Connor Lemons
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No. 10 Ohio State will face No. 7 Iowa in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
The Buckeyes are looking for their first Big Ten Tournament title since 2013.
The regular season has concluded, and the Ohio State men’s basketball team finished with a record of 19-12, and 9-11 in Big Ten play. That puts the Buckeyes in 10th place and has earned them a first-round bye in this week’s Big Ten Tournament. The Minnesota Golden Gophers and the Penn State Nittany Lions also finished the season with a 9-11 record in conference, with Minnesota winning the tiebreaker thanks to its 3-1 record against Ohio State and Penn State. The Buckeyes went 2-2 against the two other teams, splitting both season series. Because of this, Minnesota is the No. 9 seed, Ohio State is the No. 10 seed, and Penn State is the No. 11 seed.
Earning the No. 10 seed in the Big Ten Tournament has set the Buckeyes up with a date with the 7-seed, Iowa. The Hawkeyes went 4-2 in their final six games of the season to sneak onto the NCAA Tournament bubble. Iowa has a high-powered offense that scored 90+ points nine different times this year, led by junior forward Payton Sandfort, who averages 16 points per game. Iowa also has the second-worst defense in the Big Ten, allowing 106.2 points per 100 possessions. In comparison, Ohio State has allowed 100.9 points per 100 possessions.
The Hawkeyes beat the Buckeyes 79-77 in the only match between the two teams this season on Feb. 2 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Ohio State had the ball down one point with 23 seconds remaining and a chance to win it, but a Felix Okpara turnover handed it right back to Iowa. The Hawkeyes went on to hit five out of six free throws and foul Ohio State at the other end each time afterwards, preventing the Buckeyes from even having a chance to tie it in the final seconds.
Iowa is in a very similar spot as Ohio State, probably needing multiple wins at the Big Ten Tournament to make the NCAA Tournament. Iowa has made the NCAA Tournament each of the last four seasons but has not made the Sweet Sixteen since 1999.
If Ohio State was to beat Iowa on Thursday (6:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network), it would set up a re-match on Friday (6:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network) with 2-seed Illinois. The Fighting Illini won the only matchup between the two teams this season, beating Ohio State 87-75 on January 30. Marcus Domask and Terrence Shannon Jr. each had 23 points for Illinois in that game, and as a unit, Illinois shot 51.7% and hit 18 of their 20 free throws.
Since Diebler took over, Ohio State has won five out of six games, including wins over three NCAA Tournament teams in Purdue, Michigan State, and Nebraska. The defense has sharpened, allowing just 65.8 points per game since the coaching change. In the previous 12 games (with Holtmann), Ohio State was allowing 74.9 points per game.
What once looked like an impossible dream, now is within reach, as two wins in Minneapolis would — at the very least — put Ohio State in the conversation for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. A win over Iowa would be a Quad-2 win, and a win over Illinois would be a Quad-1 win. Two wins would put the Buckeyes on the map for a bid, but the win over Iowa being Quad-2 might mean that Ohio State would need a win on Saturday as well to feel secure about its chances.
Fewer than two wins would cause Ohio State to miss the NCAA Tournament, and would likely get an invitation to the NIT — which they would reportedly accept without hesitation. Ohio State would then host at least one NIT game at the Schottenstein Center, barring any scheduling conflicts with the Women’s NCAA Tournament — since the Ohio State women’s basketball team will likely be hosting as well.
Last year, No. 13 seed Ohio State became the first Big Ten team to play on Wednesday and make it to the tournament semi-finals on Saturday. The Buckeyes beat Wisconsin, Iowa, and Michigan State on consecutive days before falling to the eventual champion Boilermakers, 80-66, on Saturday.
Ohio State’s last Big Ten Tournament title was in 2013.
Continue reading...
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
The Buckeyes are looking for their first Big Ten Tournament title since 2013.
The regular season has concluded, and the Ohio State men’s basketball team finished with a record of 19-12, and 9-11 in Big Ten play. That puts the Buckeyes in 10th place and has earned them a first-round bye in this week’s Big Ten Tournament. The Minnesota Golden Gophers and the Penn State Nittany Lions also finished the season with a 9-11 record in conference, with Minnesota winning the tiebreaker thanks to its 3-1 record against Ohio State and Penn State. The Buckeyes went 2-2 against the two other teams, splitting both season series. Because of this, Minnesota is the No. 9 seed, Ohio State is the No. 10 seed, and Penn State is the No. 11 seed.
Earning the No. 10 seed in the Big Ten Tournament has set the Buckeyes up with a date with the 7-seed, Iowa. The Hawkeyes went 4-2 in their final six games of the season to sneak onto the NCAA Tournament bubble. Iowa has a high-powered offense that scored 90+ points nine different times this year, led by junior forward Payton Sandfort, who averages 16 points per game. Iowa also has the second-worst defense in the Big Ten, allowing 106.2 points per 100 possessions. In comparison, Ohio State has allowed 100.9 points per 100 possessions.
The Hawkeyes beat the Buckeyes 79-77 in the only match between the two teams this season on Feb. 2 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Ohio State had the ball down one point with 23 seconds remaining and a chance to win it, but a Felix Okpara turnover handed it right back to Iowa. The Hawkeyes went on to hit five out of six free throws and foul Ohio State at the other end each time afterwards, preventing the Buckeyes from even having a chance to tie it in the final seconds.
Iowa is in a very similar spot as Ohio State, probably needing multiple wins at the Big Ten Tournament to make the NCAA Tournament. Iowa has made the NCAA Tournament each of the last four seasons but has not made the Sweet Sixteen since 1999.
If Ohio State was to beat Iowa on Thursday (6:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network), it would set up a re-match on Friday (6:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network) with 2-seed Illinois. The Fighting Illini won the only matchup between the two teams this season, beating Ohio State 87-75 on January 30. Marcus Domask and Terrence Shannon Jr. each had 23 points for Illinois in that game, and as a unit, Illinois shot 51.7% and hit 18 of their 20 free throws.
Since Diebler took over, Ohio State has won five out of six games, including wins over three NCAA Tournament teams in Purdue, Michigan State, and Nebraska. The defense has sharpened, allowing just 65.8 points per game since the coaching change. In the previous 12 games (with Holtmann), Ohio State was allowing 74.9 points per game.
What once looked like an impossible dream, now is within reach, as two wins in Minneapolis would — at the very least — put Ohio State in the conversation for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. A win over Iowa would be a Quad-2 win, and a win over Illinois would be a Quad-1 win. Two wins would put the Buckeyes on the map for a bid, but the win over Iowa being Quad-2 might mean that Ohio State would need a win on Saturday as well to feel secure about its chances.
Fewer than two wins would cause Ohio State to miss the NCAA Tournament, and would likely get an invitation to the NIT — which they would reportedly accept without hesitation. Ohio State would then host at least one NIT game at the Schottenstein Center, barring any scheduling conflicts with the Women’s NCAA Tournament — since the Ohio State women’s basketball team will likely be hosting as well.
Last year, No. 13 seed Ohio State became the first Big Ten team to play on Wednesday and make it to the tournament semi-finals on Saturday. The Buckeyes beat Wisconsin, Iowa, and Michigan State on consecutive days before falling to the eventual champion Boilermakers, 80-66, on Saturday.
Ohio State’s last Big Ten Tournament title was in 2013.
Continue reading...