Ohio State Football: Buckeyes in Post Combine NFL Mock Drafts - Scarlet and Game
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Ohio State Football: Buckeyes in Post Combine NFL Mock Drafts
Scarlet and Game
How former Ohio State players are listed in these mock drafts following their workouts at the NFL Combine. Most of the Ohio State players performed well at the NFL Combine and have solidified or improved their draft status according to recent mock drafts.
2017 NFL Draft profile: Is Pat Elflein the safest ex-Ohio State player to pick?Landof10.com
Eye on 85: Roster Attrition is Nothing New For Ohio StateEleven Warriors
The rise of Ohio State's Marshon LattimoreLand-Grant Holy Land

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Ohio State set to get visit from recent 2019 offer, California DB being recruited by Jaiden Woodbey and more - Landof10.com
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Ohio State set to get visit from recent 2019 offer, California DB being recruited by Jaiden Woodbey and more
Landof10.com
There is no doubt that the Buckeyes are looking to add at least one – and maybe two – tight ends to their 2018 recruiting class. The top target, as we've said for months and will continue to say until he makes a college decision, is Lindenhurst (N.Y ...
Former Alabama commit says Buckeyes have offered247Sports

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2017 NIT Selection Show: Start time, TV Channel, live stream, & how to watch
Matt Brown via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Will this tournament include Ohio State? Only way to find out is to watch.

The NCAA Selection Show starts at 5:30 today, but we all know Ohio State won’t hear their name called. Any tiny chance for the Buckeyes to dance ended when Ohio State lost to Rutgers to open the Big Ten Tournament.

But the NIT? That’s still a possibility. Ohio State didn’t commit to playing in the NIT on Wednesday, but they’re still likely to get an invite, if they want one, with various bracket projection sites slotting them around a five seed slot.

Should the Buckeyes fail to earn a top four seed in the NIT, they’ll be on the road, with opening round games being played on campus sites. The final four, of course, is played in New York City.

Will they accept a bid? Where will they play? Who will they play? We’ll find out tonight. Here’s how to watch:

How to watch the selection show:

Time: 8:30 p.m. ET

TV: ESPNU

Online: WatchESPN

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Best of the 2017 Big Ten Tournament
Alex Roux, BTN.com editor via Big Ten Network

Now that a Big Ten Tournament champion Michigan has been crowned after blazing an incredible four-day trail through D.C., it’s time to pick the “bests” from the event celebrating its 20th season. It’s tough to narrow down these picks after 13 games in five days, but here they are.

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Ohio State-Florida Gulf Coast 2017 final score: Baseball Buckeyes hang on (barely) for 5-4 win
Ben Martens via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The Buckeyes nearly had a replay of Friday night’s blown lead, but held on against the Eagles.

For Ohio State baseball, Sunday’s 5-4 win over Florida Gulf Coast had to bring on some flashbacks of blown leads past. Just two days removed from blowing a five-run lead in the ninth inning of game one on Friday, the Buckeyes very nearly followed the same script against the Eagles in the series finisher.

With a 5-1 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth, Ohio State closer Yianni Pavlopoulos yielded three runs and had the tying run at second base before sealing the Buckeye victory.

FGCU mounted its last-ditch effort to repeat Friday’s heroics with back-to-back-to-back doubles to lead off the inning against Pavlopoulos, cutting the deficit to two. A sacrifice fly two batters later brought made it a one-run game, but a pair of groundouts ended things.

Ohio State’s record now stands at 6-8 on the young season, and while there was much to be concerned about in the series against the 24th-ranked Eagles, the Buckeyes did show some resiliency. That can only help as the club continues to grow and eyes Big Ten play.

From a bullpen that had been much-maligned throughout the series, the Buckeyes did get two scoreless innings from Kyle Michalik and a scoreless inning of redemption from Seth Kinker before the scare from Pavlopoulos.

And unlike game two of the series, when the team managed just a run, Ohio State did generate some offense in this one. Bo Coolen hit a two-run home run, while Tre’ Gantt collected three hits and a pair of RBIs, and Jalen Washington drove in a run.

After two straight rough outings, Adam Niemeyer was pushed back to Sunday from his usual Friday spot in the rotation. The right-hander responded with what was easily his best outing since opening day, allowing just one run on three hits in five innings of work, walking two and striking out two, en route to his second win of the season. It was an encouraging sign.

FGCU was not nearly as sharp as in the first two games of the series, getting 6.1 innings out of lefty starter Josh Dye, who struck out six while allowing an uncharacteristic five runs, and managing just four hits before the wild final frame.

As was the case in Saturday’s game, Ohio State staked itself to the early lead in this one. Gantt led off with a single, extending his reached base streak to all 13 games thus far this season, and Washington tripled to the left-center gap to bring him around. Dye retired Noah McGowan and Zach Ratcliff after that and looked close to escaping with no further damage, but Coolen connected on his first home run in scarlet and gray to make it a three-run inning.

Niemeyer stranded a runner in the first inning and left the bases loaded in the second, tiptoeing around trouble. He was unable to avoid it in the third, though, as Corey Fehribach took him deep to right-center to put the Eagles on the board and cut the lead to 3-1.

The Buckeyes got that run back in the fifth thanks to a costly error by FGCU third baseman Richie Garcia. On a ground ball off the bat of Jacob Barnwell, Garcia’s throwing error allowed the Ohio State catcher to race around the bags all the way to third. He then beat a play at the plate when Gantt laid down a squeeze bunt, making it a 4-1 ballgame.

Meanwhile, Niemeyer continued to throw zeroes up on the board, allowing just one baserunner between the fourth and fifth innings before exiting the game for Michalik.

In the seventh, the Buckeyes chased Dye from the game thanks to a leadoff double by Shea Murray and a sacrifice bunt by Barnwell. Reliever Ryan Ahern entered and Gantt laid down another bunt, scoring Murray. He also advanced to second thanks to an error on the play at the plate to keep the pressure on.

Ahern faced just the one hitter before the Eagles went back to the bullpen, this time for Kenton Hering, who induced a groundout from Washington and struck out McGowan to end the threat.

The theatrics were just about to begin, but this time the boys from Columbus persevered.

Ohio State will remain in Florida for the next few days, continuing its spring break trip with the Snowbird Classic in Port Charlotte. The Buckeyes will take on Lehigh on Tuesday afternoon, followed by a Wednesday morning tilt with Bucknell.

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Ohio State-Florida Gulf Coast 2017 final score: Baseball Buckeyes hang on (barely) for 5-4 win - Land-Grant Holy Land
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Ohio State-Florida Gulf Coast 2017 final score: Baseball Buckeyes hang on (barely) for 5-4 win
Land-Grant Holy Land
Just two days removed from blowing a five-run lead in the ninth inning of game one on Friday, the Buckeyes very nearly followed the same script against the Eagles in the series finisher. With a 5-1 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth, Ohio State ...


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Ohio State lacrosse stays undefeated with 12-4 win over Cleveland State
Meredith Hein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The Buckeyes move to 7-0 on the season with an eight-point win in the Horseshoe.

The Ohio State Buckeyes men’s lacrosse team earned its seventh win of the season Saturday at Ohio Stadium, defeating the Vikings of Cleveland State by a 12-4 mark to remain undefeated on the year. The eight-point win is the Buckeyes’ largest margin of victory on the young season.

With the win, the Buckeyes improve to 7-0 on the year as they prepare for the toughest stretch of the season in which they will face three of the nation’s top-four teams.

Ohio State opened up scoring with two-straight goals from freshman midfielder Tre Leclaire. Senior attackman Austin Shanks then put the Buckeyes up three on a man-up goal midway through the quarter. Though the Vikings scored with 4:31 remaining in the opening quarter, senior midfielder Johnny Pearson scored his 10th goal of the year, assisted by sophomore attackman Jack Jasinski, to keep the Buckeyes’ lead at three heading into the second quarter.

Leclaire rounded out his hat trick with a goal just 44 seconds into the second quarter to extend Ohio State’s lead. Freshman attackman Lukas Buckley then broke a nine-minute scoring drought for both teams when he found the back of the net on a man-up opportunity with 5:15 remaining in the quarter, assisted by senior attackman Eric Fannell, giving the Buckeyes a 6-1 lead heading into the break.

Senior midfielder J.T. Blubaugh scored the first goal of the second half for the Buckeyes 2:41 into the third quarter. Cleveland State answered quickly to keep the margin at five, but Ohio State converted the game’s next three goals on shots by junior attackman Hank Bethke, senior midfielder John Kelly and junior midfielder Austin Seiple. Though the Vikings outshot Ohio State 11-8 in the third, the Buckeyes carried a 10-2 lead into the final quarter.

Both teams traded goals in the fourth, with Seiple scoring his second of the day with 10:12 remaining. Cleveland State would answer, but freshman attackman Nick Musci responded with his third goal of the season for the Buckeyes’ final score of the game.

Leclaire led the Buckeyes with three goals on the day, and also leads Ohio State in scoring on the season with 17 goals so far this year.

Overall, Ohio State outshot Cleveland State 37-28. Senior goalie Tom Carey had seven saves on 10 shots on the day, while fellow senior Nick Doyle, who played the final 7:54, had two saves on three shots.

Ohio State went just 8-of-17 on faceoff attempts on the day, with senior specialist Jake Withers winning all four of the attempts he faced. The Buckeyes won the groundball battle, however, picking up 25 of 42 attempts, led by Carey who picked up four individually. Withers’ three groundballs on the day also made him the all-time leader in groundballs in program history at Ohio State with 239 career pick ups.

With the loss, Cleveland State falls to 2-6 on the season. The Vikings’ next game against Hofstra, initially scheduled for Tuesday, was cancelled due to an impending snowstorm due to hit New York this week, but Cleveland State will head to Fairfield Wednesday for their next scheduled matchup. Ohio State, meanwhile, faces 17th-ranked Towson in Maryland Tuesday before returning home to face No. 4 Denver in Columbus Sunday. Looking ahead, the Buckeyes are scheduled to take on No. 1 Notre Dame in South Bend the following weekend before opening conference play against No. 3 Penn State.

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Bucknuts 90: Offseason intrigue picks up steam - 247Sports
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Bucknuts 90: Offseason intrigue picks up steam
247Sports
And a host of Buckeyes are gearing up for the NFL Draft and an expanded bank account. Basically, another ho-hum offseason for Ohio State. This is not ho-hum: Mark Neal is back from his three-week, sun-drenched sabbatical. We had a lot to catch up on ...

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Ohio State basketball: What went wrong in 2016-17 for the Buckeyes - Landof10.com
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Ohio State basketball: What went wrong in 2016-17 for the Buckeyes
Landof10.com
After a disappointing 2015-16 campaign ended with the Buckeyes relegated to the NIT, players vowed improvement. Ohio State had never missed the NCAA Tournament in consecutive seasons during head coach Thad Matta's tenure, which began in 2004.

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The rise of Ohio State’s Marshon Lattimore
Ian Hartitz via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The No. 1 cornerback prospect’s journey to the 2017 NFL Draft was far from traditional.

With a team that has as much yearly turnover as Ohio State, we’re often forced to evaluate incoming starters with high school tape and word of mouth from practices. Sometimes that word of mouth reveals ridiculous statistical feats, such as Malik Hooker snagging 40 (!!!) interceptions on the scout team during his redshirt season. It’s also how we found out that Noah Brown was “pretty much unguardable” even before his four-touchdown night in Norman.

Marshon Lattimore’s rapid rise to fame at Ohio State was a lot harder to see coming. Sure, the latest No. 1 recruit from Cleveland Glenville had plenty of hype, but Lattimore was never able to scratch the surface of his limitless potential due to chronic hamstring issues.

The problem began during Lattimore’s first year on campus and he eventually had to get surgery. He was able to participate in seven games as a redshirt freshman before once again going down with a hamstring injury. The presence of future NFL defensive backs Doran Grant, Eli Apple and Conley didn’t make cornerback the most pressing need on the field, but it was still disappointing to see a player with Lattimore’s talent not even get a chance to shine.

"It's aggravating not playing because of an injury when I know I'm ready ... I don't let it break me. I'm keeping my head high ... Right now, I feel the best I've felt since I've been here, so I'm not really concerned."

— Marshon Lattimore


Lattimore was able to stay healthy during the 2016 offseason in part thanks to an increased emphasis on preparation and stretching. He won the starting job across from Conley and quickly proved that he more than belonged with the Buckeyes’ group of ball-hawks in the secondary:


Lattimore’s two interceptions against Tulsa earned him national player of the week honors. His size and athleticism were problematic enough for opposing wide receivers, but his true calling card proved to be his impeccable press-coverage technique. Per PFF, Lattimore allowed just two of 12 passes thrown into his coverage on go routes to be caught. Considering Ohio State rarely gives its corners help over the top, this stat demonstrates just how tough it was to beat him deep.

Lattimore proved this point again and again against Bowling Green and Tulsa, but his real coming-out party came against the Oklahoma Sooners. Prior to the game, backup quarterback Austin Kendall pointed out that the Buckeyes ran a basic defense that he thought the Sooners would exploit. Kendall wasn’t exactly wrong, as the Buckeyes do often simply line up in man-to-man coverage or in cover-four. Kendall’s mistake was assuming that the Sooners had the athletes to make Ohio State pay in these one-on-one situations, as Lattimore and co. quickly proved just how dangerous they could be against elite competition that was willing to test them deep:


Lattimore’s ability to lock down any receiver across from him proved to be invaluable. Opposing offenses couldn’t pass downfield on the Buckeyes, and this stifled potential comeback attempts by Michigan State and Wisconsin in crunch time.

Lattimore’s excellent play earned him plenty of accolades and before you knew it, he was a top-prospect for the NFL draft. Man-to-man cornerbacks are becoming one of the most valuable prototypes in the NFL and Lattimore’s college production confirmed the hype that surrounded his alien-like athletic ability.

"Let them think that ... I'm just gonna keep trying to show them that I'm that good. All that, first round and all that stuff I don't really feed into that. I just stay locked in to what I gotta do."

— Marshon Lattimore


Lattimore finished the season as a first team All-Big Ten selection and is regularly mentioned as one of the top cornerbacks available in the 2017 NFL Draft. His 4.36 second 40-yard dash certainly helped his draft stock, but his performance on the field was what truly separated him from his peers.

Lattimore was targeted 41 times on the season. He intercepted four of those passes and broke up six. Per PFF, opponents had a passer rating of 30.2 when throwing at Lattimore — the fourth-best mark in the FBS among corners with at least 40 targets.

Oh, and he’s also not afraid to tackle. Per PFF, Lattimore didn’t miss a single one of his 37 solo tackle attempts last season. Cornerbacks with Lattimore’s athletic ability don’t fall off trees, but it’s even more rare to see a specimen also have such great game production to confirm those special athletic traits.

“When you look at Lattimore, every time you watched him you saw a guy that could be a shutdown corner... I really think he has a higher ceiling than any of the other corners.” — Mel Kiper Jr.


Lattimore’s job as the defense’s right cornerback was usually to erase the man in front of him by any means necessary. Malik Hooker would often sit in the middle of the field and survey the receivers, but Lattimore and Conley were mostly on their own on the outside. Part of what makes Lattimore such a special cornerback is not just his ability to play tight coverage, but also his ability to make up ground when he does lose a step on the receiver:


Lattimore’s eyes get stuck in the backfield for a beat too long in the above clip and this momentary lapse was enough to allow the receiver to get a step of separation. Lattimore didn’t panic and he quickly erased the space between himself and the receiver before rising up to make a fantastic play on the ball. Ohio State fans found out how frustrating it can be to watch an offense that is incapable of stretching the defense vertically, but this was a reality for opposing offenses the entire season thanks to the play of Lattimore and Conley.

The other factor that separates Lattimore from some of his peers is his willingness to tackle. Ohio State doesn’t ask its corners to do much in the run game, but its clear that a certain level of physicality is required to make it on the field with the rest of the silver bullets. Lattimore proved to be more than willing to take on any ball carrier and his tackling ability was at times utilized on blitzes:


It’s not like Lattimore lived in opposing backfields, but he regularly stepped up in the run game and blew up wide-receiver screens thanks to his physicality and relentless pursuit of the ball.

Ohio State doesn’t make its defense too complicated for their cornerbacks and this has presented some questions about how pro-ready Lattimore is. His responsibility in college rarely had him covering receivers in the slot and Ohio State seldom ran zone coverage.

Still, one of the most valuable commodities in the NFL today is having a cornerback who can erase the other team’s best wide receiver. There are few college cornerbacks who possess Lattimore’s skill set and even fewer that combine it with his ball skills and press technique. He may have only balled out for one season in Columbus, but look for Marshon Lattimore to continue to make a name for himself on Sundays for years to come.

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No. 15 Ohio State beats No. 16 Wisconsin again, 3-1
Matt Torino via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The Buckeyes complete the weekend sweep and clinch third place in the Big Ten.

Ohio State needed a win tonight to gain a leg up on Wisconsin for an NCAA tournament at large bid and to clinch the number three seed in the Big Ten tournament and avoid Michigan in round one. They did both and completed the weekend sweep in Madison, beating the No. 16 Wisconsin Badgers 3-1 on Saturday night.

Matt Tomkins put together another stellar performance in net, allowing only one goal en route to the 3-1 victory. He stopped 27 out of 28 shots on goal and didn’t allow that one goal until Ohio State was already up three with under ten minutes to go in regulation.

Mason Jobst officially went over the fifty point mark on the season as he scored the game’s opening goal and then assisted on Brendon Kearney’s insurance shorthander in the third period. He’s unquestionably been Ohio State’s MVP this season with Nick Schilkey battling through injuries and Tanner Laczynski tailing off post-World Juniors.

OSU also showcased more attacking behavior in this one, a welcomed sight, outshooting the Badgers in both the first and second periods, 10-7 and 13-11 respectively. They were outshot 10-5 in the third, but when you’re up three goals and the game’s likely over, it’s more excusable than starting it when you’re just up one or two goals as the Buckeyes seem to do too often.

Ohio State never trailed for a second in this one, as Jobst started off the scoring in the first period as he sniped one from the faceoff circle and then went flying right after getting it off. He became the first Buckeye since R.J. Umberger in 2003 to put up 50 points in a season. The powerplay goal came on a feed from Tomkins, who had the lone assist.

Kevin Miller scored his 11th of the year in the second to make it 2-1 in favor of the No. 15 Buckeyes. David Gust fed Dakota Joshua who sent it back across the ice for Miller who shot it home. But even that tic-tac-toe goal wouldn’t be Ohio State’s prettiest on the night.

At 17:39 of the second, Ohio State was shorthanded as Matt Joyaux was in the penalty box for goalie interference, and Jobst, from the neutral zone, skipped a pass like a rock on a pond to a streaking Brendon Kearney on a breakaway, who then found some space and hit the back of the net. Sasha Larocque had the secondary assist on Kearney’s second of the year.

That would be all Matt Tomkins would need. Aside from allowing a third period goal to Luke Kunin at 11:37, Tomkins’ record was sparkling on the night. He eliminated any chance of fellow senior Christian Frey taking back the starting job for the conference tournament with another +.900 save percentage night. And hardly anyone can stop Kunin, who now has 21 goals on the year anyway. Not quite Schilkey, but who is?

If you told me going into this weekend that Ohio State would get virtually nothing on the scoresheet from Nick Schilkey and Tanner Laczynski and still Ohio State would sweep the Badgers, I would’ve had you committed to Clockworks Psychiatric Hospital.

But Matt Tomkins turned into Patrick Roy all of a sudden and Mason Jobst turned into Wayne Gretzky out here and when that happens, you can beat pretty much anyone.

The Buckeyes will have their second and most important season start on Thursday when they play Michigan State in Detroit. The Spartans finished only 3-14-2 in conference, so Ohio State will be heavily favored, but one of those three wins came against your Buckeyes.

If Ohio State loses, they suffer a tremendous blow for their at large chances. If they win, they’ll play Wisconsin again in what could essentially be a play in game for the NCAAs. And OSU sure showed it could beat the Badgers this weekend.

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OU Posts NCAA's Best Score, Beats Buckeyes - Soonersports.com
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OU Posts NCAA's Best Score, Beats Buckeyes
Soonersports.com
NORMAN -- The top-ranked Oklahoma men's gymnastics team remained unbeaten Saturday night, topping No. 4 Ohio State 434.550-417.600 inside McCasland Field House. Oklahoma's team mark was the highest by any team in the NCAA this season.


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Badgers hockey swept by Buckeyes in regular-season finale - FOXSports.com
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Badgers hockey swept by Buckeyes in regular-season finale
FOXSports.com
The Wisconsin Badgers men's hockey team finished the 2016-17 Big Ten regular season with a 3-1 loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes. One night after falling 5-1 to Ohio State, Wisconsin came out flat once again on senior night and found themselves in a 3-0 ...
Badgers men's hockey: Goaltender Matt Jurusik injured in blowout loss to BuckeyesMadison.com
Men's hockey: Badgers look to take down Buckeyes in regular season finaleThe Badger Herald
Men's hockey: Statement weekend; Buckeyes close regular season at No. 16 WisconsinOSU - The Lantern
USCHO -Channel3000.com - WISC-TV3 -The Daily Cardinal
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Tournament Tracker: Key Ohio State prospects in district finals - 247Sports
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Tournament Tracker: Key Ohio State prospects in district finals
247Sports
Jeremiah Francis (2019 prospect), Pickerington Central – Francis and Pick Central will face Dublin Coffman at 5 p.m. Saturday at Ohio Dominican. That game will pit a pair of sons of former Buckeyes in Francis (son of Jerry Francis) against Coffman's ...


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Minnesota earns top seed in 2017 Big Ten hockey tournament
Brent Yarina, BTN.com Senior Editor via Big Ten Network

The Big Ten announced on Saturday the bracket for the 2017 Big Ten Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, with Big Ten Champion Minnesota collecting the top seed after earning its fourth consecutive Big Ten title.

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Men's volleyball: Top-ranked Buckeyes stunned by No. 6 UC Irvine, win streak ended at 42 - OSU - The Lantern
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Men's volleyball: Top-ranked Buckeyes stunned by No. 6 UC Irvine, win streak ended at 42
OSU - The Lantern
Two separate four-point runs gave the Buckeyes the lead at 16-10 midway through the first set. The Anteaters went on a four-point run of their own to tie the score up at 17. Four straight service errors and a net violation put the nail in the coffin ...


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Recruits visiting Ohio State ready to swing into high gear - 247Sports
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Recruits visiting Ohio State ready to swing into high gear
247Sports
He returned and was much improved in his junior year for the Buckeyes. He averaged five points and four rebounds last year as a sophomore. This season, he averaged 10.6 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocked shots per game. OSU lost to Rutgers in the ...
Ohio State's Trevor Thompson to make NBA Draft decision after season, per report, but father denies itLand-Grant Holy Land
Report: Conflicting reports indicating Trevor Thompson's NBA draft decision still up in the airOSU - The Lantern
OSU Center Trevor Thompson Reportedly Going To Declare For NBA DraftScout
Eleven Warriors -Landof10.com
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Ohio State-Florida Gulf Coast 2017 final score: Buckeye baseball routed, 13-1, by the Eagles
Ben Martens via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The hangover from Friday’s tough late loss lingered on Saturday for the Buckeyes.

The hangover from Friday’s meltdown stayed with the Ohio State baseball team on Saturday afternoon. The Buckeyes lost to Florida Gulf Coast in a rout, 13-1, in Fort Myers, Florida.

FGCU, ranked No. 24 in the country by Collegiate Baseball, got an astounding 4-for-6 and eight RBIs out of second baseman Matt Reardon, and saw every player in the lineup pick up at least one hit.

Aside from Reardon, the story in this one was Ohio State’s inability to get anything going offensively against the Eagles’ Kutter Crawford. The junior right-hander silenced the Buckeye bats to the tune of just a run on three hits in six innings, walking three while striking out eight.

The bullpen continued that dominance in relief, with junior Peyton Gray tossing two scoreless with three strikeouts and freshman Sebastian Gruszecki working around a pair of hits to pitch a scoreless ninth to close things out.

Junior second baseman Noah McGowan managed two of the scarlet and gray’s hits on the day, and was also hit by a pitch to reach base a third time, but there was little else that went right for the squad at the plate.

Ohio State’s Ryan Feltner had his struggles in the early season continue, allowing six runs on nine hits, issuing a pair of walks and striking out seven, in five innings pitched. On the heels of of blowing a five run lead in the ninth inning of game one, the early deficit seemed insurmountable.

The Buckeyes have lost the series, falling to 5-8 on the season, and will now try to avoid a sweep on Sunday.

A couple of self-inflicted wounds by FGCU actually gave Ohio State an early lead. Bo Coolen worked a walk to lead off the second and advanced to second on a wild pitch by Crawford. After Brady Cherry struck out, Tyler Cowles sent a grounder up the middle that shortstop Julio Gonzalez couldn’t handle. The error allowed Coolen to score.

The lead wouldn’t last for long, though, as Feltner yielded three runs in the bottom of the frame. Jake Smith walked to lead things off, and after Spencer Levine struck out, Alex Brait, Gage Morey, Reardon, and Gonzalez reeled off four straight singles. When the dust settled, the Eagles led 3-1.

Florida Gulf Coast broke things open the next inning, putting up another three runs on Feltner, all coming with two outs. Levine and Brait singled back-to-back, and Morey was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Reardon then doubled to clear the bases.

That’s how things stayed until the bottom of the seventh, when Reardon struck once again. After Morey walked with two outs, the junior tripled to push the advantage out to 7-1 against Buckeye reliever Connor Curlis.

An inning later against Reece Calvert, the Eagles tacked on six more, as the lead grew to 13-1. Singles by Rivera and Fehribach and a walk by Lovell loaded the bases with nobody out. Smith delivered an RBI infield single and Levine walked to score, and Calvert’s outing was over nearly as quickly as it started.

Gavin Lyon took over with nobody out and the bases loaded and struck out the first two hitters he faced. But Reardon stepped into the batter’s box and did exactly what he’d been doing all afternoon, doubling to clear the bases. He scored when Gonzalez followed with a double of his own, capping the FGCU onslaught for the day.

The final game of the series will be played on Sunday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET with Adam Niemeyer on the mound for Ohio State trying to avoid the weekend sweep.

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Ohio State’s Trevor Thompson to make NBA Draft decision after season, per report
Harry Lyles Jr. via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Thompson may test the NBA waters again.

Ohio State center Trevor Thompson’s future with the Buckeyes seems to be up in the air. The Indianapolis Star’s Kyle Neddenriep reported on Saturday afternoon that Thompson would be declaring for the draft.

Later in the afternoon, the Columbus Dispatch’s Adam Jardy reported that the decision would come after the conclusion of the Buckeyes season.

After the Buckeyes’ loss to Rutgers in the Big Ten Tournament, Thompson was noncommittal in returning to the Buckeyes. “I’m not really sure right now,” Thompson said. “I’m just frustrated right now. That’s what my focus is on. Only time will tell, I guess.”

After last season, Thompson made himself eligible for the draft, but eventually opted to return to the Buckeyes. A recent NCAA rule change allowed Thompson, an underclassman, to enter his name into the NBA Draft without forfeiting his eligibility.

Thompson was a junior this past season, and could still return for a senior season based on the previously mentioned rule change. He will have until 10 days after the 2017 NBA Draft Combine to withdraw from the draft and still be eligible for his senior season.

For now, Ohio State is reportedly in a non-binding agreement to play in the NIT. So whether or not Thompson decides to actually head for the professional ranks, we may still see him and the rest of the Buckeyes in postseason play.

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Former Alabama commit says Buckeyes have offered - 247Sports
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Former Alabama commit says Buckeyes have offered
247Sports
The Buckeyes continue their relentless coast-to-coast recruiting work. Today former Alabama offensive line commitment Dare Rosenthal from Ferriday (La.) told Alabama recruiting insider Hank South he has received an Ohio State scholarship offer ...

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Buckeyes offer former Alabama commit - 247Sports
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Buckeyes offer former Alabama commit
247Sports
The Buckeyes continue their relentless coast-to-coast recruiting work. Today former Alabama offensive line commitment Dare Rosenthal from Ferriday (La.) told Alabama recruiting insider Hank South he has received an Ohio State scholarship offer ...

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Kyle Snyder, 2017 B1G Championships, X
Garth via our good friends at Men of the Scarlet and Gray
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

Kyle Snyder had a tougher match than usual, prevailing 8-5 in the Championship bout over Wisconsin veteran Connor Medbery. Also, BiG Coach of the Year, Ohio State’s Tom Ryan.


































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What you need to know about Ohio State’s spring practice position battles
Christopher Jason via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Elite recruiting has a set up fierce positional battles.

Last season, the Buckeyes were able to make the College Football Playoff as the youngest team in a power five conference — returning only six starters from their immensely talented 2015 squad. With only a handful (elite) players moving on to the NFL, Ohio State will be in a different spot than they were last season. This year, they’re returning eight starters on offense and seven starters on defense — tied for the second most returning starters in the Big Ten.

With spring practice kicking off last week, there aren’t as many positional battles for starting jobs, but rather to crack the two-deep. Let’s check out the biggest positional battles as we get deeper into spring practice.

Offense

Quarterback


Joe Burrow vs. Dwayne Haskins

With J.T. Barrett returning for his final season, the backup job will come down to Burrow and Haskins. With a mobile quarterback who runs the ball as much as Barrett does (much to the chagrin of Buckeye fans), the backup is one play away from stepping behind center.

Last season, Joe Burrow won the job over true freshman Dwayne Haskins but Urban Meyer repeatedly praised Haskins throughout his first season, even labeling him as the “best QB at his age I’ve ever seen.” High praise for the Maryland native.

Not only is this spot important for 2017, but it’s even bigger for 2018. With Tate Martell set to redshirt in 2017 and 5-star dual-threat Emory Jones arriving in 2018, there will be a logjam at this position next season. If Burrow loses the job to Haskins this season, will he transfer after the season? This is a huge spring for both signal callers, both on the field for 2017 and for their respective futures in 2018.

Running back


Antonio Williams vs. JK Dobbins

Here’s another battle to crack the two-deep. We all know Mike Weber had a tremendous first season where he showed power and some quickness (a surprising attribute we didn’t know about). Ultimately though, Weber is a two-down back who excels as north-south ball carrier, rather than a guy who can get to the edge.

This is where true freshman JK Dobbins comes in. Dobbins is a true tailback, rather than a H-back, who brings more speed and quickness than Weber or Antonio Williams. Williams is a big-bodied back who will bring the hammer to opposing defenses. With Dobbins already on campus as an early enrollee, he will be able to show off his catching ability and different skillset to running backs coach Tony Alford.

X-receiver


Binjimen Victor vs. Austin Mack

Austin Mack got all the headlines last spring when he was the first freshman to get his black stripe taken off, but it looked like he hit the freshman wall as the season progressed as he never got on the field as a main member of the wide receiver rotation. On the other hand, Binjimen Victor was noticed as a long, very skinny true freshman who looked like he would definitely redshirt to bulk up, but ended up seeing time late in the season — and against Clemson — which has most fans and writers penciling him in for a starting job in 2018.

Not so fast my friend. Mack is Meyer’s most talented receiver recruit since he’s been at Ohio State and is a better route runner than Victor. But on the other hand, Victor brings something that no other Buckeye wideout possesses: height. Sure, both will definitely see the field and Kevin Wilson will find a way to get both on the field at the same time, but it will be an interesting battle between two stud sophomores.

Right guard


Demetrius Knox vs. Matthew Burrell vs. Josh Myers vs. Malcolm Pridgeon

With Billy Price kicking over to center to replace Rimington Award winner Pat Elflein, the right guard spot is the lone opening on the offensive line. Demetrius Knox looks like he has the inside track from Meyer, but he hardly looked like he belonged when he subbed in for Michael Jordan in the Fiesta Bowl.



Knox has a handful of talented guys behind him, with Matthew Burrell, the highly touted Josh Myers and Malcolm Pridgeon, who was a highly touted JUCO player who was expected to be the starter at right tackle before suffering a season ending injury. With the amount of pulling that Meyer’s guards do throughout the game, athleticism may win this battle.

Defense

Defensive end


Tyquan Lewis and Sam Hubbard

Nick Bosa vs. Jalyn Holmes vs. Jonathon Cooper vs. Rashod Berry vs. Chase Young (not on campus yet)

This isn’t as much of a battle as the other positions because Larry Johnson does a great job of mixing and matching, creating sub-packages and rotating players throughout the game. Luckily for Johnson, he has arguably the most talented positional group on the team with an abundance of talented vets, mixed with a barrage of highly touted youngsters. Get this: Nick Bosa was the lone Buckeye to crack Pro Football Focus’ “Top 25 Returning Players in College Football” list... and he doesn’t even start.

Cornerback


Denzel Ward vs. Kendall Sheffield vs. Jeffrey Okudah vs. Shaun Wade

Marshon Lattimore and Gareon Conley are both headed to the NFL as projected first round picks, so this will be the first time that Meyer and Kerry Coombs will have to start two new corners since Meyer has been at Ohio State. Luckily for them, they arguably have the most talented defensive back recruiting class already on campus, competing for two starting jobs.

Denzel Ward is the elder in this group and should solidify one corner spot, while 5-stars Jeffrey Okudah and Shaun Wade, and former Alabama corner Kendall Sheffield will be battling it out for the other spot. This should be the fiercest positional battle of them all.

Free safety


Erick Smith vs. Jordan Fuller

There are some pretty big shoes to fill at the free safety spot. Malik Hooker came out of nowhere to win last year’s opening left by Vonn Bell, and all he did was make himself into a future top-10 pick in this year’s draft and draw comparisons to future NFL Hall of Famer Ed Reed.

Erick Smith came to Ohio State way back in 2014 as a high 4-star U.S. Army All-American, but injuries have kept him off the field. Jordan Fuller arrived on campus last season and surprisingly cracked the two-deep and got time as a true freshman. As we saw with Bell and Hooker, the free safety position in this position is designed for players with range, ball skills and elite instincts, so may the better athlete win this one.

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Ohio State's ten most wanted 2018 recruits - 247Sports
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Ohio State's ten most wanted 2018 recruits
247Sports
The Buckeyes currently have four commitments in the 2018 class with 11 months to go until National Signing Day. The four represent a super start for the Ohio State staff as quarterback Emory Jones, running back Brian Snead, slot/running back Jaelen ...
Ohio State roundup: Men's hockey moves into third in Big TenThe Columbus Dispatch
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No. 15 Ohio State hockey blows by No. 16 Wisconsin, 5-1Land-Grant Holy Land

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No. 15 Ohio State hockey blows by No. 16 Wisconsin, 5-1
Matt Torino via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The Buckeyes avenge their sweep by the Badgers earlier in the season

No. 16 Wisconsin might be Ohio State’s biggest competition for an at large NCAA tournament spot. If Friday night was any indication, No. 15 Ohio State has the upper hand in that race.

The No. 15 Buckeyes blew by the No. 16 Badgers by a score of 5-1 in Madison. The Bucks are coming off a split with Michigan State that hurt their at large chances, but a multiple goal win over your chief competition for one of the last at large spots in the tournament sure helps some of those wounds heal.

The Badgers beat OSU 3-1 in Columbus and 3-2 in overtime in Madison Square Garden back in January to give them the season series lead but Ohio State came up with the key win on Friday night when they needed it most and gained a little momentum heading into the conference tournament next week in Detroit.

OSU came out flying in this one and didn’t look back, scoring twice in the first to go into intermission up 2-0. Drew Brevig started out the scoring with just his second of the year at 8:54 of the first. It came unassisted on a redirected shot from the point. David Gust would double the lead with his 16th of the year at 11:31, from Brevig and Sasha Larocque.

In the second, Wisconsin would finally score one. But Ohio State did them one better and scored twice. Dakota Joshua scored his 11th of the year at 7:04 of the second. Gust had the lone assist. Matt Ustaski’s fifth of the year cut the OSU lead to 3-1, but the Buckeyes gained their three goal cushion back just under five minutes later as Miguel Fidler scored his fourth of the year from Mason Jobst at 14:22. It was Jobst’s 32nd assist of the year.

Jobst added an insurance goal in the third on the powerplay to fully make sure Wisconsin was dead and buried. His 17th came from Matthew Weis and gave Jobst his second point on the night. He’s up to 49 on the season. R.J. Umberger was the last Ohio State skater to have more, with 53 way back in 2003.

Ohio State came into the game the nation’s leader in powerplay percentage at 31.9%, but only went 1-for-5 in this one, with Jobst’s late insurance goal being the lone marker. The penalty kill killed off five of six Wisconsin opportunities.

Matt Tomkins got the start in goal and continued to make his case to start in the Big Ten Tournament next week as he stopped all but one shot even as Ohio State was outshot 29-18 on the night. That’s about as much as you can ask for from your goalie and with Ohio State’s high scoring offense, they’ll win pretty much any game their goalie plays like that.

You’d still like OSU to attack at even strength more even up four goals, as their goaltending has been anything but consistent this season, but it’s hard to argue when your team wins 5-1. There could be a bigger danger of a team coming back when it’s Minnesota you’re facing instead of Wisconsin, but you can’t argue with the results in this one.

The Buckeyes will take a result like this any night they can get it and they’ll look to double the pleasure in a rematch with Wisconsin on Saturday night in Madison at 8pm.

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