great return by McCall tonight also forgotten in the wash due to yet another shit officiating call. Hopefully he gets more opportunities because it was good seeing him turn it on today.

The "Brotherhood" is still alive and well:

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Culture isn’t the same everywhere. Right now, it’s very different at Ohio State than it is with most football programs.

As historical programs like Michigan, Penn State, Texas and others find themselves on the edge of collapse during the insanity that is 2020, the Buckeyes are thriving.

They are growing and improving. They are getting better when some of Ohio State’s top supposed rivals are falling apart.

Why? How does culture go from concept to consistent?

“I think it’s the type of people first off, that you bring in — the families, the parents, everybody really cares about each other,” Ryan Day said on Thursday afternoon. “We focus on trying to bring in really good players, but more importantly great people. That starts in recruiting.”

It’s the culture in Columbus that helped Ohio State land another huge piece of its future on Thursday night when 5-star quarterback Quinn Ewers committed, three weeks or so after he decommitted from Texas. The Buckeyes stand together, and that’s not the case at Texas right now.
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“It’s just our culture,” Buckeyes defensive end Tyler Friday said. “Our culture is very consistent here. From my freshman year to my junior year now, things change slightly, but the culture always been the same. We build on toughness and brotherhood, regardless of what kind of players we got in the locker room or the coaches on staff, regardless if it’s your first year here or tenth year here, you understand the culture.”

Suddenly, I understand exactly what is wrong with America these days. Someone does something like some of these pics of hot dogs and they should get a life sentence.

ScriptOhio said:

REMEMBER THAT ONE TIME. Maryland center Jalen Smith was a top-10 pick in last night's NBA Draft, which immediately reminded us of that one time last year when he got absolutely dominated by Kaleb Wesson, who went undrafted.

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Honestly, the more embarrassing thing for me is that his head coach spent the next week complaining that his future top-10 pick got worked in the post by a smaller player that didn't even end up getting drafted. I hope Chris Holtmann beats Maryland by 55 this year.

Entire article: https://www.elevenwarriors.com/skul...hio-state-a-nightmare-matchup-and-the-college

Click to expand...

That win was very satisfying and fuck maryland

Stick to Sports podcast: Help us decide which potato chip is the best potato chip
Tia Johnston 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 Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Also, do we have any General Hospital fans? Does Tia remind you of someone? This episode will help you figure it out

Land-Grant Holy Land’s newest podcast series, Stick to Sports, will be unlike any podcast you’ve heard on the Ohio State beat. Your hosts, Tia Johnston and Matt Tamanini, will (of course) talk Ohio State football, but the primary focus of the show will be on what’s going on around the periphery, such as weird/funny happenings in college football and the sports world at large, as well as other things that keep us interested in between games, whether that’s pop culture, social media trends— you name it.

Listen and Subscribe Now:


You basically get it all in this week’s episode: My problem with the concept of ~baking~, Matt describing General Hospital to me because I’ve never seen an episode (I’m sorry okay!?), and why I remind him of a character on the show (he even made me complete a live experiment to prove his theory).

Before ending the show with our What to Watch recommendations, we announce the winner of the Tortilla Chip Region in our Chip Bracket before moving onto the Potato Chip Region. We were able to argue it down to two finalists, but once again, we need your help in crowning a champion. So head over to our Twitter (@LandGrant33) to vote for one of the two OGs, Ruffles or Lays. This is a gonna be a close one!



Tia’s Recommendation: “Four Weddings and a Funeral” on Hulu:

https://www.hulu.com/series/four-weddings-and-a-funeral-2e17b3b3-cadf-41ee-b8a2-59fe64c17f67

Matt’s Recommendation: The “True Crime Obsessed: podcast:

https://www.truecrimeobsessed.com/


Contact Tia Johnston

Twitter: @TiaJohnston_

Contact Matt Tamanini

Twitter: @BWWMatt, @LandGrant33

Theme music provided by www.bensound.com

Sound effects provided by www.epidemicsound.com

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Buckeyes offer 2022 Georgia receiver, current OSU commit gets big ratings boost
Caleb Houser via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Four-star 2022 WR Kojo Antwi | Photo via Dawg Post

Ohio State dishes out their latest offer to a four-star wideout

The hiatus from last week is over, and thankfully the Buckeyes will be back on the field in just over 48 hours for a top-10 matchup against — who’d have thought — the Indiana Hoosiers.

Having a few extra days to prepare, Ohio State will surely be geared up, ready to go and will probably play with a little bit more of an edge than usual knowing last weekend was taken from them. Nevertheless, it will be great to see Justin Fields and the rest of the roster back in action.

Speaking of having things taken away, that has really become the theme of this year. Yesterday, the NCAA did in fact implement what many had expected when they extended the in-person recruiting dead period through this coming April 15. This is now a full calendar year that recruits have lost the chance to visit schools of their choice and the ability to see the coaching staffs in person.

For the Buckeyes and their efforts in recruiting, nothing is going to change in terms of their tactics. They have navigated through these murky waters more than successfully, and will continue to do the same as they finish the 2021 cycle and continue to build in 2022.

Latest offer to 2022 wide receiver


You could say this about multiple positions at Ohio State, but in this instance there may not be a spot better than wide receiver in terms of the Buckeyes’ recruiting success. Position coach Brian Hartline has truly taken the recruiting of his room to the highest level, and with the combination of landing elite talent and on-field development, you see results — such as what Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson are doing right now for this offense.

A trend that is repeating itself in every cycle, the Buckeyes are landing the nation’s top receivers and using them in ways that is guaranteed to keep the momentum going. When high-profile prep prospects who play receiver are seeing what Ohio State is able to do on Saturday and then look at the NFL to see former Buckeyes doing much of the same on Sunday, the recruiting pitch is pretty easy to make for Hartline and Ryan Day.

On Wednesday, Ohio State dished out their latest offer in the 2022 class to yet another elite receiver. Georgia native Kojo Antwi, a 6-foot-1, 185-pound prospect, was on the receiving end of this offer, as he announced via his Twitter account yesterday that Ohio State has entered his recruitment.


Ranked currently as the No. 23 receiver in the class and the 18th best player in Georgia for his 2022 class, Antwi holds over 25 offers from many of the nation’s top programs. With schools such as Alabama, Georgia, USC, Texas, Oregon, and a host of others already in the fold, it’s not hard to see why the Buckeyes are the latest to throw their hat into the ring.

As they have been for multiple years in a row, the Buckeyes are very much in the running and are perhaps the clear leader for the nation’s top receiver in the 2022 class, Caleb Burton. Though they continue to recruit the position at a pace never seen before, Hartline and Day are clearly content but never satisfied, always looking for more.

Moving forward, it wouldn’t be too surprising to see the Buckeyes become a serious player for Antwi if they are serious about their interest. After all, their recruiting pitch does speak for itself.

Buckeye lineman gets big time rankings boost


Ohio State’s 2021 class is pretty much perfect. Currently sitting as the nation’s second-best class with still a shot to be No. 1 when all is said and done, there really isn’t anything to complain about. Still, with the expectations of the staff as high as they can be, the Buckeyes may have been a little disappointed with how their offensive line recruiting went — mainly at the tackle position.

You know the story if you follow recruiting at all. After missing out on their top target in JC Latham, the Buckeyes really did hit a bit of a wall trying to land an elite guy to fill the void. They were in the running for five-star OT Tristan Leigh for a while, but that ship has more than likely sailed.

Never going empty handed though, Ohio State landed their guy Zen Michalski for the 2021 cycle. While Michalski may have not been the blue chipper Buckeye fans are used to, he still has every ability to play at Ohio State, and in reality is a player that was likely overlooked.

Being from Southern Indiana and not able to be on the camp circuit thanks to the pandemic, Michalski was not a household name, but had a senior season that did everything to give him the rise in stock he deserves.


Yesterday, in the latest 247Sports rankings update, Michalski moved up an incredible 125 spots to now be considered the No. 208 player in the country, as well as the No. 22 OT in the 2021 class. In addition, Michalski was granted his fourth star, and made it clear how happy he was when he took to his Twitter account to announce the news.

It’s safe to say that the film Michalski put together this fall combined with his Ohio State pledge has put him up where he wanted to be, and all that does is give the Buckeyes once again enough talent to not only restock, but reload.

Continue reading...

Column: An article designed exclusively to mess with SB Nation’s new article-reading robot
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Arne Dedert/picture alliance via Getty Images

Warning: This article contains record levels of stupidity and profanity. Proceed with caution.

I know that No. 3 Ohio State has a gargantuan contest against the No. 9 Indiana Hoosiers scheduled for this Saturday, but if I’m being honest, I think Ohio State easily covers the 20.5-point spread. So, instead of spending today’s column breaking down that game, I am going to use this valuable interweb real estate to test — and mess with — the newest feature rolled out this week from our overlords at SB Nation dot com.

If you haven’t noticed, on the mobile version of Land-Grant Holy Land (and on select articles on desktop), there is now an option for you to have a generic, vaguely bougie, monotone male voice read you any given article, in its entirety (after an ad, obvi). Now, it should go without saying that I am completely in support of anything that provides increased accessibility to to folks who otherwise might have trouble accessing content.

But that doesn’t mean that we aren’t going to have fun with our new toy, which we absolutely did on Twitter today:


I’ve got to admit, the AI robot man actually does a pretty good job of reading the articles, but there are some things that trip him up, like records and abbreviations.

Instead of reading Penn State’s current record as “O and four,” he says “0-4.” Obviously a small thing, and understandable when you are dealing with a semi-sentient android who likely has no comprehension of sporting jargon. Then there are common football position abbreviations; while everyone probably is good with QB, normally when I read/write an article, if I type WR, I don’t hear the letters W and R in my head, instead I just hear wide receiver. So, having WALL-E tell me that Ohio State has a lot of young talent in their WR room, is a little odd, but on the whole, not a big deal.

But, since this feature is so new, there are a lot of things that we just don’t yet know how it will handle. So, friends, Ohioans, countrymen, lend me your ears (literally), as in the remainder of this article, I am going to do everything I can to mess with the robot and (perhaps even more so) entertain myself. I hope you enjoy the ride.

Silly Words


There is something a bit weird about the AI voice, isn’t there? It sounds unflappably normal most of the time, but then, all of a sudden, out of nowhere there are occasional, odd moments in which it ventures into an audio Uncanny Valley, like the record or abbreviation things mentioned above.

So, I am going to see how it handles some fun word experiments, starting with some of my favorite words to say outloud:

Antidisestablishmentarianism
Bumfuzzle
Cattywampus
Flibbertigibbet
Moist. Let’s do that one again... Moist. What, you don’t like that word? What if we elongate it. Mooooooooooooist. Or would it sound better as Moyyyyyyyyyyyyyyst? Either way, both are fun. Let’s continue, shall we?
Quidditch
Snickerdoodle
Tiddlywinks
Zamboni

Not bad, Bender. But, let’s move on to something a bit more challenging.

Another cool aspect of this audio feature is that you can choose varying speeds from 1x regular speed to 2x double-speed. So, what I would recommend that you do right now is pause, and turn it to double-speed and see if Hal (or whatever we’re calling him) can provide an adequate interpretation of Daveed Diggs’ epic first rap section from “Guns and Ships” in “Hamilton”:

“I’m taking this horse by the reins, making redcoats redder with bloodstains, and I’m never gonna stop until I make ‘em drop, and burn ‘em up and scatter the remains. Watch me engaging ‘em, escaping ‘em, enraging ‘em, I’m out. I go to France for more funds, I come back with more guns, and ships, and so the balance shifts.”

What do you think? Does the American Theatre Wing owe Raptimus Prime an honorary Tony Award? Either way, while you’ve got the speed up, let’s see how he handles some tongue-twisters:

She sells seashells by the seashore.

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

Red leather, yellow leather.

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

I’m guessing that our favorite AI handled the tongue twisters with aplomb, but what about jokes? Do you think C3POSU has any comic timing? Let’s find out.

<FYI: This joke is better if you close your eyes. Reading it could ruin the punchline:>

What do you call a fish with no eyes?

Fsh. Ba-dum ching!

Creative Profanity


Alright, that was a fun start to our experiment, but here’s where it’s going to get serious. One of the things that I enjoy most about writing for LGHL is the creative editorial freedom that we enjoy as part of SB Nation. If I want to write an article meant solely to tease an inanimate artificial intelligence apparatus, I can do that. If I want to drop some creatively colorful (yet sophomoric) language in an article, I can do that too.

So, in this section, I am going to try and (quickly) tell the story of the Big Ten East’s first half of the 2020 season while including some silly profanity that I really want to hear our boy Short Circuit read. So, without further ado:

At the halfway point in the Big Ten’s regular season, the conference has been an absolute dumpster fire, outside of Ohio State and Indiana, of course. The shitterific performances by the other five teams in the B1G East have made it more than reasonably possible that this once proud division of blue-blooded, cocksure elites is now the absolute most god-awful division in all of the Power Five.

At the bottom, the Happy Valley Nits are still winless after a soul-sucking overtime loss to the Hoosiers in Week 1 shattered their hopes of finally achieving elite status this season. While I believe that this is just a temporary stop in Suck City for James Franklin and company, I am still enjoying the hell out of the asserific performances that his team is engaging in this fall.

Through the first four games of the regular season, Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan Wolverines have also been wonderfully asstastic, going 1-and-3 to open the campaign. For any Ohio State fan, watching the Weasels struggle has been scrumdiddlyumptious this season. For all of the hype around new quarterback Joe Milton, Screech Powers’ cousin now has a QB controversy on his hands, and, fam, you hate to see it (do you think our Robo-Reader friend will be able to accurately indicate sarcasm? I’m guessing no).

And as much as I actually really do hate to say it, I think that our favorite be-khakied Michigan Man might have worn out his welcome in That State Up North, and the nearly six years of embarrassing fuckatude very well could end his tenure at his alma mater following this season.

But, the best part of *ichgan’s collapse is that they very well might be the only win for their in-state rival Spartans for the entire season. Former OSU assistant Mel Tucker is trying to pull Sparty off of the dungheap of mediocrity, but, save for an absolute annihilation in Ann Arbor, he hasn’t had a shit-ton of success just yet.

Over in Piscataway, despite also being Oh-and-Three, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights did execute the greatest play in the history of college football earlier this season, even though the asinine asshats wearing stripes overturned it for a barely observable illegal forward pass. However, while this traveshamockery might have erased the play from the record books, it will never erase it from our memories (or from YouTube).

Then there’s the Mary-Land Terrapins who have played well this year, but they screwed the pooch last week as their team had a COVID outbreak canceling their game against the Buckeyes and endangering this Saturday’s game against said Spartans.

Unsurprisingly, there were a number of people on the social meeds who tried to blame and shame the Terps for either a) not caring enough about football as not to contract a highly contagious, potentially deadly disease thus canceling their game against Ohio State or b) caring too much that they purposely contracted a highly contagious, potentially deadly disease in order to avoid playing Ohio State.

Either way, the butt-nuggets who think either of those things are a bunch of fuck-chunks, and don’t deserve to be listened to anyway. Instead, we’ll just wish the best to Maryland and hope they get healthy soon.

Then there is Ohio State and Indiana. They’re both undefeated, and therefore don’t deserve any profanity. However, completely unrelated to football, I’m wondering what would happen to our disembodied friend if I had him read one of the naughty parts from Geoffrey Chaucer’s “The Canterbury Tales,” but in the original Middle English:

“Now sire and eft sire, so bifel the cas. That on a day this hende Nicholas, Fil with this yonge wyfe to rage and pleye. Whil that hir housbonde was at Oseneye, As clerkes been ful subtile and ful queynte, And prively he caught hire by the queynte And sayde, “Ywis, but if ich have my wille For deerne love of thee, lemman, I spille,” And heeld hire harde by the haunche bones And seyde, “Lemman, love me al at ones Or I wold dyen, also God save me!”

Difficult Names


I don’t know about you, but for me, that was a hoot. But, it doesn’t truly tell us how R2-ReadTo will perform in the actual, legitimate task of reading college football articles. And while names like Master Teague and Steele Chambers and Tuf Borland are cool, they aren’t exactly difficult to pronounce. So, let’s try a few harder ones in a little bit of context.

Due to coronavirus concerns within the Maryland Terrapins’ program, the Ohio State defense did not have the opportunity to face off with the Terps’ dynamic transfer quarterback, Taulia Tagovailoa last week.

However, this weekend (knock on wood), the OSU secondary will look to get back to their #BIA ways as they take on the Hoosiers’ dynamic WR duo of Whop Philyor and Ty Fryfogle. and quarterback Michael Penix Jr. Yes, I said Penix.

tbh, I am a bit concerned that the more explosive IU offensive will take advantage of the Buckeyes’ notoriously unathletic linebackers on Saturday. Oh, how I long for the days of backers with speed, skills, and difficult to pronounce last names, like Tom Cousineau, James Laurinaitis, and Andy Katzenmoyer.

Moving on to action around the country, after missing the past two weeks due to a positive COVID test, Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence returns as the Tigers will square off against the Florida State Seminoles. He will be resuming the signal-calling duties from D.J. Uiagalelei who played QB in the Heisman hopeful’s stead.

Unfortunately for the ‘Noles, after making his first career start last week against N.C. State, freshman quarterback Chubba Purdy (not to be confused with Oklahoma State running back Chuba Hubbard) had season-ending surgery on Tuesday to repair a broken collarbone.

While I am sure Purdy’s broken clavicle was painful, one of the most painful things to ever happen in my life was watching Michigan’s Tshimanga Biakabutuka run for 313 yards against the Buckeyes in 1995. I can still feel the sting in my chest and the ache in my bones when the wind gets cold and it’s about the rain.


So, how did BB-8 do? Is this the dumbest feature that any website has ever rolled out since Al Gore invented the internet? Or, is it kind of cool, and this article is an embarrassing abuse of the technology that will revolutionize the sports blogging industry?

Let us know what you think in the comments, and don’t worry, the AI can’t read your comments out loud... or can I? Muhahahahahaha.


After some unexpected start and stops, I am back to posting a column every single day from preseason camp until whenever Ohio State’s football season ends. Some days they will be longer and in depth, some days they will be short and sweet. Let me know what you think of this one, and what you’d like to see me discuss in the comments or on Twitter. Go Bucks!

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Buckeye Bits: The men’s basketball schedule is finally here!
Tia Johnston via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Harry How/Getty Images

All of the latest Ohio State news from around the beat and beyond.

Alright, give it to me straight. How are we feeling about Saturday? Nervous? Confident? Queasy? I’d say that I am “cautiously optimistic.” Look, I didn’t like what I saw in the Rutgers game. I didn’t like it one bit. And it does not make me feel good about Indiana and their pass-happy quarterback. But maybe I’m overthinking things. Maybe because it was a night game against ~Rutgers~ in an empty stadium, players’ were in a “can we just get this over with” state of mind. This week is much different in that they got a couple extra days to prepare for the Hoosiers in light of last week’s game being canceled. They know Indiana will be the toughest team they face in the regular season and will adjust their mindsets accordingly. And they’re aware of what they need to fix from said Rutgers game. So I really do think the Buckeyes are going to win this game, I just don’t think it’s going to be a walk in the park (which is how I prefer my football watching experience). But, at the end of the day, even if the secondary decides to stay home again and the running backs don’t feel like getting first downs...say it with me folks...we’ll always have Justin Fields.

Speaking of which, let’s get to today’s Ohio State news where we hear the players and coaches themselves give their thoughts on No. 9 Indiana.

From around Land-Grant Holy Land...


Temperature Check: What the experts are predicting for Kaleb Wesson in tonight’s NBA Draft

Connor Lemons, LGHL

The NBA Draft is tonight and Connor tells us what the experts are predicting for Kaleb Wesson’s fate.

Podcast: ‘Hangout in the Holy Land’ previews the Indiana game

Gene Ross and George Eisner, LGHL

Gene and George are back on the mic this week to talk all things Indiana— how they feel about Hoosiers’ hot start and how they think things are going to play out on Saturday.

Ohio State still in good position with five-star wide receiver

Gene Ross, LGHL

Can Ohio State land the No. 1 WR in the country? Gene has all the updates and rumors for you in this morning’s State Secrets.

Column: How nervous should you be about Ohio State’s defensive position groups?

Matt Tamanini, LGHL

All you need to know is Matt used the phraise “gird your loins” in this article.

Biggest news of the day...


Ohio State announced that there will be no family members at games for the next 28 days, including the game against Indiana. This also goes for basketball and hockey games that are scheduled for the remainder of 2020.

The university will revaluate the decision to allow families to the last game of the season against Michigan on Dec. 12.


The Big Ten finally announced the 2020-21 men’s basketball schedule (a week before the season opener its fine).


If you don’t feel like reading the release, here’s the Buckeyes’ schedule:

Nov. 25 – Illinois State (2 p.m., ESPN2 or ESPNU)

Nov. 29 – UMass-Lowell (4 p.m., BTN)

Dec. 2 – Morehead State (5 p.m., BTN)

Dec. 5 – Alabama A&M (TBD, BTN or BTN+)

Dec. 8 – at Notre Dame

Dec. 16 – at Purdue

Dec. 23 – Rutgers

Dec. 26 – at Northwestern

Dec. 30 – Nebraska

Jan. 3 – at Minnesota

Jan. 6 – Penn State

Jan. 9 – at Rutgers

Jan. 13 – Northwestern

Jan. 16 – at Illinois

Jan. 23 – at Wisconsin

Jan. 27 – Purdue

Jan. 31 – Michigan State

Feb. 4 – at Iowa

Feb. 8 or Feb. 9 – at Maryland

Feb. 13 – Indiana

Feb. 18 – at Penn State

Feb. 21 – Michigan

Feb. 25 – at Michigan State

Feb. 28 – Iowa

March 6 – Illinois

What the Buckeyes are saying...


A few players and coaches met with the media on Wednesday to discuss their preparation for Indiana, and QB1 was up first.

Fields is not exactly known for throwing interceptions, and he said he makes it a point of emphasis to make sure he doesn’t. He said he thinks most of Indiana’s 10 interceptions are due to quarterbacks’ panicking under pressure.

Also, in what universe is Fields going to answer this question with a “yes” or a “no?”


Regarding Indiana’s defense, which he says is toughest defense they’ll face this season, Fields said he and Josh Myers work well together to identify blitzers, and that he trusts the O line to get their issues fixed quickly.


Brian Hartline was up next, and said that Jameson Williams and the rest of the freshmen have really stepped up, and that everyone is happy with the distribution of the ball because, well, it’s clearly working.


He also touched on freshman WR Julian Fleming and his improvement since the Rutgers game.


Ohio State co-defensive coordinator Greg Mattison took the mic next. He said tackling was easily the the biggest issue for the backup defenders who played against Rutgers in the second half.

Mattison says Indiana is the best team they’ve prepared for so far, and that quarterback Michel Penix “can put the ball where he wants to put it” and that “its going to be a big challenge.” However some good news coming out of the secondary:


In regards to preparation, he’s crossing all his T’s and dotting all his I’s.


Last but not least, Zach Harrison, who said he’s progressing every single day.


Harrison reiterated the importance of the defensive ends rotating to keep everyone fresh, which really pays off toward the end of the game.

Harrison said Larry Johnson tells them he has five starters, but that Jonathon Cooper starts every week because “he’s the OG.”


For more quotes, check out Eleven Warriors Presser Bullets:

I don’t know...none of it?

Two Buckeyes sit atop the NFL’s Rookie Ratings!


Tag your favorite LSU fan!

For a laugh...


I know we’re supposed to hate these guys this week, but I highly recommend following Crimson Quarry — SB Nation’s Indiana blog — on Twitter.

Have you seen anything more beautiful?


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Temperature Check: What the experts are predicting for Kaleb Wesson in tonight’s NBA Draft
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Quinn Harris-USA TODAY Sports

The former Ohio State star and Columbus native will be anxiously waiting to see if his name is called with one of the 60 picks in this year’s NBA Draft.

One month ago, we checked in on several of the biggest media outlets to find out where they predict former Ohio State star Kaleb Wesson to be drafted in the 2020 NBA Draft. Wesson, who declared for the NBA Draft at the conclusion of the 2019-2020 season, is hoping that his unique skillset and rapid transformation from a foul-prone, lumbering center to a sharp-shooting stretch four will get him drafted at some point Wednesday night.

Draft day is here, and there still is no consensus on when, or if, Wesson’s name will be called. There are gaps in his game, certainly. Wesson still lacks the mobility to guard at the NBA level. He struggled at times to defend the Big Ten’s best big men, which begs the question of how he would hold up defensively in the NBA against athletes far superior to those he faced in college. He can be turnover prone at times as well, committing the second-most turnovers per game (2.5) last season for the Buckeyes. That’s not a great number for a non-primary ballhandler.


However, Wesson does have two tools that play in the NBA right now: his size and shooting ability. As a junior, he shot 42.5% from beyond the arc, the best on the team. At 6-foot-9 and slimmed down to about 250 pounds, he’ll pull larger defenders to the perimeter who prefer not to wander out there, which opens the paint for teammates. Conversely, if teams let Wesson shoot from deep, he’s shown he is more than capable of capitalizing. He also possesses above averaging passing ability for a big man, especially passing out of the post when double-teamed and under pressure.

On Oct. 23, Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann praised Wesson, calling him, “The best shooting big in the NBA Draft.” He noted that during Wesson’s freshman season in 2017-2018, he only shot 14 total threes. During his junior year that total was multiplied by almost eight, as he took 106 threes, hitting them at nearly a 43% clip.


He backed his coach’s praise up at the NBA Draft combine, nailing 80% (!!) of his shots in the 3-point star drill. He looks even more slimmed down than he was during the season, too.


So, will Wesson’s complete body makeover help him climb the boards of NBA scouts and land him on a team tonight? Or will he take a draft-day slide like his former teammate Keita Bates-Diop did in 2018, who slid completely out of the first round and down to the No. 48 pick?

Let’s take one final look at what “the experts” are saying in the hours leading up to the draft, including their predictions today as well as what they said one month ago.

N/A indicates that the outlet did not have a full mock draft last month, and “Undrafted” means the outlet does not have Wesson going in either round of the draft.

Draft Day Projections

Tankathon.com


Today: Undrafted

Last month: Pick No. 57 to the Philadelphia 76ers

Sports Illustrated


Today: Pick No. 53 to the Oklahoma City Thunder

Last month: Pick No. 53 to the Oklahoma City Thunder

Hoops Prospects


Today: Undrafted

Last month: Pick No. 60 to the New Orleans Pelicans

USA Today Sports


Today: Pick No. 39 to the New Orleans Pelicans

Last month: Pick No. 57 to the Philadelphia 76ers

DraftSite.com


Today: Pick No. 52 to the Sacramento Kings

Last month: N/A

Fansided


Today: Pick No. 60 to the New Orleans Pelicans

Last month: N/A

NBC Sports


Today: Undrafted

Last month: N/A

ESPN


Today: Undrafted

Last month: Undrafted

The Athletic


Today: Undrafted

Last month: Undrafted

Outlook

Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

I’m not sure what information USA Today has that everyone else lacks, but it seems that if Kaleb Wesson gets drafted tonight, it’ll be somewhere between picks 50-60.

If he goes any higher than that, it would indicate that team really likes him and committed to him earlier to guarantee the pick. As stated earlier, Wesson probably isn’t a finished product. Don’t be shocked if he ends up in the G-League to start the season, or perhaps bounces around a bit before finally settling somewhere.

Good luck to Kaleb and all those hoping to have their names called tonight!

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Podcast: ‘Hangout in the Holy Land’ previews the Indiana game
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images

Is #9Windiana for real?

Hangout in the Holy Land is back to give you their breakdown of all things Buckeyes. The hosts are new, the football season is new, but the sarcasm hasn’t changed a bit. Join George Eisner and myself all year long as we break down Ohio State’s opponents and recap the Buckeyes’ performance each weekend.

Listen to the episode and subscribe:


We all saw Ohio State’s biggest game of the season coming down to a Top-10 matchup against the Indiana Hoosiers right? Well, with all of the chaos that has gone on in the Big Ten this year, that is where things currently stand.

The Buckeyes did not get to take the field this past weekend after Maryland’s program suffered a COVID-19 outbreak, but they will now return for what will be a de facto play-in game for a trip to Indianapolis at season’s end. Tom Allen’s Indiana team has looked really good this year, and will certainly be Ohio State’s toughest test yet. In today’s episode, George and I discuss where things stand in the Big Ten, our thoughts on the reality of the Hoosiers’ strong start, and of course give our picks for Saturday’s game.

We will be back on Sunday following the game. We hope you will tweet us @HolyLandPod with your postgame questions and hot takes, and we will try to read as many of them as possible on the show.

Looking forward to hearing feedback from you guys. As always, if you like what we’re doing, be sure to subscribe and drop a review on Apple Podcasts. We’ll see ya after the game!

Contact Gene Ross
Twitter: @Gene_Ross23 / @HolyLandPod

Contact George Eisner
Twitter: @EasyEis

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Ohio State still in good position with five-star wide receiver
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Five-star 2021 wide receiver Emeka Egbuka | Brandon Huffman, 247Sports

The Buckeyes are looking to fill out the 2021 class with a pair of top prospects

It’s kind of hard to believe, but signing day for the 2021 class is right around the corner. Many of Ohio State’s commits in the current class plan on signing early, with the Early Signing Period beginning on Dec. 16. National Signing Day is not too far along after, with that period opening up on Feb. 3. All of this is to say: things are coming to a close.

However, while the majority of Ryan Day's group is well in hand, there are a few pieces still outstanding — and they are rather large pieces at that. One of them is a top-10 player in the country and the top guy at his position.

We’ve spoke ad nauseam about five-star wide receiver Emeka Egbuka. The Washington native has long been pegged as an Ohio State lean, and despite keeping his recruitment under wraps throughout the process, we learned a little more about where things stand this week.

Speaking to 247Sports National Recruiting Editor Brandon Huffman, Egbuka says he has narrowed his top four list down to just three programs.

“It’s more like a top three,” said Egbuka. “Ohio State, Oklahoma and Washington. I haven’t talked to Clemson in a long time, so it’s really just those three schools,”

With the Tigers now off the list, the nation’s No. 1 WR is now basically just waiting to visit Oklahoma’s campus before making a final decision. Egbuka has been to Columbus twice in the past on unofficial visits, and has made numerous trips to see the Huskies as they are the local program. However, since the NCAA has extended the recruiting dead period to April 15, Egbuka will have to make the trek to Norman on his own dime.

“I kind of figured that I’d have to visit Oklahoma by my own means, since it’s the only place I haven’t been,” said Egbuka. “I figured I’d go with my dad or go with my mom and check out Norman and see what it’s about. So that hasn’t changed that aspect. My dad and I have some airline points to redeem since we had to cancel before so I’ll probably do that at some point.”

Egbuka has a good relationship with Oklahoma QB commit Caleb Williams, and doesn’t want to make his decision without at least checking in with the Sooners. The talented wideout has connections at each of his top three choices, also being in close contact with Washington QB commit Sam Huard and talking constantly with Ohio State WR Gee Scott Jr. — who is also from WA.

Ohio State has not relented in their pursuit of Egbuka even as he continues to weigh his options. In regards to Brian Hartline, Egbuka says the two speak on the phone nearly every day, and he hears from Ryan Day at least once a week.

“I talk mostly with coach (Brian) Hartline and coach (Keenan) Bailey and I also talk to coach (Ryan) Day,” said Egbuka. “I talk to a lot of the players too- I talk with Gee Scott, he’ll coach me up on some things and send me clips. I talk with Julian (Fleming), Jaxon Smith-Ngijba, Chris (Olave), Garrett (Wilson) and Justin (Fields) too. It’s pretty cool to get on the phone with him and talk with him. I also talk with CJ Stroud.”

Even without a concrete decision in mind, Egbuka says there is still a chance he decides to sign and enroll early if high school football in Washington isn’t played.

“I kind of have a timeline in my head, but nothing official,” said Egbuka. “A lot of it is based on my high school, how many games we’ll play, when we play, if we play at all. If we don’t end up playing, then I’ll look to enroll early. My plan right now is that I will sign in December, but I guess it’s possible I could wait till February

There are currently 10 Crystal Ball predictions in for Egbuka, with eight of them in favor of Ohio State. There is one pick in for Oklahoma, and the lone remaining pick is undecided.

Quick Hits

• In yesterday’s State Secrets, we spoke about how an offer could come soon following a virtual visit with four-star center Donovan Clingan. Well, that is exactly what happened, as the nation’s No. 6 center and the No. 44 player overall in the 2022 class took to Twitter to announce his official offer from Ohio State on Monday night.

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Column: How nervous should you be about Ohio State’s defensive position groups?
Matt Tamanini 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

I broke down the offensive position groups yesterday, it’s the defense’s turn today.

As I said in yesterday’s column, I know that it sounds weird, but the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes are now halfway through their 2020 regular season. While they are guaranteed (or at least as guaranteed as a team can be in 2020) at least two postseason games, coming off of the unexpected bye week felt like a good time to see where each position group has performed thus far and how worried we should be about them. I started with the offensive side of the ball yesterday, so today is defense and special teams; gird your loins.


As a whole, the defense hasn’t played awfully. Yes, they’ve given up more points than I think that they should have relative to the competition, but I think a lot of that can be explained away by having lost a ton of talent from last year’s team, and not having the normal offseason opportunities to fully set new schemes and get players comfortable playing next to each other. They also have a new defensive coordinator running the show this year with Kerry Coombs calling the shots along with Greg Mattison this year, so that will take some time for folks to adjust as well.

I do think that the defense as a whole will continue to improve as they get more playing (and practicing) time together, especially on the essentially completely rebuilt defensive line and in the secondary where Shaun Wade is the only returning starter, but he’s not even returning to start at the same position. The linebackers on the other hand, that’s a whole other story...

Ok, as I explained yesterday, I will be grading each position group based on the amount of worry that you should have about them and how it corresponds to another Big Ten East team (see the chart below).

And, just to be clear, I am personally less worried about the long-term future of Penn State than I am for Michigan. I think that 2020 is just an unusual accumulation of shittiness for James Franklin’s team, while this season is a complete culmination of years of backsliding for Jim Harbaugh’s. But, PSU is 0-4, so they are at the bottom of my scientifically constructed scale.

Penn State (0-4) = Peak worry
Michigan (1-3) = Extremely worried; we’re teetering on the edge of an abyss
Rutgers (1-3) = Kind of worried, there was optimism, but it’s fading
Michigan State (1-3) = Vaguely worried; we knew this was coming, but hopefully it won’t last long
Maryland (2-1) = Not really worried, things could creep up, but overall it’s great so far
Indiana (4-0) = Not worried at all

Defensive Line

Level of Worry: Somewhere between Maryland and Michigan State


Coming into the season, I assumed that because of injuries and the departure of a number of talented veterans, that the interior defensive line would be the weak spot of the OSU defense. Well, I couldn’t have been more wrong. Through three games, I think that it’s safe to say that the front line has been the most pleasantly surprising part of the Buckeye defense — although, that’s not saying much.

Now, part of my initial assumption was due to Ohio State not sharing information about injuries, so there was no way that we could have known that Haskell Garrett would not only play this season, but would prove to be the best lineman on the team in the early goings.


Also inside, the physical freak Tommy Togiai has become another solid lineman for Larry Johnsons’ unit, and players like Jerron Cage and Taron Vincent (also back from injury) have proven steady while they’ve gotten adjusted to more playing time. The interior of the line has been a bit weak in run defense though, something that they will need to address before they finally play elite offenses in the postseason.

Similarly on the outside, the defensive ends have just not turned up the pressure all that much through three games. DE Jonathon Cooper leads the team with 11 QB pressures and Tyreke Smith has eight, but those 19 pressures account for 65.5% of the team’s total created by ends so far.

With the way that Johnson rotates players, you would like to see more guys disrupting things in the backfield. Obviously there’s no Bosa brother or Chase Young on this team, so they are going to have to do it by committee, and through three games there have been some veteran bright spots, but the youth and inexperience has proven to be an anchor on the defensive line’s potential in the early season.

As I said before, they’ve been good, but not great. If the defensive line can find a way to create more of a rush — from the inside and/or the outside — that could elevate them to an impressively well-rounded unit by season’s end.

Linebackers

Level of Worry: Rutgers


I’m not gonna lie, I didn’t have super high expectations for the linebackers this season, mainly for two reasons; Tuf Borland and Pete Werner. While I know that the defensive coaching staff loves what these guys bring to the table, I just can’t understand what exactly that is.

Sure, Werner provided some flexibility and consistency in the Sam LB position last year, but he got moved to Will for 2020, and I don’t think that the change has helped him. Thus far in the season, Borland and Werner have graded out as two of the worst three backers on the team according to Pro Football Focus, and what has been especially lacking is their coverage skills; which I can only imagine will be exploited by the more dynamic offenses that the Buckeyes are likely to face in the playoff.

I did have hope though coming into the season that the elevation of Baron Browning to the starting Sam would mean that the defensive coaching staff has finally realized that athleticism is more important at the LB position in the modern college game than old-school form-tackling and assignment football. And while Browning has been above average in his new role, Borland is even more firmly entrenched at the Mike position.

Dallas Gant has flashed in fairly limited opportunities in the middle, but he has also struggled in coverage and in tackling. I said at the beginning of the season that I would like to see Teradja Mitchell be Borland’s co-starter at Mike, but he has mostly been Werner’s backup at Will, although grading out significantly higher than the starter.

So, if you asked me what I would do with the linebackers to prepare for the more athletically skilled offenses waiting for the Buckeyes when they finish Big Ten play, I would say start Mitchell at weak-side, Gant in the middle, and Browning at strong-side. Will you have to deal with some some blown plays and missed tackles? Probably, but you’re still getting that with the less athletic veterans now, so you might as well accept that as the trade off for guys who should be able to keep up with more explosive opponents in the future.

Secondary

Level of Worry: Michigan State


Here’s the thing, Shaun Wade came into the season with a lot of expectations. He was projected a first-round pick as a slot corner, but having moved to the outside, he has not lived up to what everyone envisioned he would be. He’s allowing completions on 65% of passes that target the man that he is covering, resulting in 167 yards and three of the four passing touchdowns that the OSU defense has given up on the season. Not great, Bob.

But, I still have faith in Wade. Leading into what was supposed to be the Maryland game, the DB talked about knowing where he was lacking, and working diligently to address those issues in both practice and games. I believe that he can and will make those adjustments.

Then you look at Sevyn Banks at the other corner, while he has probably underachieved a little based on preseason expectations, he is a new starter who had to soldier through an unusual offseason, so it’s not unexpected that he would need time to get fully comfortable in his new role. Like Wade, I feel good about his ability to get there.

The safeties have been another unusual situation this year, because coming into the season, the assumption was that Josh Proctor would be the one to play single-high, but Marcus Hooker has been the starter there this season with Proctor playing in the nickel and/or as the bullet. While Hooker has struggled, especially in tackling, Proctor has been one of the bright spots on the entire defense, grading out as the best DB on the team.

It’s important to keep in mind that the secondary is still in a bit of flux this season. With Jeff Hafley departing for Boston College and Kerry Coombs returning to Columbus, the DBs are still adjusting to a new system, without the benefit of a spring practice, summer workouts, a tradition fall camp, or even non-conference games. It is going to take time for the newly reconfigured secondary to gel, but I have faith that they eventually will. I just hope it’s in time to take on the ferocious passing attacks of Clemson and/or Alabama.

Special Teams

Level of Worry: Michigan State


This one is weird, because of all of the different components of special teams, but let’s start with the best; Drue Chrisman has been solid in 2020, despite his rather infrequent opportunities to contribute. The OSU punter does not qualify to be ranked in the official punting stats, because he has not averaged 3.6 punts per contest (he’s currently at 2.7), but five of his eight punts have been downed inside the 20, and only one has been returned — that crazy 58-yard touchdown return against Rutgers.


But overall, Chrisman has been as solid as ever. The same cannot be said about the placekicking. The Buckeyes are 2-for-4 on field goals so far this season, and while that obviously is largely because Blake Haubeil is injured — leading to his own miss and walk-on Dominic DiMaccio going 1-for-2 — it is still a bit concerning.

Since the Buckeyes don’t give out information on players, we don’t really have an idea as to what the timetable might be for Haubeil’s return. If he is back and 100% for the College Football Playoff, then I don’t think that there is any reason to worry.

While missing a field goal or two against overmatched opponents might be frustrating, it’s not likely to matter (and I kind of like the idea of Ryan Day going for it more than settling for FGs). But, you can’t miss scoring opportunities against the Clemsons and Alabamas of the college football world. While settling for FGs against the Tiger came back to bite them in the Fiesta Bowl last season, imagine how deflating it would have been had Haubeil missed those attempts instead of making them?

So, needless to say OSU will need to have a reliable field goal kicker for any post season run, whether that’s Haubeil or true-freshman Jake Seibert.

Now let’s turn our attention to the return game <sigh>. The Ohio State kickoff and punt return teams have been so underwhelming for a decade that it has transitioned from being frustrating to just being something that I actively don’t think about anymore. There was a time — 10 to 15 years ago — when I would factor in a return touchdown to my score predictions nearly every week. Nowadays, I don’t even assume that there will be one in an entire season.

The last OSU kick return for a touchdown was against TTUN in 2010 when Jordan Hall returned one to the house, and on Sunday, it will be six years since the team’s last punt return for a touchdown. On Nov. 22, 2014, Jalin Marshall returned a punt to the end zone against Indiana. Could the drought be broken this week against the Hoosiers? I sure hope so, but I doubt it.

The fact of the matter is, the Buckeyes’ returners rarely even try to return kicks and punts. OSU’s kick returns are currently averaging 6.6 yards per return (last in the B1G), while the punt returns are averaging 7.2 (10th in the B1G). We all know that Ohio State has more than enough talent to have far better return numbers than it has in recent memory, but it is obvious that since the start of the Urban Meyer era, returns have just not been prioritized.

The coaches know that their offenses are so good that the extra field position that could result from a return is not worth the potential for a turnover or injury. Whatever potential yardage might be abandoned by taking the safe route is believed to be worth it, because the offenses at OSU are generally so dominant that they can make up that ground; and it’s just not worth the opportunity cost of potentially turning the ball or getting someone hurt on a return.

So, tl;dr:

- Punting is solid and more than serviceable.
- Field goal kicking will continue to be suspect until Blake Haubeil returns, unless the young gun Jake Seibert proves ready.
- I’ve given up waiting for the return game to be of any consequence for the Buckeyes.


After some unexpected start and stops, I am back to posting a column every single day from preseason camp until whenever Ohio State’s football season ends. Some days they will be longer and in depth, some days they will be short and sweet. Let me know what you think of this one, and what you’d like to see me discuss in the comments or on Twitter. Go Bucks!

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Buckeye Bits: Ryan Day and the team preview Top-10 battle with Indiana
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images

All of the latest Ohio State news from around the beat and beyond.

After a week hiatus, Ohio State football is set to retake the field this weekend for a matchup with No. 9 Indiana this Saturday at the Horseshoe. The Buckeyes will hope that everything runs smoothly this week both within their own program and among the Hoosiers so that Ryan Day and his guys don't have to miss anymore time.

Let’s jump right into today’s headlines.

From around Land-Grant Holy Land...


Ohio State hoops virtually visit with four-star center
(Dan Hessler, LGHL)

Recruiting news isn’t always just surrounding the football team, as Chris Holtmann has proven himself a worthy recruiter in his time in Columbus.

Ohio State basketball 2020-21 stats preview
(Gene Ross, LGHL)

The Buckeyes’ hoops team lost leading scorer Kaleb Wesson to the NBA Draft and a pair of guards to transfers this offseason. Where will they make up some of that production?

Buckeye Clips: NFL Week 10 highlights
(Tia Johnston, LGHL)

Davon Hamilton picked up his first career sack, Malcolm Jenkins recorded another pick, and Terry McLaurin continued to be awesome in this week’s OSU alum NFL highlights.

Podcast: Crimson Quarry’s Mike Miller previews Ohio State-Indiana
(Matt Tamanini, LGHL)

It’s always great to get the point of view of the opposition heading into a big matchup. In today’s In Conversation, Matt sits down with Crimson Quarry managing editor Mike Miller to talk Buckeyes-Hoosiers.

From around the gridiron...


On Tuesday, we got to hear from Ryan Day and a handful of Buckeyes as they sat down with the media to preview the Indiana game. As usual, the head coach was the first to the podium.

Day opened up by talking about trying to keep things moving after the Maryland game was cancelled. He says the team tried to replicate game reps as best as possible in practice, but Indiana really gets the added bonus of being in rhythm with four-straight weeks of play.


The former quarterback coach had lots of praise for Indiana QB Michael Penix.


Day says he understands that there is no margin of error for Ohio State, especially now that they will be playing at least one fewer game. He says the team was disappointed and angry about the Maryland cancellation, but handled it maturely and got right to work.


Like many in the Big Ten sphere, Day is not surprised by Indiana’s rise this season.


While the fans have certainly expressed their feelings in regards to the team needing to make improvements following the Rutgers game, Ohio State’s players have felt the same.


Day also had praise for Indiana head coach Tom Allen, who has done a phenomenal job building the Hoosier into the program they have become so far this season.


In case you were worried about an early exit, Ryan Day loves coaching at Ohio State.


Defensive end Tyler Friday was up next at the mic, and he began his time praising the work of his fellow defensive linemen as they continue to improve each week.


Friday, like the rest of us, thinks this college football season has been really odd.


Friday finished up by acknowledging how important it will be for Ohio State to get pressure on Penix and make him uncomfortable. He then passed things over to Thayer Munford.

The talented offensive tackle does not think the Buckeyes have come close to hitting their peak.


Ohio State beat Indiana 51-10 last season, but the Buckeyes know that doesn’t carry much weight into this year’s meeting.


Munford’s offensive line mate Josh Myers spoke next, and he began by talking about how the team isn’t quite satisfied yet with the way the running game has looked.


Harry Miller has been a topic of discussion, as the first-year guard has struggled a bit early on, but Myers isn’t worried. Day acknowledged earlier that Miller has been thrown into the fire at a new position, but lauded his ability to learn from his mistakes. Myers expressed a similar sentiment.


Josh Proctor was the final Buckeye to speak on Tuesday, and he classified himself as the “Swiss Army knife” of the defense with his willingness to play anywhere he is needed. Proctor is impressed by the athleticism of Indiana’s receivers, and knows this is an important week for the Ohio State secondary to step up.


Proctor finished up the afternoon talking about his experience in playing man-to-man coverage, even as a safety, as former DC Jeff Hafley had him practicing with the corners at times last season.


Speaking of Indiana, the last time these two teams met a man by the name of J.K. Dobbins had a pretty great afternoon. Maybe this is the week an Ohio State running back steps up and pours in some big numbers for the Buckeye offense.

From around the hardwood...


We are just one day away from the NBA Draft, and Kaleb Wesson is hoping to hear his name called on Wednesday night. Most draft analysts have the forward as a late second-round pick.


On the women’s side of things, Ohio State junior Dorka Juhasz has been named to the Naismith Trophy Watch List. Juhasz averaged 13.2 points and 9.4 rebounds last season, and finished fourth in the Big Ten with 10 double-doubles. She is the first Buckeye in program history to lead the team in both scoring and rebounding in each of her first two seasons.


In addition to Wesson and Juhasz, you know who else at Ohio State can hoop?

Thats right, wide receiver Garrett Wilson.

From everywhere else...


Former Ohio State outfielder Nick Swisher will be on the ballot for the Baseball Hall of Fame for the first time. A Columbus native, Swisher spent 12 years in the MLB, spending the majority of his career with the Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians.


Indiana confirmed on Tuesday that basketball games will be played inside an empty Assembly Hall for an indefinite period of time. It is unlikely that any Big Ten program will have fans in their arenas to begin the college basketball season.


In significant baseball news, Theo Epstein is stepping down from his role as the Chicago Cubs’ President of Baseball Operations. Epstein is credited with playing a significant role in helping both the Cubs and the Boston Red Sox overcome World Series droughts.


As a NY pizza snob, I was never much of a Catfish Biffs fan myself.


Pfizer is inching even closer to releasing its COVID-19 vaccine. While this is very good news, we must continue to do our part by social distancing and wearing masks to help limit the spread until a vaccine is widely available to the public.


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Podcast: Crimson Quarry’s Mike Miller helps preview Ohio State-Indiana
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports

What makes Tom Allen and Michael Penix Jr. so special?

On Land-Grant Holy Land In Conversation, we talk to people in and around Ohio State athletics, and the sporting world at large, to bring you a different insight and perspective to the teams, athletes, and university that you love.

Listen to the episode and subscribe:


This week the 4-0, ninth-ranked Big Ten East leading Indiana Hoosiers will travel to Columbus to take on the lowly, 3-0, third-ranked, and second-place in the Big Ten East Ohio State Buckeyes.

This is certainly not the Big Ten marquee matchup that everyone foresaw at the beginning of the season, but it has become the biggest game on Ohio State’s regular season slate, and honestly, it’s not even close.

So, on today’s episode, we are in conversation with the managing editor of our Indiana sister site Crimson Quarry, Mike Miller. In our conversation, Mike and I discuss what IU head coach Tom Allen has done to turn the Hoosier program around, what makes quarterback Michael Penix Jr. so dangerous, how the Indiana secondary will look to corral Justin Fields and his talented wide receivers, and much more.


Contact Mike Miller
Twitter: @MikeMillerSTL

Contact Crimson Quarry
https://www.crimsonquarry.com/
Twitter: @crimsonquarry

Contact Matt Tamanini
Twitter: @BWWMatt

Theme music provided by www.bensound.com

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Committed to the Dawgs this morning at his HS gym.

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GETTING GRADUATED. Ohio State's athletic department has got more teams and more student-athetes than anyone else in the country, but it's not been at the detriment of academics.

In graduation data released by the NCAA Tuesday, Ohio State student-athletes have a four-class average (2010-13) of 88 percent in the Graduation Success Rate (GSR) and, in the 2013-14 cohort, held steady with a Federal Graduation Rate (FGR) of 74 percent, five points above the national average.

...

The NCAA established the GSR in 2002 as a means of understanding student-athletes’ academic completion rates more concretely. It does so by accounting for two groups that play an increasingly prominent role in collegiate athletics: mid-year, first-time enrollees and transfers.

“Since the GSR was established, OSU’s GSR has improved markedly, reaching a kind of plateau of 86 percent from 2017-19,” Davidson said. “Seen in that context, this year’s improvement by two points to 88 percent is truly significant. Our student-athletes are performing extremely well academically, and the entire department is focused on continuing to improve. Everyone from coaches to athletics leadership to academic staff take this as a point of pride.

“Still, the credit goes to the inspirational young men and women who dedicate themselves to being the best they can be as students and athletes.”

There's still a stigma around athletes that they don't put in the same work academically as everybody else, but I can tell you with authority that at least 98 percent of them were better students than I – the fellow who skipped an entire semester of macroeconomics and calculus to watch Bones and Castles all day.

R.I.P.

Buckeye Clips: NFL Week 10 highlights
Tia Johnston via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
DaVon Hamilton gets first career sack, Pat Elflein finds a new home

While Ohio State didn’t play over the weekend due to Maryland’s elevated COVID-19 cases, Buckeye alum had themselves a day in the NFL. Below are some of the standout performances, as well as a few honorable mentions.

The Rookies


It was a pretty quiet day for the rookies, the exception being Davon Hamilton, who recorded his first career NFL sack, bringing down none other than the legendary Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Hamilton also recorded four tackles and one tackle for loss.


Other miscellaneous news and notes for Buckeye rookies

• Austin Mack had one catch for nine yards for the New York Giants
• Jeff Okudah recorded three tackles and one tackle for loss for the Detroit Lions.
• In his first game back from injury, Jordan Fuller recorded three tackles for the LA Rams.
• Malik Harrison recorded two tackles for the Ravens while J.K. Dobbins had five carries for 13 yards and one catch for one yard on the other side of the ball.
• Jonah Jackson started at left guard.

Veterans


New Orleans Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins snagged an interception for the second week in a row. He finished the game with five total tackles, one tackle for loss and one interception.


One day, we will publish one of these without a Terry McLaurin highlight. Today is not that day. In his team’s close loss to the Detroit Lions, McLaurin caught seven of the nine passes thrown his way for a total of 95 yards, making it his third straight game with at least 90 receiving yards. He also had one carry for 27 yards.


After being released by the Minnesota Vikings last week, it didn’t take long for another team to scoop up former Ohio State center Pat Elflein.


Other miscellaneous news and notes for Buckeye veterans

• Patriots DE John Simon recorded five tackles, a sack and a pass breakup in their victory over the Baltimore Ravens.
• Bengals safety Vonn Bell had three tackles and two pass breakups and defensive end Sam Hubbard had three tackles and one pass breakup in their loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
• Denzel Ward, Dre’Mont Jones and Marshon Lattimore each recorded five tackles for the Browns, Broncos and Saints respectively.
• Tyquan Lewis recorded three tackles and two tackles for loss for the Colts.
• For the Saints, Michael Thomas had two receptions for 27 yards.
• Curtis Samuel had nine receptions for eight yards and three carries for four yards for the Panthers.
• Michael Jordan, Andrew Norwell, Taylor Decker and Corey Linsley started for their respective offensive lines.

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Ohio State basketball 2020-21 stats preview
Gene Ross 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
What do the Buckeyes have in terms of returning production, and what did they lose the most in departures?

The 2019-20 Ohio State mens basketball team was probably one of the most confusing teams the Buckeyes have fielded in maybe any sport in quite some time. At certain points in the year, like when they were beating up on No. 6 Kentucky and No. 10 Villanova, it looked as though Chris Holtmann’s group was Final Four worthy. At other times, like the entire month of January, it looked like Ohio State didn't even deserve to make the field of 64.

The Buckeyes ultimately finished 21-10 on the season. They picked up six wins against ranked opponents — with four of those victories against teams ranked in the Top 10 — and were 6-4 overall against teams in the AP Top 25. As previously mentioned, January was when things really went south, as Ohio State went an abysmal 2-5 to start the new calendar year. However, they bounced back once the month of terrors finally concluded, winning eight of their last 11 games to close out the regular season.

All of this is to say that while Holtmann will look to build off of the successes of last year and look to improve on some of the shortcomings, he will have to do so with a roster that features a significant amount of turnover. As you are all likely well aware of by now, the Ohio State roster has seen somewhat of a mass exodus this offseason through graduation, transfers, and a big NBA Draft declaration.

Gone is leading scorer Kaleb Wesson, who will be hoping to be selected in Wednesday night’s NBA Draft. So too is his brother, Andre Wesson, who exhausted his eligibility with last year being his senior season. Then comes the transfers, with guards D.J. Carton and Luther Muhammad as well as forward Alonzo Gaffney all taking their talents elsewhere.

So just how significant are these losses to this year’s roster? Well, as a team, Ohio State averaged 72.1 points per game last season. These five guys combined for 42.4 points per game in 2019-20 — nearly 60% of the offense a year ago. The most significant of these losses are the Wesson brothers, who combined for 23.2 points per game as a duo. Carton also poured in 10.4 points per game off the bench, but had left the team to focus on mental health issues at the end of January.

Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Point guard D.J. Carton transferred to Marquette in the offseason

What about some of the other important offensive statistics, like assists and rebounds? As a team, the Buckeyes averaged 13.3 assists and 36.8 boards per game a year ago. These five guys combined for 8.2 assists per game (62%) and 19.7 rebounds (54%). The lion’s share of those assists were Carton and the Wesson bros’ 6.8 dimes per contest as a trio, while Kaleb Wesson led the way with his 9.3 rebounds per game.

In terms of losses on the defensive side of the court, the metrics are a bit harder to gauge, but they will certainly feel the losses of both Kaleb Wesson and Muhammad. Kaleb Wesson was the team’s biggest body under the rim, and while it got him in foul trouble all too often, he led the team with a defensive win share of 2.2 as he ate up space in the paint. Muhammad was perhaps the teams best defensive guard, leading the team in defensive box plus/minus at 4.1 and finishing second on the Buckeyes with 30 steals on the year.

So what does this all mean for the 2020-21 campaign? Well, now that we know where the most significant losses are coming from, we can begin to project where Ohio State will be able to make up some of that production.

To win basketball games, you obviously have to score points, and with nearly 60% of the scoring from last year now gone, including leading scorer Kaleb Wesson’s 14 points per game, Ohio State will have to look to a guy like Duane Washington Jr. to step up his play.

Washington Jr. was the second-leading scorer on the Buckeyes a year ago, averaging 11.5 points per game despite only starting in 15 of his 28 games played. The sharpshooter’s biggest issue as a sophomore was his consistency, shooting nearly 40% from beyond the arc on the season but experiencing stretches of extreme hot and extreme cold. There has been a ton of talk this offseason about Washington Jr. working hard to improve heading into his junior year, but Ohio State will have to see it on the court if they want to be successful.

Where else will the Buckeyes look for offense? Of course, they expect to see more solid numbers from guys like C.J. Walker and Kyle Young. Walker was a solid contributor shooting the rock in his first season in Columbus, averaging 8.7 points per game with a mean midrange jumper, while Young led the team with 61.3% true shooting percentage. However, they can also look to some of their new additions, especially transfers Seth Towns and Justice Sueing.

Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports
Forward Justice Sueing at Cal

Towns has missed the past two seasons with a knee injury, and his health to begin the season remains an unknown, but the forward is an absolute force when healthy. Earning Ivy League Player of the Year as a sophomore at Harvard, the 6-foot-8 big man averaged a team-high 16 points per game while shooting an impressive 44% from deep. Sueing, a transfer from California, was equally as productive at his previous destination. The forward averaged a team-high 14.3 points per game for the Golden Bears in the 2018-19 season before sitting out at Ohio State last year due to transfer rules.

Rebounding should not be a problem for this Buckeyes unit, as the roster features a plethora of capable glass eaters. The team still features Young and E.J. Liddell, who were second and fourth in total rebounds for OSU last season, respectively. The aforementioned Towns averaged 5.7 boards per game in his last season at Harvard, while the 6-foot-7 Sueing averaged six rebounds per game at Cal. The team will also have 6-foot-8 freshman forward Zed Key, who led Long Island Lutheran HS with 8.7 boards per game as a senior.

The assist numbers will be a bit more tricky, as the team has some question marks in terms of depth at the guard spots. Walker led the Buckeyes a year ago with 3.5 apples per game, but Carton and the Wesson brothers rounded out the top four dimers. Holtmann is hoping to have Musa Jallow back for his redshirt junior season after missing all of last year with an ankle injury, but it will likely be some of the fresh faces contributing in this category.

For starters, Ohio State is thrilled that Bucknell transfer Jimmy Sotos has been granted immediate eligibility, as the guard led the Bison last season with his 3.9 assists per game while also being the team’s leading scorer, averaging 11.5 points. The Buckeyes will also look to get some additional production in the backcourt from Washington Jr. in this area, finishing fifth on the team in assists a year ago. Holtmann will hope to see big things from his freshmen guards as well, including reclassified four-star PG Meechie Johnson (who will be eligible to join the team in January) and four-star SG Eugene Brown III.

Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
Guard Jimmy Sotos at Bucknell

There shouldn't be much concern on the defensive side of things, as Chris Holtmann’s tenure at Ohio State has been highlighted by his teams’ commitment to locking down the opposition. Last year’s Buckeyes were in the top 25 in both points per game allowed and opposing shooting percentage, and the expectation is that emphasis on defense will continue in year four of Holtmann in Columbus.

Some key defensive-minded guys to keep an on eye this year are Walker, Liddell and Young. Walker led the team in steals last season with 40, while Liddell and Young were hosting a block party with 29 and 13 rejections, respectively — second and third on the team behind Kaleb Wesson. Sueing and Towns are no slouches on the defensive end either, with Sueing leading Cal with 1.7 steals per game and Towns tied for second in defensive win share in his last season at Harvard.

Of course, it’s tough to really know what you’re going to get from some of the transfers and freshmen, but Ohio State’s roster looks really good on paper to begin the year. Sure they lost a ton of production from last season, but Holtmann has been able to put together a really solid group of guys this offseason for what is hopefully a successful 2020-21 campaign.

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Ohio State hoops virtually visit with four-star center
Dan Hessler via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

Four-star center Donovan Clingan | Via Top Dog Camp on Twitter (@TopDogCamp1)
Chris Holtmann and the Buckeyes virtually visited with one of the nation’s top centers.

The Ohio State basketball season will soon be underway, barring any last second schedule changes due to the Coronavirus pandemic. With the first game now scheduled for later this month, Chris Holtmann and the basketball Buckeyes will take the court for the first time following a longer than usual offseason.

Despite focus being shifted more towards starting the season strong, Holtmann and his staff continue to make recruiting a focal point. The work continued Monday as Ohio State’s head coach met virtually with one of the nation’s top center prospects.

Four-star center Donovan Clingan (Bristol, CT/Bristol Central) reportedly virtually visited with the Buckeyes as was first reported by Jake Weingarten of Stock Risers. The 2022 blue-chip prospect has yet to receive an offer from Ohio State, but one may follow soon after if the meeting went well. If the Buckeyes were to enter the race, they would be joining the likes of UConn, Notre Dame, Rutgers, and Georgetown, who Clingan has also recently spoken with.

While the road ahead in securing a commitment from Clingan will be long and difficult, the Buckeyes do have some reason to be hopeful. When speaking with Weingarten, he mentioned point guard Avery Brown as someone he has spoken with teaming up with at the next level. Brown recently completed a virtual visit with Holtmann and Ohio State as well. If the duo decide the package deal is their preferred route, the fact that the Buckeyes are recruiting both keeps them as a contender.

Clingan is the No. 6 center in the 247Sports Composite Rankings and is the No. 44 overall prospect in the 2022 class.

Update on top receiver target


While it may be hard to believe, the Early Signing Period is just around the corner. We already know that a majority of current commits will sign with the Buckeyes Dec. 16 - 18, but there are a couple other recruits Ohio State is still hoping will sign with them next month.

One of those guys is Emeka Egbuka (Stellacoom, WA/Stellacoom) — the nation’s top wide receiver prospect. Egbuka has long been associated with Ohio State and because of that, the Buckeyes have long been viewed as the favorites to land him. However, nothing is set in stone at this time.

Steve Wilfong of 247Sports recently took a look at some of the top prospects looking to sign in December, including Egbuka. In the article, both Wiltfong and 247Sports National Recruiting Insider Brandon Huffman selected Ohio State as the Washington native’s predicted school of choice.

Egbuka is not just the nation’s top WR, but he is one of the top recruits in the country. This Wednesday, he will be virtually presented with with his All-American jersey at 8:00 p.m. ET.

Quick Hits

• Ohio State 2022 LB commit C.J.Hicks posted his junior season highlights on Twitter Monday. Check out what the Buckeyes will be getting in the rising four-star prospect.

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Column: How nervous should you be about Ohio State’s offensive position groups?
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images
Tomorrow, I will break down the defensive position groups.

Believe it or not, we are now halfway through Ohio State’s “regular” season. Despite the fact that the Buckeyes have only played three games — the equivalent of the non-conference slate in a regular season — after having last week’s Maryland game canceled, the Buckeyes are four weeks into an eight-week schedule.

So, since the Buckeyes have experienced all types of ups and downs through their first three games — especially in the far-from-perfect contests against Penn State and Rutgers — I figured that now would be a good time to take a look at each of the position groups to see how worried OSU fans should be about them.

I’m going to start with the much more positive offensive side of the ball today, before getting into the more messy defensive groups tomorrow.

For this exercise, I have worked out my own grading system based on the current B1G East standings.

Penn State (0-4) = Peak worry
Michigan (1-3) = Extremely worried; we’re teetering on the edge of an abyss
Rutgers (1-3) = Kind of worried, there was optimism, but it’s fading
Michigan State (1-3) = Vaguely worried; we knew this was coming, but hopefully it won’t last long
Maryland (2-1) = Not really worried, things could creep up, but overall it’s great so far
Indiana (4-0) = Not worried at all

Quarterback

Level of Worry: Maryland


Let’s start with this: Justin Fields is the perfect quarterback. He is 72-for-83 on the season for 908 yards and 11 touchdowns. He has continued to show the impressive accuracy and arm strength that was evident during the 2019 season, but his biggest improvement has been in his development as an elite-level student of the game.

Fields has seemingly increased his decision making speed, and is now able to process what is going on in front of him with much more specificity. Last year, it was not uncommon for OSU’s QB to focus on one receiver from snap to throw. However, in 2020, his command of the offense and understanding of different defensive schemes being used against him has allowed him to a) identify the best receiver to throw to, and b) influence defenders with his eyes and body mechanics.


As I am sure you have heard by now, Fields has thrown as many touchdowns (11) and he has incompletions (also 11) and has yet to throw an interception <knocks on wood>. Fields leads the country in quarterback rating by five points over Western Michigan’s Kaleb Eleby, and by 12 points over Alabama’s Mac Jones who is in third place.

So, you might be asking, if Fields is as perfect of a quarterback specimen as I seem to believe he is, why am I still saying that fans should have a little Maryland level of worry? Well, it’s certainly not because of Fields; instead it is what is behind Fields.


Three games into the season, and not a single person has thrown a pass for the Buckeyes who is not god’s gift to quarterbacking. While I love seeing Fields being able to pad his stats for a Heisman Trophy run, I am certain that playing nearly every snap of every game was not the plan that Ryan Day had in mind when the season started.

While I think that Jack Miller III and C.J. Stroud will both be at least solid college quarterbacks, to feel fully confident in the position group this season, I’d like to see them get at least a throw under their belts.

Running Backs

Level of Worry: Rutgers


Look, the OSU running backs aren’t great this year, and we kind of knew they weren’t going to be great coming into the season. But if I’m being honest, they’re still worse than I anticipated. There was a lot of optimism that Trey Sermon would bring an explosive dimension to the running game that would pair nicely with Master Teague’s between-the-tackles strength.


However, while Teague has been mostly as advertised, Sermon has essentially been a bust thus far. While there are still (hopefully) seven games left on the schedule for him to work himself into a valuable member of the backfield, I am on the record believing that Teague should now be getting the majority of the carries, and that other, more dynamic backs like Steele Chambers and Demario McCall (#FreeDemario) should be given opportunities to complement the more traditional, three-yards-in-a-cloud-of-dust back.

I don’t think that OSU needs to have a running game to rival Wisconsin’s to win a national title, but giving defenses reason to think about something other than how to stop Fields through the air will be vital as the season progresses.

Wide Receivers

Level of Worry: Indiana


The way that Ryan Day and Brian Hartline have used the OSU receivers this season has been different than I anticipated. I expected them to lean on the depth of talent in the WR room to stretch opposing defenses to a breaking point, but that hasn’t exactly happened. Instead, we’ve seen an absolutely dominating three games from Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson.

From the slot, Wilson leads the B1G in receiving yards per game, and on the outside Olave is tied for second in TD receptions. What’s been most impressive about both receivers is that they seem to be able to do it all this season; they can beat man-to-man defenders to get open, they can find holes in zones, and they can make ridiculously impressive contested catches as well.

And while we haven’t seen as much from Jameson Williams, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Julian Fleming, and Gee Scott Jr. as I thought we would, the former two have shown themselves very capable of of competing and producing on this level in the early goings of the season.

So, while I dinged the QB position a bit because of a lack of depth, I think the WR room has it in spades, but just hasn’t had to deploy yet.

Tight Ends

Level of Worry: Maryland


I have always thought that to assume anything out of Ohio State tight ends is foolish. Sure, you can generally count on them to block well, but anything on the skilled side of their job description probably isn’t going to happen... until it does.

Jeremy Ruckert has three touchdowns through three games this year, which seems like something out of a fairy tale for OSU. So, while I wouldn’t say that either the run or pass blocking has been great from Ruckert or Luke Farrell, the contributions in the receiving game bring this one up a notch for me.

Any time you can give a QB like Fields another big target to throw to, it can only be a positive.

Offensive Line

Level of Worry: Maryland (with a Michigan State rising)


This is the position group on the offensive side of the ball that has been the most disappointing for me thus far. I firmly believed that with the returning veterans and young talent, the OSU o-line would be one in the best in the country, and while they still might be come season’s end, they haven’t shown really anything close to that yet.

Furthermore, I assumed that the interior would be a strength for the Bucks, with Wyatt Davis and Josh Myers returning and the former five-star Harry Miller joining the starting lineup. At tackle, you had Thayer Munford — who has been plagued by injuries in recent years — and Nicholas Petit-Frere, who was in his third year, but had yet to have an impact, so I thought that the outside of the line could be the weak spot. Boy was I wrong.

Munford and NPF are now arguably the best pair of tackles in the country, allowing only a single quarterback pressure all season, while Davis has taken a step back from his All-American expectations, Myers has been serviceable at best, and Miller has struggled at times, both in pass blocking and with penalties.


While the offensive line is 10th in the conference in terms of sacks allowed per game (2.33), some of that falls on Fields’ shoulders, as he is hesitant to just throw the ball away without exhausting all options to make a play.

But in terms of run blocking, with ball-carriers who don’t appear to have the ability to make plays on their own, they are going to be reliant on the line to bust open as big of holes as possible, and — through three games — that just hasn’t been in the cards for this unit; which is part of the reason that the running game has been so underwhelming thus far.


After some unexpected start and stops, I am back to posting a column every single day from preseason camp until whenever Ohio State’s football season ends. Some days they will be longer and in depth, some days they will be short and sweet. Let me know what you think of this one, and what you’d like to see me discuss in the comments or on Twitter. Go Bucks!

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Buckeye Bits: Is Indiana Week the new Penn State Week?
Tia Johnston via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports
All of the latest Ohio State news from around the beat and beyond.

Happy Monday! I’m sorry to report that I am back to my “Mask Up” announcements because COVID-19 numbers are the highest they’ve ever been! More on that later, though. Here’s what’s happening in the sports world.

From around Land-Grant Holy Land...


We have lots of good stuff for you on the ole home page, but I’m going to plug our basketball content here because folks...the season begins in just nine days.

The case for an All-Ohio basketball tournament to begin the season

Connor Lemons, LGHL

Connor explains how an All-Ohio basketball tournament could work. We can dream, can’t we?

Ohio State to open season against Illinois State on Nov. 25

Connor Lemons, LGHL

It was then announced on Wednesday that Ohio State will open the season against Illinois State on Nov. 25 as part of a multi-team event, and Connor has all the deets.

Tired: Penn State Week

Wired: Indiana Week


Despite Ohio State being favorited by 21 points and having a win probability of 90 percent over 4-0 Indiana, you’d be remiss to believe the Hoosiers won’t be going down without a fight. We’re in for a long, suspenseful 60 minutes on Saturday, and Indiana head coach Tom Allen knows it.

During his media availability on Monday, Allen started off by praising Justin Fields, saying he’s “extremely poised” and he’s “definitely the hardest test we’ve faced this year”


Allen said he’s fully aware that Ohio State has held the standard for recruiting and winning games in the Big Ten for a long time, but that it’s “who’s going to play high-level football for 60 minutes” that will ultimately come out of Saturday’s game victorious.


For more quotes from Allen, as well as Indiana quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and coordinators Nick Sheridan and Kane Wommack, Eleven Warriors has you covered.

Week 6 schedule update...


Like I understand not featuring Michigan/Penn State on Big Noon, but that game is going to be so entertaining.

Hey, whatever helps you sleep at night!

Meanwhile in Michigan...


In case you missed it, former Michigan QB1 Joe Milton threw an interception in each of Michigan’s first two drives. Along came backup quarterback Cade McNamara, who went 4-for-10 (but threw a touchdown at least!) in the Wolverine’s loss to Wisconsin. Now the question is...who will start against Penn State?

They’re playing bas...ket...ballllll


Lots of basketball news today! The biggest coming from the NCAA, who announced on Monday that they are relocating their early-round March Madness sites.

The NCAA is in “preliminary talks with the state of Indiana and the city of Indianapolis to potentially host the 68-team tournament around the metropolitan area during the coordinated dates in March and April.”


Some injury updates out of the Buckeyes’ locker room...

Thoughts?


Yes, both of Pennsylvania’s are gas stations. Yes, Pennsylvania’s is the best. If you disagree, I can say with 100% certainty that you have never been inside a Sheetz or a Wawa.

Monday Inspo...


If Tua can do THAT, you can answer those last couple of emails in your inbox.

Stay home


Guys. I’m so tired. I’m so so tired of this. Please, for the love of all that is good, cancel your social engagements. I know it’s tough with it being the holidays, but I promise you we will get out of this sooner if you do. (Other countries have literally proved this to be true!)

Brunch will be there when this is all over.


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Damn that Zander Diamont

Ohio State to open season against Illinois State on Nov. 25
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
After withdrawing from the Crossover Classic, Chris Holtmann is moving quickly to fill out the schedule.

Entering a season that is sure to be altered and interrupted by COVID-19, Chris Holtmann and the No. 23 Ohio State Buckeyes had a full 27-game schedule put together on Nov. 4.

But that afternoon, the Ohio Department of Health issued a list of states where Ohioans need to self-quarantine for 14 days after visiting. Unfortunately for both the Buckeyes and the Dayton Flyers, the Crossover Classic Tournament is being held in South Dakota. Both teams were forced to withdraw, because taking 14 days off afterwards is not possible in the middle of the season.

Suddenly the Buckeyes had three open game slots on their schedule, and until today, no news on which teams would fill them. This morning I wrote about how an All-Ohio Tournament in Columbus, featuring four different Ohio schools, would be fun and reasonable, even if logistics of getting schools to agree may be difficult.

However, dreams of a Buckeye Classic in the capitol were squashed later this morning, when Chris Holtmann announced on 97.1 FM’s Morning Juice that the Buckeyes will be facing the Illinois State Redbirds on Nov. 25 as part of a four-team MTE (multi-team event).


The other two teams involved have not been announced, nor has the location. With the addition of this tournament, Ohio State’s nonconference schedule will have seven games and looks like this:

• Illinois State (location TBD) - Nov. 25
• Second MTE game (opponent and location TBD)
• Third MTE game (opponent and location TBD)
• Morehead State (Columbus, OH) - Dec. 2
• Alabama A&M (Columbus, OH) - Dec. 5
• Notre Dame (South Bend, IN) - Dec. 8
• No. 16 North Carolina (Cleveland, OH) - Dec. 19

Illinois State is a member of the Missouri Valley Conference, where they went 5-13 last season (10-21 overall). They are No. 194 in KenPom’s rankings, and are only returning one key playmaker from last year’s team — junior guard DJ Horne.

With these seven games on the books plus 20 conference games which are still to be announced, the Buckeyes are back to the NCAA maximum of 27 games. Holtmann said that he expects the remaining two games to be announced in the next week or so.

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