Eleven Warriors

Ohio State 13-6, 4-2 Big Ten Roster | Schedule

January 26, 2008 8:00 PM ET —— The Schott Columbus, OH

Minnesota 12-5, 2-3 Big Ten Roster | Schedule

OPPONENT: Minnesota comes into Columbus tonight riding a two game losing streak, being defeated by Indiana and Michigan St. this past week. Two of the Gophers 3 conference losses are at the hands of the Spartans, by a total of 11 points. New coach Tubby Smith will have his boys ready to play and Ohio State needs to be ready for another high pressured defense, as Tubby preaches deflections on defense.

Minnesota is scoring more this year and is currently third in the conference with 74.4 points a game. They are fourth in shooting at 46.2 percent and rank third from 3land at 37.2 percent. As expected, the Gopher defense is improved leading the Big Ten in steals at 10.5 per game and only giving up 62.2 points.

The Gophers do hold a slight rebounding margin over their opponents, grabbing just over 37 rebounds a game and rank fifth in the conference with 12.6 of those boards coming on the offensive end. Minnesota also holds a positive assists to turnover margin at 17.2 and 14.4 respectively per game. The Gophers have forced at least 18 turnovers in each of their conference games.

KEY PLAYERS: Minnesota is an experienced bunch, who will be similar to Tennessee in terms of player rotation and minutes played. Dan Coleman (#13 6'9" Sr.), Lawrence Mckenzie (#1 6'2" Sr.), and Spencer Tollackson (#50 6'9" Sr.) lead this Gopher team in most statistical categories. Coleman is their leading scorer (13.9) and rebounder (6.4), while also leading his team in free throw percentage (80 percent) and minutes played (27.0/game). He recently became the 17th member of Minnesota's 1000 point and 500 rebound club, but is coming off a tough night against Sparty, with just 9 points and 3 boards.

Mckenzie on the other hand torched Michigan St. for a season high 20 points, connecting on 4 of 7 from downtown. On the season he is scoring 10.9 a game and is second on the team in assists (3.1/game), minutes (26.2) and 3pointers made (35). Tollackson is scoring 10.8 points a game and grabs 4.6 caroms per contest, while shooting 53 percent from the floor.

Jamal Abu-Shamala (#33 6'5" Jr.) and Lawrence Westbrook (#20 6'0" So.) should be the other two starters for the Gophers today. I think Jamal starts because of seniority, he only averages 4.6 points a game in just over 16 minutes of action. He is a dismal shooter at 35 percent and has taken over half of his shots from deep, making 12 of 38 on the year.

Westbrook is coming off a season high performance against Michigan St. with 12 points and averages 7 points a game overall. Westbrook is not a good shooter, connecting on just 41 percent of his shots.

Leading the Gophers off the bench is Blake Hoffarber (#24 6'4" Fr.), a hometown product who leads the conference in 3point shooting at fifty percent, 43-86. He is chipping in with 10.1 points a game and has made 14 of his 21 3point attempts within conference play. You may remember Blake as the kid who won an ESPY for making a game winning 18 footer from his butt during his high school state championship.

Two other Gophers will spark defensive pressure off the bench for Tubby Saturday night. Damian Johnson (#34 6'7" So.) and Al Nolen (#0 6'1" Fr.) lead this team in blocks and steals. Nolan leads the conference in steals at 2.4 per game and Johnson is sixth within the league at 1.5 blocks per game. Johnson is also second on the team in steals and third in rebounding, while chipping in with over seven points a game. Nolen won't score as much with only 5 points per contest, but his 63 assists on the season lead the Gophers and that has helped him to a 2.17 A/T ratio.

NOTES: Tubby Smith will be looking for his 400th career win Saturday (399-150), he has never coached against Ohio State... A minimum of 14 conference games will be televised on BTN for the Gophers... Minnesota's bench has outscored their opponents in 16 of 18 games this year... The Gophers lost to Ohio State last year, 67-85.

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BUCKEYE BREAKDOWN: Ohio State got back on the winning track in "breath taking" fashion on Tuesday against the Illini. The Buckeyes dominated most of the game, but their infamous scoring drought appeared again and Illinois used a late 20-8 run to get the final score closer than it should have been.

Ohio State sits fifth in the conference standings and Minnesota is going to provide a huge challenge to the Bucks tonight, but this win could propel them towards a five game winning streak. Their defense is still leading the way, as they are allowing 59.3 points a game within conference play.

Their suffocating zone is forcing teams to shoot 36 percent from the floor and 29 percent from deep in league play. Ohio State ranks tenth nationally in field goal defense and another impressive aspect is their lack of fouls, committing only 14.5 per game, also good for a top ten national ranking (9th).

Minnesota is going to bring another high intensity defense against Ohio State's often struggling offense. Chris and I have talked this week about the lack of post entry passes and set offensive plays, as compared to years past. The high pick and roll as been ineffective, as Keith pointed out this week, teams are hedging on Jamar to an extreme and they have not found a way to take advantage of it.

KEY PLAYERS: As expected, Jamar is the only Buckeye scoring in double digits since conference play started, although four other score nine or more a game. David Lighty and Evan Turner have emerged of late, combing for 61 points over the last two. We all know how much Ohio State needs this duo's continued emergence.

The best piece of evidence against the lack of post entry passes is Othello Hunter's 56.5 percent shooting (63 percent within league play), ranking him 3rd in the conference, but only scoring 9.5 points per tilt. Much has been made this week about Kosta Koufos's recent struggles and his slipping NBA stock. His scoring has dipped to 9.8 points in conference play and he is only shooting 45 percent from the floor in those games. He has 10 free throw attempts in six league games, again pointing to his softness and lack of inside looks.

I will spare any grief for Jon Diebler, P.J. Hill and Matt Turdwiggler today, as all three have slipped recently.

NOTES: Jamar Butler nows leads the nation in free throw shooting at 96 percent (46-48), he has made 31 straight... Ohio State has won 30 of their last 32 games when a player records a double double... Ohio State has won 17 straight home games against conference opponents... The Buckeyes are 49-11 when Butler has 4 or more assists.

I am one of the "lucky" few to have received the Big Ten Network since its inception, allowing me to become closer to wrestling, field hockey and gymnastics than ever before. The network itself is quite simply Big Ten overload and has some problems to fix in production, but when every event is in HD, it's hard to stay away.

If you have had the chance to watch Ohio State on the BTN, you know two things: the picture is going to be outstanding and the network would very much like you to call your local cable provider. After seeing Thad's plea to call or switch providers fifty times this season, I had to make my own plea to the Network.

While it is brief, a Zach Williams highlight appears in the OSU promos. For those of you who lack short term memory, Zach was last seen getting kicked out of a game his junior year by Jim O'B-Cheatin and transfered to Wright State to finish off his career.

I sat down and wrote a nice email to the network letting them know that trying to sell the network to a fanbase by showing a promo of player that was kicked off of the team was not, you know, the smartest thing in the world to do. To their credit they responded and said they'd look into it -- but I'm not holding out any hope.

So if you're one of the lucky dozen or so in the Columbus area to get the network, you've been warned: Ohio State's career leader in pump fakes and non-dunks that should have been would like you to call Time Warner so you can watch the team that he was dismissed from.

Loaded
This one's a little old, but Scout finalized their 2008 player rankings and Buckeye recruits are what you would call evenly distributed in their top 100:

• OT - Mike Adams (11)
• WR - DeVier Posey (15)
• C - Michael Brewster (23)
• OT - J.B. Shugarts (34)
• MLB - Etienne Sabino (39)
• DT - Garrett Goebel (51)
• TE - Jake Stoneburner (65)
• MLB - Andrew Sweat (98)

Adams, Posey, Brewster, Shugarts and Sabino all check in at 5-stars, while Goebel, Stoneburner and Sweat received 4 stars. Of course, holding down the #1 spot in the rankings is Pryor. Land him and this top three class moves into undisputed #1 territory. Oh, and 5-star guard Josh Jenkins, fresh off a visit to WVU is still lurking as well.

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Club Like Mike
Jamie Foxx Michael Wiley received some quality pub from The Other Paper recently.

Evidently in between his stunt double work for Miami Vice, he had time to launch a nightclub and it was named best new joint in Cbus. For those seeking their booty-on, "After 5" is getting good marks:

Best New Nightspot: After Five (482 S. Front St.). This bar garners top mention for possessing all of the characteristics that make a nightspot a worthy destination: crowd, aesthetics, location and libations. The bar, co-owned by former Buckeye running back Michael Wiley and his college buddy, Cameron Jackson, occupies the prime club real estate in the Brewery District formerly occupied by Gibby’s.

The bar’s unique layout includes two patios (one of which promises to be a choice live music stop come summer), and, inside, three staggered levels, including a somewhat segregated, candlelit dining room that—when there’s not a jazz or funk trio set up in it’s street-front windows—offers some privacy from the narrow, bustling bar. And all of this activity, of course, can be scoped out from the cozy third-floor loft.

Anyone have a field report?

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Urban Still Owns Tressel
Not wanting to be outdone by the Vest in the think-of-the-children-he's-recruiting-too-hard category, Urban Meyer is taking it up a notch.

First up is the news that LSU recruit Patrick Johnson had to take the written portion of the ACT again after Florida questioned his scores when he jumped from a 16 to 22.

It's safe to assume that Johnson is no Meyer fan:

"Florida made an issue about the ACT score. They're cowards. They had to go behind my back. But that's OK. We play them this year."

It gets better. He allegedly topped that by working the phones on behalf of the Gator gymnastics squad to secure a scholarship for the girlfriend of junior college recruit Carl Moore. The end result: two new Gators and more questions about how soon he's busted for something.

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.