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SF William Buford - 4 BTT Title Games, most Buckeye starts (Virtus Roma - Italy)

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BuckTilIDie6;2011505; said:
I'm so pumped this kid is back this year. He is one of my favorite all time Buckeyes. Great to see the commitment to the program and his teammates. Can't wait til these Bucks take the court! :oh:
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Me2. Will Buford is one of my favorite buckeyes of all-time. Silky jumper.

If he averages atleast 16.5ppg he has a chance to become OSUs all-time leading scorer. It's going to be close, that game that he sat out last year because of back spasms could be the difference in the record if he comes up short by 20 or less.

I think he's got a solid shot, if Deisel let's him get enough shots up.
 
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Libbey grad will be a leader by example for Buckeyes
BY MATT MARKEY
BLADE SPORTS WRITER
Bufford-a-senior-class-of-1.jpg

OSU guard, and Libbey grad, William Buford is the lone senior this season for the Buckeyes and will be counted on as a leader on the team. OSU guard, and Libbey grad, William Buford is the lone senior this season for the Buckeyes and will be counted on as a leader on the team. ASSOCIATED PRESS

COLUMBUS -- When the seniors on this year's Ohio State basketball team get together for a group shot, William Buford looks to his left, then to his right. The photo then tells the story of what Buford has known for some time.

He is a class of one for the Buckeyes.

Through a series of quirks in recruiting, early departures, and extended stays, the Libbey graduate is the lone senior on a team with just one junior, six sophomores, and four freshmen.

The Ohio State junior is Boston College transfer Evan Ravenel, who sat out last season, so Buford is the resident old man, no matter how you slice it.

"We're such a unique team with one senior and a junior that's never played for us," Ohio State coach Thad Matta said yesterday at the Schottenstein Center as the Buckeyes prepared to formally open practice for the 2011-12 season.

Matta said he is not concerned about the preponderance of youth, and the corresponding fact much of the leadership role lands on Buford's shoulders.

"I think he's ready for what's coming at him," Matta said.

Buford (6-foot-6, 220) played a critical supplemental part in Ohio State's run last season to Big Ten regular season and tournament championships, and a second straight Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA Tournament. With Jon Diebler, David Lighty, and Dallas Lauderdale providing the senior leadership, Buford and freshman All-American Jared Sullinger made a big impact on the floor.

"It's definitely different this year, but I'm really comfortable with my role and what I'll need to do for this team to be successful," Buford said. "I look at it as a big responsibility, but one I'm ready for, and a real honor, too."

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http://www.toledoblade.com/Ohio-Sta...will-be-a-leader-by-example-for-Buckeyes.html
 
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Q&A: Ohio State senior William Buford

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I had originally planned to jump around a bit more, but I had one more OSU guy in my Q&A file, so I figured I?d go ahead and throw him into the mix with Aaron Craft and Dave Dickerson, who I featured earlier this week.

Here?s the taciturn but highly skilled William Buford.

Were you surprised when Jared Sullinger came back?

Yeah. He?s a great teammate and it?s great to have him back. I really look forward to playing with him again. It was such an honor last year, him being a freshman and making the impact he did, it?s an honor for him to come back and to be able to play with him again.

He looked pretty good last season. Should we expect to see a lot of improvement?

Absolutely. That?s what your main object is in the offseason. You try to get better and work on the things you need to work on, so I think he?s going to be tremendously better; faster able to jump higher and just a smarter basketball player.

You had a lot of help from seniors inside and out last year. Who will step in to fill their shoes?

That?s going to be pretty tough but what I learned from them is just to try to get better every day and lead by example.

How are you preparing for your leadership role as a senior?

I was sort of in that role last year. We had three good seniors that led us, but I was sort of in it last year but I just try to be the next one to do what they did.

How will last season?s tournament experience help you this season?

You learn to go hard and be more patient. Then just having everybody on the same page and at the same level.

What will you tell all of these freshmen about fitting in at Ohio State?

Listen to the coaches. Listen to the older guys. Try to get better every day and listen to the coaches and become part of the system.

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http://stormingthefloor.net/post/11435388239/q-a-ohio-state-senior-william-buford
 
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Ohio State's William Buford looks to rebound from disappointing postseason exit
By Michael Periatt
[email protected]
Published: Tuesday, October 18, 2011

William Buford could have been a hero for Ohio State. He caught the ball on the left wing and fired a three pointer that he hoped would save OSU's dream 2010-11 season.

But the shot came up short.

The buzzer sounded, and just like that, the Kentucky Wildcats upset the No. 1-seeded Buckeyes and eliminated them from the 2011 NCAA tournament.

Six months later, Buford still thinks about the Kentucky loss.

He shot 2-for-16 from the field and finished with just 9 points, two rebounds and one assist. The Buckeyes lost 62-60 and any one of his 14 off-target shots could have changed OSU's fate.

"I shot 2-for-16," Buford said during the OSU basketball team's media day Friday. "I had the shot to win the game. It was just crazy. Like, I just stayed in the gym because I never want that to happen again."

Buford said the painful images replayed in his mind everyday until about June or July, but, eventually, he had to move on.

"I mean it's still in my head, but I don't sweat about it too much anymore," he said.

Along with the defeat, OSU lost a talented senior class that included the likes of Jon Diebler, David Lighty and Dallas Lauderdale who were considered the leaders of the team.

"(Diebler, Lighty and Lauderdale) were the only three guys yelling, all hyper in practice, before practice and in the weight room," sophomore forward Deshaun Thomas said. "It's hard to replace them three guys because it was just so fun to be around them and they were great leaders."


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http://www.thelantern.com/sports/oh...inting-postseason-exit-1.2653890#.Tp6-H7LZeuI
 
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Buford Haunted, Motivated by Missed Shots
By Brandon Castel

COLUMBUS, Ohio ? Sometimes truth really is in the eye of the beholder.

For most of the country, watching 6-foot guard Kemba Walker carry his Connecticut team to the NCAA Men?s Basketball Championship was a marvelous story of perseverance.

For William Buford, it was nothing more than a reminder of what could have been.

?With the tournament still going on, that?s all that was being talked about,? Ohio State point guard Aaron Craft said.

?Understanding that other people are still playing when you?re not is humbling and makes you motivated.?

Few things motivate more than the pain of coming up short of a championship. Especially when that championship was within their grasp. There is no guarantee the Buckeyes would have cut down the nets with a victory over Kentucky, but they were the favorites to win it all.

After winning 34 games during the regular season?including their first 24 to start the season?the Buckeyes were the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. On paper, they seemed to have it all: a great coach, a star freshman, a gritty point guard and tremendous senior leadership.

Everything was in place right up until tipoff. That?s when the Buckeyes found out they were going to have to overcome a horrendous shooting night from Buford, who clanged shot after shot after shot during Ohio State?s 62-60 loss in the Sweet 16.

?My head wasn?t in that game,? Buford admitted last week.

?It wasn?t. I was rushing shots. I could have done other things besides shoot to help my team win. I just kept trying to shoot to get myself out of that slump.?

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http://www.the-ozone.net/hoops/11-12Men/MediaDay/buford_Kentuckyshooting.html
 
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A Buckeyes senior, Buford in class by himself
Zac Jackson
October 20, 2011

William Buford didn't exactly pull out his rocking chair and start sharing stories about the good ol' days when Ohio State basketball held its annual media day last week.

But Buford, the team's only senior, knows the Buckeyes are going to miss the three seniors who were so key ? on and off the court ? to the success last season. He also knows he's going to have to take on more of a leadership role if the Buckeyes want to replicate, and even surpass last season.

Which they do.

As the Buckeyes work toward their Nov. 11 season opener and an opening month that includes games with highly ranked opponents Florida and Duke, Buford knows that he joins sophomores Jared Sullinger and Aaron Craft as not only the most experienced returnees, but the guys who are in position to steer Ohio State back toward the top of the rankings and, eventually, the top of the bracket line.

"(Last year's) experience helped a lot," Buford said. "We could be in position where I'm the only senior and the only guy who's played big minutes in tough games, but we're not. Last year helped set us up. Those guys are veterans."

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http://www.foxsportsohio.com/10/20/...ing_ohiostate.html?blockID=585956&feedID=3631
 
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Buford tries to put miss against Kentucky behind him
Nov. 3, 2011
Written by
Rusty Miller
Associated Press

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Ohio State's William Buford tries to drive around a Kentucky player March 25 during an NCAA East Region semifinal game at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. / Chris Trotman/Getty Images

COLUMBUS -- William Buford has made 732 shots in his three seasons at Ohio State.

Yet it's the one he didn't make that haunts him and keeps him staring at the ceiling in the middle of the night.

He's got a chance at surpassing Jerry Lucas, Jim Jackson and Dennis Hopson to become the all-time leading scorer for the Buckeyes. Asked if he feels good about a career that has resulted in 1,424 points and an average team record of 28-7, his smile fades.

"Yes, except my last game," he said.

Top-ranked and top-seeded Ohio State, which won its first 24 games and came in 34-2, lost to Kentucky 62-60 on March 25 in an NCAA East Region semifinal in Newark, N.J. Buford, the Buckeyes' best all-around offensive performer, made just 2-of-16 shots from the field.

The 6-foot-6 swingman also had a decent look at a 3-pointer from the left corner in the final seconds that meant the difference between victory and defeat. But like so many others that night, it was off the mark.

With a new season, his final one, in front of him, Buford -- the only player on Ohio State's roster with more than one year in a Buckeyes uniform -- is trying to inspire his teammates as he attempts to recover from the darkness of disappointment.

"I got over it a little over the summer," he said softly. "It's still with me, but I just don't worry about it too much now."

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http://www.lancastereaglegazette.co...rd-tries-put-miss-against-Kentucky-behind-him
 
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