCU. For players from other programs, it would help to understand who from these programs is leaving and who is choosing to return.

While these shifts would not solve all the challenges brought on by changes to the landscape, they would at least serve to bring some order to the chaos that has ensued in this wild season.

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Ohio State men’s basketball vs. Maine: Game preview and prediction
Meredith Hein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Peter van den Berg-USA TODAY Sports

The Buckeyes return home to face the Black Bears in their last game before Christmas.

The last two games have been a tale of two buzzer-beaters for the Ohio State Buckeyes men’s basketball team. First, the Buckeyes overcame Rutgers in their first conference game of the season on a Tanner Holden three-pointer as time expired. Then, Ohio State fell in overtime to North Carolina after the Tar Heels hit a buzzer-beater of their own at the end of regulation to force extra minutes.

Hopefully, things will not be that close when the Buckeyes face Maine this evening in their final matchup before Christmas and their penultimate game of 2022.

The Buckeyes return home after the CBS Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden, where they fell to the Tar Heels, 89-84. After some back and forth early in the first half, Ohio State took control and led for much of the remainder of regulation — that is until North Carolina tied things up at 72-all with 2:11 remaining in the second half. The pair would trade narrow leads and ties for the next two minutes, including a successful jumper from freshman forward Brice Sensabaugh with three seconds left in what looked like a game-winner for the Buckeyes.

Then, UNC’s Pete Nance hit a jumper of his own with one second remaining to send things to overtime. North Carolina didn’t relinquish its lead for the entire overtime period, during which the Buckeyes would score just five points.

Ohio State finished the game shooting 46% from the field, including 38% from range. The Tar Heels outrebounded Ohio State by a 48-42 margin. In just his second start of the season, Sensabaugh led the Buckeyes in scoring with 22 points on the day. He also added eight rebounds. The freshman’s performance was clutch, including his two-point jumper that looked like it would seal the win for Ohio State.

Three of Sensabaugh’s teammates also scored in double figures. Freshman guard Bruce Thornton added 17 points, senior forward Justice Sueing had 16 and junior forward Zed Key added 11. Sueing also led the team in rebounds with nine. The Buckeyes totaled 11 points off the bench.

Ohio State continued to struggle in two key areas: turnovers and free throws. The Buckeyes are averaging a mediocre 12.2 turnovers per game on the season but had 16 to UNC’s 13 Saturday. Turnovers have been a problem for Ohio State all season, particularly in close games. The Buckeyes had 16 versus Duke and 13 in a narrow win over Rutgers.

When it came to free throws, the Buckeyes didn’t have many opportunities from the stripe but connected on just 7-of-14 attempts. Considering how narrow the loss was, these missed points had an obvious impact.

The Buckeyes are now 7-3 on the season with two games remaining on the non-conference slate before Big Ten play begins in earnest on New Year’s Day versus Northwestern in Evanston. Ohio State will be looking to get the bitter loss out of its mind before the holidays — and they have a chance this evening against a 6-4 Maine team.

Preview


The Buckeyes’ opponent for this evening hails from the America East Conference and has the notable distinction of being one of 35 Division I programs to have never made the NCAA Tournament.

The Maine Black Bears would seem to be overmatched by the Buckeyes, but they’re certainly not pushovers. Maine is allowing just 63 points per game this season and its largest margin of defeat came in its season opener against Nebraska by 13. The Black Bears are also riding a two-game winning streak.

In their most recent matchup, Maine defeated Merrimack 50-47 in a defensive struggle. The Black Bears connected on just 35% from the field and were ice cold from range, making just 1-of-16 attempts. They were just about even on rebounds with their opponents, with 30 to Merrimack’s 31.

However, Merrimack had 23 turnovers on the day to Maine’s 14. And while Ohio State struggled from the free-throw line, Maine connected on 92% of its free-throw attempts.

In that game, sophomore guard Kellen Tynes led the Black Bears in scoring with 12 points on the night. Junior forward Peter Filipovity added 11 points off the bench, while senior guard Gedi Juozapaitis had 10.

Tynes, from Nova Scotia, leads the Black Bears in scoring on the season, averaging more than 15 points per game and connecting on 57% of his attempts from the field. Tynes came to Maine after two seasons with Montana State, where he had limited minutes but did play in the Bobcats’ 2021 NCAA Tournament First Round matchup. The addition of Tynes was critical for the Black Bears from a scoring perspective since Maine lost its top-three scorers from the 2021-22 season.

Beyond Tynes, Maine also added Juozapaitis, a transfer from Georgia Southern who is originally from London, England and who’s averaging nearly 14 points per game this season. Rounding out the top three international scorers is Filipovity, the only member of the trio who was with the Black Bears last season. The junior forward from Hungary is putting up nearly a dozen points and a team-high six rebounds per game.

The Black Bears are led by Chris Markwood, who is in the first season of his first career head coaching role. From Maine originally, Mackwood was the 2000 Gatorade Player of the Year for his home state. Mackwood started his playing career at Notre Dame before transferring to Maine, where he finished his college ball and started his coaching career as an assistant. Now, having spent time with other programs, Markwood is back with his alma mater with the goal of sending the Black Bears to their first NCAA Tournament.

Prediction


Ohio State has been dominant at home this season, winning all five of its games at Value City Arena. After a frustrating loss to North Carolina, the Buckeyes must be looking forward to getting back home and getting their rhythm back before starting Big Ten play in the new year.

The Buckeyes’ three losses this season all came against tough competition and, while that doesn’t make it better for a team that’s fallen to 7-3, Chris Holtmann’s team has at least avoided getting tripped up against non-elite opponents that have caused trouble in previous seasons — an important point when considering their NCAA Tournament resume.

Ohio State is heavily favored in this matchup, but there are certainly opportunities for the Buckeyes to fix some of the things that have ailed them in the non-conference season this year. Turnovers, obviously, are a major area the Buckeyes will need to fix. While Ohio State’s assist-to-turnover ratio has improved in recent games, it’s still 1.07, which is good for 160th in Division I. That ratio will need to continue to climb up to set the Buckeyes up for success when they enter a challenging conference slate in just a few weeks.

When it comes to free throws, last week’s performance might have just been a fluke. Regardless, it was also a surprising performance: Ohio State is No. 36 in Division I in free throw percentage on the season, connecting on more than 75% of attempts. Again, when it comes to games that will likely be decided by fewer points (see Ohio State’s recent win over Rutgers), those points matter.

This evening, Ohio State will face an opponent that hasn’t been blown out since its season opener and one which has played lockdown defense in most of its matchups. It’ll be another opportunity for young players to step up and for a team to continue to find a rhythm together, building on its early season momentum.


ESPN BPI: Ohio State 96.4%
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
TV: BTN

LGHL score prediction: Ohio State 78, Maine 65

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Game Preview: No. 3 Ohio State women’s basketball vs. No 16 Oregon
1ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Ben Cole - Land-Grant Holy Land

After a game of highs and lows for the Buckeyes, there’s a quick turnaround to face the Ducks

The Ohio State Buckeyes women’s basketball team felt the highs and lows of competition on Tuesday. In a game where the Scarlet & Gray were down six with 1:12 left in overtime, Ohio State came back when nobody but themselves thought it possible. It’s also a game that might spell the end of seeing guard Madison Greene on the court for a while.

When the ride car came to a stop at the end of Tuesday’s roller coaster of a game, the Buckeyes were victorious, setting up a much anticipated game against the Oregon Ducks.

Preview


In the fourth quarter, with 3:24 left to play and the Buckeyes coming off a 12-point run, Greene went to the ground, clutching her knee on the court. The emotions of Greene stretched to her teammates on the court and the bench, visibly upset at the redshirt junior’s apparent injury.

Greene is a player who worked hard to recover from knee surgery before the start of last season, down in what looks like another knee injury — although it’s too early to know the extent.

Also without guard Jacy Sheldon, who’s also currently out with a lower leg injury, Ohio State goes up against a marquee Pac-12 side going further into their bench. It’s a game that many on the team are looking forward to and wanted, especially guard Taylor Mikesell.

Mikesell played a season with the Ducks where her minutes were cut, productivity dipped, and caused her to leave after one year. After Tuesday’s game, forward Cotie McMahon reiterated the desire to play the Ducks, for Mikesell. Be careful what you wish for though when it comes to Oregon.

No. 16 Oregon is a tough opponent, as their ranking and recent form suggests. On Tuesday, they faced the No. 17 Arkansas Razorbacks to a back-and-forth 85-78 victory in the first game of the San Diego Invitational.

Leading the way for the Ducks was Toledo, Ohio forward Grace VanSlooten. The freshman who has very non-freshman numbers scored 26 against the SEC side, adding to her 16.6 points per game. VanSlooten also averages 6.6 rebounds per game. Overall, she’s an upperclassmen with full eligibility.

Another name who will give the Buckeyes a similar challenge to Tuesday’s game against the Bulls is 6-foot-8 center Phillipina Kyei. The big grabbed 14 rebounds against Arkansas. That was bested by USF’s Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu who grabbed 17 boards and 34 points. It was a game that the Buckeyes’ defense in the paint would like to forget, but could repeat on Wednesday.

Then there’s guard Te-Hina Paopao. The facilitator of the Ducks offense is dangerous not only for her ability to score and dish, averaging 12.5 points and 4.0 assists per game, but the lack of mistakes. Paopao leads the NCAA in assist to turnover ratio, earning 5.71 assists for every turnover.

Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK
Te-Hina Paopao (left) and Grace VanSlooten (right) offer two challenges Wednesday night for the Buckeyes

Half of the Ducks 10 games this season feature Paopao not giving up a single turnover, meaning it’ll be hard for the Buckeyes full court press to break her down and cause mistakes like they have to so many others.

The big question for Ohio State themselves is who will be the one taking that role for the Buckeyes with Sheldon and Greene likely out?

Redshirt junior Rikki Harris is the likely choice. Harris is not stranger to starting For Ohio State. Last year, she started 11 games in the stretch run of the season, helping lead the Scarlet & Gray to a regular season co-championship and Sweet Sixteen run in the NCAA Tournament.

On Tuesday, Harris fouled out but not before scoring seven points and grabbing five rebounds, four on the offensive boards. Harris might not score in bunches like Sheldon or assist like Greene, but the guard’s tenacity and energy on the court can’t be beat. The Indiana native also made a big block in the fourth quarter, swatting away a layup by USF’s Caitlin Mcgee. To beat Oregon, Harris will need to bring that same energy,

Projected Lineups

Lineup Notes

• If Harris starts, it’ll be the third to do so as point guard for the Buckeyes this season.
• Cotie McMahon hit a new career high again with 30 points against USF.
• Like McMahon, Taylor Thierry also broke her career high, scoring 23 points Tuesday on top of six rebounds (three on the offensive boards).

Lineup Notes

• Oregon’s +29.80 is third highest in the Pac-12, behind just No. 12 Utah and No. 2 Stanford.
• Kyei’s 11.2 rebounds per game is tops in the Pac-12.
• The Ducks commit the fewest turnovers in their conference.

Prediction


Wednesday’s game is hard to call. Greene and Sheldon being out makes this game look like it could be hard to choose the Buckeyes to win, but there is some solace from recent close games.

Ohio State won with insurmountable odds on Tuesday, with ESPN result predictions putting USF at near 100% chance to win in the final minute of overtime. That doesn’t sound great, but considering Mikesell only scored eight points — six in overtime — paints a different picture.

For the Buckeyes to win, their shooters need to hit their shots. That means Mikesell and forward Rebeka Mikulášiková (who scored only two points against USF). Ohio State will need to score closer to their average against Oregon.

The motivation, and even more with losing a teammate to injury, should have the Scarlet & Gray come out firing. If not, a comeback against these Ducks will be a steeper hill to climb than Tuesday.

How to Watch


Date: Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022
Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
Where: Pechanga Arena - San Diego, California
Stream: Flohoops

LGHL Prediction: 85-80 Oregon Ducks

Team Dub Chain


After wins, the Buckeye coaches hand out a dub chain to the best performer on the evening. There wasn’t one winner on Tuesday, because the entire team received the honor.


Bench players like Eboni Walker and Hevynne Bristow stepped up when starters fouled out. Ohio State responded to come back and tie the game after Greene’s injury. Mikesell hit the three when the team needed it the most. The youngest two Buckeyes led the team offensively.

If not for everyone playing down the stretch, Ohio State wouldn’t still be an undefeated No. 3 team in the country.

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Bucketheads Podcast: Going deep on Buckeyes after UNC Loss, as non-conference winds down
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images

The boys break down the Buckeyes' tough overtime loss to North Carolina and the 7-3 start in general.

‘Bucketheads’ is LGHL’s men’s basketball podcast, hosted by Connor Lemons and Justin Golba. Every episode they give you the latest scoop on the Ohio State Buckeyes and everything else happening in the college hoops world.

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


On the 58th episode of “Bucketheads,” Justin and Connor break down the North Carolina game in full and give their thoughts on what went wrong and what went right. The boys also talk about the “controversial” coaching calls at the end of the game and why the decisions made aren’t really that controversial at all.

They also discuss the Buckeyes' 7-3 start to the season as they wrap up non-conference play with two more games. What has been most impressive, what has the team struggled with, and maybe most importantly, how have the freshman looked?

Makes sure to like and subscribe to the podcast and let us know what you think!


Connect with the Podcast:
Twitter: @BucketheadsLGHL

Connect with Connor:
Twitter: @lemons_connor

Connect with Justin:
Twitter: @justin_golba

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Ohio State, Ryan Day hope for a smooth day one of the Early Signing Period
Bret Favachio via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Jelani Thurman | 247Sports

The Buckeyes are aiming for a relatively calm Wednesday for the start of the early signing period.

The early signing period has arrived, and today marks the first day that Ohio State can officially welcome their 2023 recruiting class into the brotherhood. The Buckeyes are aiming to ink all 20 current pledges, but there is a pair of prospects worth monitoring today as an SEC program is still in pursuit.

Plus, the latest on two defensive end prospects that head coach Ryan Day and defensive line coach Larry Johnson are crossing their fingers in hopes of landing.

Can the Buckeyes outlast Auburn for Lee, Thurman?


After over a handful of trips to Auburn during the season for Ohio State four-star tight end commit Jelani Thurman of Langston Hughes (GA) and a late-hour pursuit of Buckeyes four-star cornerback pledge Kayin Lee of Cedar Grove (GA), the Tigers are a team that could spoil a perfect day for the scarlet and gray. There has been a lot of buzz in recent months suggesting that Ohio State has reason to be concerned with the two.

Thurman has had an opportunity to get familiar with the Tigers campus throughout the season despite being pledged to the Buckeyes. The 6-foot-5, 230-pounder also saw his primary recruiter and position coach Kevin Wilson head to Tulane, which certainly didn’t help things. However, Thurman is the more likely of the two to stick with Ohio State as the Buckeyes seem to have weathered the storm.

As for Lee, Auburn has made a massive attempt to pry him from the hands of Ohio State. It even got to the point of Lee sporting Tiger gear prior to his state championship game and a couple of predictions for him to ultimately flip in favor of newly hired Hugh Freeze. This one seems to be the one of the two that is more likely to get away from the Buckeyes.

The latest on Mickens, Uiagalelei


Aside from keeping Lee and Thurman in the fold, Ohio State is also hoping to reel in Joshua Mickens and Matayo Uiagalelei — both of who will announce their decisions later today.

Mickens, a four-star defensive end, was formerly committed to LSU before backing off of his pledge once Ohio State jumped into the picture and offered. The Indianapolis native has yet to reveal any sort of finalists for his pending pledge, and all signs point to the Buckeyes being the beneficiary.


In regards to Uiagalelei, things get a little more difficult to read. The five-star defensive end will pick from Ohio State, Oregon, and USC and there is no tea leaves to read in a recruitment that has been played close to the vest by the Uiagalelei family.

Will the California standout chose the path to Columbus or will he stay closer to home and suit up for the Ducks or Trojans? The 247Sports Crystal Ball entering today favors Oregon, with just one single prediction made at the time of this writing.

Quick Hits

• Former Rhode Island offensive tackle Ajani Cornelius is set to make his decision later today between Nebraska, Ohio State, Oregon, and Tennessee. Cornelius was in Columbus this past weekend for a visit with the Buckeyes.
• After entering the transfer portal on Monday, Ohio State wasted no time getting out an offer to now former Washington State offensive tackle Jarrett Kingston. The Buckeyes sent an offer to Kingston on Tuesday as they remain active in the portal along the offensive front.

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No. 3 Ohio State women’s basketball team stun USF Bulls in thrilling 88-86 OT comeback win
1ThomasCostello 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

It was a close game to start the San Diego Invitational, with a tough injury for the Buckeyes.

The Ohio State Buckeyes women’s basketball team spent all of the early 22/23 season near the East Coast. On Tuesday, the timezone changed along with the challenge ahead of themselves, playing two games in two days against a slate of tough opponents. Up first in the San Diego Invitational was the USF Bulls. Although unranked, the Buckeyes fought a tough Bulls side and picked up the 88-86 overtime win on a big three by guard Taylor Mikesell.

Ohio State began the game like recent starts of late. That meant slow scoring and this time it came back to hurt the Buckeyes quickly. The Buckeyes opened the game shooting 3-for-15 from the floor, missing all five three-point attempts.

On the other side, the Bulls came to play. Hurting the Buckeyes the most was forward Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu. The Buckeyes couldn’t stop the 6-foot-4 Cameroonian from rebounding and scoring inside the paint. Fankam Mandjiadeu hit a double-double in the first half, scoring 14 points and grabbing 11 rebounds, showing that Ohio State had no answer for the big.

The only response the Scarlet & Gray had in the first quarter was forward Cotie McMahon. Like the last two games, the freshman led early Buckeyes scoring. Tuesday it was seven of Ohio State’s 11 first-quarter points.

Going Into the second half down 10, things got worse for head coach Kevin McGuff’s side. After guard Taylor Mikesell missed her first two free throws of the quarter, the Bulls pushed the lead further.

Mainly through shooting from guard Sammie Puisis. The Mason, Ohio junior found space to shoot on the right wing and kept making her chances. USF ballooned their lead up to 18 points, while Ohio State’s shooting continued to struggle.

Even so, the Buckeyes showed flashes; late into the second quarter, after not scoring in the first 4:34 of the quarter. Substitute guard Rikki Harris helped provide a spark, hitting a three and a layup in the paint. For McMahon, she continued her scoring on the night hitting double-digit scoring, scoring 13 in the first half and adding two steals for good measure.

Slowly, Ohio State began to chip away at the lead. With a minute remaining in the first half, the Buckeyes chipped it down to less than 10. The reason was flexing forward/guard Taylor Thierry. The Cleveland, Ohio native scored six consecutive points, including timely rebounding on the offensive boards, and beginning to force turnovers in the press.

The Buckeyes ended up outscoring the Bulls by one in the second quarter, cutting a 10-point deficit down to nine with one half of basketball remaining.

Which Ohio State would come out of the locker room for the second half? The version that makes people forget about the first half, on their way to a big win or a repeat of the first half?

Unfortunately for the Buckeyes, it was the latter. Halfway through the third quarter, Ohio State’s shooting sat at 33.3%, allowing the Bulls put the lead back up to 13. McMahon and Thierry were the only players in scarlet scoring points, but they are also missing opportunities.

Thierry had three with five minutes remaining in the quarter, but also shot 3-for-6 from the free throw line. Three points that could have put the Buckeyes within three possessions.

At that point, the Bulls didn’t have to do anything but slow the clock down and continue to make shots. They did the first part, holding the ball long into their possessions but the defense of Ohio State began to make an impact.

Ohio State held the Bulls to 35.3% shooting in the third, and Greene and McMahon added seven and six points respectively. At one point, the Scarlet and Gray cut the lead to five points, but USF pushed it back out.

USF guard Daniela Gonzalez hit a layup and bonus shot from the free throw line and Puisis hit a tough three from the corner, right in front of a fired-up Bulls’ bench. Ohio State entered the fourth quarter down nine and needing big help to put themselves into any position to win.

Instead, USF came out continuing to play their game, namely through continued strong scoring by Puisis and Fankam Mendjiadeu. The forward scored five points in the paint, two layups, and a free throw, while Puisis again hurt McGuff’s side from deep. Within the first two minutes of the last quarter, the Buckeyes were down 13 points.

Looking like they were down and close to out, Ohio State came to life, going on a 10-point run to cut the Bulls’ lead to three. Adding an exclamation point to the run was Harris. With USF attacking inside the paint, Harris timed a block perfectly, sending the ball into an Ohio State offensive possession that put the game within one possession.

Still without points on the night, Mikesell forced a turnover, and Ohio State went running again. This time, Mikesell took the ball herself into the paint but was fouled in the process. Mikesell hit her first two points of the night, free throws, and got the Scarlet & Gray within one.

All USF could get, scoring-wise, was attempts at the free throw line and one layup. For Ohio State, they forced turnovers and Thierry and Greene put the offensive pressure on their shoulders.

Thierry hit 10 points and Greene gave Ohio State their first lead with three of her five points in the quarter with under three minutes remaining in the final 10 minutes. Then, with 3:24 left in the game, the Buckeyes were dealt a blow.

Greene went to the ground hard, immediately clutching her knee and needing treatment. The Buckeyes bench was visibly shaken by the injury, with her long-time teammates in tears on the court.

The guard left being helped off the court, and the game continued. Ohio State and USF traded layups initially but the Bulls went ahead four on a tough giveaway by the Buckeyes after forcing a turnover, down two at the time.

Ohio State kept battling back, and it turned into a free throw competition in the final minute. First, it was USF’s Fankam Mendjiadeu hitting two, then McMahon to tie it.

With 16 seconds remaining, the game was tied after Thierry knocked the ball out of bounds. USF had the final possession, but couldn’t make anything of it, putting Ohio State into their first overtime game of the season, ending regulation knotted at 75-75.

It took 2:27 into overtime, but Mikesell hit her first points in the run of play in the period. It came on a jumper in the paint, following hitting a free throw. What continued to hurt Ohio State though was putting players on the free throw line.

USF made nine free throws with a minute left into the final period. Ohio State went down six, but they didn’t stop.

McMahon hit a three to cut it to five, Mikesell waited till the final 20 seconds of the game to hit her first shot from deep and a turnover by USF and a layup by Thierry put Ohio State up 88-86 to win a game it never looked like they’d win.

Madison Greene’s Tough Injury


Regardless of Tuesday’s outcome, a story from the game is the injury of Greene. The guard spent all of the 21/22 season on the bench after needing knee surgery, missing the Big Ten season featuring a co-championship in the regular season.

Greene’s filled in for guard Jacy Sheldon, who’s suffering from a lower leg injury. Sheldon’s status of week-to-week — coupled with the unknown of Greene’s recent injury — puts the Buckeyes in a hole for the foreseeable future.

What’s most important is that Greene can return from this injury like she did entering this season, providing leadership and consistent play on the court.

Tough First Half Shooting


Hurting the Buckeyes, especially badly on Tuesday was shooting. Ohio State hit 31.3% in the first half, compared to 60% for the Bulls.

Part of that tough Buckeyes performance was Mikesell who went 0-for-6 in the first half, three of those from beyond the arc. It wasn’t all her though, with guard Madison Greene shooting 1-for-6 and forward Rebeka Mikulášiková going 1-for-4.

It ultimately didn’t matter, with Mikesell hitting the one that counted.

A by-product of that was Ohio State registering just one assist in the first 20 minutes after leading the Big Ten averaging 19.9 per game.

What’s Next


With the Buckeye win, they move on to face the No. 16 Oregon Ducks. For some on the team, it’s the preferred match-up because of Mikesell. The guard played a season with the Ducks before transferring to Ohio State before the 2021-22 season.

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It’s A Big Ten Christmas Carol: Who each B1G team would be in ‘The Muppet Christmas Carol’
JamiJurich via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here



Running through who each Big Ten football team would play in “The Muppet Christmas Carol.”

“Life is made up of meetings and partings.” -Kermit the Frog, “The Muppet Christmas Carol”

As life is made up of meetings and partings, so too is football season. Not all meetings and partings are equal, though. I can’t quite top last year’s “Home Alone” breakdown, but in honor of this week’s holiday festivities/the upcoming playoffs, I’ve decided to do a highly scientific breakdown of which character each Big Ten football team would play in the great holiday classic “The Muppet Christmas Carol.”

Narrators Charles Dickens (Gonzo) and Rizzo the Rat: Rutgers and Maryland



I mean no disrespect to the Great Gonzo or Rizzo, my little rat king, but in this particular film, you would quite literally forget they were there if they didn’t announce themselves on occasion. Rutgers and Maryland occasionally do something memorable (like when Rutgers put up a fight against OSU this year), but mostly they show up, and everyone is kind of like, “Oh yeah! Forgot about those guys!”

Ebenezer Scrooge: Ohio State


“Christmas is a very busy time for us, Mr. Cratchit. People preparing feasts, giving parties, spending the mortgage money on Playoff Tickets.” -The Ohio State Christmas Carol



The main characters in both “A Christmas Carol” and the Big Ten (and I’m not saying that as a homer — I’m saying that based on numbers) both tend to be quite greedy when it comes to sharing wealth. This can be a real thorn in others’ sides, especially because they are good at what they do. This year, in particular, Ohio State — much like Scrooge — needs to have a Come-to-Jesus moment if they’re going to get anywhere in the playoffs.

Kermit the Frog as Bob Cratchit: Northwestern


From very early in the movie, it is obvious that sweet Kermie is just getting kicked around by Scrooge. He tries to stand up for himself by getting Scrooge to close the office on Christmas Day, and though Scrooge relents, it’s for entirely selfish Bah Humbug reasons (all the other businesses are closed, so he won’t be able to get anything done, and doesn’t need to pay Bob to do nothing).

As the movie progresses, it’s clear poor Kermie-Bob needs some help. But you know what? That doesn’t stop him from working hard and giving it his all. Northwestern seems to try so hard – and sometimes they come pretty close to being successful (like the OSU game this year, with a little help from the wind), but at the end of the day, their fate is in the hands of their enemies.

Maybe one day this will pay off for them like it does for Kermit.

Fred Scrooge: Indiana


Indiana is made up of a bunch of very nice people who always seem to be inviting you to a party you don’t want to go to. I do hear they throw a good party. I’m never gonna find out though!

Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker: Nebraska



My guys are out here collecting money for charity and Scrooge poo-poos them. He wants nothing to do with what they’re selling. In the movie, this is a Bad Thing, but in football, this is a Good Thing. OSU doesn’t feel bad for resident Big Ten charity case Nebraska. We’re here to turn them out and kick them to the curb as Scrooge does to these two.

Statler and Waldorf as Jacob and Robert Marley: Iowa and Michigan State



A cautionary tale of what happens when you don’t get your ducks in a row. Iowa’s really messed things up for the Buckeyes in the past – remember 2017? Anyone old enough to remember the time when Michigan State and OSU used to flip-flop on wins, or when MSU beat OSU in the 2013 Conference Championship? How the mighty have fallen. They’re cranky, and they’re here to warn us about what happens when you get sloppy between seasons.

Ghost of Christmas Past: Penn State


Now it’s getting good. The ghosties are starting to show up. The skeletons are coming out of the closet. For the first seven years that Penn State was in the Big Ten, this matchup was a Top 25-team game, with at least one of the two in the Top 5. Then we had the Tressel years. There were some ROUGH games in there – I don’t need a ghostie bringing me back to these painful games because they seem so far in the past now that I have been able to repress those memories. They’re but a faint and fleeting thought, but when they come to mind, they’ll make you uneasy.

Ghost of Christmas Present: Michigan



Low-key, getting to be a ghost on the wall in their locker room/practices would be a great help in the Buckeyes having their needed Come-to-Jesus moment. But mostly, this is a storyline with present-day potential to make us sad. We already lost to them this season, and the potential for a rematch is just lurking there, much like the visions of Bob Cratchit’s family haunt Scrooge in this movie. We’ll have to fix some things on our end if this Christmas is going to be a success.

Miss Piggy as Mrs. Cratchit: Illinois


As it is Miss Piggy, she’s not gonna pass up a chance for the spotlight. She will find ways to be a diva with flashy moments. But her main storyline is that she’s strugglin’. She’s stuck at home caring for the family with barely enough money to make ends meet. Illinois similarly has flashy moments, small glimpses that make them seem like the real deal. Mostly they just need help though.

Robin the Frog as Tiny Tim: Minnesota



Poor Tiny Tim is having a really rough go, what with being sick and all. It’s really throwing a wrench in his plans for the future. Minnesota, similarly, had their hopes and dreams derailed by star running back Mohamed Ibrihim’s injury in October. Ibrahim missed only one game this year – a mid-season matchup against Purdue.

Yet without him, Minnesota lost 20-10, a game that ultimately cost the Golden Gophers a Big Ten Championship berth. Much like Minnesota’s hopes and dreams died that day, the Cratchit Family’s hopes and dreams have died in Scrooge’s trip to Christmas Future, where poor Tiny Tim is no longer with us.

Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come: Wisconsin



We gotta keep our eye on this one. Full of bad omens and scary things, Christmas Yet to Come tells us that Tiny Tim has died and things are sad. Could this be the tale of Wisconsin and Minnesota in the Big Ten West as Wisconsin looks to keep improving? I’m not saying next season – but in the near future, we could see them upending their division and putting the nail in Tiny Tim/Minnesota’s coffin. Bleak, man. Bleak.

Old Joe: Purdue


Old Joe is a gigantic spider who creates a fence, a barrier through which it is hard to pass. Purdue is often that. We all write them off, and yet, they were in the Conference Championship this year, and even in their off-years, they are ready to stand in the way for at least ONE team. Nothing more than an inconvenient fence.


Happy Holidays from everyone here at LGHL. Wishing you and yours a safe, Buckeye-victory-filled break!

*Author’s Note: I did not forget about Fozziwig/Mr. Fezziwig. Literally no one in the Big Ten is cool enough to be Fozzi Bear. No one.

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