Power Rankings: Iowa breaks into top 5 of Jon Crispin’s list
Brent Yarina, BTN.com Senior Editor via Big Ten Network

After three straight weeks of a new No. 1, sizzling Purdue remains atop my latest Big Ten Power Rankings, presented by ArcelorMittal. The entire top four remains the same, actually, while surging Iowa moves up one and into the top 5.

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kujirakira said:

Does that mean they're leaving the turnover chain behind?

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Gotta be some Vegas bling right....

nomatta said:

Illinois beat MD on a neutral court.

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madison square garden is kinda far away from champaign, no?

The Fastbreak: 3 quick things from Ohio State’s survival against last place Penn State
Geoff Hammersley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


This one was anything but easy for the Buckeyes.

The popular 2018 video game Red Dead Redemption 2 has a character, Dutch van der Linde, that utters the phrase “have some faith” whenever a plan is about to be put into action. Unsurprisingly, those plans generally find a way to go sideways.

On Thursday night, the Ohio State Buckeyes not only had some faith, but got some really lucky—or if you’re a Penn Stater, very unlucky—rolls around the rim in a 74-70 victory against the Nittany Lions. Penn State, by the way, was 1-10 in the conference entering the game at Value City Arena, and had the Bucks on the ropes; not only did the Scarlet and Gray have their backs to the wall, but a loss to PSU would’ve been a doozy that pushed them on the outside of the NCAA Tournament bubble.


Faith (as well as some grit) has kept the Buckeyes afloat this far into the season. February has brought two wins in two games, and there’s a chance to make it three on Sunday when the Indiana Hoosiers run into Chris Holtmann’s squad.

But before we look at IU, let’s look at the escape against Penn State—and see what the Bucks should do before they ride off into Bloomington, Ind.

1) Wesson on the floor = good | Wesson off the floor = not good


When Kaleb Wesson is on the floor, Ohio State just plays better. He doesn’t even need to score that much; just having him there makes opposing offenses work a little bit harder getting around the Buckeye big man.

On the other side of the coin, Wesson is still a foul machine. Kaleb had a bad foul—this specific event was numero four—down low on Mike Watkins. Even though playing defense and preventing an easy basket for Watkins is what he’s supposed to do, Wesson got wedged into a position that would bring about a foul. Eventually, he fouled out, and was unable to help OSU on the floor for the final 1:46 of action. Fortunately without him, the likes of C.J. Jackson and Andre Wesson kept things from completely falling apart.

From a scoring perspective, this was not a good game for Kaleb. He had six points on 1-of-2 shooting, and a pair of rebounds and assists; on the not-so-good side of the stat sheet, he had three turnovers. However, when he was on the floor, he had a +/- of +16. That means when he was on the floor, OSU had a positive scoring margin of 16 points. The second highest player in the +/- margin was Keyshawn Woods at +10.

If OSU wants to make an NCAA Tournament run, he has to find a way to stay on the floor. The Hoosiers are a team playing for their tournament life right now, and with Sunday’s game at Assembly Hall, is looking for a huge win to boost the résumé any way they can. If Kaleb is off the floor for long stretches of time, then the Hoosiers can pencil in the “W.”

2) Kind sir, please take this basketball


At the risk of sounding like a broken record, another victory was nearly snatched by the jaws of defeat. All because of turnovers.

If you’re a fan of efficient basketball offenses, then the latest OSU performance had you covering your eyes with your hands. The Bucks committed 18 TOs, which led to 22 Nittany Lion points. Basically, gifted basketballs kept PSU in the game.

The biggest offenders of the TO bug were Jackson (5) and Woods (4). On the other end, Josh Reeves had five steals—something he’s known for. Granted, it was kind of expected that Reeves was going to get a few steals, but for OSU to collectively give back the ball nearly 20 times? That’s not good.

I feel like there’s a little bit of Golden State basketball happening with OSU—and not the good kind. Careless ball handling lead to breakaway dunks on the other end, and bad passes squandered decent scoring chances.

Diagnosing the problem isn’t as simple as saying “make good passes”. Defenses are switching up their approach against Ohio State, and causing havoc as they move up the floor. One half it could be 2-3 zone, another half could be a press.

This problem needs to be massaged more in practice. Holtmann needs to put his starting five in defensive traps, and have them work the ball efficiently. He probably already does that now, but this is another data point where turnovers are nearly pushing OSU to the bottom of the Big Ten.

3) Luther leads the way


Ohio State needs a consistent scorer every night. Luther Muhammad put up a 20-point effort against the Nittany Lions—and was a big reason for why PSU didn’t get conference win No. 2 in Columbus.


Muhammad has had more good games than bad, but is he the definitive “scorer” on the team? Some nights it’s Andre, other nights it’s C.J., and then there are some games where Kaleb goes bonkers and wreaks havoc. However, there really hasn’t been a game where everybody seemed to click.

Hypothetically speaking, if the Bucks were down one with five seconds left in the game, who would get the last shot? Personally, I think it should be Luther. Ohio State needs to develop someone into being “the guy” in crunch time. Might as well be the freshman who has already showed an affinity for playing the game under Holtmann’s watch.

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Could Ohio State be nearing another big commitment?
Caleb Houser via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The Buckeyes could be on the verge of landing another star for their future.

With the 2019 Ohio State Buckeyes recruiting class officially in the books, the sole focus has shifted towards the 2020 and 2021 classes. Thankfully, Ryan Day lived up to the hype yet again when the Buckeyes landed two offensive line signatures on National Signing Day, which helps fill a position group that really needs depth. Now that we can look ahead though, the offensive line will still be a major area of concern in the 2020 class. Time and time again we’ve discussed how vital line play is to the success of one’s season, and with a increased need to add depth, you can guarantee Day and Coach Studrawa will be all over the place looking to bolster his offensive line in the next two recruiting classes.

With several top prospects already offered, you can see the priority in nailing down their top targets early and often. Having stellar talent in-state too certainly helps. The interesting thing will be seeing who could commit to the Buckeyes next.

Could it be, so soon?


Earlier this week, Ohio State sent out an offer to a big time in-state offensive lineman in Ben Christman. A 6-foot-6, 300-pounder hailing from Richfield, Ohio (Revere HS), Christman is a prospect that you can’t miss out on whether we’re talking physically in the 2021 class or literally in person. A massive current high school sophomore, Ben still has two full seasons to improve on an already impressive stature and ability. A dream for any and every coach recruiting him, the Buckeyes have to like where they stand early in this sweepstakes.

Immediately following that OSU offer, the predictions in favor of Ohio State on the 247sports crystal ball began to come in. Now, as said many times, the crystal ball is never 100 percent accurate. However, it’s certainly still a solid insight to where a prospect may end up. Especially when the director of recruiting, Steve Wiltfong, makes a prediction, it’s a more than good chance that the ending result mirrors his thoughts. That’s where we leave off with Christmas. Tuesday night, just hours after his offer, Wiltfong as well as two other insiders wasted zero time in pegging Ben to Ohio State.

The importance? While Ohio State goes in full search to reload their offensive line, the next pledge toward the program may skip the 2020 class and go right into 2021 with the aforementioned Christman. This week was already great to the Buckeyes in 2021 when Jack Sawyer gave a surprise early commitment to Ohio State. If the momentum continues, the Buckeyes could add their second major piece to the 2021 class.

Quick Hit:

• Four-star 2020 defensive end prospect Jacolbe Cowan (Charlotte, NC/Providence Day) released his top 12 schools. Ohio State was fortunate to make the cut with Alabama, Clemson, North Carolina, Oregon, NC State and South Carolina among others. Cowan ranks as the fifth best defensive end in the country for his class and the second best player in North Carolina.

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Ohio State holds off Penn State 74-70 for second-straight win
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Sloppy play, whistle-happy refs, and a slippery floor led to a brutal game at the Schott.

After a hellacious January, which saw the Ohio State Buckeyes (15-7, 5-6) lose six of seven games, Chris Holtmann’s squad has now opened up February with a pair of wins, following their 74-70 home victory on Thursday night over the Penn State Nittany Lions (8-15, 1-11).

Much sooner than anticipated, Kyle Young returned to the lineup just 16 days after it was announced that he had suffered a stress fracture. In the first half, Young seemed to have two-plus weeks of pent up energy that he brought to the court. While Young brought the energy in the first half, Luther Muhammad had one of his best games as a Buckeye. In the second half, you could almost see the highly-recruited freshman become a team leader right in front of your eyes.

Also, early in the first half, Urban Meyer and the Big Ten and Rose Bowl champion football team were honored in front of an appreciative crowd.


In an unexpected turn, the game opened with Penn State winning the tip, but on the initial possession, OSU’s C.J. Jackson blocked a layup attempt from freshman guard Myles Dread. That was about the only thing that went the home team in the opening minutes. Despite an Andre Wesson mid-range jumper, the Buckeyes gave up three turnovers in less than three minutes, which led to five of PSU’s first eight points; all scored by Josh Reaves.

However, after an old-fashioned three-point play from Reaves opened up an 8-2 lead, Muhammad hit a jumper and Jackson connected from long-range. Then, coming out of the first media timeout, Andre Wesson connected on two free throws, then Muhammad did the same to put OSU up 11-8 after a 9-0 run.

After the free throws, Young entered the game for the first time since the injury, and on his first defensive possession, collected a rebound. Of course, he then immediately turned it over, but it was still a good effort for a guy fresh off of a stress fracture.

That early rebound wasn’t the only instance of Young’s presence providing dividends early. Apparently unafraid of reinjuring his leg, he quickly as on the floor diving for a ball, blocking shots, and pulling in boards to either begin or extend possessions.

With just under 11 minutes, on what appeared to be a somewhat broken play, Kaleb Wesson delivered a nifty no-look pass to Jackson for a bunny to put OSU up 17-9. On the next offensive trip, the younger Wesson hit a straight-away three to put the Buckeyes up 23-9, capping a 21-1 run. On the next PSU possession, Mike Watkins hit the Lions’ first field goal in over eight minutes.


At the 8:12 mark, Kaleb Wesson picked up his second personal and headed to the bench. Having Young back, and seemingly playing as well as ever, certainly helped keep the Buckeye front court stable.

With 3:32 remaining, Muhammad found Andre Wesson in the corner, and the junior forward hit from downtown giving OSU a 31-20 advantage, then following a Watkins dunk, Young got his first bucket of the game heading into the under-four minute timeout.

As the first half was winding down, PSU put on a bit of run thanks to some sloppy play by the Buckeye guards. Jabari Wheeler had steals on three consecutive possessions, cutting the Buckeye advantage to just 34-31 at halftime.

Despite OSU being up by as many as 15 in the first half, the Nittany Lions closed the half on an 11-1 run to make it a one-possession game to open the second half.

The first half saw Ohio State take significant advantages in just about every statistical category, except for one that has been a problem all season: turnovers. From the floor, OSU shot 48 percent (12-25), and actually was better from distance (50%, 5-10). The Nittany Lions were shooting just 39.3 percent (11-28) and 28.6 (2-7) from behind the arc.

The home team also was out rebounding PSU 21-10, but the Buckeyes’ 12 turnovers (compared to PSU’s six) helped erase OSU’s double-digit lead. The Lions turned those takeaways into 13 points, many of them resulting in their 10 fast break points.

As the first half ended and the second half began, players from both teams began slipping on the Value City Arena floor. With the hockey ice under the playing floor, and a rainy and humid day in Columbus, condensation was making its way to the playing surface. Athletic director Gene Smith was on the court during halftime, and reports from the arena indicated that they cranked up the air conditioning to hopefully keep the floor dry.

Back in action after the break, the second 20 minutes opened roughly for both teams, but the Buckeyes strung together a 7-0 run to increase their lead to 46-37. However, from there, the officials called four fouls against the Buckeyes in a span of 26 seconds of game time, all on a single defensive possession.

On the offensive side of the ball, Penn State coach Pat Chambers went to Ohio State’s least favorite defense, the 2-3 zone. As it has throughout the season, the defensive shift nearly completely shut down OSU offensively.

After a three-pointer from Rasir Bolton, PSU was within one triple, down 46-43. After a Keyshawn Woods turnover and then missed jumper early in the shot clock, John Harrar slammed it home for Penn State to put the OSU lead at a single point.

However, on the dunk, Young picked up his fourth foul, sending him to the bench. Kaleb Wesson — who had three fouls — came back into the game for the Buckeyes. The big man’s presence didn’t immediately help, as Lamar Stevens got a layup to put PSU up 47-46. On the next possession, he hit a pair of free throws to go up by three.

A few minutes later, with OSU up by a pair, Kaleb Wesson picked up his fourth foul in a questionable call in the post. However, with the score close in what amounts to a must-win game, Holtmann opted to keep his center in the game with over 11 minutes remaining in regulation.

For much of the second half, Penn State employed a three-quarter court trapping press which forced the Buckeyes to waste valuable time getting the ball up the floor, leaving them with precious few seconds available to move the ball around the zone in order to find quality looks.

At the 6:18 mark, Muhammad pulled up for a jumper and was fouled by Reaves. He hit both free throws, and the freshman continued to be the most solid performer for the Buckeyes. On the game, Muhammad finished with 20 points, 5 boards, and 4 assists.

Up by two and the shot clocking running down, Jackson hit a “jumper” with a foot on the line that was effectively underhanded. On the shot, Penn State sophomore forward John Harrar was eventually whistled for a Flagrant 1 foul for driving Kaleb Wesson into the floor on a “non-basketball play.”


The Buckeye big man hit both free throws, but on the ensuing offensive possession, Jackson coughed up his fifth turnover of the game, leading to yet another Reaves steal and dunk. With three minutes remaining, the Buckeyes held a 68-63 advantage.

As the clock ticked under two minutes, Bolton drove to the basket, and even though Kaleb Wesson was trying to get out of the way, he was still whistled for his fifth foul, ending his night with just six points and two rebounds. After a pair of three throws, and an Andre Wesson turnover, Reaves picked up yet another steal and dunk to put PSU up 70-69.

As Holtmann called a time out, Wheeler and Woods started jawing, and both were hit with technical fouls. On the next possession, the Buckeyes worked the clock, and Jackson maneuvered his way into the lane and hit a no-look pass to Young who waited for his defender to overcommit and then converted the hoop and the harm. The sophomore forward couldn’t convert from the charity stripe however, and left the Buckeyes with just a one-point lead, 71-70, with less than a minute to play in regulation.

As Stevens drove to the rim, Young blocked his shot, and after the ball was batted around a half dozen times before going out of bounds. The referees went to the monitor to check to see who the ball went off of before sticking with the call on the floor of PSU ball. However, when the Nittany Lions inbounded, there was only one second left on the shot clock.


The entry pass made it into the middle of the lane for Stevens, but after review, he didn’t get the ball off in time, turning the ball over to OSU with a one-point lead.

After the Buckeyes got the ball inbounds, Andre Wesson was fouled; he split the pair to put the home team up 72-70. On PSU’s ensuing possession, Bolton left Jackson in the dust and there were no Buckeyes in his vicinity when he put up a wide-open layup. However, the ball rolled around the rim and fell into Jackson’s hands.

Wheeler fouled him, and Jackson hit a pair of free throws, effectively icing the game.

It was a painful game at times to watch, but the Buckeyes got a much-needed victory. On the game, both Jackson and Andre Wesson joined Muhammad in double-figures; both with 15. Both Stevens and Reaves finished the game with 20 for Penn State, while Bolton put up 15 of his own.

Across the board, the Buckeyes’ stats look like they had an impressive performance, shooting 50 percent from the field — and from three-point land as well — pulling in 33 rebounds, getting 18 points from the bench. But, fouls and turnovers continue to be the biggest issues for this inexperienced and undermanned team.

Holtmann’s squad ended the game having committed 21 fouls and 18 turnovers. Fortunately for them, PSU was charged with 23 fouls. However, OSU’s 18 giveaways led directly to 22 points for the visitors.

The Ohio State head coach is in a tough spot, as his roster is not made up of the type or number of players that he would like at this point. If they are going to make a return run to the NCAA Tournament, these two areas will need to see dramatic improvement between now and when the regular season ends on March 10.

Ohio State will head out on the road on Sunday, Feb. 10 to take on the Indiana Hoosiers (13-9, 4-7) in Bloomington, Ind., at 1 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on CBS.

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New Ohio State assistant coach Jeff Hafley is ready to make some changes in the secondary
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The new co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach isn’t ready to completely abandon press coverage, but knows some other schemes are needed to improve the Ohio State secondary.

“We have talent here. So I think we’ve got to make the most of our talent and I think we have to make it easy for our players to play fast, do what they do best, coach them up, fundamentals, technique. We need to do a good job with that. But there will be scheme involved, as well. It’s a little bit of both.”

Ohio State co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach Jeff Hafley via Patrick Murphy, Bucknuts


Ohio State unveiled new co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach Jeff Hafley to the media on Wednesday. The Buckeye secondary are coming off their worst season in quite some time, with their pass defense finishing just 86th in the country. Ohio State had employed a press-man coverage philosophy, and while it had worked for a number of years, opponents figured the Buckeye coverage scheme out last season.

New co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach Jeff Hafley does believe in playing press coverage, but also knows that it can’t be the only type of coverage that is used in pass defense. Ohio State’s pass coverage going forward will depend on who they are playing and what type of personnel the Buckeyes have out on the field.

One area which could see a bigger change in the Ohio State secondary under Hafley is the rotation that is used for defensive backs. In evaluating Ohio State defensive backs during his time in the NFL, Hafley was confused by how often some of the star Buckeye cornerbacks came off the field. But, Hafley also knows that if talent is stockpiled in the secondary, a rotation is needed to help all of that talent see the field.

Last year Ohio State’s secondary suffered a bit with the loss of energy of Kerry Coombs, who joined the Tennessee Titans coaching staff following the 2017 season. Hafley should be able to bring back some of that energy. Hafley has had success coaching at both the college and NFL levels, which should help Ohio State’s secondary make a big improvement this season.

“It was more of a business decision. Coach Day, he’s been in the NFL. He knows what it takes to get quarterbacks to the NFL. Just the offensive mind he has, he’s a smart guy. So that’s why [I came to Ohio State].”

Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields via Kyle Rowland, The Toledo Blade


Things have been moving fast and furious over the past month for transfer quarterback Justin Fields. After placing himself in the NCAA’s transfer portal late in 2018, Fields moved into his dorm on Jan. 5, and just a couple days later was attending classes at Ohio State. Ever since making it to campus, Fields has been working at learning Ohio State’s playbook with new quarterbacks coach Mike Yurcich and quality control coach Corey Dennis.

Yesterday, Fields spoke with the media for the first time since transferring to Ohio State, sharing the spotlight with some of the early enrolls who had committed to the Buckeyes on National Signing Day. While Fields didn’t comment on what caused him to leave the Georgia program, he did rave about Day’s ability to develop quarterbacks that are prepared for the NFL.

As long as Fields’ transfer waiver is granted by the NCAA, something that Fields and Ohio State are waiting on the NCAA to rule on, the quarterback would give the Buckeyes about as perfect a replacement for Dwayne Haskins as they could imagine. Not only does Fields have the tools to pass the football like Haskins, but he offers up even more ability to make plays with his legs than Haskins did. If Fields is allowed to play in 2019, Ohio State will again be in the thick of the College Football Playoff race.

“I want to leave a legacy here. I want people to be like, ‘Oh, Zach Harrison, he was one of the greatest to come through Ohio State.’ That’s going to mean a lot more to me because, coming from home, I’ll be able to take my kids here and grow up in a community where they know my name and stuff like that.”

Ohio State defensive end Zach Harrison via Colin Hass-Hill, Eleven Warriors


A month into his time at Ohio State, defensive end Zach Harrison is already hard at work with his Buckeye teammates. The Olentangy Orange product committed to Ohio State over Michigan and Penn State in December, and has already turned his focus to leaving a legacy at Ohio State. The lure of staying close to home at Ohio State was too much for Harrison to pass up.

Little did Harrison know that when he committed to Ohio State, he would be playing for a couple of coaches from Michigan who tried to get the defensive end to play in Ann Arbor. New Ohio State co-defensive coordinator Greg Mattison and linebackers coach Al Washington spent a lot of time with Harrison during the recruiting process, and now are part of Ryan Day’s first coaching staff at Ohio State.

Harrison has already earned positive reviews for the work he is doing in the weight room, but he knows there is still plenty of work to do. The defensive end is still working on maximizing his freakish physical tools, but he has an incredible group of coaches to help him reach his goals. Along with talented defensive ends like Chase Young and Jonathon Cooper working with him, it isn’t far-fetched at all to think Harrison could turn into one of the best to play for Ohio State by the end of his playing career.

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


The Buckeyes look to win back-to-back games for the first time since December

Ohio State (14-7, 4-6) was able to avenge a previous loss when they defeated Rutgers at home in their last time out after falling to the Scarlet Knights on the road last month. The Buckeyes will look to use that win to spark some momentum when they take on a struggling Penn State (8-14, 1-10) on Thursday night at 7:00 p.m. EST. The Big Ten tilt, taking place at Value City Arena in Columbus, will be broadcast on ESPN.

Preview


The Buckeyes finally got the old Kaleb Wesson back on Saturday when they took down Rutgers 76-62, their second win in their last three games. The sophomore big man put up 27 points on 10-of-12 shooting, including 3-of-4 from deep, while adding five assists and four rebounds. Most importantly, Wesson was able to stay out of foul trouble, recording only two personal fouls while playing a season-high 38 minutes. The 27 points were the second-most Wesson has scored in a game this season, behind only his 31 against Youngstown State, as he helped Ohio State get some revenge for their earlier 64-61 loss to the Scarlet Knights in Piscataway.

While Wesson was the star of the show, Chris Holtmann got some good production from his supporting cast as well. C.J. Jackson played one of his better games of the season, scoring 20 points to go along with seven rebounds and three assists, while Luther Muhammad continued his efficient scoring with 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting — all from deep. As a team, Ohio State turned the ball over just six times while forcing 12 Rutgers turnovers and held the Scarlet Knights to under 44 percent from the field. Their efficiency with the basketball allowed them to come away with the double-digit victory despite being out-rebounded 36-25.

After losing five in a row, Ohio State has been able to find more success lately, winning two of their last three games, with the lone loss coming against Michigan on the road — one of the best teams in the country. Part of their improved play of late can be attributed to a game plan that focuses less on forcing the ball down low to Kaleb Wesson, instead relying on moving the ball and creating opportunities for other guys to make open shots. One guy that has stepped up big is Muhammad, who has scored in double-digits in three of the last four games. The freshman guard has not shot a ton, but when he has he has been extremely effective, hitting nine of his last 15 from three-point range.

The Buckeyes are at the beginning of an important stretch, as they will take on three-straight Big Ten opponents with losing conference records before a rematch with Michigan State. They will likely still be without Kyle Young, who continues to nurse a stress fracture in his right leg. As they have done in the previous four games in Young’s absence, they will look to fill the void with guys like Jaedon LeDee and Justin Ahrens, while giving increased minutes to Musa Jallow.

After finishing 9-9 in Big Ten play a season ago and placing sixth in the conference, the Nittany Lions have taken quite a step back as they have already lost 10 conference games this season and find themselves dead last in the Big Ten. Their lone B1G win this season was actually in their last time out, when they defeated Northwestern 59-52 in a low-scoring, gritty road win. Before their victory over the Wildcats, Penn State had lost eight-straight games, their longest losing streak in six years.

As he has been all season, Lamar Stevens was the star for PSU against Northwestern. The junior forward scored a team-high 18 points to go along with seven rebounds and six assists as he knocked down 8-of-10 attempts at the free throw line. Rasir Bolton added another 14 points for the Nittany Lions, but was extremely inefficient from the field, hitting just 3-of-14 attempts. Unsurprisingly based on the final scored, neither team shot well at all in the game, with Penn State hitting at about a 38 percent clip and the Wildcats and paltry 32 percent.

Stevens has been one of the Nittany Lions’ lone bright spots this season, averaging 18.9 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. His scoring numbers are up from a year ago, when he averaged 15.5 points per game, however his shooting percentage has dipped a little, going from around 47 percent a year ago to under 42 percent this season. Bolton, the freshman guard, is the only other player averaging double-digit points for Penn State this season (11.8 PPG). Redshirt junior Mike Watkins, someone who has given Ohio State some trouble in the past, needs just six more blocks to move into the No. 2 spot in Penn State history, currently sitting at 185 career rejections.

The Nittany Lions lost a ton of last season’s production with departure of Tony Carr, who chose to begin his professional basketball career by signing overseas. Carr averaged nearly 20 points per game last year to lead the team. The biggest problem areas for Penn State this season have been three-point shooting and free throws. Hitting just 64 percent from the charity stripe ranks the Nittany Lions 11th in the conference, while their 28 percent from deep ranks second-worst. One area that PSU beats out the Buckeyes is in rebounding, where their 36.8 boards is good for sixth in the Big Ten (OSU ranks 11th with 34.8).

Prediction

ESPN BPI: OSU 81%

Vegas Line: OSU -7.5 (as of Wednesday night)


Ohio State fans likely remember last season’s series against Penn State, which ended with the Nittany Lions sweeping all three games, including a half-court buzzer-beater on the Buckeyes’ home floor and a PSU win in the quarterfinal match of the Big Ten Tournament. Although Penn State took all three games last season, the last 10 games between the two conference opponents are actually evenly split, with Ohio State winning five in a row following two wins by the Nittany Lions in the 2013-14 season.

This year’s Penn State squad is very different from the one that defeated the Buckeyes a trio of times last season. The main difference is the absence of Tony Carr, who had career games against Ohio State seemingly every time the two teams met. However, the same could be said about this Buckeyes team, who have lost the scoring of Keita Bates-Diop and Jae’Sean Tate from a year ago. More or less, these two Big Ten teams are also entirely different.

This season, these two teams will meet just once in the regular season. This time, Ohio State will have the edge. Penn State will likely look to try and get Kaleb Wesson into foul trouble early on by throwing Watkins at him, but hopefully Wesson will be able to take what he learned against Rutgers and duplicate it against the Nittany Lions. With a more efficient offense and a focus on avoiding turnovers against a decent Penn State defense, the Buckeyes will come out on top as they kick-off what should be three very winnable games on Ohio State’s schedule.

LGHL Final Score Prediction: 74-65 Ohio State

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Highlights
- Schlegel is the bad cop
- Boone stories
- Heacock vs Bollman
- Patterson having nightmares about Heacock
- Luke vs Heacock
- Beanie vs Freeman
- Beanie's kids in football... they coming in 2028
- Working w/ Cardale on youth football and coaching
- Tressel punishment
- OL depth
- Saine vs Boom
- S&C under Coop
- Beanie's bad combine

How Buckeye great William White is helping tackle ALS: BTN LiveBIG
BTN.com LiveBIG Staff via Big Ten Network

Not one to be sidelined, White is leading the fight against the neurodegenerative disease.

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JCOSU86 said:

Offense: Pete Johnson, Robert Smith, Terrell Pryor


Defense: Sean Springs, Denzel Ward, Neal Colzie, Jack Tatum

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for the nickle: Antoine Winfield

blast from the past

Interesting that Ohio State considers Justin Fields to be a member of the Class of 2019:

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ScriptOhio said:

According to 247Sports' rankings, Bogle is a top-10 player from the Sunshine State, the No. 3 weak-side edge rusher nationally and the No. 71 overall player. He is also the second head-to-head recruiting win Mullen has over Alabama coach Nick Saban since December 2018.
/

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cdiddy70 said:

Prove it.

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Actually, since you made the initial claim, you prove it.

buckeyefool said:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/Music/03/07/bigbopper.autopsy.ap/index.html

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee (AP) -- J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson suffered massive fractures and likely died immediately in the 1959 plane crash that also killed early rock 'n' rollers Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens, a forensic anthropologist said Tuesday after exhuming the body.

The performer's son, Jay Richardson, hired Dr. Bill Bass, a well-known forensic anthropologist at the University of Tennessee, to look at the remains in Beaumont, Texas.

There have been rumors a gun might have been fired on board the plane and that the Big Bopper might have survived the crash and died trying to get help.

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Big Ten Power Rankings: White-hot Purdue moves to top of list
Brent Yarina, BTN.com Senior Editor via Big Ten Network

For the third time in as many weeks, there's a new No. 1 in my Big Ten Power Rankings, presented by ArcelorMittal. This week, it's white-hot Purdue, winner of seven straight, taking the place of Michigan, now No. 2.

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That's all I'm saying. Not run it exclusively. Just as a change of pace or situational circumstances.

Now that is a Scrabble name.

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Not that we were holding out hope, but not a finalist.

01. Jack Sawyer, TE/DE, Pickerington (OH) North; 6'5" 225 lbs - committed on 02/03/2019

02. Kyle McCord, QB, Philadelphia (PA) St. Joseph's Prep; 6'3" 195 lbs - committed on 04/30/2019

03. Jayden Ballard, WR, Massillon (OH) 6'2" 165 lbs - committed on 6/21/2019

04. Ben Christman, OT, Richfield (OH) 6’6” 295 lbs - committed on 6/26/2019

05. Reid Carrico, LB, Ironton (OH) 6'3" 218 lbs - committed on 9/10/2019

06. Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Philadelphia (PA) 6’4” 175 lbs - committed on 10/31/2019

07. Sam Hart, TE, Aurora (CO) 6’5” 225 lbs - Committed on 12/30/2019

08. Jaylen Johnson, DB, Cincinnati (OH) 6’1” 205 lbs - Committed on 1/7/2020

09. Donovan Jackson, OL, Bellaire (TX) 6’4” 270 lbs - Committed on 1/8/2020

10. Michael Hall Jr., DT, Streetsboro (OH) 6’3” 290 lbs - Committed on 2/1/2020

11. Jakailin Johnson, CB, St. Louis (MO) 6’0” 170 lbs - Committed on 3/15/2020

12. Evan Pryor, RB, Charlotte (NC) 5’10” 190 lbs - Committed on 03/16/2020

13. Andre Turrentine, DB, Nashville (TN) 6’0” 175 lbs - Committed on 03/17/2020

14. TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Hopewell (VA) 5’10” 190 lbs - Committed on 03/27/2020

15. Tunmise Adeleye, DL, Bradenton (FL) 6’3” 240 lbs - Committed on 04/15/2020

15. Jantzen Dunn, ATH, Bowling Green (KY) 6’2” 178 lbs - Committed on 04/20/2020

16. Jesse Mirco, P, West Fremantle (AUS) 6’3” 200 lbs - Committed on 05/06/2020

17. Denzel Burke, ATH, Scottsdale (AZ) 6’0” 189 lbs - Committed on 05/24/2020

18. Jordan Hancock, CB, Suwanee (GA) 6’0” 175 lbs - Committed on 07/19/2020

19. Tyleik Williams, DT, Manassas (VA) 6’3” 315 lbs - Committed on 08/27/2020

20. Zen Michalski, OT, Knobbs Creek (IN) 6’6” 288 lbs - Committed on 10/03/2020

21. Emeka Egbuka, WR, Steilacoom (WA) 6’1” 190 lbs - Committed on 12/11/2020

Boom! Baloney!

So easy to make and made up of nonsense!