2010-2011 Men's Basketball (Outright Big Ten & BTT Champs)

[Best Buckeye]

Preseason polls are a lot similar to the offseason....There isn't much to it.

 

[LitlBuck]

I will have to think about these top five rankings before rendering my thoughts.

Sporting News college basketball analyst Mike DeCourcy has Ohio State No.5 in his preseason rankings - not bad considering the Buckeyes lost the consensus player of the year in Evan Turner. But in DeCourcy's mind, that's only good enough for third place in the Big Ten. He has Michigan State No.1 and Purdue No.3.

"The Buckeyes might need to be creative (again) at point guard, but finding a solution could make them champs," he wrote. "If William Buford improves his decision-making, he has the skills."
​

No.2 Duke and No.4 Kansas round out DeCourcy's top five.

http://www.dispatch.com/live/conten...21/rumblings-5-21-art-gk58jo7g-1.html?sid=101

 

[buckeyesin07]

I will have to think about these top five rankings before rendering my thoughts.



http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2010/05/21/rumblings-5-21-art-gk58jo7g-1.html?sid=101http://www.dispatch.com/live/conten...21/rumblings-5-21-art-gk58jo7g-1.html?sid=101http://www.dispatch.com/live/conten...21/rumblings-5-21-art-gk58jo7g-1.html?sid=101

I'm not as high on Duke as a lot of others seem to be. Sure, they return Smith and Singler, but they lose the other three of their starting five. In many games I saw this year, Scheyer was the glue that held that team together in tough times. I look for them to drop a few close games this coming season due to his absence. I could see them making a Sweet 16 or Elite 8 run this year, but I don't see them going much further.

 

[LitlBuck]

Jim Calhoun--bad boy

They probably did not give him enough money when he signed his new contract or he is getting forgetful with his age or he is related to Kelvin Sampson. It has to be one of the three.

Connecticut men's basketball program has eight violations found by NCAA, school says
By Associated Press sports staff
May 28, 2010, 11:21AM

Storrs, Conn. -- The University of Connecticut says the NCAA has found eight violations in the school's men's basketball program.

The alleged violations include improper phone calls and text messages to recruits, and giving recruits improper benefits. Coach Jim Calhoun was cited Friday for failing to "promote an atmosphere of compliance."

Calhoun, who turned 68 this month, has had several health problems. He led the Huskies to two national championships and recently signed a five-year, $13 million contract.

More

Connecticut men's basketball program has eight violations found by NCAA, school says | cleveland.com

 

[Buckskin86]

Source told FOXSports.com that Boston College transfer Evan Ravenel, who averaged 3.3 ppg and 2.4 rpg as a soph. this year, visited Ohio St.

Jeff Goodman

Twitter / Jeff Goodman: Source told FOXSports.com ...

Player Bio: Evan Ravenel - BOSTON COLLEGE OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE

 

[Buckskin86]

BC transfer reportedly visits

Evan Ravenel, a 6-foot-8, 255-pound inside player who was released from his Boston College scholarship after the Eagles changed coaches, visited Ohio State earlier this week, according to Jeff Goodman of FoxSports.com.

Ravenel played two seasons at BC. He averaged 3.3 points and 2.4 rebounds in 10.5 minutes per game off the bench as a sophomore. He played in 25 games for coach Al Skinner, who was replaced after the season by Steve Donahue of Cornell.

The Buckeyes have one scholarship available for the 2010-11 season after the departure of Evan Turner. I'm not sure at this point if a scholarship was offered to Ravenel, but coach Thad Matta is on the record as looking to bolster the inside in the next two recruiting classes, and Ravenel's measurements at least fill that bill.

He also would fill a hole on the roster. After sitting out his transfer year, he would be a junior for the 2011-12 season. Ohio State presently has no players in that class, and the only current inside players projected to be on the team for that season are Zisis Sarikopoulos, who would be a senior, and Jared Sullinger, who would be a sophomore.

BC transfer reportedly visits (Hoops & Scoops: an OSU basketball blog)

 

[Buckskin86]

2013 recruit Devin Davis of Indianapolis mentioned in a blog in the Indianapolis Star that he saw "new jerseys" in the Ohio State locker room while visiting campus last weekend.

Matta said he had some prospective Nike designs on his desk, that nothing has been ordered, but that a new four-year cycle is beginning in the contract with Nike. All of which means that the Buckeyes COULD unveil new uniforms in November.

The Buckeyes received new uniforms from Nike for the 2006-07 season that were mothballed when Nike gave them new form-fitting jerseys and longer, baggier shorts for the 2007 NCAA Tournament.

Matta on a few matters (Hoops & Scoops: an OSU basketball blog)

 

[Buckskin86]

OSU men's basketball: New faces could be factors at point guard
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
By Bob Baptist
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

The question may well linger, without a definitive answer, until the lineup is announced for the first exhibition game in November.

In the meantime, Ohio State coach Thad Matta doesn't mind leaving the carrot dangling in the summer heat.

Could a freshman be the Buckeyes' starting point guard next basketball season?

"There's a chance," Matta said.

He has given the freshmen the same impression.

"He has kind of left it to our imagination," Aaron Craft said. "That's the best thing to do. This summer, it's going to create competition. It will bring out the best in us. We'll see how we react."

Craft and Lenzelle Smith Jr., the two freshmen seemingly with a shot to succeed Evan Turner as Ohio State's point guard, arrived on campus Saturday with their four teammates from the class of 2010.

Summer classes began yesterday, as did - bright and early - the offseason strength and conditioning program.

"We've all heard stories of the kind of stuff they do to prepare for the season," Smith said, "but to actually experience it is another thing."

The exact composition of the starting lineup has been grist for conjecture since Turner announced two months ago that he would enter the NBA draft.

? Will freshman Jared Sullinger start alongside Dallas Lauderdale up front, with veterans David Lighty, Jon Diebler and William Buford on the perimeter and Lighty and/or Buford initiating the offense?

? Will Craft or Smith start at the point, with Diebler coming off the bench?

? Will Lighty, as he did last year, start at forward, thus pushing Sullinger into a sub role?

"I don't know," Matta said. "That's the hard part of having six new guys coming in, just the unknown. It's so hard when you haven't coached these guys."

OSU men's basketball: New faces could be factors at point guard | BuckeyeXtra


Super Six

 

[Buckskin86]

Add Gamecocks to the menu

While I had coach Thad Matta one-on-one for a while in Madison Square Garden before the NBA draft last night, I asked him whether any more contracts have been signed for games against high-major opponents next season.

One, he said. The Buckeyes will play host to South Carolina on Dec.18 in Value City Arena. A 2011 rematch will be in Columbia, S.C.

The Gamecocks were 15-16 last season and finished fifth of six teams in the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division.

Matta said no other high-major team the Buckeyes contacted was willing to play in Columbus next season as part of a home-and-home series, and Ohio State already has two road games scheduled against high majors: Florida on Nov. 16 and Florida State on Nov. 30.

Florida will visit Columbus in 2011. The Florida State game is part of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.

Add Gamecocks to the menu (Hoops & Scoops: an OSU basketball blog)

 

[OSU_Buckguy]

Matta said no other high-major team the Buckeyes contacted was willing to play in Columbus next season as part of a home-and-home series

so another stinker of a non-conference home schedule?

 

[DZ83CK]

Yeah, that's a lousy home OOC sched if South Carolina is the headliner and there aren't any other name teams. I wonder how many schools they tried to get for that spot. Very disappointing - it's as if they take their season ticket sales for granted.

 

[LitlBuck]

Since we don't have a Crean is an ass (which cannot be disputed) thread and since this does not refer directly to Thad, I thought I would put this here.

With the state of Indiana boasting an impressive 2012 high school basketball class and college coaches beating a path there, Indiana men's coach Tom Crean took some shots at his recruiting rivals on Twitter this week.

"Frankly some of the assistants we go against I wouldn't let valet my car," he wrote. "They either would lose the keys or drive away with it."
And: "In all honesty there are some Head coaches that would be the same way. The ones that wake up on 3rd base and think they hit a triple kill me."

Crean didn't mention anyone by name, obviously, but it wouldn't be surprising if Ohio State coach Thad Matta and his staff have gotten under his skin. They are in on at least six top players in that 2012 class - a lot of other schools are, too - and Matta has done well in Indiana in the past.
The pressure is on Crean to do well and this 2012 class may be his best chance. He has A 16-46 record in two seasons as he works on the mess left by former coach Kelvin Sampson's NCAA violations.

Rumblings

 

[southcampus]

Bahahaha

 

[Buckskin86]

Waiting game

One of my Twitter followers asked a few days ago if there was any update on the eligibility question of Jared Sullinger and Deshaun Thomas. The short answer is no.

But some of you may be wondering, "What eligibility question?"

All six of Ohio State's incoming freshmen -- Aaron Craft, Jordan Sibert, Lenzelle Smith Jr. and J.D. Weatherspoon -- graduated from high school and enrolled in summer classes at Ohio State on June 21.

Technically, though, they aren't eligible to play as freshmen until the NCAA Clearinghouse certifies them as such after reviewing their high school transcripts, whether they include the required "core" courses and whether their grade-point average in those courses, combined with their highest ACT or SAT score, qualifies them on the NCAA's "sliding scale."

The reviews are in progress.

"High schools are still in process of sending transcripts" to the clearinghouse, an athletic department spokesman wrote in an e-mail. "We do not anticipate any issues."

For what it's worth, I texted all six freshmen in May to check whether they had received preliminary certification. Craft, Sibert and Smith said they had. Sullinger and Thomas said they had not but were optimistic they would be certified eventually. Weatherspoon did not respond, but he had indicated when he signed in November that he thought his transcript at that time would be sufficient.

Waiting game (Hoops & Scoops: an OSU basketball blog)

 

[LitlBuck]

Sullinger and Thomas said they had not but were optimistic they would be certified eventually. Weatherspoon did not respond, but he had indicated when he signed in November that he thought his transcript at that time would be sufficient.

for some reason the status of these 3 recruits will bother me until I see them start regular-season practice in September or seeing in print that the clearinghouse has approved their transcripts. Sometimes no news is not good news. Sure hope I am wrong.