Eleven Warriors

As mentioned in the comments, there's big news on the Terrelle Pryor front. Allegedly, Buckeye coaches are pretty close to a Jeanette businessman, Ted Sarniak, that happens to be even closer to the recruit that's been busy driving multiple fan bases crazy for the past month. Pryor is said to have worked a summer at Sarniak's glass factory and the Corvette you see pictured is allegedly owned by Sarniak and loaned to Pryor for prom.

Leading the charge in trying to unravel something is MGoBlog, which is really a shame, because Brian has spent the better part of the past two weeks railing against the "jihad" WVU has launched against Rodriguez.

In his first post, where he brought Sarniak to light, he couches his language a little, but can't resist implying something's afoot:

Sarniak has a business in Dublin, Ohio, that's doing quite well. OSU coaches and Sarniak had dinner before Pryor's trip to Michigan. None can be proven, and all seem like sour grapes from schools not likely to end up with Pryor on their team.

But... yeah, Maurice Clarett was driving around an SUV he didn't own and Troy Smith was suspended for taking money from a booster and Jim O'Brien bought a bunch of Yugoslavians or something. Ohio State fans are an enthusiastic bunch, aren't they?

Today he revisited the issue, bringing the insta-classic Corvette photograph to the surface along with this awesomeness regarding a Scout.com analyst saying the Vette was old news:

The idea that a fellow who's buddy-buddy with the OSU coaches is going to give Terrelle Pryor a Corvette... new news? Is this kid even eligible?

Is the panic and desperation in Wolverine fan finally starting to show? I mean if they don't get Pryor, they are f-u-u-u-u-cked.

Much like the internet, college athletics, specifically football, is serious business. Recruiting is the fuel that keeps the engine burning and courting someone close to Johnny McStud -- usually a parent or a coach -- but not restricted to those two groups, is par for the course.

2007 was a banner year for sports blogs and especially so in the college football ranks. Given that it's the only sport on the planet where it is possible to go undefeated and not have a chance to play for a championship, you can see why it's such fertile ground for great commentary and debate (and quite frankly, some of the funniest stuff on the web).

Well, it's time again to recognize some of the fine work being done in these ranks via the 2007 College Football Blogger Awards. EDSBS does a great job summarizing the categories and rules that go into this genital sheen contest.

Over the next week we'll be posting our nominations, but anyone can nominate blogs. Simply hit up this form and be sure to have your nominees in by midnight 1/27 (Sunday).

I know most of you read quite a few other blogs, but if you need inspiration, check out some of the links to the right.

Get out and vote. There's a lot of great stuff out there and besides, you don't want to miss casting a vote for the Jenn Sterger's Rack Award.

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.