Buckeyes Host Hokies in Big Ten/ACC Challenge
Nov. 27, 2005
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Date: Nov. 28, 2005
Opponent: Virginia Tech (5-1)
Site: Value City Arena (18,500)
Game Time: 7:30 p.m.
Television: ESPN Plus
Local TV: WBNS 10 TV
TV Talent: Sean McDonough (P-by-P), Bill Raftery (Expert Analysis)
Radio: OSU Radio Network (59 stations)
Local Radio: WBNS FM-97.1 AM-1460
Radio Talent: Paul Keels (P-by-P), Ron Stokes (Expert Analysis)
BUCKEYE OFFENSE CLICKS EARLY
Ohio State is averaging 80 points in the first two games of the season, including a 79-69 overtime win over Butler. Opponents average 60.5 ppg. The Buckeyes have made 55 percent of their field goals (57-103) while allowing opponents to make just 38 percent (49-128). From the foul line, Ohio State has taken 47 shots, making 34 (.723), while foes have gone to the line just 12 times in two games, making six (.500). The Buckeyes one the rebound advantage (36.5-29.0).
OVERTIME WIN EARLIEST IN HISTORY
The overtime game vs Butler last week was the earliest extra session game for the Buckeyes in history. It also was the first overtime win in November for the Buckeyes. Ohio State has played overtime games just twice before in November. Once was last season on Nov. 24, 2004 in the Guardians Classic in Kansas City, a 65-63 OSU loss. The only other November overtime game came in 1998 (11/28) at Vanderbilt. The Buckeyes fell in that game 92-86.
HOKIES START SEASON 5-1
Virginia Tech went 2-1 in the National Association of Black Coaches Classic Nov. 10-13 in Blacksburg, Va., and followed that event with a 74-62 win over Mount St. Mary's Nov. 18. The Hokies defeated Radford (80-50) in the NABC opener and then fell to Bowling Green 72-71. VTU finished the tournament with a 54-40 win against Western Carolina. The Hokies played two games last week prior to its trip to Columbus for the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Virginia Tech downed Marshall 71-54 Nov. 21 and Morgan State 77-49 Nov. 25.
TRIO PACE HOKIES
Sophomore Deron Washington's 15.2 points leads the Hokies. He is followed by junior forward Coleman Collins with 15.0 points a game. Collins also is the team's leading rebounder with 6.5 a contest. Junior Zabian Dowdell is third in scoring with 14.3 points a game. The Hokies average 71.2 points a game while allowing 54.5 a contest.
OHIO STATE ON THIS DATE
The Buckeyes are 6-1 in games played on this date. Ohio State won six-consecutive games before an overtime loss at Vanderbilt in 1998.
Date W/L Opponent Score11/28/77 W Marshall 81-6511/28/81 W vs. McNeese State 63-6011/28/87 W Missouri-St. Louis 95-7411/28/90 W Delaware State 116(11)-6711/28/94 W Drexel 81-7411/28/95 W West Virginia 77-6811/28/98 L @Vanderbilt (ot) 86-92
THE VIRGINIA TECH SERIES
The Hokies own the edge in the all-time series with the Buckeyes 4-1. The teams first played Dec. 18, 1972 in Columbus, a 67-62 VTU win. The squads alternated sites in a four-game series through 1976. The series was renewed Dec. 6, 2003 in a game played at Nationwide Arena in Columbus. Ohio State won that game 62-57. The game was played at Nationwide because the facility was the host site of the NCAA Men's Basketball First and Second rounds that year. The Ohio State vs. Virginia Tech game served as a test run for the NCAA games.
OHIO STATE VS. THE ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE
The Buckeyes have battled teams representing the Atlantic Coast Conference 60 times in history with Ohio State owning a 35-25 record vs. ACC squads. Ohio State has faced every league member at least once with winning marks against six of the 12 teams. Clemson was the last team to take on Ohio State among league members. That game was played last year at Clemson in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. The Tigers won the contest 80-73.
BUCKEYES IN THE CHALLENGE
Ohio State will be participating in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge for the fifth-consecutive year. The Buckeyes first participated in the event during the 2001-02 season, a 64-50 win against N.C. State in Columbus. Ohio State then played Duke in Greensboro, N.C., in 2002, a 91-75 Blue Devils' victory. Georgia Tech traveled to Ohio State in 2004 and won 73-53. The Buckeyes traveled to Clemson a year ago and fell to the Tigers 80-73. This will be the third home game for Ohio State in the event.
SEVEN ESPN PLUS OHIO STATE GAMES TO APPEAR ON ESPNU
ESPNU, an ESPN cable property which televises a variety of college sporting events, will carry seven Ohio State men's basketball games this season, the Big Ten announced Nov. 22. The games will be produced by ESPN Regional Television and will be carried locally in Columbus on WBNS 10 TV as an originally scheduled ESPN Plus telecast. ESPN Plus games are typically carried by WOIO (CBS) or WAOH (independent) in Cleveland, Ohio; WHIO (CBS) or UPN 17 in Dayton, Ohio; and WYTV in Youngstown, Ohio, in addition to WBNS (CBS) in Columbus. The Buckeyes' games added to ESPNU will be Norfolk State (Dec. 12), Belmont (Dec. 14), Tennessee State (Dec. 23), Louisiana State (Dec. 31), at Penn State (Jan. 21), Florida A&M (Jan. 30) and Purdue (March 5).
DIALS SCORES 24 IN OT WIN
Terence Dials scored 24 points and
Je'Kel Foster added 18 as Ohio State held off Butler 79-69 in overtime last week. In the 38th meeting between the teams - and the first in 23 years - the Buckeyes struggled early before building a 54-41 lead with 4:01 remaining. Butler cut the lead to 10 in the next minute and to five with a minute remaining before forcing the overtime on A.J. Graves' long 3-pointer with 6.7 seconds left to tie it at 60-all.
Jamar Butler scored nine of the Buckeyes' 19 points in overtime. He finished with a career-high 16, hitting 8 of 9 free throws. The Buckeyes never trailed in the overtime, pulling away on consecutive 3-pointers by Butler and
Ron Lewis, who added 13 points.
J.J. Sullinger had a career-high 14 rebounds for Ohio State, which shot 54 percent from the field and outscored the Bulldogs 22-4 at the line.
NOTING THE BUTLER GAME
Ohio State is 30-8 all-time against Butler ... the most recent meeting is the first since the 1981-82 season ... the Buckeyes hold an 18-3 edge in games played in Columbus.
Ohio State improved to 47-9 all-time against teams currently representing the Horizon League.
The game marked the first game for head coach
Thad Matta against his alma-mater.
With the win, Ohio State improved to 93-22 all-time in games played in Value City Arena.
Ohio State remained a perfect 11-0 in non-conference home games under Matta, and 14-4 overall in non-league contests.
Ohio State held the Bulldogs to 19 first-half points. The last time the Buckeyes held an opponent under 20 points in the first-half was Feb. 5, 2004 against Michigan (19).
With 24 points,
Terence Dials passed Mel Nowell (1,100) and Ron Sepic (1,107) to No. 33 on the all-time Ohio State career scoring list at 1,113.
Sullinger set a career-high with 14 rebounds, tying the all-time Value City Arena record set by Dials, Dec. 28, 2004 against New Hampshire. It was Sullinger's second consecutive double-digit rebound game and fifth of his career.
Tuesday marked Dials' 15th 20+ scoring game of his career. The last time Dials scored at least 20 was March 6, 2005 against Illinois.
Jamar Butler finished with a career-high 16 points including 13 in the second-half and overtime periods.
Tuesday marked the first overtime game for Ohio State since Jan. 19, 2005 at Minnesota. It was the first overtime win since Jan. 2, 1999 at Wisconsin, snapping a six-game skid in extra-session games. Ohio State is 36-51 all-time in overtime games, including an 18-19 mark at home and 1-2 mark at Value City Arena.
FOSTER, LEWIS PACE OSU IN SEASON OPENING VICTORY
Je'Kel Foster and
Ron Lewis each scored 16 points and Ohio State used a 19-0 first-half run to beat Chicago State 81-52 Sunday in the season opener for both teams. The Buckeyes, returning all five starters from a team that went 20-12 in 2004-05, opened the scoring on Foster's 3-pointer in the opening seconds and never trailed.
Ivan Harris added 12 points and
Sylvester Mayes and
Terence Dials each had 11. Mayes, a junior college transfer making his first Ohio State start, also had nine assists and four steals. The Buckeyes hit 56 percent of their shots from the field, including 7 of 17 3-pointers. Camron Clay had 13 points and 10 rebounds and was the lone Chicago State player in double figures.
PAYNE ADDED TO ROSTER
Columbus native and Linden McKinley graduate
Samuel Payne was added to the Ohio State roster in early November. The 6-foot-2-inch freshman guard averaged 22 points, six rebounds and four assists for LMHS as a senior. The Panthers were Ohio Division II sectional and regional champions and advanced to the Division II Final Four, played at Value City Arena. He made his Ohio State debut vs. Chicago State Nov. 20. He scored one point and recorded a steal in the Buckeyes' 81-52 victory.
MATTA WELCOMES ONE OF NATION'S TOP CLASSES TO COLUMBUS FOR `06
Thad Matta, Ohio State's second year head coach, announced the addition of five student-athletes to the Ohio State program for the 2006-07 season. Greg Oden, a 7-foot center from Indianapolis, is considered to be the best high school player in the country this year. He heads a class of four prep players ranked by various recruiting analysts to be among the Top 30 players nationally. Mike Conley, a 6-1 point guard and Oden's teammate at Lawrence North High School, also signed on with the Buckeyes. Two Ohio natives, Dayton Dunbar's Daequan Cook, a 6-4 guard, and Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph's David Lighty, a 6-5 guard, also will start their academic and athletic careers in the fall of 2006. The fifth member of the class is a junior college transfer from Tampa, Fla. Othello Hunter, a 6-9 forward from Winston-Salem, N.C., will be a junior at Ohio State next season after spending two years at Hillsborough Community College.
BUCKEYES CLOSE ON 100 Ws AT VCA
Ohio State is playing in its eighth season at Value City Arena in 2005-06. Since the facility opened for the 1998-99 campaign, the squad has won 93 of 115 games for a winning percentage of .809.
NEW FLOOR INSTALLED AT VCA
The Ohio State basketball teams will play on a new floor in 2005-06. The previous court served seven seasons. The new hardwood has an updated Ohio State logo at center court as well as new Value City logos. Ohio State's scarlet color has been updated after a change was made in 2003. Another change is the removal of the painted areas in the free throw lanes.
RANKED TEAMS ABUNDANT ON OSU SCHEDULE IN 2005-06
The Buckeyes are scheduled to face several teams ranked in the USA Today/ESPN and the Associated Press polls this season. Michigan State (No. 12 in USA Today/No. 12 in AP), Illinois (15/15), Iowa (18/17), Indiana (20/21) and Iowa State (RV/23) will face the Buckeyes, who are just outside the Top 25 rankings in 29th place (USA Today) with 58 votes and 33rd in the AP with 45. Other teams receiving votes in the preseason polls scheduled to face Ohio State this year are: Wisconsin, LSU and Michigan. The Buckeyes play 11 games against the eight teams on the 2005-06 schedule in the Top 25 or receiving preseason votes.
MATTA NAMES SENIOR CAPTAINS
Thad Matta, Ohio State head coach, named his captains for the 2005-06 season.
Terence Dials, a senior from Youngstown, Ohio, was the lone captain a year ago. He is joined this year by
Je'Kel Foster (Sr., Natchez, Miss.),
J.J. Sullinger (Sr., Columbus, Ohio) and
Matt Sylvester (Sr., Cincinnati, Ohio).
DON'T TOUCH THAT DIALS
Senior center
Terence Dials is the top returning scorer for the Buckeyes. He led the team with nearly 16 points and eight rebounds a game a season ago. He was able to post those numbers despite Ohio State setting numerous Top 10 individual and team 3-point shooting records. Dials has improved his scoring and rebounding numbers in each of his seasons at Ohio State. He reached 500 points and 250 rebounds for the season as a junior and eclipsed 1,000 points and 600 boards for his career. He will likely be a candidate for All-Big Ten recognition as one of the league's top returning post players this year.
A JOLT TO THE OFFENSE
Ohio State lost 12.0 points a game with the graduation (sociology) of
Tony Stockman. In his roster spot enters
Ron Lewis, a transfer from Bowling Green, who led the Falcons with an average of 17.0 points a contest as a sophomore. He will have two years of eligibility with the Buckeyes.
Lewis scored 877 points in two years at BGSU. He was a prolific foul shooter during his tenure at Bowling Green, knocking down 81 percent (340-420) of his free throws in his two-year career. Despite his ability to score, Lewis set up his teammates with 164 assists while recording 60 steals in 60 games as a Falcon.
DIALS CLIMBING SCORING CHART
Senior
Terence Dials has 1,113 career points, good for the No. 33 spot all-time in scoring at Ohio State. He scored 509 points a season ago and with a similar season in 2005-06, Dials has a chance to crack the Top 10 all-time in career scoring. Robin Freeman (1954-56) scored 1,597 career points during his Ohio State career and is 10th all-time in OSU scoring annals. Dials needs 484 or more points to reach the Top 10. The most recent Buckeye to crack the Top 10 was Michael Redd, who currently plays for the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks. He finished his OSU career in 2000 with 1,879 career points.
ADDED "O" PART II
Ron Lewis is expected to add a threat offensively but he is not the only addition known to put the ball in the cylinder.
Sylvester Mayes averaged 19.6 points at Redlands (Okla.) Community College a year ago. The 6-foot guard from South Bend, Ind., scored 609 points, 17th nationally in the junior college ranks as a sophomore. His teams won 59 games with just six losses the last two seasons. Mayes also added 88 assists, 96 rebounds and 91 steals (22nd nationally) last year. Mayes scored 11 points and dished out nine assists in his Ohio State debut vs. Chicago State Nov. 20.
Brayden Bell, a freshman from Salt Lake City, Utah, also is expected to give the Buckeyes a lift offensively. Despite his 6-foot-8-inch, 255-pound frame, Bell has demonstrated an ability to step away from the basket to knock down the 3-pointer and mid-range jumper. He averaged 21 points and 10 rebounds as a Brighton High School senior a year ago.
A PAIR OF FIRST TEAMERS
Sylvester Mayes was a National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) First Team All-American for Redlands Community College as a sophomore. He shot 51 percent from the field (201-397), 42 percent from 3-point range (68-164) and 77 percent from the foul line (139-181) in leading Redlands to a 27-4 record in 2004-05. He is one of two first team NJCAA All-Americans on the Ohio State roster.
Je'Kel Foster earned the same recognition before joining the Buckeyes a year ago. Foster played at Chipola (Fla.) Junior College. Last year, Foster averaged 7.7 points a game for Ohio State while knocking down 43 percent of his 3-point attempts (62-145). He added 78 assists and 43 steals as well. He also grabbed 104 rebounds. His all-around effort earned him a starting spot the final 12 games of the season, helping Ohio State to a 20-12 overall record.
TOP 5 OF 6
Though Matta is looking forward to the newcomers and their possible contributions, he has not overlooked the return of five of the top six scorers from last season. Senior
Terence Dials, a candidate for first team All-Big Ten honors this year, is the top returning scorer at 15.9 points a game. The 6-9 center also is the team's top returning rebounder with an average of 7.9 a contest. Also back are senior guard
J.J. Sullinger (9.7 ppg./5.4 rpg.), senior wing
Matt Sylvester (8.0 ppg.), senior guard
Je'Kel Foster (7.7 ppg.) and junior wing
Ivan Harris (7.3 ppg.). In all, Ohio State returns 74 percent of its offense and 81 percent of its rebounding.
MATTA GOES FOR 6TH 20
Thad Matta doesn't know what it's like to end a season with fewer than 20 wins during his head coaching career. The second year Ohio State coach came to the Buckeyes with a streak of four 20+ win seasons at Butler (24 wins in 2001) and Xavier (26 in all three years from 2002-04). With 20 victories a year ago at Ohio State, Matta is one of two coaches nationally to record 20 or more wins in the first five seasons of his coaching career. Mark Few of Gonzaga is the other with 20+ in all six years with the Bulldogs.
CLOSING ON 2 MILLION
For the seventh-consecutive season, all of which played at Value City Arena, Ohio State finished among the Top 18 teams nationally in average attendance. The Buckeyes averaged 13,850 fans last year in 16 home games at VCA. Overall, in 115 games at VCA, a total of 1,878,015 fans, an average of 16,331 per game, have helped the Buckeyes to a record of 93-22 at the facility. Ohio State will exceed the 2 million mark in home attendance at VCA during the 2005-06 season when fan No. 146,962 enters the building. The Buckeyes have won 14 or more home games in five of the seven years at VCA and 11 or more in six of seven.
OHIO NATIVES DOMINATE BUCKEYE ROSTER
Eight of the 11 players on the roster this year chose to stay in state, play for the Buckeyes and pursue their education in Columbus. Seniors
Terence Dials (Youngstown),
Matt Sylvester (Cincinnati),
J.J. Sullinger (Columbus); juniors
Ron Lewis (Columbus) and
Ivan Harris (Springfield); sophomores
Jamar Butler (Lima) and
Matt Terwilliger (Troy) and freshman
Samuel Payne (Columbus) all played high school basketball for their hometown teams in Ohio.
BUCKEYES LOOK TO ELDERS
Terence Dials,
J.J. Sullinger and
Matt Sylvester are the Top 3 returning scorers for Ohio State. The three have been in Columbus a combined total of 14 years entering the 2005-06 season. All were fifth-year seniors when school started in September. Both Dials and Sylvester have spent all five years at Ohio State with each missing a season with injury. Dials sat out most of the 2002-03 season with a back ailment while Sylvester missed the majority of 2001-02 with leg and back injuries. Sullinger played one year at Arkansas before leaving for Ohio State. He sat out the 2002-03 season to satisfy NCAA transfer rules. In addition to these three,
Je'Kel Foster again will be a significant contributor in 2005-06. He too is a senior with three years playing experience, two at the junior college level and one season in Columbus.
UNDERCLASSMEN WILL GET A SHOT
With experience throughout the roster this year, Ohio State's returning underclassmen still will get opportunities to perform. Sophomore
Jamar Butler started the final 12 games of the season at the point position and is the early leader to run the Ohio State offense this year.
Matt Terwilliger, a reserve post player a year ago, has bulked up in the offseason. He will work with newcomer
Brayden Bell to add depth in the post behind Dials.
2007 NCAA TOURNAMENT RETURNS TO COLUMBUS
The NCAA tournament will return to Columbus for the opening rounds of the 2007 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, the organization announced in July 2004. Ohio State played host to the first and second rounds in March 2004. Games were played at Nationwide Arena in downtown Columbus, which will again be the site of the event in 2007. Ohio State will act as the host institution for the event.
