Eleven Warriors

Ohio State 21-9, 11-8 Big Ten Roster | Schedule

March 14, 2009 1:40 PM ET - CBS —— Conseco Fieldhouse Indianapolis, IN

#6 Michigan State 26-5, 16-3 Big Ten Roster | Schedule

"It's tough to beat a team three times in a season", has become one of the most used cliche's during playoff/tournament time, we can only hope it holds true today.

These two haven't faced each other since late January, after playing twice in a 17 day span. Michigan State took both of those contest by an average of 10 points, 67-58 in East Lansing and 78-67 in Columbus.

I have a funny feeling we are going to see Ed Hightower in stripes today, so he could become a factor in this game as well. If he lets them play, the Bucks can't allow themselves to get pushed around by the more physical Spartans.

#	Name	PTS	REB	ASST	POS	#	Name	PTS	REB	ASST
4	PJ HIll	3.0	1.4	1.6	G	1	Kalin Lucas	14.7	2.2	4.5
33	Jon Diebler	11.1	3.4	2.5	G	5	Travis Walton	5.1	2.5	3.4
21	Evan Turner	16.9	6.8	3.9	F	2	Raymar Morgan	11.0	5.8	1.3
44	William Buford	11.1	3.5	1.1	F	10	Delvon Roe	6.0	5.4	0.9
52	Dallas Lauderdale	4.5	3.6	0.2	C	14	Goran Suton	9.5	7.6	1.3

Opponent

Michigan State lead the league in scoring at 67 points a game, winning their conference games by an average of 8.4 points. The Spartans lead the Big Ten in FG attempts, connecting on 44 percent overall and 34 percent from deep. It should come at no surprise that Izzo's team lead the league in FT attempts and makes as well, going to the line 54 more times than 2nd place Purdue and 108 more times than the Bucks. Again with a possible Hightower sighting, it is going to come down to the charity stripe.

The Spartans out rebounded OSU 35-19 during the game in Cbus, including a 16-3 advantage on the offensive glass, which lead to 15 more FG attempts. During conference play, MSU never let an opponent outrebound them, which lead to astonishing +11.3 margin on the glass. The Buckeyes must not pick up cheap fouls going over the backs of Sparty.

Tom Izzo still loves to sub and will use a 9-10 man rotation in today's game. Super-sub Chris Allen lead the way yesterday with 17, but Durell Summers and Marquise Gray will also contribute.

Buckeye Breakdown:

I think we saw a different Ohio State team yesterday, one that played with the tenacity needed for a Turner-ment run. Lauderdale and Simmons stepped up their games and I was happy to see an emphasis on getting to the rim, one aspect that has to continue this afternoon.

I'm keeping the preview brief here today, most of us know what the Buckeyes need to do in order to pull out this win and advance to the conference title game. If they match their intensity level of yesterday and a couple more players contribute (Mullens and Diebler), there is no reason why the Bucks can't win.

Etc

• Buford had 17 and Mullens 16 in the East Lansing game.
• Ohio State won for the first time all year when they trail at the 5:00 mark, erasing that 54-47 deficit. They are 19-1 when they lead at that mark.

Even before today's 61-57 victory over Wisky it appeared the Buckeyes were on the inside looking out.

Afterward, there's no doubt the Buckeyes are headed back to March Madness after a one year layoff.

Evan Turner led the way once again with 19 points and Ohio State used a 14-3 run to secure a date with Michigan State tomorrow at 1:40pm.

Regardless of what happens versus MSU, the Buckeyes got what they'd been looking for - balanced contribution - as virtually everyone stepped at one point or another.

Running through the game with Corey over some barley soda's, there was much to take away including:

• Dallas Lauderdale emerged from the milk carton to add eight points, five rebounds and four blocks.
• Matta switching to the press with OSU down 54-47 with 6:03 to play helping jump start the decisive 14-3 Ike.
• Jon Diebler coming through with two clutch triples including a deep dagger putting OSU in front 55-54 with 2:25 remaining.
• P.J. Hill getting to the line 11 times (hitting 7) while fellow PG Jeremie Simmons added 10 points in 16 minutes.
• Wil Buford hit a couple big buckets early in the second half as OSU struggled to score.

The much maligned zone also did its job holding Wisconsin to 36% from the floor, 31% from deep, while holding the Badgers to zero field goals over the final 6:03.

Logic says the Spartans will be ready to play tomorrow but it better be a genuine desire to play or else the Buckeyes might steal one. You gotta like Thad's post-season record, at the very least.

We're keeping it brief tonight since Matta's crew takes the court less than 16 hours. Stay tuned...

Ohio State 20-9, 10-8 Big Ten Roster | Schedule

March 13, 2009 2:25 PM ET - ESPN —— Conseco Fieldhouse Indianapolis, IN

Wisconsin 19-11, 10-8 Big Ten Roster | Schedule

The higher seeds sailed through the first round yesterday, setting up what should be a great day of Big Ten basketball, as the top 8 teams battle for the automatic bid.

Ohio State is 5-2 in their last 3 conference tournaments, going to the finals in 2006 and 2007. They were the 5 seed last year as well, falling to Michigan State 67-60 in the first round.

Wisconsin is 10-5 in the tourney under Bo Ryan, taking home the title last year and appearing in 4 of the last 5 championship games.

#	Name	PTS	REB	ASST	POS	#	Name	PTS	REB	ASST
4	PJ Hill	2.8	1.4	1.6	G	12	Jason Bohannon	10.2	3.1	1.7
33	Jon Diebler	11.2	3.4	2.5	G	3	Trevon Hughes	11.9	3.2	2.9
21	Evan Turner	16.8	6.9	3.9	F	1	Marcus Landry	12.7	4.5	1.7
44	William Buford	11.1	3.5	1.1	F	45	Joe Krabbenhoft	8.8	6.7	2.6
52	Dallas Lauderdale	4.4	3.6	0.2	C	30	Jon Leuer	9.2	3.9	0.8

Opponent

The Badgers come in scoring 63.3 points a game in league play, while holding opponents to 58.4 points. Their defense has clamped down since their 6 game skid in January, allowing more than 30 points in a half just twice over the last 9 games. Whisky shoots 44 percent from the floor, while defending at the same clip.

Of course Wisconsin took down OSU, 55-50 a few weeks ago at the Kohl Center, a game that featured 8 ties and 17 lead changes. The Badgers bullied the Bucks inside, to the tune of 15 offensive boards and 17 more shots, but their is no doubt the Buckeyes could have pulled it out.

Bo Ryan will stick to close to a 7 man rotation, playing 4 of his starters over 30 minutes and bringing in Tim Jarmusz and Jordan Taylor off the bench. The Badgers have balanced scoring, but as Bucky's 5th Quarter points out, none of them are game ending go to guys, leading him to fear a 59-57 Buckeye upset over his Badgers.

Buckeye Breakdown:

I know some of you don't give this team much of a chance, because of their youth, inconsistency and the fact none of the players have a B10 tournament win. But Thad is one hell of a tournament coach and Evan Turner is the league's best player, a perfect combination for a 3 day run.

Turner went for 23 against the Badgers the first time around and any type of help from his teammates in the second half would have lead to a victory. Remember, Diebler and Simmons combined for 2 points the entire game, while Buford, Lauderdale and Mullens had just 5 points in the second.

I discussed yesterday what the Bucks must do in order to have a chance for the win. Anything can happen this time of year and I hesitate to make a prediction, but every time I think about this game and this tournament, a dominate Evan Turner keeps coming to mind. Something tells me he is going to put on a show, so get your popcorn.

Etc

• Brent, Slick Steve and Erin Paigeviews are doing the telecast.
• Eric Wallace (DePaul) and Anthony Crater (USF) transferred to schools that went a combined 4-32 in Big East play.

It's going to take a lot of luck and some damn good play, if Ohio State is going to make a run in the B10 tournament.

At times they have shown flashes of brilliance and the potential to pull off an improbable run, but the problem has been sustaining that level of play for a full 40 minutes.

Adding to the difficulty, Michigan State (8-1) and Wisconsin (7-2) are the two hottest teams over the last nine games.

However, Thad is 13-2 in the past 2 postseasons and if he is to win another tournament, the Buckeyes must shore up the following areas.

The Buckeyes must get inside scoring. If BJ is set to leave after this year, then this is his chance to improve his draft stock. I have said before, Mullens has seemed disinterested since the end of January, whether it's from a lack of touches or a fear of the late season, pre-NBA injury. Over the last 10 games, BJ has averaged 8.7 points and 5.4 boards, hardly the sign of an NBA lottery pick. While OSU doesn't need a Koufos-like NIT run, anything close to a double-double is a necessity. Lauderdale and Madsen must combine for at least 8 points and help put some pressure on the opponents' bigs.

Minimize the opponents offensive rebounds. It is just an accepted fact that Ohio State's zone defense is going to give up more than its fair share of O-boards. The opposition had at least 10 offensive boards in 12 of 18 conference tilts, leading to 102 more FG attempts and a 6-6 record in those games. Wisconsin and Michigan State combined to grab 45 of their own misses against the Bucks, leading to 28 more shots over the three games. Boxing out must be a group effort this weekend.

Guard the 3-point shooter. As Bob Baptist pointed out in his last OSU Insider, the last 6 opponents have made 43.4 percent of their 3 pointers, attempting 47 percent of their shots from there and making no fewer than 9 treys. In B10 play, the Bucks gave up 158 bombs on 411 attempts, easily leading the conference.

Get penetration into the paint from the guards. Jeremie Simmons, PJ Hill and Jon Diebler must drive the rock into the lane in order to put pressure on the defense. Good things will happen if they can get penetration; BJ and Dallas can slip open under the rim, they can force a foul or kick it out to the open shooter. The three have combined for just 24 assists over the last 4 games and too often settle for hot potato around the perimeter.

Give the ball to Turner early and often. ET was not going to let Ohio State lose either one of those games last week and it was a great move by Thad to put the ball in his hands for the stretch run. He should have a chip on his shoulder, after being passed over for the POY award earlier this week and needs to get it going from the start. Turner shot just over 50 percent on the season and lead the conference in FT makes and attempts. The tournament setting is a great chance for a player such as Evan to get into a zone and carry his team for a 72 hour stretch.

Play in the tournament starts today at noon, when Minnesota takes on Northwestern. Regardless of how the Buckeyes fare, this should be another dynamic Big Ten tournament, with all but two teams having a chance to make some noise.

After having the chance to interview Jamie Wood, Carlos Hyde, and Jordan Hall, we get the chance to move back over to the defensive side of the ball, as we sat down with John Simon (or "All Flannel Tops" as he is affectionately known around here) of Youngstown Cardinal Mooney.

Simon was one of the first to sign onto the Class of 2009 and chose the Bucks over offers from Notre Dame, Illinois, Nebraska, Stanford,and Pittsburgh, among others. John is listed at 6-3/285 and with most of that 285 pounds consisting of pure muscle, he seems to be ready to compete at the college level as a true freshman. The Buckeyes are certainly lucky to be getting this Scout.com 5-star recruit and U.S. Army All-American, as Nader Abdallah, the teams best defensive tackle last season, has graduated, leaving a position in the rotation open. Check out what Simon had to say about the opportunity to play this season, who would win a fight between him and Kelly Pavlik, and what he thinks about Jamie Wood's opinion of his 'all flannel tops and jeans'.

You committed pretty early in the recruiting process, even though schools like Notre Dame were recruiting you hard. What about Ohio State made you so sure this is where you wanted to play your college football? Ohio State really stuck out to me because of the family atmosphere. You can tell all the players and the coaches came together to form a team.

What do you plan to major in at Ohio State? I will major in exercise science. I hope to one day become a strength coach.

You've had a lot of time to hang out with your fellow class members. What is the most interesting thing you've learned about this group of guys so far? That’s a tough one. I'd have to say each one of us seems to be preparing everyday for college. We have a very respectable and hard working class.

There is a lot of depth at Defensive Tackle on the roster this year. What do you need to do to stand out from the group and earn some playing time as a freshman? I feel I have to come in and go all out every play and just do anything extra I can.

What was it like playing in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl? How did you and the other Buckeyes in the game compare to the rest of the nation's top talent? It was a great honor playing in the U.S. Army All-American Game. I was able to compete against the best players in the country. The Ohio State players played great games and made some huge plays.

What current or former Buckeye does your style/skill set compare to? What current/former NFL player does your style/skill set compare to? I don't know it’s hard to compare myself to other players.

Who benches more, you or your dad? Myself (laughing)

Being from Youngstown, who would win a fight-you or Kelly Pavlik? Another tough one (laughing). Youngstown guys don't fight each other. He's the pride of Youngstown.

Buckeye Nation knows you are a big, strong defensive tackle who works hard, but what can you tell them about yourself that they don't already know? I’m dying to be a Buckeye!

In an interview we did with Jamie Wood he suggested if he could give on of the guys in this class fashion tips it would be you, saying you were "all flannel tops and jeans right now". What's your feeling on this and will you be getting rid of the flannel tops and jeans anytime soon? (Laughing) Nah, I will not be getting rid of them. I wear what’s comfortable and though I respect Jamie's fashion, it's not for me. You gotta be yourself.

---

And now for some highlights:

Though the Buckeyes are losing their top two receivers from last season, many fans actually welcomed the infusion of new talent, especially the speed that will be accompanying DeVier Posey, Lamaar Thomas, Jake Stoneburner and the other youngsters vying to step into the starting lineup.

Now, you can add Josh Springer to that list. The 5-11, 185-pound walk-on receiver is fresh off a stint with the OSU cheerleading team (yes, you read that correctly) and supposedly turned some heads after clocking a 4.47 forty. Not too bad for a guy that didn't even play a down of football in high school (oh, how that first stick is going to sting).

Save for Tank Whaley, and a few other notable exceptions, walk-ons rarely see the light of the playing field. Instead, they spend their time serving as live tackling dummies and paying for their own food at the training table. In Springer's case, we can only hope he gets on to the field for a touchdown in Ann Arbor some day as I can't imagine anything else that would give us as much smack-talking ammunition.

It's clinic season for coaches and Tressel ventured into the South last week for the Championship Coaching Clinic. While there, he went on record saying something the SEC has known recently, but being the part of the country that's perhaps quickest to perceive slights and lack of respect, they just had to get on tape:

"I think the SEC might be the roughest conference there is, top to bottom," Tressel said in an exclusive interview. "I can't imagine what they go through week-in and week-out.

Thus the article headline: Tressel to WVLT: SEC "might be the roughest conference". And yes, Southern Man, your penis is gigantic. Please do expect our Chinpokomon shipments.

And in other clinic/speaking tour news, it turns out that the JHC is knife collector. No word on whether Desmond Howard's name appears on any of them.

Finally, the McDonald's All-American Game is coming to Columbus in 2010. The Schott will host the event on March 31 and we're hoping it turns into the Jared Sullinger Show ahead of him hitting campus later in the year.

Proving the theory that the conference POY will most likely come from the best player on the best team, Michigan State's Kalin Lucas took home the trophy over Evan Turner in both the Coaches and Media balloting.

That's not to say Kalin Lucas isn't a bad ass in his own right, he's clearly a stud and I love watching him play, but nobody meant more to their team this year than Evan Turner. That's not always the criteria but I'm still mildly surprised Turner didn't at least earn a split based on his impact to the Buckeyes bottom line compared to Lucas. Take Lucas off MSU for the year and take Turner off OSU for the year. Which team still competes for the league title? Exactly.

MSU fans - don't take it as sour grapes. It's not - just a truly unbiased opinion from a guy who watched more than his fair share of Big Ten basketball this year, not just Ohio State.

Take a peak at the conference stats head to head:

Turner vs. Lucas (conf rank in parenthesis)

Player	PPG	Asst	A/TO	Reb	FG%	3FG%	Stl	Min
Evan Turner	16.8 (3)	3.86 (8)	1.11 (12)	6.9 (5)	51.6 (7)	27.3 (NR)	1.72 (4)	36.0 (2)
Kalin Lucas	14.8 (6)	4.60 (4)	2.26 (4)	2.4 (NR)	41.6 (NR)	39.5 (8)	.83 (NR)	31.8 (15)

Still, I love Lucas and I think Talor Battle was really the only other guy besides Turner who deserved serious consideration. Lucas did say that if he couldn't vote for himself, he votes for Turner.

Turner, of course, did lock down a First Team selection as both the coaches and media agreed on all five selections, all of which are sophomores.

First Team All-Big Ten

Player	School	PPG
Manny Harris	Michigan	17.1
Kalin Lucas	Michigan State	14.8
Evan Turner	Ohio State	16.8
Talor Battle	Penn State	17.3
JaJuan Johnson	Purdue	13.2

The full rundown of all three teams can be found here.

No Buckeyes made second or third team in either the coaches or media ballots but they were still well represented in other areas.

Wil Buford brought home Freshman of the Year honors and B.J Mullens picked up the best Sixth Man trophy. Both also earned spots on the All-Freshman squad. While I hoped Mullens would have a bigger impact this season, he's still a sure fire lottery pick.

Rounding out the Buckeye props, Jon Diebler and Buford picked up Honorable Mention.

Tom Izzo was tabbed as Coach of the Year.

Evan Turner made one final regular season case for conference MVP scoring 10 of Ohio State's 14 points over the final 6:47 helping the Buckeyes hold off Northwestern 52-47 this afternoon in the Schott.

Turner finished with 17 on the day, none bigger than his 17 foot jumper with :06 left on the shot clock, :23 on the game clock, putting OSU in front 50-47 setting up a wild sequence of events culminating with Turner partially blocking a Luka Mirkovic triple try with :04 left before Jon Diebler iced it with two free throws.

Though we know better, it looked like a second half uprising wouldn't be necessary as OSU jumped on Northwestern early using a 16-3 run backed by two triples from Diebler and five points each from Turner and Wil Buford to take a 21-6 lead with 10:57 left in the half.

The Wildcats responded by switching from man to a 1-3-1 zone and promptly went on a 9-0 run to to cut it to 21-16 before a jumper and two free throws from Buford gave OSU a 25-15 lead at the break.

Though the offense struggled to solve the 1-3-1, Matta's habitual mostly zone strategy held steady forcing Northwestern to miss 11 of 13 three point tries and nine turnovers in the opening 20 minutes.

There was little carryover to start the second, however as Northwestern went on a 13-0 run after a Mullens dunk opened the half allowing the Wildcats to take a 28-27 lead with 12:15 remaining. The purple team shot 5/8 during the blitz while the Buckeyes were held scoreless for nearly seven minutes and missed nine of their first ten field goal attempts.

Soon after, Matta and company finally found a solution to the 1-3-1 in the form of B.J. Mullens. Taking advantage of smaller Northwestern defenders at the back of the zone, Mullens scored eight straight points on a combo of alley oops and put backs putting OSU in front 37-32 with 8:30 to play.

Of course, Northwestern would respond with a barrage of three triples (Moore 2, Coble) to take a 41-39 lead with 5:44 left but Turner-Time was already officially underway.

Besides three assists to Mullens during the big man's mini-run and the aforementioned dagger with :23 left, Turner also showed us a sick spinning drive and scoop lay in and a nifty pull up jumper off a whirling drive from the top of the key before his clutch defensive play on Mirkovic cemented the win.

He did have four turnovers and disappeared for a bit early in the second half but he again showed an ability to put the team on his back when they need him most. For me, his performance locked up the Big Ten MVP award but my gut says Kalin Lucas will grab the trophy as the best player on the best team.

Still, take Turner off this team and they don't win five conference games. Take Lucas off Sparty and they still finish top three. Talor Battle is a pimp is his own right but not as big a piece of PSU's puzzle.

Scanning the box, OSU placed four in double figures led by Turner's 17, coming on 7/11 shooting, with five assists. Diebler (3/7 3FG) and Buford (4/11 FG) added 11 each. Buford also pulled down a career high eight boards. Mullens was the last in doubles with ten points, all in the second half.

The victory moved Ohio State to 10-8, good for fourth place (tied) in the final conference standings. A likely win by Wisconsin over Indiana today (Wisc up 40-23 at press time) sets up a Buckeyes versus Badgers quarterfinal tilt on Friday (2:30pm). If Wisky loses, it's Penn State.

Etc

• It looks like Dallas is going to live after he sprained his shoulder courtesy of a Himilayan Arm Chop from Kevin "My Mom's on TV more than Obama" Coble. (I know the story behind it - just sayin')
• Northwestern still hasn't beaten OSU in Columbus since 1977. (29-0)
• After starting 2/13 from deep, Northwestern hit 7/14 the rest of the way.

Tipoff:	5:00PM ET
Previews:	11W
Favorite:	Ohio State (-7)
Television:	BTN
Radio:	OSU Basketball Affiliates

LTP is caling it the most important game in NU basketball history. Fresh off a win at Mackey, the Wildcats could very well punch a ticket to the dance with a win today in Columbus.

The Buckeyes need the win nearly as badly. While we think the Bucks may have already done enough for an invitation to the tournament, a win here would provide insurance in case they flame-out in the first round of the conference tourney.

Should be another nerve-wracking fun Sunday of Buckeye basketball. Turner had one of his worst outings of the season when the teams met in Evanston and here's to hoping he's a little revenge-motivated this evening.

Good news, indeed.

And you, BJ?