Sarikopoulos transferred from Alabama-Birmingham after realizing that the basketball in Conference USA was more run-and-gun than he liked. He wanted a more physical game like the Big Ten would provide, though the Buckeyes are hoping to run more this season. Madsen, transferring from Vanderbilt, was hoping for playing time and hasn't found much, though he's encountered great practice experience.
"I might not have had the amount of playing time I hoped for, but I'm not going to play many better players that the guys here the last few years," Madsen said. "So I'm not really scared of anybody. I'm not scared of failing. I'm not scared of some guy who is supposed to be better than me. I've guarded Greg Oden."