Eleven Warriors

Ohio State 10-3, 1-0 Big Ten Roster | Schedule

January 6, 2008 12:00 PM ET ------ The Schott Columbus, Ohio

Northwestern 5-5, 0-1 Big Ten Roster | Schedule

Opponent: Northwestern brings their books and basketball game to the Schott tomorrow for their annual loss in Columbus. Northwestern has not won in Cbus since 1977 and Ohio State has won 15 straight in the series. The Wildcats had their four game win streak broken at home against Penn St. in the Big Ten opener.

Northwestern lost four of their first five games, before that recent 4 game winning streak. This year's version of the hoopin' nerds has not beat anyone this season, so I do not expect any upset on Sunday. The good thing about Big Ten hoops is we know what style of play each team will come at Ohio State with and we know Northwestern doesn't deserve much time.

Northwestern comes in averaging 69.3 points a game, on 48.1 percent shooting from the floor. Their 3point shooting has been their strongest aspect in years past and it is no different this year, as they roll in shooting 40 percent from that range. However put Northwestern 15 feet away from the hoop and they can only make 62 percent of them.

This Wildcat team comes in with a -11.9 rebounding margin, snagging only 23.5 a game, this should be a welcome site for Ohio State. With Bill Carmody's Princeton style offense and zone defense, it is not surprising that Northwestern is dishing out 19 dimes and stealing it 10 times a game. It should be another slowed down effort and could be tough to watch if Ohio State struggles to shoot.

Key Players: The Wildcats are lead by a freshman point guard, Michael Thompson (#22 5'10" Fr.), who hails from Chicago and leads his team in points (13.8), assists (5.5) and three point shooting (45.5 percent). He is coming off a game in which he scored 17 points and dished out a career high 10 helpers in the defeat to Penn St. Michael is second in the conference to Jamar, in assists.

Craig Moore (#20 6'3" Jr.) and Jason Okrzesik (#1 6'1" Sr.) are right behind Thompson at 13.2 and 12.8 points respectively. These two are experienced guards who know Carmody's system well and will help keep the turnovers down. All three of the purple nerd's guards take care of the ball and come in with at least a 2.2/1 assists to turnover ratio.

Northwestern got a boost as they opened conference play, Kevin Coble left in the fall to stay at home and take care of his mother, who was receiving cancer treatment in Arizona, so first a big 11W shout-out for that. Coble (#44 6'8" So.) was the Wildcats best player last year, scoring 13.4 points and snatching 5.4 rebounds a game. He might not have is game legs under him yet, but he should add some scoring help.

Sterling Williams (#32 6'4" Jr.) and Jeff Ryan (#5 6'6" So.) should also get the start. These two combine to score over 16 points, 6 rebounds and almost 4 assists. Both players shoot the ball well connecting on over 56 percent from the floor.

Notes: The BTN may have been created for Northwestern, as 26 of their games will be televised on the network... Northwestern ranks among the nation's leaders in A/T ratio and assists per game... Bill Carmody is 100-118 in 8 seasons at Northwestern, just the 2nd coach at the school to reach the 100 victory mark.

Buckeye Breakdown: Ohio State has now won 6 straight games this season and have won 17 straight inside the conference. With Northwestern, Iowa and at Purdue this week, the Buckeyes can extend that streak to 20 straight, before rolling into East Lansing and Knoxville, TN. the following week.

Ohio State is holding steady at 70.6 points a game, while shooting 46.1 percent from the floor. They have done a bit better rebounding the rock lately, increasing their rebounding margin to +1.4, while snagging 36.4 a game. Jamar has helped increase Ohio State assists total to 15.5 a game and their bigs have accounted for over 5 blocks a game.

I hope everyone appreciates Ohio State's defense. It took me some time to get used to watching us play exclusive zone, but their intensity has risen and it has locked opponent down. Illinois took advantage of the low post weakness in this zone early on, but Thad made the necessary adjustments at halftime and the boys shut them down after that. Again, I expect to see the 3/4 court pressure, but the Wildcats take care of the ball and run the shot clock down regardless.

Ohio State's offense has come around of late, but I hope they try to pound it inside more. Kosta Koufos, Othello Hunter and Matt Turwilliger are going to drift from the lane, because of their range, but this team will need to develop that inside scoring presence as the season rolls along. They fall into spells where the outside shot is their only option. I still believe Hunter can have an all conference type season, if the guards don't forget about him.

Key Players: Jamar Butler is one of the most unheralded players in the nation. His performance against Illinois was one of the best I remember in recent history and he now leads the team in scoring at 15.5 points per contest.

His 15 straight points in the second half, were the most since Michael Redd scored 17 straight in a win over Wisconsin in 1999. Jamar has now hit 21 straight free throws over the last six games, he has made 33 of 35 on the year. He also is the conference leader in assists at 5.7 per game and I smell a run for conference player of the year.

Koufos's scoring has dipped lately and he now sits at 15 points a game. He still leads the team in rebounding at almost seven a game and his range will be able to bring defenders away from the lane, opening up driving lanes for Lighty and Turner.

Ohio State is now 27-0 when Matt Terwilliger scores 4 or more points and he has got the confidence going from beyond the arc. He now is 170 behind Jamar's school record, but the way he was firing them up against Illinois, he is going to give the record a run.

Ohio State has showed they have seven legit scorers on this team, but I am still a little concerned on the lack of depth. Hopefully the next three games, someone else can step forward and get into the rotation, because Thad's style of play needs fresh legs.

Notes: Over the last two games, Ohio State has connected 41 of 49 (83.7 percent) of their free throws... Butler has made 182 of 214 free throw attempts in his career, good for 3rd all-time... Thad is now 36-13 (73.5) in Big Ten games.

This is kind of old news, but I ran across an article on CNNSI while researching for my Bucks' Superdome Past article that I haven't seen anywhere else. I may have missed it elsewhere, but I've got a 5 month old boy who takes up most of my time, so I have an excuse. At least it hasn't been mentioned on 11W yet.

Anyway, I guess the NCAA allows players to receive gifts when they play in bowl games. I figured players received hats, shirts, etc., but I had no idea that they received other gifts. Under NCAA guidelines, the bowls can spend up to $500 on each player for each team.

Each player on the Buckeyes and Tigers will receive a Nintendo Wii, a baseball cap, a watch, and a fleece pullover. With Wii's being one of the hottest sellers this past holiday season, it was pretty difficult to secure them for the players. But rest assured, the Buckeyes and Tigers will be able to run the spread-option with Mario or Luigi in their hotel rooms while waiting for Monday's game.

If your needing a Buckeye fix tomorrow afternoon, tune into NBC at one o'clock and watch Tressel's newest batch of seedlings play in the U.S. Army All American game. Ohio State will have 7 players participating in the game and an 8th, Michael Brewster is out due to injury.

Rivals has been covering the game all week and provide a top 11 players list after each day of practice. Michael Adams impressed the first three days, earning Rival's top player each day. Devier Posey, Jake Stoneburner, Etienne Sabino, and Lamaar Thomas have also been mentioned.

While I don't think Ohio State will have any commitments announce during the game, there are plenty of targets who can fill the final few spots, including Josh Jenkins and Terrelle Pryor. With 5 of Ohio State's 7 seedlings making headlines, it is hard for these uncommitted kids not to take notice and hopefully they will be reassured again on Monday night.

If you are good with the remote, at 2pm you can also watch Andrew Sweat in the Under Armour game on ABC.

Well, you knew we wouldn't pass on this one. We're offering our biggest prize to date this time to the lucky fool that correctly predicts the score of the BCS Championship. The booty includes:

• Two (2) t-shirts of your choice from the 11W store
• One (1) Official BCS Championship Game Program
• One (1) 2007 OSU Football Highlights DVD

This time there's a twist. The Buckeyes MUST win the game for there to be a winner. There's just no way we're awarding prizes if the Bucks flame out again. Not that we expect that, but we didn't necessarily expect the Wolverines to wax the Gators, either.

Please stick to the following rules:

• Leave only 1 prediction — duplicate predictions will disqualify all of your entries
• Don’t pick a score someone has already settled on — first one to the score is the official entrant for that score
• Leave your email address in the comment form
• The contest closes at kickoff
• Yes, I know Lesko is missing part of a finger on his right hand -- that's the 11W Photoshop touch.

Good luck!

The Dayton Daily News would like your attention, please: Gholston, Female Roommate Just Friends.

Evidently, the sack-artist lives with a former OSU student in a two-bedroom townhouse in Gahanna. The two met his freshman year in the dorms and insist there's nothing more than a friendship:

"When I tell everybody I live with a female, they start thinking different things," said Gholston, 21, a fourth-year junior from Detroit who is expected to turn pro after the season. "But a lot of the guys know her and know she's a good friend of mine."

The perks?

"It's a good living situation. I know my role, and she knows her role. I take out the trash, and she does the dishes."

And:

"I love when she folds my clothes."

Don't we all, man. Don't we all. Oh, and if there's any doubt whatsoever as to whether Vern will be around next year, his roomie all but shot that down:

"He's about to go to the NFL. Females only see that and try to jump on the bandwagon, and I try to open his eyes to it."

(Via The Sports Diva)

Wow. Those of us who follow OSU hoops closely know that Jamar Butler is something special but he took it to a whole different level in Ohio State's 74-58 pasting of Illinois tonight in Assembly Hall.

In a performance as fine as Erin Andrews' hind quarters, Butler poured in a career high 32 points to go along with 6 boards and 6 assists. JB was on fire from the floor hitting 10/17 field goals including 4/7 from distance and 8/8 at the stripe.

With both teams struggling offensively in the first half, Butler scored 9 of OSU's final 12 points including back to back layups to answer a 9-0 Illinois run to keep OSU within a point at the break, trailing 30-29. Butler's 13 first half points paced OSU as no other Buckeye eclipsed 4 points due to the return of a stagnant offense featuring little ball movement and poor decision making.

In fact, it looked like this would be another grind it out conference game with OSU shooting 36% in the first half including 18% (2/11) from beyond the arc leading to just 3 first half assists while Evan Turner-over led the way with 3 miscues en route to 5 for the game.

Othello Hunter started the second half strong after a weak opening stanza (4 pts, 1 reb) scoring 5 of OSU's first 7 points to turn the 30-29 halftime deficit into a 36-35 lead at the 15:37 mark. After a Brian Randle jumper put the Illini back in front at 37-36, Butler decided to put the Buckeyes on his back.

Over the next 5 minutes, Butler scored 15 straight points for the Buckeyes connecting on 3 triples, a jumper, a layup and two free throws following an intentional foul to single handedly outscore the Illini 15-2 to put OSU in the driver seat leading 51-39 at the 10:51 mark. It was truly a sick display from a complete basketball player that has yet to receive the national recognition he deserves.

Two possessions later, Butler showed how to work the two man game feeding Matt Terwilliger for back to back 3 pointers to keep OSU up twelve, 57-45, with 8:18 left.

In the throws of a death rattle, the Illini countered with a modest 7-1 run cutting the OSU lead to 58-52 but they would get no closer as the Buckeyes peeled off a 16-6 run over the final 5:06, including 6-6 at the stripe, earning their 16th straight regular season conference win.

Complementing Butler's career night, fellow veteran Hunter was the only other Buckeye in double figures contributing 15 points and 7 boards including 11 and 6 in the second half.

Kosta Koufos was so-so with 8 points (4/11 FG) and 5 boards with fellow baseliner Terwilliger adding 6 points on those back to back threes in addition to 3 rebounds. Ohio State moved to 27-0 in games were Da Wiggler scores at least 4 points. Told of this after the game, Matt offered up a "Damn, it feels good to be a gangsta" and proceeded to get called for a moving pick in the locker room. No wait, I just made that up.

Defensively, Hunter and the rest of the OSU big's shut down Illini center Scott Pruitt in the second half holding him to 2 points after a 10 point, 5 rebound first half and held the Illini to 39% shooting for the game including just 19% (4/21) from downtown. OSU did surrender 13 offensive rebounds but finished with only a -1 rebounding margin (33-32) while forcing 14 turnovers.

Offensively, OSU scored 74 points but there's still plenty of work to do considering Butler accounted for 43% of the offense (Butler/Hunter = 64%) and players not named Butler or Hunter combined to shoot 11/33 with 10 turnovers. The good news is OSU managed to earn 18 trips to the foul line, hitting 15, good for 83% and got a conference win on the road thanks to the pimp from Lima.

With the team now in Nola, a lot of the talk has shifted to whether they and their opponent are, in fact, the two best teams in the nation.

After USC's annihilation of the Illini in the Rose and Georgia's throttling of Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl, the usual cast of slobbering bobble-heads are saying things like the Trojans or the Bulldogs may in fact be the best team in the nation.

No matter that a mere six months after Harbaugh supposedly angered Carroll by saying he'd be gone in a year, he followed it up by winning a game in which his squad was 40+ point underdogs.

No matter that the turning point in the Georgia season came when they stormed back to score 13 unanswered 2nd half points to slip by Vandy 20-17. Well, that wasn't exactly the turning point, but dancing on the Vandy logo at midfield probably did it.

But hey, they may be right. Unfortunately, for fans of the Trojans and Bulldogs, under the current system, the Buckeyes or the Tigers will be the ones appearing on SI commercials every 5 minutes for the next 4 months (but don't count out the AP on a splinter move).

It's a long season and teams play lights-out at different parts of the season. Some teams obviously sustain this longer than others, but at the highest levels, you have to be prepared to compete week-in and week-out. Take care of business and put yourself in position to play for the marbles at the end is all you can do. And nobody does this better than Jim Tressel.

So, USC and Georgia fans, instead of complaining about how you should have had the right to play for the championship or stating that your team is the best team in the nation, how about you channel that energy towards the early death of this BCS thing. So all teams have a chance to settle it where it should be settled. On the field.

You know we're making strides around here because only weeks after utilizing our vast reader base of dozens to locate the whereabouts of former safety Tito Paul, we're now getting tips from "insiders".

This is not our normal tipster bum that sleeps behind a dumpster on Chittenden, so we have no way of verifying the following statements, but they're sure as hell fun to talk about:

In the last few practices in Columbus, the Buckeyes spent quite a good amount of time working in spread sets with Henton at quarterback.

Laurinaitis did not practice for two sessions and was on the sidelines, in sweats, for both sessions.

Overall, the defense is having trouble stopping the scout team offense. Lots of missed assignments, people out of position, folks forgetting their man and leaving them to make a perceived play, etc. They look earnest, and are focused, but are struggling defensively.

And:

The best receiver on the team, bar none, is Albert Dukes, but he's spending his time in the doghouse. He is faster, runs better routes, has better hands and makes better cuts than anyone else on the team.

Like we said -- absolutely no way to vouch for these statements so take them for what they're worth. Saying that, the Henton stuff wouldn't surprise us one bit -- the Shot-Ginn in the 2004 Alamo Bowl proved the Vest can mix it up just as well as Miles can. No idea what to make on the Dukes statement. Your thoughts?

Ohio State 9-3, 0-0 Big Ten Roster | Schedule

January 03, 2008 8:00 PM ET ------ Assembly Hall Champaign, Illinois

Illinois 8-5, 0-0 Big Ten Roster | Schedule

Opponent: Illinois has had an up and down season thus far, still trying to find their identity after losing 2 starters and a key reservist from last year's 23-12 team. After placing 3rd in the Maui Invitational, they have come to the mainland and gone 4-4, losing to Arizona, Maryland, Miami (OH) and Tennessee St. in their last game.

However, it is Big Ten Hoops and Champaign is always a tough place to play, especially since their fans are required to wear orange and Ohio State is such a young team.

Illinois comes in averaging 67 points a game and have really struggled shooting all year, connecting on 50 percent of their shots only twice (both came in their first three games). For the season, the Illini have hit 43 percent of their shots and only 29 percent from downtown. However, their worst shooting comes from the line, where they are hitting a dismal 59 percent of their attempts.

With all of the missed shots, it is not surprising Illinois is grabbing almost 40 boards a game, with 15 of those coming from the offensive glass. They are not getting the dominate guard play as in years past and therefore are only dishing out 14 assists per game, while turning it over 13.5 times a contest. Their last game against Tennessee St. was a nutshell as to how this season has gone.

Key Players: The Fighting Illini will bring some height to this game and any type of early foul problems for Ohio State could be trouble. Shaun Pruitt (#55 6'10" Sr.) decided against the NBA and came back for his senior season. He has been inconsistent throughout his career and I wonder if the Illini are having trouble scoring, because he is their go to guy.

He comes in leading the team in points (12.9), rebounds (8.3) and blocks (0.6). Pruitt is only hitting 50 percent of his shots and shoots a Shaq-like 53.7 percent from the line. He might be able to have a big day if the Illini expose the baseline weakness of OSU's zone defense.

Trent Meacham (#1 6'2" Jr.) and Brian Randle (#42 6'8" Sr.) are the other two Illini players averaging in double figures, at 11.3 and 10.5 respectively. Meacham is Illinois lone 3point threat, coming in 27 of 65 (41.5%), making more threes than the next 3 guys combined. He also has the best A/T.O. ratio on the team at 2.2/1, but he only averages 3 dimes a game and shouldn't rebound too much.

Randle is one of those veteran Big Ten players who knows what it takes to win in the conference, but he left their last game with a mild concussion. His size and athleticism could cause Ohio State some problems, as he is grabbing over 5 boards a game and shooting over 50 percent from the floor. Brian will get into foul trouble though, so Ohio State can take him out of the game by driving right at him from the opening tip.

While Chester Frazier (#3 6'2" Jr.) doesn't score much, he leads the team in minutes (33.5), assists (4.0) and ranks second in rebounding (5.4) and 3pointers made (11 of 42). Ohio State should be able to press him full court and wear him down as the game goes on. OSU will also have to cut the driving lanes off and force him to shoot outside.

Rodney Alexander (#23 6'7" Jr.) or Calvin Brock (#25 6'5" Jr.) will be the other starter for Bruce Weber's team. Alexander is averaging 5.9 points and 3.7 rebounds per game, playing only 16 minutes per contest. Brock leads this team in steals and chips in with 7.4 points and 4 boards. Demetri McCamey is the only freshman that sees significant time, scoring 5 points in 20 minutes of play.

Notes: Illinois is 20-4 at Assembly Hall in Big Ten openers... Illinois opponents are only scoring 51.4 points and shooting 33.6 percent in the last five games... Bruce Weber is 120-33 in his five years at Illinois.

Buckeye Breakdown: Ohio State will be going for their 17th straight conference victory when they invade the Orange Crush Zone Thursday night. It has been refreshing to see this team gel over the last five games and lets hope their shooting touch doesn't resemble the weather.

The other Ohio State zone weakness was exploited last game against UMBC, as the Retrievers hit a record 17 three pointers. However tonight, they may have trouble defending the inside as Illinois will bring size Ohio State hasn't seen in a while. I think we may also see more press tonight, forcing Illinois to start their offense with less time on the clock.

Ohio State's defense hasn't allowed a team to shoot fifty percent since Texas A&M and Thad's boys have turned this zone defense into something special. There are a couple weak spots that can be exploited, but every shot gets contested and opponents are shooting only 37 percent against the Bucks this year, including 29.5 from deep.

Ohio State's offense is enjoying a revival from its early season woes, as five players are averaging in double digits the last few games. Thad has done another great coaching job and these players have settled into their roles, looking relaxed and finally playing ball. They will continue to learn the importance of playing a full forty minutes and I am excited to watch this team surprise the nation once again in conference play.

Key Players: At the end of his sophomore season, Jamar Butler was the best point guard in Big Ten play and perhaps it has taken him some time to get used to it again, but his play recently has helped this young team develop. His career high 12 assists against UMBC moved him up 3 spots on the career mark and he now is only 88 away from breaking the record. Lima's finest also recently became the first Ohio State guard to record 400 assists, 150 threes and 100 steals in his career. Let's just hope Jamar's legs can hold up, because no one else can handle the rock.

Thad has not been able to lengthen his bench beyond 7 players, which is a bit of a concern heading into conference play. However, as mentioned, his key players have been able to step up recently. Jon Threebler's emergence has finally happened, as he has hit 14 of his last 23 three point attempts, raising his season percentage to almost 31 percent. It is exciting to watch this kid shoot and I have a feeling Jamar's career 3point makes will be around for about three years.

Thad's key players are growing more comfortable with their roles and it is evident in their recent shooting touch. Koufos, Hunter, Lighty, Turner and Diebler have all shot over 50 percent their last four contest. Ohio State continues to get better at driving the ball, attempting a season high 31 free throws last game. This is a good sign, especially if Deibler and Butler can continue stretching defenses.

I have not seen as much Big Ten hoops yet this season, but I know this Ohio State team will compete for another title. The conference will once again come down to the big boys; Michigan St., Indiana, Wisconsin and Ohio State. What is your predicted finish for the Bucks?

Notes: Ohio State is 52-41 in Big Ten openers... Thad is now the leader in career winning percentage at OSU... 11W favorites Slick Steve Lavin and the lovely Erin Andrews (bonus links for the perceptive) will be doing the ESPN telecast tonight.

The New York Times checks in with 10 Stories Worth Following as we head into the game. At #3:

The Imperfect Quarterback — Plenty of observers are going to say that this Ohio State team is better than last season’s. Well, it’s not. The disparity at quarterback is enough of a reason, as the Buckeyes traded the Heisman Trophy winner, Troy Smith, for the immobile and not-so-accurate Todd Boeckman. L.S.U. has the solid-but-unspectacular Matt Flynn, which means that whichever quarterback makes the least mistakes will probably win.

That may be the single biggest story not being written about only 5 days from kickoff. Let's face it: the two starting quarterbacks that will square off on Monday night could be the least exciting pair to ever face each other in a BCS game. Their backups may bring a little more to the table, but how much will each play?