Eleven Warriors

Lucas torched OSU for 40 points this year. (Jay LaPrete: AP)

Kalin Lucas didn't start and wasn't a factor in the first half, he left that up to Durrell Summers, but Lucas lead the second half Spartan surge, scoring 20 of MSU's 52 points en route to their 78-67 victory in Columbus.

Summers was pumped from the rare start, hitting 4 of 5 three pointers in the first half and scoring 16 of his career high 26. The sophomore came into the game averaging only 8 points, but hit 8 of his 13 shots overall and almost doubled his previous career best.

The Spartans killed OSU on the boards, 35-19, grabbing 16 on the offensive end, leading to 15 more shots and 19 second chance points.

Ohio State took early advantage of MSU's different starters by jumping out to a 24-11 lead with 6:40 left in the first, but a 9-2 Spartan spurt cut the lead to 3 with just under 4 minutes left. The Buckeyes would hold onto a 5 point lead at the half.

However, the Spartans scored the first 4 points of the second half and would take the lead for good with just under 10 minutes left. Ohio State had no answer for the Spartans depth, playing only 7 players and getting outscored 31-15 off the bench.

The Buckeyes were lead by Evan Turner, who scored 19 points on 6 of 8 from the floor and the stripe. Turner also lead OSU with 6 boards and 3 assists. Mullens and Diebler each went for 12 points, while Buford contributed 11 and Simmons had 8.

Ohio State actually had a great shooting day, hitting 23 of 42 shots from the floor, including 10 of 20 from deep, but the continuous rebounding woes once again lead to the defeat.

The Buckeyes seem to run more half court sets today, which might have been a product of Hill playing more minutes or Thad needing to slow the game down. They still don't look inside enough and their driving lanes were cut off by the Spartan defense, but overall they took good shots, just gave up too many offensive boards.

This loss isn't a huge surprise, I really didn't expect OSU to pull this one off, Michigan State is simply the best team in the conference and have multiple players that can burn you. Ohio State's PG play and rebounding is definitely cause for concern, but if OSU can pull off the next two against Michigan and Indiana, they will continue to stay in the hunt for a tourney bid.

Three burning questions:

1. Will the Buckeyes get any type of quality play out of the point?
2. Does Mullens repeat the performance he had for his coming out party in East Lansing (16pts, 6 boards and 2 blocks in 22 minuts)?
3. What are the chances of Diebler making an appearance today? He's failed to score more than seven points in four of his last five games.

As most of you are well aware of by now, your friendly worldwide leader has gone to the trouble of ranking all 119 FBS teams according to the prestige of the program. What is prestige? Many things, of course, but for the purposes of this exercise, 10-win seasons, Heisman trophy winners, first-round draft selections and other factors were considered by the crack ESPN research crew that put this together.

While it's fashionable to bash anything these guys put together (see fake GM interviews for baseball, Title Town USA, etc.) this actually has value. And by value, I mean the ability to generate argument and raging discussions all across the internets.

Take the Wolverines, for instance. Although the program sits atop the all-time victories board, they appear at 8th in the rankings. As you can imagine, Michigan bloggers don't exactly agree with that assessment. Among the many beefs was the decision by ESPN to only go back to 1936, the first season of the AP poll, and that may be a fair point, but you have to define the modern era in some fashion, don't you?

The Buckeyes, of course, are in third, trailing only Oklahoma and USC. I think most of us would agree that's a fair evaluation. Here's what they had to say about Ohio State:

Positives: Dripping with football tradition, Ohio State has been a fixture in the Prestige Rankings for the past half-century. In 1968-69, the Buckeyes racked up 190 points alone. As a point of reference, that's more than the highly successful Boise State program has earned in the last decade combined. OSU is the No. 5 program in the 1970s, and it could have been much higher had it not been for its "Ten-Year War" with Michigan during that time. Even for all the flack that John Cooper received for his 2-10-1 record against Michigan, he is responsible for a boatload of NFL 1st-round draft picks. The recent knock on OSU has been its failure to win the big bowl games, but that hasn't stopped them from finishing in the top 5 in all but two of the last seven seasons. Plus, the five-time national champions should like their spot in the Prestige Rankings ahead of their longtime rival to the north.

Negatives: The Buckeyes would have been a threat for the top spot in our rankings if not for the lack of dominating seasons in the '80s after Woody Hayes was fired. And if they had been able to knock off Florida and LSU in the two recent BCS National Championship Games, the Buckeyes would have really been nipping at USC's heels for the BCS-era crown.

Through the decades: Through 1958: 5th | 1968: 6th | 1978: 6th | 1988: 6th | 1998: 6th

Did you know? Ohio State has just five losing seasons since 1936 (and just two since 1960). That's the fewest among any program that's been around that long.

Why yes, we do appreciate scoring higher than our rivals up north. And what's interesting is according to their system, Cooper was about equal to Bruce was in Columbus. Though many of you might feel different, it's probably closer than you think and if Coop could have won even half of his Michigan games, it's really not even close.

Another thing worth noting is the fine job Tressel has done since arriving. The Buckeyes were 6th in the rankings through the end of the 1998 season and in the last decade have managed to jump Notre Dame, Nebraska and Alabama. Granted, those programs haven't exactly been juggernauts the past 10 years (fun fact for the Irish: since 1995, Northwestern has had more consensus all-Americans), but if Geiger had made a poor hire in 2001 the program would most certainly be sitting in the back half of the top 10 instead of closing on the leaders. Hell, just maintaining Cooper's output would have probably only yielded a jump of Alabama in that group.

So, as bad as things might get on he field from time to time (and remember, we're to the point of considering a failed national championship run a sub-par season), there is still a great deal to be proud of. At least according to a group of guys that report to Howie Schwab.

Former Buckeye Anthony Crater was arrested early this morning and charged with possession of tree after he and fellow USF baller Mike Mercer were caught with a blunt in Mercer's ride.

According to police, Mercer got all Dick Trickle swerving across multiple lanes prompting cops to pull the duo over leading to discovery of said tree.

Continuing his streak of strong decision making, Crater was hanging out with a dude who had already been kicked off Georgia's team and arrested once since transferring to South Florida. Both players have been suspended indefinitely.

I wonder who his mom will blame this on?

(HT: Bob Baptist)

Ohio State 13-4, 3-3 Big Ten Roster | Schedule

January 25, 2009 3:45 PM ET - CBS —— The Schott Columbus, OH

#7 Michigan State 15-3, 5-1 Big Ten Roster | Schedule

Yikes! A pissed off Michigan State team is not what the Buckeyes needed after they were pummeled in Illinois on Tuesday.

The Spartans lost 70-63 against Northwestern on Wednesday, ending a 28 game home winning streak. They turned it over 18 times and allowed Kevin Coble to torch them for 31 points.

Ohio State held steady for 37 minutes in the first meeting, but MSU hit 5 of 6 three pointers in less than 3 minutes during a first half run and the Buckeyes never recovered.

It should be the best atmosphere the Schott has seen all year, with the Buckeye faithful hoping to send Tom Izzo home with a third straight lost in Columbus.

Opponent

The loss Wednesday also ended Michigan State's 11 game winning streak, but they still sit atop the B10 standings, holding a 1 game lead over Purdue and Minnesota. MSU is the highest scoring team in conference play scoring almost 70 points a game, but have just a +6 scoring margin in their 5 wins. It should come as no surprise that Izzo's team has attempted (131) and made (93) more free throws during league play, while also leading in rebounds and 3-PT defense.

Chris Allen and Raymar Morgan will be looking for redemption from Wednesday's loss, as Morgan didn't attempt a FG in 18 minutes due to the flu and Allen missed all 8 of his tries from downtown, while turning it over 7 times. Kalin Lucas leads the conference in scoring at 17.7, going for double digits in every league game, including 20 on Wednesday night.

Goran Suton has started to come on as of late, averaging 13 points and 11 boards in his last three games and now leads the conference in rebounding.

If Walton, Morgan and Roe all start, it will give Tom Izzo three starters from the state of Ohio.

Buckeye Breakdown:

Ohio State simply gave up Tuesday night in Champaign and the loss sparked some rumblings about Thad's coaching moves during the game, so it will be interesting to see if any adjustments will be implemented against a very similar Spartan team.

In the first meeting, William Buford and BJ Mullens lead the Buckeyes in scoring with 17 and 16 respectively, however Diebler, Simmons and Lauderdale combined for just 11 points on 3 of 15 shooting. None of us expect much offense from Lauderdale (although he is shooting 69%), but Diebler and Simmons have to be more consistent if OSU is going to finish strong.

I expect a big game from Evan Turner Sunday. He has struggled in the last two games, shooting a combined 6 for 19 and turning it over 7 times. He has pressed a bit too much of late and with almost 5 days of rest, his legs will be fresh for the showdown against Raymar Morgan.

Ohio State is shooting 46 percent during conference play, which surprisingly leads the B10 and is the reason they have a chance against the Spartans. There is no doubt Thad will have his team ready to battle, but will they make enough stops to pull off the upset? Even though the Schott should finally be rockin' for the nationally showcased game, I don't see OSU winning this one, as Michigan State has the better point guard play and goes home with a 65-59 victory.

Etc

• Ohio State hit 11 of 16 from beyond the arc last home home game against Indiana.
• Buford is ninth in conference scoring and leads in FT percentage.

Judging from yesterday's poll, the majority of you agree with us that poor point guard play is the biggest concern facing the basketball Buckeyes as they head into the final 12 regular season games.

Sure, Lighty's injury was a major setback but without an effective floor general his absence is not the reason the Buckeyes find themselves 3-3 in conference play while ranking 9th in Assist/TO ratio and 8th in scoring offense.

The juco transfer duo of Jeremie Simmons and P.J. Hill have combined to shave years off my life thanks to erratic, yet contrasting play.

Though a small portion of you continue to disagree, Simmons is clearly the lesser of the two evil's and by far the more productive player. Considering this team struggles to put the biscuit in the basket, his ability to actually get off his own shot is reason enough for Matta to give him the bulk of the PG minutes.

Those in the Hill camp point to his defense and intangibles which is usually a veiled attempt to ignore the numbers. I agree Hill plays hard but I don't think he's playing any harder than Simmons - it just looks like it because his dreads are flopping all over the court. I will never change my opinion that some are confusing his spastic bouncing around at the top of the key as good defense. He's moving, but he's not really doing anything.

Of course, no argument is worth anything without some type of proof so let's take a look at the numbers.

Since there's a wide disparity in minutes played due to Hill rightfully riding the pine before Crater's mom derailed her son's hoops career, I broke the stats down by minute instead of by game.

As you can see, Simmons has the edge in every statistical category excepting rebounds per minute which is really inconsequential since nobody from the school of logical thought is concerned about the number of rebounds provided from the point guard slot.

In the stat that matters most when it comes to PG play, Simmons is far superior in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.3 to 1 compared to Hill's paltry 1.1 to 1.

This is important in that many of the Hill supporters love to incorrectly prop Hill for being a true point guard claiming he's on the floor to distribute the ball whereas Simmons is just a gun.

Hill: "He plays hard!" (D. Harker)

Cue Lee Corso - not so fast my friend. The truth is Hill is incapable of scoring so the perception is that he's out there looking to distribute when in reality he adds virtually nothing to the offensive cause. The object of the game is to score points and he neither scores points nor sets up his teammates to score at a rate that effectively offsets his turnovers. How's he been lately? Try one assist and six turnovers in his last four games.

Conversely, Simmons not only more than doubles Hill's A/TO ratio but he's also capable of at least making the defense account for him in the half court. Simmons' .28 points per minute dwarf Hill's .12 and for those that jump on Simmons' shot selection, he's actually making a higher percentage of his shots (32.7%) compared to the Predator (28.6%).

In conclusion, I want to make it clear I'm not attempting to sing the praises of Jeremie Simmons. The fact of the matter is Simmons is really a legit juco combo guard trying to play point guard at the D-1 level but he's still a much more effective player at this level, and on this team, than P.J. Hill. It's not hate, it's fact.

Therefore, I think it's indisputable Matta is correct in giving Simmons the bulk of the minutes because he is clearly a bigger asset and has far more potential. We've seen Hill's ceiling and it's not as good as the current version of Simmons and he'll likely improve somewhat with continued minutes.

The bottom line is we must live with the fact this team will likely, ultimately, be undone by poor point guard play until Matta can bring in a more suitable option but for now Simmons is the best he's got.

We're three days into practices for the Senior Bowl and also getting our first real picture of how the draft will shape up. The NFL scouts, GMs and other team personnel that convene in Mobile love two things above all: getting excited over young male bodies and telling everyone they can find about it.

And with this comes the first too-completely-hawt-to-miss board-climber of 2009: Boston College defensive tackle B.J. Raji. The All-Big East product was previously pegged anywhere from the low-teens to the mid-twenties but is suddenly looking like a top 10 pick.

Here he is feasting on Notre Dame:

There are two more days of practice, the actual game, the combine and then finally, the Wonderlic hilarity wave, so there is certain to be many more risers and fallers in the days to come, but for now at least, Raji is looking like the first OMG prospect of this draft.

But you're reading a Buckeye blog, so you want to know how Robo and Freeman are looking and well, that depends. Carlos "Big C" Holmes of the Dayton Daily News checks in from Mobile and says Freeman is opening eyes:

It was evident that Freeman caught some evaluators off-guard with his athleticism and versatility. One member of the Buffalo Bills' scouting staff called him a very intriguing prospect. That scout was not alone. Freeman interviewed with a boatload of teams Sunday, Jan. 18, that included Dallas, Miami, Washington, Minnesota and Denver.

On Robo:

He didn't get tangled up once in his shoelace-skinny legs. They actually provided him with the balance of a tightrope walker and the graceful speed of a gazelle. I think he surprised defenders when he blew by them. Robiskie is not known for his speed but did show that he can stretch the field.

This guy might be my new favorite writer. But is the Robo evaluation just a bit too kind. Yes, according to these guys:

Monday Practice Notes: Clearly the former Buckeye is not the fastest or quickest receiver, but he had a very solid day all around. Ran good routes, and the inconsistency seen with his hands late in Ohio State’s season was not apparent today. Also doubled as a punt returner.
Tuesday Practice Notes: Robiskie is sure handed but slow and does not stand out. He caught the ball well but was unable to shake defenders out of breaks or down the field.
Wednesday Practice Notes: Robiskie made several nice catches today in traffic and showed reliable hands. No single aspect of his game sticks out.

They do have some nice things to say about Freeman, at least.

The Greg Robinson Full Throat Experience

As you may have heard, our fine friends up north have found themselves a new defensive coordinator.

Greg Robinson, fresh off a nightmarish 10-37 run in four years at Syracuse, has filled Scott Shafer's funky shoes and will attempt to shore up a unit that surrendered the most points in program history.

MGoBlog took a hard look at Robinson when rumors first surfaced and pretty much did not want:

Maybe the abject failure at Syracuse was one of recruiting, motivation, and roster assembly, and not schemes, but since Rodriguez doesn't coach the defense at all he's really hiring someone to be head coach of half his team. In that context, Greg Robinson seems like a horrible choice. (Also in all other ones.)

Brian points out that Robinson was the beneficiary of working one year in the Longhorn system and defensive coordinators almost have no choice but to shine surrounded by that kind of talent. After all, it wasn't too long ago that folks were raving about Chizik's winning streak. He moved on to Iowa State and went 5-19 in Ames before somehow getting hired to replace coach Click-Clack at Auburn.

Taking the other side is ESPN's Adam Rittenberg, who points out Robinson's NFL experience (Super Bowls with Denver) and the fact that he's 8-0 in bowl games:

Michigan fans shouldn't worry about Robinson's 10-37 record at Syracuse. Robinson is back to doing what he does best, coaching defense, and the Wolverines will be the beneficiaries.

Maybe he's right. Some Most guys are are just better assistants than they are head coaches. There's Weis and Crennel benefiting from recent Pats success only to fare poorly, or in the case of Romeo, faring bad enough to find oneself unemployed in short order. Dick LeBeau is a friend of the program and we love him to death, but his stint as head coach of the Bengals is a stark contrast¹ to the success he's had as defensive coordinator with the Steelers.

It's almost impossible for the Michigan defense to be any worse this season and Rodriguez Year Two will most certainly be a better product than we witnessed in 2008, but the real question is whether it will be good enough to buy the time to reveal whether the Robinson hire was a good call or not.

In other coaching news, Pete Carroll is finally over Mark Sanchez and has tabbed Jeremy Bates to replace Steve Sarkisian. Bates was most recently the offensive coordinator for the Broncos and was rumored to be on the radars of several NFL teams. He'll share playcalling duties with John Morton at SC and right about now would be a good time to start devouring Denver offensive film. September's closer than it appears.

¹ To be fair, it's damn near impossible to have coaching success with the Bengals.

Turner had no room to operate resulting in a season low four points. (AP: Robert K. O'Daniell)

Though I was convinced tonight would result in a loss, I didn't expect Ohio State to roll over and die but that's exactly what happened as Illinois handed the Buckeyes a 67-49 beatdown tonight in Champaign.

How bad was it? Consider:

• The Buckeyes actually had more turnovers (20) than field goals (19).
• The guards (Hill, Buford, Diebler, Simmons, Offut) combined for 9 field goals against 11 turnovers.
• Ohio State shot 46% from the stripe (7/15) thanks to the 2/9 masonry from B.J. Mullens.
• Jon Diebler officially reclaimed his "Ghost" status failing to score more than seven points for the fourth time in five games. The Ghost didn't score his first points until 28 minutes into the game proving once again he's virtually incapable of creating his own shot.

Even with all that bad news, the Buckeyes actually clawed to 38-30 early in the second half before Illinois center Mark Tisdale started abusing the Ohio State front line scoring seven points during an 11-4 run that increased the lead to 49-34 with 14 minutes to play.

Matta's squad showed little heart the rest of the way hitting only six field goals including zero by leading scorer Evan Turner.

After reaching double figures in 15 straight games, Turner had his worst night of the season finishing with a season low four points on 2/7 shooting with two turnovers. He did manage 10 boards but was effectively taken out of the game by Bruce Weber's defense.

I'm rarely critical of Matta but it appeared Weber had the upper hand all night.

Offensively, Weber's squad repeatedly attacked the Buckeye zone getting the ball to the elbows with those players either shooting short jumpers or forcing a back line defender to help leaving the low block unattended time after time.

I also found it curious that Matta seemed reluctant to play Lauderdale and Mullens together for extended minutes until the game was out of reach even though Turner was constantly being over powered on the block by Tisdale and 6'10" Mike Davis (4/6 FG, 6 boards).

Though it was only for three minutes, I'm also puzzled by the fact Matta would have both P.J. Hill and Kyle Madsen in the game at the same time. All sarcasm aside, if you are struggling to score, why would you ever put those two on the floor together?

Weber, as you can bet the rest of the conference will mimic, exploited Ohio State's lack of a decent point guard by turning up the ball pressure on Simmons and Hill as they tried to initiate the offense. The approach helped create six turnovers and even when those two weren't showing their low level juco skills the entry passes were so far from the hoop that the offense could never sustain a flow.

Reaching for bright spots as I wrap up, Wil Buford scored 13 points, albeit on 5/14 shooting but he continues to show he's not afraid to try and make something happen offensively which is more than I can say for at least one supposed scorer on the roster. Buford actually kept Ohio State from getting blown out in the first half scoring 11 of the team's 26 points.

Even with the rough night from the line, Mullens managed a team high 14 points (6/8 FG) and seven rips though his lack of toughness inside influenced a team high four turnovers.

I guess the good news is Thad has plenty of teaching moments and the fact is Illinois is a pretty good team. They play better than the sum of their parts, they're physical and always tough at home.

With Sparty coming in Sunday, it'll take a much more spirited effort than we witnessed tonight to keep from getting embarrassed. Something tells me the Buckeyes will bounce back with the proper effort but I doubt they can pull the upset.

A loss would drop OSU to 3-4 in conference but they have two very winnable games after that with Michigan coming the Schott followed by a roadie at Indiana. Hang in there. It's a tough conference this year and we'd be foolish not to expect peaks and valleys with such a young and depleted roster.

Ohio State 13-3, 3-2 Big Ten Roster | Schedule

January 20, 2009 7:00 PM ET - ESPN —— Assembly Hall Champaign, IL

#24 Illinois 15-3, 3-2 Big Ten Roster | Schedule

For a fourth straight time, Ohio State will face a ranked B10 opponent on the road, as Illinois finally cracked the top 25 this week.

Illinois is 10-1 at home, losing by 2 against Clemson in the ACC/B10 challenge, but Ohio State has won 5 straight in the series.

School is back in session and the Orange Crush will be in full effect tonight, living up to Assembly Hall's tough reputation. Thad's young team has been playing with confidence lately, but I think a near flawless executed game is the only way they come back with a win.

Opponent

Illinois comes in as the best defensive team in the conference, giving up only 57 points a game and winning by an average of 13 points. In their last two home games, Indiana and Michigan scored a combined 96 points. They are also the top shooting team, connecting on 48 percent of their shots, including 38 percent from downtown.

Illinois isn't a deep team, but they have started the same lineup in 16 of their 18 games and are lead by senior guards Chester Frazier and Trent Meacham. Frazier won't score much, but he leads the conference in assists and Meacham is fifth, which helps Illinois rank second in the nation with 19.4 a game.

Bruce Weber plays all his starters at least 24 minutes a game and will bring in Calvin Brock, Dominique Keller and Alex Legion off the bench, who combine for 18 points and 7 boards. Weber is doing another amazing coaching job, leading Illinois to more wins already than their season total of 13 last year.

Buckeye Breakdown:

After three straight wins, Ohio State started receiving votes in both polls, but have their work cut out for them once again this week. They come in scoring 68 points a game on 46 percent shooting, including 35 percent from deep. It has been great to watch the light go on in terms of ball movement and penetration over the past couple of weeks, as Ohio State has assisted on 70 percent of their FG's (75 of 107) over the last four games.

Even though Buford was named Big Ten POW, I thought Jeremie Simmons had an equally important week, going for 19 points and 12 assists. I touched on it last game, but his continued improvement is a must if Ohio State is going to hang towards the top three of the conference. PJ Hill is also starting to grow on me. He is still late with post entry passes and can't shoot, but his defensive energy has seem to spark others when he is on the floor, especially Buford.

With the recent emergence of BJ Mullens, Ohio State now has 4 players scoring in double digits during conference play. Mullens leads the league in shooting at 72 percent and he has averaged 9 shots over the last 4 games. I still like Lauderdale starting for defensive purposes and so BJ doesn't pick up any quick fouls, but don't be surprised to see both of them together more tonight, as Illinois goes 6'10" and 7'1" across the front. Let's just hope the officials aren't persuaded by the home crowd.

The Buckeyes will be looking for their first three game winning streak in Champaign, since the 1977-1980 seasons and are a combined 22-57 there. OSU is 3-2 against ranked foes this year and all 3 wins have come on the road. I think Thad's boys are a bit more athletic inside and his guards provide more scoring punch. Good solid screens and movement without the ball will be key tonight. If the refs don't go ticky-tack with the bigs, I like Ohio State continuing their level of play and coming home with a close 62-59 win.

Etc

• Ohio State is 24-2 over Michigan with Thad, Tress and Jim Foster as coaches.
• The Bucks are 10-0 when the reserves outscore the opposition's.