One more sleep and it's the day to beat that team. Luckily, we've got some extremely fun basketball to hold us over.
ICYMI
- 12 seniors will play their last game in Ohio Stadium on Saturday.
- House Money: Our weekly picks against the spread.
- TBDBITL performs in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
- Can Ohio State pull of a win against Michigan relying heavily on the passing attack?
- Across the Field: Q&A with Michigan and Ohio State beat writer Kyle Rowland.
- Five things to know about Michigan.
Word of the Day: Repugnance.
REMINDER – ST. JOHN ARENA IS GOOD. I can't believe I'm this excited about a regular-season basketball game against an unranked opponent less than 24 hours from the Ohio State vs. Michigan game.
But here we are.
The Buckeyes will be rocking absolutely amazing throwback threads tonight when they host Cleveland State in a sold-out St. John Arena, returning to the historic venue for the first time since 2010.
It's going to be amazing, because the venue is absolutely amazing.
From Rob McCurdy of the Marion Star:
With a capacity of 13,276, the farthest seat just 155 feet from the center jump circle and not one obstructed view, it is like a theater for basketball.
Albeit, a theater hosting a rock concert with the amps set at 11.
"That’s going to be wonderful," former OSU guard Denny Meadors said. "As you know it can get very, very loud in there. That should help our team to have that kind of support. I remember some certain games when you couldn’t hear yourself in there."
...
"St. John Arena was a great place to play. It was cozy. The fans were close. It was loud in there, and it was a lot of fun," said Rowley, a starting guard at Ohio State in the mid-1960s. "I remember sitting in the top of that thing, and when I stood up, it felt like I was going to fall right out."
Instead of building it out like today's arenas that feature luxury boxes, St. John's architecture seemingly goes straight up with a steep balcony hanging over the mezzanine seats. With wooden seats and a metal roof, sound doesn't get muffled nor escape. It reverberates, which only adds to the home court advantage Ohio State owned in its time playing inside it.
"That’s a great facility," Hosket said. "To watch basketball there’s never been a better building, and we obviously loved playing there back in the day."
My one fear about this game is that it's certain to make me even more angry than I already am about the Schottenstein Center's existence.
I've covered four women's basketball NCAA Tournament games in St. John Arena the past few years. The arena was no more than 30 percent full, and at times, it was louder than I've ever heard the Schottenstein Center.
Tonight's game is sold out.
Folks, it's going to be LOUD.
TIM TEBOW BACKS THE BUCKS. This is the opposite of shocking, given Tim Tebow's loyalties to Urban Meyer, but he's backing the Buckeyes in Saturday's big game.
Here's what Timmy had to say about the Bucks on on ESPN's First Take:
“I think they’re going to be a favorite against Ohio State, and Ohio State is going to be able to knock them off and go to the Big Ten Championship. It doesn’t matter who they play. Neither one of them are getting in. Michigan, that is their opportunity. This is their chance. They’re in the Top Four. Everyone else has lost but can they find a way to beat their rivals Ohio State? They haven’t done it yet. Will it be this year? I’m saying probably not.”
Things that have no business going Tim Tebow's way tend to go Tim Tebow's way, so I'll proudly accept this endorsement. I'm ready to ride the Tebow Time wave.
NOTHING UNUSUAL? Urban Meyer's sideline demeanor seems to be the talk of the season, and it seems like game day cameras are focusing on Meyer more than ever, highlighting every grimace, pained expression and back bend.
Meyer certainly doesn't always look to be having a ton of fun on the sideline when his football team is not performing spectacularly, but that's not exactly anything new.
From Austin Ward of Lettermen Row:
Nobody but Meyer knows for sure if Maryland was better or worse for him than normal. But having spent a great deal of time covering Meyer and having sat down with him for extended conversations about his health this season, I don’t believe last weekend was a sign of any extreme discomfort or worsening conditions. Those close to him believe Meyer has started managing the situation better on a daily basis with everything from his routine to medication. But it could be easy to think otherwise based on the volume of reactions shown on television, although both before and after the game Meyer seemed to be in some of the best spirits of the season — even after one of the most insane afternoons of the year.
Meyer had his laser-light focus on display outside the cramped visiting locker room a couple hours before kickoff. But standing just behind the end zone, he was still smiling and willing to crack a couple jokes. After the Buckeyes had officially survived when a two-point conversion attempt failed in overtime, Meyer patiently, thoughtfully addressed a handful of tough questions while also continuing to show some humor that doesn’t usually emerge after one-point wins on the road.
My #take is that there are a couple reasons why Meyer looks so pained and frustrated on the sideline this season.
- Have you watched this team? It's without doubt the most frustrating squad he's coached since he's been at Ohio State and he's been intense on the sidelines each of the previous seasons. Of course he'll look more upset, frustrated and even pained this season – because he is. If we had a camera on you while you were watching the game, would you be more visibly bothered during games this season than previous seasons?
- Now that this is a storyline, people are looking for it. I promise there will be a camera on Urban Meyer at all times this weekend, and I'm betting there already was against Maryland last weekend. Every frustrated move he makes, and every grimace he takes, they'll be watching him.
ALL BUCKEYES FEAST. You thought your Thanksgiving feast had a lot of food, check this out.
From an Ohio State release:
What does Thanksgiving dinner look like for Buckeye Nation? More than 650 pounds of turkey, 30 gallons of gravy, 432 pounds each of green beans and corn, 320 pounds of corn bread and 2,000 slices of pie.
The Ohio State University hosted one of the largest Thanksgiving Day dinners on a college campus today in the Ohio Union. President Michael V. Drake joined dozens of volunteers throughout the university community to serve an estimated 1,600 students, faculty and staff, along with their families.
“I am so grateful to be part of this diverse Buckeye family, a university community that embraces, welcomes and respects people from all over the world,” Drake said.
The annual celebration is for those who are unable to travel home for the holiday.
I love this.
I've never attended one of these feasts, as I was always lucky enough to be able to go home for the holiday, but it's awesome that this exists for those who can't.
I'm just imagining a gigantic, Hogwarts style feast, and now I'm upset I never participated.
NO D1 FOOTBALL TEAM, NO PROBLEM. The University of Chicago hasn't had a Division I football team since 1939, but that doesn't stop them from proudly displaying a Heisman Trophy – the first Heisman Trophy, actually.
From Redditor u/Wearethefoxes on r/CFB:
So my school, the University of Chicago, was actually a founding member of the Big Ten and a bit of an early powerhouse. We won a national championship or two and our RB, Jay Berwanger, even won the first Heisman Trophy. Despite its success, one of the most beloved and influential Presidents of the University, Robert Maynard Hutchins, disbanded the football team in 1939. Hutchins felt that football wasn't compatible with the academic and intellectual goals of the school and is quoted as saying: "Football, fraternities, and fun have no place at the University."
Our esteemed poster added this photograph as proof:
Honestly, I love the flex.
If you've got more Heisman Trophies than 32 active teams despite not having a player eligible for the award in almost 80 years, flaunt the hell out of it.
LINK LOCKER. The tragic story of three siblings who disappeared on beach trip... How golf helped POWs survive their Nazi prison camp... Guatemalan soldier sentenced to 5,000 years for mass killing... American missionary killed by natives on an isolated island...
