Eleven Warriors

In a game that wasn't as close as the final score Thad Matta's squad withstood a late 20-8 Illini run to escape with a 64-58 victory to end a three game losing streak.

All signs pointed to a blowout W after Kosta Koufos hit a triple to put OSU in front 53-38 with 8:55 to play but the season long problem of sustaining offense reared its head once again as the Buckeyes managed just two field goals the rest of the way featuring the typical rushed shot selection we've seen too many times before.

In the last 9 minutes, OSU shot 2/7 from the floor and 2/7 from the stripe allowing Illinois to cut the lead to 61-58 with :32 left before David Lighty made the play of the game grabbing Kosta Koufos' second straight missed free throw. The Illini had no choice but to foul and Lighty promptly buried both free throws to give the Buckeyes a decisive 63-58 lead.

Lighty's clutch free throws gave him a team high 16 points on the night to go along with 4 rebounds and 4 dimes. Of course, no Lighty statline would be complete without mentioning the 4 turnovers but I'll take it considering this marked the first time since mid December (CSU/FLA) that he produced back to back games with at least 10 points.

Supporting Lighty, Evan Turner turned in another solid performance with 14 points on 6/8 shooting against just 2 turnovers in 34 minutes while Koufos added 12 points and 4 boards.

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Jamar Butler was again held in check scoring just 7 points but the senior from Lima was effective in other areas notching 7 boards, 4 assists and 4 steals. Butler has now scored less than 10 points in back to back games and 4 of the last 6 as teams concentrate on limiting his touches forcing the younger players to fill the void.

For the game, OSU shot a blistering 55% from the field including 62% in the first half as the Buckeyes built a 33-23 lead.

The lead would slowly shrink, however, as the Buckeyes surrendered 16 offensive rebounds to offset poor shooting from the Illini. Overall, OSU lost the battle on the glass 30-24 and committed 15 turnovers while forcing 13.

On the bright side, the Buckeyes improved to 28-1 when Matt Terwilliger scores at least 4 points. The offensive machine from Troy poured in 5 points including a big three giving OSU a 50-35 cushion with with 11:04 to play.

That's all I've got for you tonight as it's way past my bedtime. I'm starting to think I wronged the Big Ten Network and Time Warner in a former life. Watching the games at a local watering hole sounds like a good idea until the beers start flowing on a Tuesday but it was worth it considering the victory and that I ran into a fan who follows the Buckeyes as passionately as all of you making the game more fun to watch.

Next up, TubbyTime at the Schott this Saturday.

Ohio State 12-6, 3-2 Big Ten Roster | Schedule

January22, 2008 9:00 PM ET —— The Schott Columbus, OH

Illinois 9-10, 1-5 Big Ten Roster | Schedule

OPPONENT: Since losing to Ohio State in the Big Ten opener 74-58, Illinois has lost 4 of 5, with 3 of those coming against Indiana, Wisconsin and Purdue, all on the road. Overall, Illinois has lost 5 of their last 6 and eight of the last twelve, but have been in most games with under two minutes to play.

Illinois is still tough defensively, as they rank fourth within the conference in field goal percentage at 39.1 percent and are allowing their opponents to score 62.3 points a contest. They are second only to Ohio State in 3point defense at 31 percent and hold a +5.2 rebounding margin, while scoring almost 66 points a game.

Obviously Illinois is not a good shooting team from any where on the floor, connecting on only 44 percent from the field, 59 percent from the foul line and 30 percent from deep. They do get 20.4 points from their bench and have not allowed an opposing team to shoot over 46 percent from the floor.

KEY PLAYERS: Illinois's senior duo of Shaun Pruitt and Brian Randle have lead the Fighting Illini lately, combining to average 30 points and 18 boards over the last three games. Pruitt still leads the team in scoring and rebounding at 12.9 and 7.9 respectively and ranks fourth in the conference at 54 percent shooting.

Randle has recorded a double double in each of his last two games and is averaging 14.3 points and 10.3 rebounds over his last four games. On the season he is second on the team with 10.5 points and 5.7 caroms per game.

Trent Meacham has also played fairly well as of late, scoring 11 points a game over the last four. He is the only other Illini player who scores in double digits, at 10.2 a game. Meacham continues to lead Illinois in three point attempts (102) and makes (39) and has taken only 45 shots within two point range, he also ranks second with 2.9 assists.

Calvin Brock and Demetri McCamey are the other two starting guards for Bruce Weber's team. McCamey entered the starting line up four games ago and has provided a little spark to this team. While he hasn't reached double figures in those games, he has grabbed five rebounds and dished out over four assists per game. Brock has averaged almost 11 points a game in the last five and shot 59 percent in that span. He has hit 6 of 8 three pointers within conference play.

Chester Frazier has produced a 19 to 4 assists to turnover ratio over the last four and leads Illinois with 4.9 per game, but still continues to be a non scoring threat at less than five a game. He has been coming off the bench recently as Frazier's shooting numbers are laughable at 32 percent overall, 54 from the line and 26 percent from 3land. Rodney Alexander will also give some minutes off the bench, chipping in with almost 5 points and 3 rebounds a game.

NOTES: After winning 5 straight, Illinois has lost four in a row to Ohio State... Eight different players have lead Illinois in scoring this year... Illinois has not allowed a team to score 80 or more points in 45 straight games...

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BUCKEYE BREAKDOWN: Ohio State returns to the friendly confines Tuesday after losing three straight battles on the road, hoping to build upon recent stretches of play and start a realistic five game winning streak. The Buckeyes played good basketball for about 30 minutes in each of their recent losses and have showed flashes of bringing it all together, but the other 10 minutes is getting Ohio State in some deep holes.

Ohio State still leads the conference in overall and 3point field goal defense, forcing opponents into 29 percent shooting from downtown. This zone has really forced teams to adjust their normal offensive routines and only one team (UMBC) has scored more than 75 points. If Ohio State's shooting can catch up with their defense, they are going to peak at the perfect time in early March.

However, that shooting "if" is huge, as Ohio State's overall percentage has continued its downward trend and now stands at just over 45. Thad's team shot less than 41 percent in each of their three road losses and managed to make only 16 of their 64 three point attempts in that span.

They are making an impressive 70 percent of their free throws on the season, getting to the line 62 times over the last three.

KEY PLAYERS: It is evident teams are going to make Jamar Butler work for everything as the season progresses, forcing him to face full court pressure. While other players stepped up in Knoxville, if Jamar doesn't score, Ohio State is going to struggle. It is going to be interesting to see how Ohio State adjust to opponents game plan's for Jamar and if they can actually get something started off the high pick and roll. Remember Jamar scored a career high 32 against Illinois in the first match up.

Othello Hunter and Evan Turner really stepped it up Saturday, combining for 38 points and 24 rebounds. Tennessee's matador defense allowed both guys to be aggressive driving the ball and each found themselves playing 37+ minutes for the first time this year. Hunter is scoring just over 10 points a game over his last 4, while also grabbing 6 rebounds, but needs to replicate his performance and energy from Knoxville in order to help this team reach their peak.

Turner is scoring close to 12 points over his last five and has shot 50 percent or better in seven straight games. He is shooting 62 percent in conference play and 54 percent on the season, while also getting to the line 50 times, second to Jamar.

Lighty has scored in double figures only 4 times in his last 11 games, Koufos has attempted 11 free throws in his last seven games (while attempting 12 threes) and Diebler has missed his last 19 three point tries. I am not going to bang on these guys, but we all now how important this trio is to Ohio State's success.

NOTES: Thad is 4-1 against Illinois in his OSU career... Jamar Butler is 2nd nationally in free throw percentage and is 3 assists shy of second all time at Ohio State... Game will be televised on the Big Ten Network and lucky viewers will be blessed with Jim Jackson and Gene Keady doing color analysis... Buckeye seven foot recruit B.J. Mullens went for 62 points and 21 boards last night in Canal Winchester's 79-69 victory.

Myself included, it seems much of Buckeye Nation has been underwhelmed by the production of freshman 'big man' Kosta Koufos. In fact, his toughness has been routinely questioned as more often than not he's looked like a total Nancy with his back to the basket. You've seen it, the wide array of fadeaway jumpers and half hooks - all with the perceived intent of avoiding any physical contact.

The lack of any go to moves against more physical competition has been apparent in conference play. Koufos is averaging just 9.4 points in in five Big Ten games while averaging 15.4 ppg in non-conference matchups.

That said, Koufos is actually faring better than you probably think in other statistical areas. Again, keeping it in conference, Koufos ranks 10th in rebounding (6.6 rpg) and 4th in blocks (1.60) against season averages of 6.8 rpg and 1.9 blocks. Both results better those of Othello Hunter.

The lack of an inside game has yet to send him reeling into 2nd round draft stock according to the mocksters however those of us watching the games every week say he needs at least one more year of seasoning to avoid getting broken in half. Draft Express was the first site to push Koufos to lottery status (4th) and their latest version still has him going 8th while mynbadraft.com has dropped him, but only to 14th.

So who's right? Is Koufos a top 15 pick in the 2008 NBA Draft or does he need at least one more year to toughen up? Of course, the third option could be that both are correct. With his youth and potential, a team could still be willing to spend a mid-late 1st round pick and wait for him to physically mature.

More importantly, can he develop into a consistent #2 scoring option behind Jamar Butler or will the continued physical play continue to take it's toll on his ability to score thus relegating OSU to the NIT or a 1st round upset in the Big Dance?

The Wiz has his Cheapest Shots of 2007 out and through the wonder of computer technology, you, too, can relive the dirtiest moments from this past football season.

Special commendation goes to Florida and Auburn for landing on the list with two cheap shots, while Washington's Jake Locker was the only two-time victim. One came against Ross Homan:

The poll is open, so be sure to get your vote in. If nothing else, stop by just to check out the slow motion replay of Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell receiving the blindside of the year.

#	Team	Rating
1	Southern Cal	112.8
2	LSU	111.4
3	West Virginia	109.0
4	Georgia	108.2
5	Oklahoma	108.1
6	Ohio State	108.0

.. but at least we can have a good indication of who would win one.

Las Vegas Sports Consultants, the company that makes the opening lines for every sporting event wagered on in the state of Nevada, has released their final top 30 poll of the season. They're ranking teams solely on how they'd set the line and the results are interesting.

They have the Buckeyes at #6 in a tight bunch with Georgia and Oklahoma. We're given no clue how their rating correlates to an actual spread for a game, but the .1 difference between the three schools must surely be a pick 'em.

Where would that leave the line for a USC/LSU matchup on a neutral field?

(Via the fine Georgia blog Get The Picture)

Rich Rodriguez will give a halftime speech at the OSU/UM hoops game on February 17th at Crisler Arena.

Rich, if you're looking for inspiration, this one is a classic:

Oh, and if you're wondering about Pryor's visit to Michigan this weekend, take some comfort in knowing he visited a cold school on one of the coldest days of the year. Temperatures in Ann Arbor hovered in the single digits all day yesterday.

This is a few days old already, but if you haven't seen it, you're in for a shock. Actually, you're probably not. At any rate, turn the volume down or hit the headphones up before you listen because these fine gentlemen make the Michael Richards incident look like a slip of the tongue.

Feel free to draw your own conclusions about which type of environment is better for you as a student-athlete, Mr. Fine Southern Recruit.

(Via FanHous, Deadspin)

In a game of runs, Tennessee had the biggest as they unleashed a 25-6 haymaker over a span of 9 minutes to turn a 49-43 hole into a 68-55 lead before holding on to capture a 74-69 decision over Ohio State this afternoon in Thompson-Boling Arena.

Showing no quit, the Buckeyes responded with a frantic 14-4 run behind Evan Turner and Othello Hunter to close to 72-69 with 1:52 left but the Buckeyes wouldn't score again missing 3 threes, including 2 by 'Arctic Jon' Diebler, en route to their 3rd straight loss. The losing streak is tied for the longest in the Thad Matta era.

Once again, OSU started out in zombie mode with 5 turnovers in their first 10 possessions spotting the Vols a 12-2 run and a 16-6 lead before finally settling in led by Turner and Hunter.

The duo combined for 18 points and 16 rebounds willing the cold shooting Buckeyes to trail just 33-28 at intermission. Hunter's inspired play included 3 blocks and 2 delicious dimes to give the Bucks a jolt of confidence while Turner compensated for Koufos' early disappearing act with 10 rebounds on his way to a career high of 13 (depending on whether you believe the box score or the play-by-play).

Despite trailing throughout the half, the Buckeyes didn't resort to launching nothing but threes (0/7), instead using penetration and backcutting to cash in at the free throw line, hitting 12 of 14.

Just like the loss to Sparty on Tuesday, the Buckeyes started the second half on fire posting an 18-6 run fueled by 10 points from some kid named Kosta Koufos to take a 46-39 lead at the 15:54 mark before Tennessee's aforementioned 25-6 blitz. Koufos scored all 13 of his points in the final 20 minutes continuing his season long inconsistent and soft performance.

The double-doubles by Hunter (17pt, 14reb) and Turner (21pt, 13reb) were complemented by Koufos' 13 and a 10 point, 5 rebound effort from David Lighty. The balanced scoring from the starters was sorely needed as Jamar Butler was held to just 8 points (2/10 FG, 1/7 3FG) although he dished out 7 dimes.

As for the OSU bench (basically Turd and Diebs), they were held was to zero points and 4 rebounds while the Vol bench racked up 26 points, 17 boards and 13 assists. Diebler's 0'fer was his second in three games pushing his cold shooting streak to 2/24 in the last 4 games. The kid is known to be notoriously streaky but you have to wonder if Matta will soon change his sub pattern giving Wallace a shot and/or more minutes to PJ Hill.

Although a loss is a loss, there were some positives in today's tilt. For one, Turner showed again that he's bound for stardom. He has stat-stuffer ability committing just 2 turnovers along with 10 boards. Look out once he fully matures and expands his basketball IQ.

I was also impressed with the Buckeyes' ability to keep it close in the face of a 2/20 effort from long range. They made a point of looking to drive creating 22 FTA's building on the 16 and 24 trips earned against Sparty and the Boilers.

Ohio State will look to get back on track Tuesday night against the Fighting Illini, whom OSU defeated 74-58 kicking off the conference slate back on January 3rd.

Ohio State 12-5, 3-2 Big Ten Roster | Schedule

January19, 2008 3:30 PM ET —— Thompson-Boling Arena Knoxville, TN

#7 Tennessee 15-1, 3-0 SEC Roster | Schedule

OPPONENT: Tennessee will be looking for revenge against the Buckeyes in Knoxville Saturday at 3:30. Ohio State beat Tennessee twice last year, by a combined 3 points, in two of the most competitive games seen last season and this year's game sold out in less than 30 minutes. Tennessee's arena seats over 21,000 fans, so you know how important this game is to their program.

Of course the Volunteers are lead by one of the most colorful coaches (see photo right) in Bruce Pearl. I really like Bruce Pearl and his ability to sweat through an undershirt, dress shirt, tie and blazer while on national television. Pearl is in his 3rd year at Knoxville and is looking for his fifteenth 20 win season in sixteen years of coaching. He also pimps himself pretty well on his website, CoachPearl.com.

The Volunteer full court press killed Ohio State last year and with almost everyone returning from that team, one can expect the same style of play. Tenn. will look to trap only if the ball is inbounded to the corner and then fall off into a man defense. Thad had to bring Greg Oden up to help break the press last year, so I expect him to use Kosta or Othello in similar fashion today, but hopefully it is earlier than later.

Tennessee is fourth nationally in scoring offense at 86.3 points a game, but rank 82nd in field goal shooting at 46.6 percent. If you remember anything about Tenn. from last year, it should be their love for the deep shot. Once again, Bruce has his team shooting three's at a rapid rate, ranking 8th nationally at 9.6 makes per game (154 of 434).

The Vols are not a good rebounding team, grabbing just over 37 a game, with 14.4 of those coming on the offensive glass. With all the experience on the floor, it is no surprise this team takes care of the rock, turning it over only 12.5 times a game to go against 20.1 assists and over 11 steals. They are licking their chops at the sight of David Lighty and Evan Turner-over coming to play.

KEY PLAYERS: Tennessee's season has been impressive thus far, with wins over Temple, Xavier, West Virginia, Gonzaga, Univ. of Miss. and most recently Vanderbilt, with their only loss coming to Texas November 24th. They will run mainly 8 players at Ohio State, looking to extend their current winning streak to 11 games and their home winning streak to 25.

Tennessee will start 3 senior guards and 2 sophomore big men. Chris Lofton (#5 6'2" Sr.), JuJuan Smith (#2 6'2" Sr.) and Jordan Howell (#15 6'3" Sr.) will lead the 3 point barrage coming Ohio State's direction.

Lofton was a preseason All-American selection, but has struggled shooting this year and his scoring average is down to 13.5 points a game. He is playing less minutes (28/game) and shooting 34.3 percent from the floor, but is enjoying a career high 2.6 assists per game. Amazingly, 135 of his 183 field goal attempts have been from behind the arc, explaining his poor shooting year.

Smith is leading this team in scoring at 14.9 points a game in only 26 minutes. He also loves to launch from deep, as 119 of his 175 FG attempts have been from there, while also chipping in with 3.1 caroms and 2.6 assists per contest. Howell replaces that Bradshaw kid from last year as the token white senior starter, scoring 7.2 points and dishing out 2.9 assists per game. His percentage of field goals from deep is even more remarkable, as only 9 of his 75 attempts this year are from inside the arc.

You may remember Tyler Smith (#1 6'7" So.) from last year, an all freshmen selection from the Big Ten. He received a special exemption from the NCAA, allowing him a return home to Tennessee from Iowa, as his father was very ill. He has made an instant impact, leading this team in shooting (57%), assists (3.6) and steals (2), while ranking second in scoring and rebounding at 13.3 and 5.6 per game respectively.

Wayne Chism (#4 6'9" So.) has also been impressive lately, recording 18 points and 18 rebounds in their win over Vandy Thursday night. On the year, he is scoring 8.5 a game (double digits in 4 of last 5) and leading the team in boards at 5.9 a game. Ohio State may want to foul him every time, as he only shoots 37.9 percent (11-29) from the charity stripe.

Bruce's main three reserves will be Ramar Smith (#12 6'2" So.), J.P. Prince (#30 6'7" So.) and Ryan Childress (#34 6'9" Jr.). Prince made his debut with the team seven games ago and has helped this team tremendously. He is scoring 11.3 points, gathering 3.9 boards and dishing out 2.1 assists a game. Smith and Childress will give the Vols almost 13 points, 6 boards and 5 assists in combined action

NOTES: The Vols home winning streak of 25 is the 5th longest in the nation... Bruce Pearl ranks 3rd amongst active coaches in career winning percentage at 78.4 percent (377-104)... Tennessee is 41-4 under Pearl, when scoring 80 or more points... The Volunteer school loves to recognize current coaches, as this game will be played on "Summit Court" in an arena that sits on Phillip Fulmer Way and yes, Gravy Boats are available at concession stands.

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BUCKEYE BREAKDOWN: Ohio State is playing their third road game this week and will look to get back on the winning track, but it will take their best effort in order to accomplish that feat. The baby Buckeyes took it on the chin at Purdue and Michigan St. after starting the conference season 3-0 for the first time since 1991. This will be there last non-conference game.

Sometimes I forget how spoiled we were last year with OSU's freshmen and simply how much Thad lost from that team. This week has seen a return of Ohio State's shooting woes, as they connected on only 38 percent of their shots (44-116) and an even more dismal 12-46 from deep (26%). Another disappointing aspect of their poor shooting is the lack of offensive rebounding, as Ohio State has managed to grab only 16 of their 72 missed shots.

I watched a little bit of Tennessee against Vandy the other night and I really do believe Ohio State can pull off a victory, if they can do a couple of things. Tennessee is small and will give Ohio State open shots, so this could be the game their shooting can get back on track. Tennessee still takes crazy shots and Ohio State will need to take advantage of opportunities when these shots are off target.

Also, Tennessee likes to run a high flex and weave style offense, so Ohio State will not have to chase the Vols around all day, saving energy for offense and suckering Tennessee into 3point shots all day. If the Vols are cold from downtown and Ohio State can control the rebounds, they can pull this off. I am not worried too much about Tennessee's press, throw it in to Koufos or Hunter and then back to Butler, the defense will then fall back to half court.

KEY PLAYERS: Once again, I feel I should just put Jamar Butler's name here and walk away. He is in a great battle with D.J. White of Indiana for the conference player of the year, but obviously needs his teammates to step up in order to win that award. Jamar scored the last 14 points at Michigan State, the 3rd time this year he has scored 12 or more consecutive points in a game. Jamar also scored his 1,000th career point against MSU and set a another school record, by hitting his 31st straight free throw.

A couple of 11W readers brought up the point of P.J. Hill playing a bit more and moving Jamar over to the 2 spot. I believe this is going to be the case Saturday, as mentioned Tennessee is small and quick, so P.J. should get some minutes to help control the turnovers. This will take pressure off Jamar, as teams have dogged him full court recently.

It has been a tough week for Koufos, Lighty and Diebler. All have seen their scoring and field goal averages dip, as they combined to shoot 15 of 52. Diebler is 4 of 23 from threeland in his last four games, including a current 0-14 slump. Hopefully he went and got him a Slump Buster. If Kosta applies himself all game, he could reach a double-double.

NOTES: Thad Matta is 4th on the active winning list at 77 percent (195-58)... Butler is the 43rd Buckeye to reach the 1,000 point mark, with all-time leader Dennis Hopson sitting at 2,096... The game will be televised on CBS.

Although we're all Jackets fans, we don't really cover them because every time we start to, they go on an 8-game skid. However, this goal has earned a spot on the front page.