Eleven Warriors

Since you guys had fun with the last two Woody caption contests, I thought it was time for another.

No ladies on each arm this time around but I'm sure you'll make do.

As usual, the winner receives only the props of fellow readers. We already give up more booty than Dashiki. In that vein, I'll start it off - "Hey, Arch...smell my finger!"

It's been a couple of days since Tressel's "only between gentlemen" comment about whether there was a gentleman's agreement in the conference when it comes to recruiting. I personally think it was the Vest just trying to be clever and not really a dig at Rodriguez, and those in the Wolverine community seem to agree for the most part.

Well, the comment finally made its way back to Ann Arbor:

"Huh well, maybe I'm not a gentleman," Rodriguez said. "I never heard of that (gentlemen's agreement). In that regard, I would be guilty as charged. I know as soon as I took the job, there was a commitment to the University of Michigan who changed his commit and went to another Big Ten school. I didn't blame the coach for doing that. Until the guy signs, he's out there, particularly if he visits.

"If the young man is committed to your school, yet he's still visiting other schools, he's not truly committed; he's just very, very interested. You have to understand the difference in that. I've been doing this a long time, (and) I never heard of such a thing. I don't get caught up in all the he said, she said. One thing I've had to learn to develop, thick skin over the years as head coach. I'm proud of the way we recruit. We certainly aren't going to break any NCAA rules when we recruit. As far as a gentlemen's agreement, I've never heard of such a thing."

As I mentioned when the whole Tiller/Rodriguez issue first blew up, there might have been a gentlemen's agreement back in the day, but not in this era of text messages and bulk email applications.

At any rate, it's good to see that The Rivalry won't miss a beat -- even in this transition season. As much as I hate to admit it, I like the way Rodriguez handled that. Could you imagine Carr saying anything other than "I'm not going to get into that," and declaring the interview over before storming out of the room?

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News out of camp has Eugene Clifford making the switch to safety. Clifford, you may recall, may have or may not have run into a little trouble with the tree last season and was subsequently suspended for the LSU game. Here's to fresh starts.

In other secondary news, linebackers Jermale Hines and Tyler Moeller are getting looks at strong safety as the staff experiments with ways to stop the spread. The thought of putting a little more size at the position is intriguing and it put a smile on my face knowing that Tressel was game-planning for Michigan in April.

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Continuing their excellent series, Better Know a Buckeye, Vico and the guys at Our Honor Defend present the complete Mike Adams story. I have to check Wikipedia for the parting of the Red Sea story, but I'm pretty sure it's true.

I'm a little late on this but as most of you know, Dan Potokar headed to Indianapolis a few weeks ago to undergo extremely intensive treatment for cancer. Based on comments from the family there's no guarantee he will even survive the 6-8 week treatment.

To help with expenses, Ohio State has set up a fund so Buckeye fans can show just how much they care about every player, not just the stars.

The 11W crew will be making a donation and we urge you to do the same. Donations can be made through Ohio State and a Bowl-A-Thon is also set up for April 26 at Grove City Lanes.

While I'm at it, though not Buckeye related, I would also like to urge everyone to consider giving to The Nationwide Children's Hospital Heart Center (P.O. Box 16810 Columbus, OH 43272) in the name of Jackson Brown.

Jackson was laid to rest Monday after battling through two heart transplants in 3.5 months in addition to reminding folks like me what's really important in life. God Bless Jackson and his incredible parents.

As we were all out enjoying the first wave of warm weather this past weekend, some bad news hit when it was announced that Mike Adams had sustained a shoulder injury and would require surgery.

Considering fellow Brew Crew mate Michael Brewster is himself recovering from shoulder surgery, the "Crew" isn't exactly off to a hot start. Meanwhile, A.J. Soprano J.B. Shugarts, the third member of the group, is expected to compete with Bryant Browning for the right tackle spot vacated by Barton, so at least they have that going for them.

A lot of Buckeye fans are understandably disappointed as most had visions of Orlando the 2nd dancing in their heads. But the two positives out of this are: (1) the injury appears to be minor and (2) this edition of the team is so deep that they don't need Adams playing a full season to get to where they want to go.

Bollman indicated that had the injury occurred during the regular season, it's likely something a guy plays through, but the timing gave the staff time to get him right, so if he does make it back early enough in the season, he's good. He was also smart enough not to get locked into picking a date when Adams may see the field again.

I expect we'll all know a little more about the situation once August rolls around. Until then, all we can do is debate the merits of rushing him back too soon, redshirts, grayshirts and other vital matters.

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Finally, a lot of chatter about Beanie telling some of the beat guys that he was going to be a Buckeye for four years. Gordon's not biting on it -- and neither are we. NFL GMs love guys that run like the love child of Eric Dickerson and Bo Jackson, and last I checked, making a million dollars was a little more fun than sitting through class.

To that end, we're creating the 11W Beanie Wells Challenge™. If you really believe that Wells will be a Buckeye for four years, go ahead and leave your thoughts about it in the comments. The first three that wax poetic about this possibility will get a chance to run this blog for the entire weekend of the 2009 NFL draft.

Normally, we wouldn't have a dog in tomorrow night's national championship game. If a Big Ten team were playing, we'd probably be pulling for them, but when two great neutral teams square off, we just hope to get a good game out of it.

This year, however, we'll be pulling for the Kansas. It's not because Self spent some time in the Big Ten or the fact that we think Calipari may run a loose ship (although we do). It's because the 11W Steak Knives competition is down to the final two entries and the entry with Kansas winning it all is named "Beat Michagain".

This is also not to say that the Memphis-backing TerrellePryor's Left Pinky entry isn't wonderfully named, because it is. But this is Buckeye country and beating Michigan trumps all else, right? Besides, can you feel the synergy?

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In an unrelated note, a small shoutout to Sparty for partying so hard, it took police in riot gear firing tear gas to break them up. With skills like that, you're welcome in Columbus anytime.

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UPDATE: As the astute commenters have pointed out below, I'm evidently not that great at the bracket math. The Beat Michigain entry is still in first place, but has Memphis winning it all. So I guess we're all Memphis fans now and please ignore the title of this post. The Angsman1 entry will win it all if the Jayhawks win tomorrow night.

MOP Kosta Koufos paced Ohio State with 22 points, 20 in the second half, as the Buckeyes placed four in double figures on their way to the first postseason championship in the 11W era, a 92-85 victory to claim the 2008 NIT Title.

Sure, it wasn't the NCAA's but it doesn't change the fact the Buckeyes will be one of two teams to end the postseason with a win which will no doubt serve as a springboard to 2009.

The Buckeyes trailed by 10 after an 8-0 run put UMass up front 37-27 with 3:35 left in the half but the Buckeyes used a 20-6 blitz over the next 7 minutes to take a 47-43 lead just 2:39 into the second half effectively seizing control of momentum and a lead they would never relinquish.

UMass managed to tie it at 68 after after Ricky Harris' 6th of 7 triples with 3:45 on the clock but Koufos would score the next 7 points for OSU before Evan Turner sealed it converting 4/6 at the stripe with UMass forced to foul.

Turner was a beast notching 20 points, 6 boards, 4 assists and 3 steals while giving fans a glimpse of next season when he starts and/or logs heavy minutes running the point. The boxscore credited him with 8 turnovers but I must have had too many Labatt's because I thought the number was only half that. Regardless, the kid is a future star and if Crater can't handle the point I truly think Turner can with a summer focused on nothing but ball handling and decision making. He's the goods. Period.

Sporting the gray #14 for the last time, Jamar Butler recorded 19 points (8/12 FG) and 8 dimes boosting his school record totals in assists (580), three pointers (242) as well as threes in a season (104). It was a roller coaster ride for the senior from Lima this season but he leaves with 105 career wins and his legacy firmly intact. Hats off to one hell of a gritty performer. He never evolved into the vocal leader this team craved but I think his career production speaks for itself.

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Also in his swan song appearance, Othello Hunter capped his career with 17 points (7/11 FG), 9 boards and 3 blocks. It was Hunter's triple, his second of the season, that capped the aforementioned 20-6 run ensuring UMass would never again have the lead. His 13 second half points were large and his athleticism will certainly be missed.

The Buckeyes overcame a 41-36 halftime deficit by shooting a scorching 61% in the second half (19/31) while holding UMass to 35% (17/49). The markmanship was sorely needed as OSU was pistol whipped on the glass surrendering 30 offensive rebounds and 21 second chance points.

And while I'm feeling frisky, I'm still convinced Jon Diebler is nothing more than a reserve spot up shooter who will likely find himself behind David Lighty, Turner and Buford in the rotation next season. He received a pretty strong defense from some folks in the comments after his 10 points against Dayton but he responded with 0 points and 6 rebounds in the last two contests returning to his 'the-game's-too-fast-for-me' form. Sorry, not trying to hate. I desperately want him to prove me wrong - I just don't see him being anything more than a 3 point shooter but I'll take that considering the talent we'll have on the perimeter next season.

Anyway, props to Thad Matta and company for regrouping after losing 6 of 8 in February (2/2 - 3/1, actually) to win 6 of the last 7 en route to an NIT championship and a solid 24-13 record after losing Greg Oden, Mike Conley, Daequan Cook, Ron Lewis and Ivan Harris from last year's squad.

With newcomers BJ Mullens, William Buford and Anthony Crater set to play impact minutes alongside (hopefully) Koufos, Lighty, Turner, Dallas Lauderdale and Diebler plus the unknown quantity that is Bad-Knees Offut and maybe some kid named Pryor, the 2009 Buckeyes are set to make some noise.

Ohio State 23-13, 10-8 Big Ten Roster | Schedule

April 3, 2008 7:00 PM ET - ESPN —— The Garden New York, NY

UMass 25-10, 10-6 A-10 Roster | Schedule

OPPONENT: UMass comes into the NIT finals as a fairly hot team, winning 10 of their last 11 games. They have come back from double digit deficits in 3 of their 4 tournament games, including a 22 pointer at Syracuse. The Minutemen are coached by Travis Ford, one of the sexiest names for open coaching positions around the country and a former bomber from Pitino's days at Kentucky.

UMass likes an up-tempo style of play and that is reflected in their 81.4 points per game. They are not the best shooting team OSU has faced this year, connecting on just 44 percent overall, 35.6 percent from deep and 67 percent from the charity stripe. They do make over 9 threeballs per contest and dish out 15.6 assists, but get outrebounded by -1.6 and turn it over 13.5 times a game. I did not see them play Florida, but I expect to see a helter skelter defense, evident from their 7.4 steals and 7.5 blocks per contest.

KEY PLAYERS: Four of UMass's five starters are New York natives, so there will be more than the 237 people who watched Ohio State's semi-final game, but they don't seem to be a very deep team. Gary Forbes, a 6'7" senior from Brooklyn, leads this team in scoring (19.5) and rebounding (7.6). Forbes doesn't appear to be the "best" shooter, connecting on only 41 percent overall and 30 percent from deep, but he has attempted 551 shots and 236 free throws.

Ricky Harris, a 6'2" sophomore, comes in scoring 18 points a game and has attempted 266 three pointers. He connects on almost 37 percent of his bombs, but only averages 2.5 boards and 1.7 assists. Etienne Brower is a 6'8" senior who is second on the team with 6.7 rebounds and third with 12.5 points. He too likes the threeball, taking 182 of his 306 shots from there and making 43 percent of them.

Chris Lowe is a 6'0" junior who is the other member to average over 30 minutes a game, he comes in averaging 11.9 points and a team leading 6.2 assists. Dante Milligan is a 6'9" senior who hails from NYC. On the season he is averaging 9 points and 5.8 rebounds in only 19 minutes of play, but may sense his career ending as he went for 30 points and 23 rebounds in his last two. No one else on their team seems worthy of my time.

NOTES: This is the first post season tournament final for UMass... The Minutemen went just over 10 minutes without a FG against Floridia... Travis Ford is rumored to be leaving for LSU after the game... The best wins for UMass this season are Syracuse twice and Dayton...

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BUCKEYE BREAKDOWN: I have said from the beginning I liked the NIT bid. That sentiment has spread quickly throughout Buckeye Nation, as we have watched this team put on a display of hoops we have not seen all year and I have no doubt this is a spring board for next year. Can you hear all the haters though when we win this championship? Fuck 'em, it's been fun.

Ohio State has shot 51 percent in this tournament, an obvious by-product of extra practice time and have scored more than 70 points in four straight for the first time all season. Their defense has been suffocating leading to 23 blocks, 34 steals and a 14.5 point winning margin, while holding teams to 43.2 percent shooting.

Four Buckeyes are still averaging in double figures lead by Jamar's 17.5 and Kosta's 17.3, followed by D-Light's 11.5 and Othello's 10.3 points. O-Hunter also leads Ohio State with 7.5 rebounds a game, while Koufos is grabbing five and a half. Turner may have had his best game of the season Tuesday with 17 points, 8 boards, 5 assists and 4 steals. That game pushed his tourney average to 8.3 points a game and his 10 steals matches Lighty for the team lead.

NOTES: Koufos is shooting 70 percent (32-46) for the tournament... This is the third NIT finals for OSU, beating Wyoming in 1986 and losing to UConn in 1988... Ohio State's 58 wins over the last two seasons are the most in consecutive seasons, as are the 75 games played... Matta is 12-6 in the NCAA and 4-0 in the NIT...

With the recent discussion of how best to use Pryor, there's no doubt that many of you have your own ideas about how to best run the Buckeye offense.

Well, the good news is that the athletic department is giving you a chance. At least for a day -- in an honorary capacity. And that part about calling plays? It's a stretch.

But why dwell on the fine print?

Through an officially sanctioned auction, one lucky bidder will win the right to serve as an honorary assistant coach for the spring game. The athletic department is billing it as "The Ultimate Spring Football Game Experience" and although you won't necessarily get a chance to call any plays, the gig sounds pretty sweet:

Prior to kick-off you will head over to the home team sidelines to watch the game. Throughout the game you will have the option to put on a headset and listen in as the coaches on the field communicate with the coaches in the press box. You will join the home team in the locker room during halftime and listen in on all of the halftime adjustments. You will return to the sidelines for 2nd half action. Following the final whistle you will join the home team in their locker room for post game comments from the coaching staff which will mark the conclusion of this Ultimate Spring Football Game Experience.

All this, of course, assumes you have the necessary cheddar on-hand to win the auction. As of the time of this writing, the leading bid was already up to $1425.

If you do have a couple of extra grand lying around, be sure to get your bid in as the auction ends on April 9th. Which would leave you about 10 days to find that perfect sweater vest.

In a game played in front of 237 rowdy fans jammed into Madison Square Garden, Ohio State came out smoking with a 17-2 run to take a commanding 27-10 lead just 10 minutes in before closing the half on a 13-2 burst handing the Ole Miss Rebels their worst halftime hole of the season, 44-20.

The Rebels would bounce back from the first half manhood-stripping with an impressive 21-5 spurt in which they shot a blistering 9/11 including 3/3 on threes from David Huertas while holding the Buckeyes to 2/10.

The run cut the Buckeye lead to 56-45 with 11:57 to play but the Rebels weren't done there.

Ole Miss would eventually trim the lead to seven (75-68) following a Chris Warren triple with 1:44 left on the clock but a hobbled Butler would answer with a game-icing driving layup.

A few dunks later the Buckeyes secured an 81-69 victory and a berth in the NIT Championship where they'll face the UMass Minutemen (that's what the girls say) Thursday night at 7pm.

The loss was the Rebels' first against a non-league opponent (17-1).

The 2-2-1 press and 3-2 zone gave Ole Miss trouble in the decisive first half as they committed double digit turnovers coupled with a paltry 8/28 from the floor (28%). The Buckeyes were also large on the boards posting a 27-15 edge including 11-5 on the o-glass.

The stifling defensive effort early was buoyed by a balanced offensive attack. Jamar Butler and David Lighty scored 9 each while Kosta Koufos and Evan Turner added 8 apiece.

When the dust settled on the Jekyl and Hyde affair the Buckeyes had placed 4 Buckeyes in double figures while forcing 20 turnovers and holding a 41-36 edge on the glass.

For my money, Evan Turner was the star of the game with 17 points (6/12 FG), 7 boards 5 assists to complement another stellar defensive outing (4 steals). His length on both the press and the zone gave the Rebel ball handlers fits all night long.

Even more important, Turner has reached double figures in two straight for the first time since he had 10 against Northwestern then 16 against Michigan in mid-February. In wins over Dayton and Ole Miss, Turner has compiled 28 points, 15 boards and 8 dimes.

Butler also scored 17 though he appeared to slighty tweak his leg late in the contest before the aforementioned dribble drive to seal the deal. Obviously, the Buckeyes will need a healthy Butler to have any shot at winning the championship.

Lighty kept up his improved play of late with 16 points (7/14 FG) and 5 assists and Koufos added 16 points and 8 rebounds.

Othello Hunter just missed double digits with 9 points but made his presence known at the defensive end registering 5 blocks to go along with 6 boards.

All in all, it was a bit troubling to watch the Buckeyes hemorrhage 49 second half points but I think Corey summed it up best noting the Buckeyes haven't had much experience managing such a huge lead with so much time left. The comfortable margin lead to some questionable shot selection and a relaxed defensive effort before the Bucks settled in making plays when needed to keep the Rebels at bay.

Ohio State has now won 6 of their last 7 pushing the season record to 23-13. Good night, now.

Terrelle Pryor may not be arriving on campus until June, but that doesn't mean it's too early to discuss how he’ll be used this fall.

It's generally assumed that LiC will be used in the same manner as Tebow was used his freshman season at Florida. Like Tebow, Pryor will drive the crowd bonkers when he enters the game and the dynamics of what he can do on the field basically doubles the size of your playbook. Similarly, Boeckman is a returning starter entering his final season and no matter how good the incoming talent, he won't lose his starting position.

It will be interesting to see how Tressel utilizes his prize catch. As one that’s made a living out of adjusting his schemes to his personnel instead of the other way around, you can bet he’ll have some tricks up his sleeve.

Could one of those tricks be the option?

You have to admit, Baby Vince and the best running back in the nation in the same backfield should be enough to trouble even the savviest of defensive coordinators.

The wishbone is the traditional set used to execute the option, but given the uncertainty at fullback heading into this season, the veer may make more sense. In the veer, the fullback becomes a tight end with only two backs lining up behind the quarterback.

Naturally, Beanie and Pryor would be options one and two on most plays out of the formation, but that other would become Mo Wells, Saine or Herron. Wells has the misfortune of playing in the same backfield as He Who Eats Arm Tackle Cereal, but quietly performed pretty well down the stretch last season. Saine is Saine – electric and plenty of speed, while Boom has had people talking this spring. Bottom line: There are three capable runners to fill that 2nd spot.

Another benefit of the veer in favor of the wishbone is that the tight end is a part of the offense instead of a bunched receiver or an afterthought. We’ve been amazed by Pryor’s highlight videos, and while he's made some great throws, it's safe to say that at this point in his career, he's a runner first, passer second. The tight end will give him that safety blanket until he builds up his swag and oh yeah, he'll still have Robo and Hartline on the outside. Two seasoned receivers that will become that much more dangerous with corners focusing on the run.

His goal is to eventually become a true multi-dimensional quarterback, but what better way to introduce him to the speed of the game and work his throwing confidence up than an old-school set that should be good for 12 yards a rush?