Posted on March 9, 2010 by Matt Barker, Publisher & Editor of BuckeyeBanter.com
Right: Ohio State’s Big Ten Player of the Year, Evan Turner. (AP Photo)
villain
/v’ɪlən/
noun -
1. A villain is someone who deliberately harms other people or breaks the law in order to get what he or she wants.
2. The villain in a novel, film, or play is the main bad character.
Another certain blogger and teammate of Ohio State’s Evan Turner, Mark “the Shark” Titus nicknamed him “The Villain,” because of Turner’s general use if the word “chillen” as a Facebook status update.
Granted, this is nothing new. Me and my boy Joe Malagreca use to say things like this before Turner and Titus were even born at good old Bishop Hartley High School back in the 80s. “Chillin’ like a villain. Chillin’ like Bob Dylan. Chillin’ like penicillin.” Continue Reading »
Posted on March 8, 2010 by Matt Barker, Publisher & Editor of BuckeyeBanter.com
Above: Another big, shiny trophy for Jim Foster’s crew. (Getty Images)
Jantel Lavender scored 35 points, which tied a tournament record, and added 10 rebounds as Ohio State rallied from a 16-point deficit to defeat Iowa, 66-64, in the championship game of the women’s Big Ten basketball tournament at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Sunday afternoon.
With the score tied at 64-all and just 1.9 seconds left, a foul on Iowa’s Trisha Nesbitt sent Lavender to the free throw line after a pass went inside to her near the block. Lavender sank a pair from the charity stripe to give the Buckeyes the win. Continue Reading »
Posted on March 8, 2010 by Matt Barker, Publisher & Editor of BuckeyeBanter.com
Right: Ohio State outfielder Zach Hurley was named Big Ten Player of the Week on Monday after the senior hit .571 over four games, reaching base at a .609 clip and slugging at a 1.048 rate for an OPS of 1.657. (AP File Photo)
The 17th-ranked Ohio State baseball team won three out of four contests over the weekend to improve their record to 8-2 on the season with victories over Duquesne and Fairleigh Dickinson while splitting a doubleheader with Saint Louis on Saturday with all games being played at the North Charlotte Regional Park in Port Charlotte, Fla.
On Sunday against Fairleigh Dickinson, the Buckeyes took a 5-0 lead in the first inning on Ryan Dew’s two-run single after Zach Hurley reached on a base hit and Dan Burkhart walked. Later, Dan DeLucia added a three-run homer that scored Dew and Burkhart.
In the top of the third, the Knights plated two runs to cut the lead to 5-2. Stephen LaForge doubled in Mike Eliasen for the first run, and Joe Martno singled in LaForge for the second run. Continue Reading »
Posted on March 8, 2010 by Matt Barker, Publisher & Editor of BuckeyeBanter.com
Above: Ohio State goaltender Dustin Carlson stopped 81 of 84 shots in two wins over the weekend. (Emily Meyer/OSU Athletics Communications )
The Ohio State men’s hockey team advanced to the quarterfinals of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association tournament by sweeping the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame, two games to none in the first round of the best-of-three series over the weekend at the OSU Ice Rink.
With the two victories, the Buckeyes will take on No. 2-ranked and top-seed Miami for a best-of-three series at Steve Cady Arena in Oxford, starting on Friday. Continue Reading »
Posted on March 3, 2010 by Matt Barker, Publisher & Editor of BuckeyeBanter.com
Right: Ohio State’s soon-to-be-named Big Ten and National Player of the Year, Evan Turner, kisses the conference championship trophy. (AP Photo)
Last night at the Schottenstein Center, Jon Diebler scored 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting from three-point land and Evan Turner had a double-double of 16 points, 12 rebounds and five assists as sixth-ranked Ohio State defeated Illinois, 73-57. With the win, the Buckeyes earned no less than a share of the Big Ten regular season title.
Things, though, looked less than promising in the first half as the Illini streaked out to a 19-13 lead after a pair of triples from Demetri McCamey, the last one coming at the 11:28 mark.
The Buckeyes withstood the long-range barrage by going on a 15-2 scoring run from that point fueled on a two treys from Diebler along with a couple of highlight reel dunks by William Buford that put Ohio State ahead 28-21 with 7:16 remaining until intermission. Continue Reading »
Posted on March 2, 2010 by Matt Barker, Publisher & Editor of BuckeyeBanter.com
No. 6 Ohio State (23-7, 13-4) vs. Illinois (18-11, 10-6)
Date: Tonight Time: 9:00 p.m. ET Place: Schottenstein Center, capacity 19,049 TV: ESPN with Dave O’Brien and Steve “Hair Gel” Lavin. Radio: WBNS-AM 1460 and WBNS-FM 97.1 in Columbus and 58 more stations across Buckeyeland on the Ohio State Buckeyes Radio Network with Paul Keels and Ron Stokes. Series History: Ohio State owns a 60-99 all-time record vs. Illinois. Last Game: Ohio State defeated Illinois, 73-54, in Champaign on Feb. 14. Jon Diebler scored 18 points and David Lighty added 17. Evan Turner had 16 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.
PROBABLE STARTERS
OHIO STATE BUCKEYES Head Coach: Thad Matta
Record: 23-7, 13-4 Big Ten | AP Poll: 6 | Coaches Poll: 7 | RPI: 31
Pos.
No.
Name
Ht.
Wt.
Cl.
PPG
RPG
APG
FG%
3FG%
FT%
F
52
Dallas Lauderdale
6-8
255
Jr.
7.4
5.2
0.2
.769
.461
F
23
David Lighty
6-5
220
Jr.
12.3
4.6
2.7
.489
.387
.619
G
44
William Buford
6-5
190
So.
14.2
5.5
3.1
.435
.369
.789
G
33
Jon Diebler
6-6
205
Jr.
12.3
2.9
1.6
.431
.413
.857
G
21
Evan Turner
6-7
205
Jr.
19.7
9.2
5.9
.543
.242
.735
ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI Head Coach: Bruce Weber
Record: 18-11, 10-6 Big Ten | AP Poll: NR | Coaches Poll: NR | RPI: 73
Posted on March 1, 2010 by Matt Barker, Publisher & Editor of BuckeyeBanter.com
Right: Dunk you very much. Ohio State’s Dallas Lauderdale throws it down over Michigan’s Zack Novak. (AP Photo)
The Ohio State Buckeyes notched two wins last week, defeating Penn State 75-67 in State College on Wednesday before downing Michigan 66-55 at home on Saturday. With those two victories plus Michigan State’s upset win over Purdue on Sunday, Thad Matta’s cagers moved into sole possession of first place, one-half game ahead of the Boilermakers and Spartans.
With a win over Illinois on Tuesday, the Buckeyes will clinch at least a share of the Big Ten regular season title.
On Monday, Ohio State moved up in the polls to No. 6 in the Associated Press and are now ranked seventh in the USA Today/ESPN coaches poll. Continue Reading »
Posted on February 24, 2010 by Matt Barker, Publisher & Editor of BuckeyeBanter.com
No. 9 Ohio State (21-7, 11-4) at Penn State (10-16, 2-12)
Date: Tonight Time: 6:30 p.m. ET Place: Bryce Jordan Center, capacity 15,261 TV: Big Ten Network with Tom Hamilton and Tim Doyle. Radio: WBNS-AM 1460 and WBNS-FM 97.1 in Columbus and 58 more stations across Buckeyeland on the Ohio State Buckeyes Radio Network with Paul Keels and Ron Stokes. Series History: Ohio State owns a 26-13 all-time record vs. Penn State. The Buckeyes have won 12-straight games vs. the Nittany Lions. Last Game: Ohio State defeated Penn State 75-62 on Feb. 3 at the Schottenstein Center. Evan Turner led the Buckeyes with 27 points.
PROBABLE STARTERS
OHIO STATE BUCKEYES Head Coach: Thad Matta
Record: 21-7, 11-4 Big Ten | AP Poll: 9 | Coaches Poll: 9 | RPI: 31
Pos.
No.
Name
Ht.
Wt.
Cl.
PPG
RPG
APG
FG%
3FG%
FT%
F
52
Dallas Lauderdale
6-8
255
Jr.
7.3
5.1
0.3
.764
.467
F
23
David Lighty
6-5
220
Jr.
12.3
4.6
2.7
.482
.378
.645
G
44
William Buford
6-5
190
So.
13.9
5.3
3.1
.427
.354
.786
G
33
Jon Diebler
6-6
205
Jr.
12.5
2.9
1.7
.442
.435
.848
G
21
Evan Turner
6-7
205
Jr.
19.5
9.3
5.8
.541
.258
.718
TEAM STATS
Ohio State
67.9
32.2
13.1
.467
.344
.718
Opponents
60.7
31.1
13.1
.427
.356
.676
PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS Head Coach: Ed DeChellis
Record: 10-16, 2-12 Big Ten | AP Poll: NR | Coaches Poll: NR | RPI: 197
Posted on February 23, 2010 by Matt Barker, Publisher & Editor of BuckeyeBanter.com
Right: I think this photo is self-explanatory.
(Matt Barker Photo)
Generally when you cheat, you hold an unfair advantage. Most cheaters win things like home run titles, gold medals, or hold 100-meter dash records. In Ann Arbor, when you cheat you get a grand total of eight wins in two seasons against teams like Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan, Delaware State and Indiana.
It’s also apparent that University of Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez is too dumb to count or to be able to tell time, which are skills that are usually acquired in kindergarten.
According to the Detroit Free Press, “The School Up North” is so desperate for winning season and a bowl invitation that they have been resorting to illegal means.
The article states that the “NCAA has issued a notice of allegations to the University of Michigan alleging five major violations in its football program.” It also states that all five are major, and that none of the violations are secondary. Continue Reading »
On Sunday, Thad Matta’s cagers got off the mat with a big win at the Breslin Center, defeating Michigan State, 74-67, led by a pair of Buckeyes who had double-doubles. Evan Turner scored 20 points while William Buford added 17 as both pulled down 10 rebounds. With the victory, OSU is now one-half game behind league-leading Purdue and is still in the hunt for a Big Ten title.
Ohio State controlled their own destiny at one time, but the 60-57 lost to the Boilermakers last Wednesday means that the Buckeyes are going to need some help. Purdue has four games remaining: at Minnesota, vs. Michigan State, vs. Indiana, and at Penn State. Michigan State, meanwhile, has just three contests left: playing at Purdue before finishing with Penn State and Michigan at home. Continue Reading »
Posted on February 21, 2010 by Matt Barker, Publisher & Editor of BuckeyeBanter.com
No. 9 Ohio State (20-7, 10-4) vs. No. 11 Michigan State (21-6,11-3)
Date: Sunday Time: 12:00 p.m. ET Place: Breslin Center, capacity 14,759 TV: CBS Sports with Ian Eagle and Bill Raftery. Radio: WBNS-AM 1460 and WBNS-FM 97.1 in Columbus and 58 more stations across Buckeyeland on the Ohio State Buckeyes Radio Network with Paul Keels and Ron Stokes. Series History: Ohio State owns a 49-58 all-time record vs. Michigan State. Last Time Out: Ohio State defeated Michigan State, 82-70, in the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament at Conseco Fieldhouse on March 14, 2009. Evan Turner led the Buckeyes with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
PROBABLE STARTERS
OHIO STATE BUCKEYES Head Coach: Thad Matta
Record: 20-7, 10-4 Big Ten | AP Poll: 9 | Coaches Poll: 12 | RPI: 41
Pos.
No.
Name
Ht.
Wt.
Cl.
PPG
RPG
APG
FG%
3FG%
FT%
F
52
Dallas Lauderdale
6-8
255
Jr.
7.3
5.0
0.3
.770
.473
F
23
David Lighty
6-5
220
Jr.
12.3
4.5
2.7
.483
.372
.636
G
44
William Buford
6-5
190
So.
13.8
5.1
3.1
.428
.354
.789
G
33
Jon Diebler
6-6
205
Jr.
12.6
3.0
1.7
.443
.436
.848
G
21
Evan Turner
6-7
205
Jr.
19.5
9.2
5.8
.552
.258
.717
TEAM STATS
Ohio State
67.5
31.6
13.1
.470
.339
.719
Opponents
60.2
30.6
12.9
.427
.357
.687
MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS Head Coach: Tom Izzo
Record: 21-6, 11-3 Big Ten | AP Poll: 11 | Coaches Poll: 11 | RPI: 23
Posted on February 17, 2010 by Matt Barker, Publisher & Editor of BuckeyeBanter.com
No. 9 Ohio State (20-6, 10-3) vs. No. 4 Purdue (21-3, 9-3)
Date: Tonight Time: 6:30 p.m. ET Place: Schottenstein Center, capacity 19,049 TV: Big Ten Network with Tom Hamilton, Jim Jackson and Charissa Thompson. Radio: WBNS-AM 1460 and WBNS-FM 97.1 in Columbus and 58 more stations across Buckeyeland on the Ohio State Buckeyes Radio Network with Paul Keels and Ron Stokes. Series History: Ohio State owns a 75-81 all-time record vs. Purdue. Last Time Out: Ohio State defeated Purdue, 70-66, in W. Lafayette back on Jan. 12. Evan Turner led the Buckeyes with 32 points.
The last time Purdue defeated Ohio State in Columbus was at St. John Arena back on Feb. 7, 1998. The Boilermakers entered that game with a record of 19-4 overall and 7-2 in Big Ten play, while the Buckeyes were just 7-14 and winless in eight tries during conference play.
Six Boilermakers scored in double-figure, led by center Brad Miller’s 22 points as Purdue won handily, 107-75. Ohio State had just three that notched double-digits in scoring as Jon Sanderson had 24 points, Michael Redd added 18 and Carlos Davis chipped in 10.
Since then, Purdue was not won in Columbus, going 0-9 vs. Ohio State at the Schottenstein Center, which opened for the 1998-99 basketball season.
PROBABLE STARTERS
OHIO STATE BUCKEYES Head Coach: Thad Matta
Record: 20-6, 10-3 Big Ten | AP Poll: 9 | Coaches Poll: 12 | RPI: 31
Pos.
No.
Name
Ht.
Wt.
Cl.
PPG
RPG
APG
FG%
3FG%
FT%
F
52
Dallas Lauderdale
6-8
255
Jr.
7.4
5.1
0.3
.776
.472
F
23
David Lighty
6-5
220
Jr.
12.6
4.5
2.8
.491
.381
.629
G
44
William Buford
6-5
190
So.
13.9
5.2
3.2
.431
.359
.795
G
33
Jon Diebler
6-6
205
Jr.
12.7
3.0
1.7
.444
.440
.857
G
21
Evan Turner
6-7
205
Jr.
19.0
9.4
5.8
.554
.250
.714
TEAM STATS
Ohio State
74.3
33.0
15.1
.498
.382
.689
Opponents
60.2
31.5
11.9
.406
.344
.698
PURDUE BOILERMAKERS Head Coach: Matt Painter
Record: 21-3, 9-3 Big Ten | AP Poll: 4 | Coaches Poll: 4 | RPI: 11
Posted on February 17, 2010 by Matt Barker, Publisher & Editor of BuckeyeBanter.com
Right: Ohio State’s David Lighty throws down two of his 17 points vs. Illinois. (AP Photo)
In one of the more dominant performances in recently memory, 13th-ranked Ohio State thoroughly defeated the Fight-less Illini of Illinois on Sunday, 72-53, at Assembly Hall in Champaign.
Now ranked No. 9 in the latest Associated Press top 25 college basketball poll, the Buckeyes have another difficult challenged as they host the fourth-ranked Purdue Boilermakers, Wednesday night. Tip-off at the Schottenstein Center is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET, and the game will be televised on the Big Ten Network.
Against Illinois, Ohio State had three players score in double figures led by Jon Diebler’s 18 points, who was 6-of-11 shooting from three-point range. David Lighty added 17 points and a few highlight reel dunks while Evan Turner almost had a tripled-double with 16 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists. Continue Reading »
Posted on February 13, 2010 by Matt Barker, Publisher & Editor of BuckeyeBanter.com
Right: Illinois guard Demetri McCamey leads the Illini averaging 15.8 points per game.
(AP Photo)
On Sunday, the 13th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes travel to the big flying saucer in Champaign to take on the Fighting Illini of Illinois. Tip-off at the other Assembly Hall is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET, and the game will be televised on CBS.
Currently, both the Buckeyes and the Illini are tied for second place in the Big Ten with Purdue, one-half game back of league-leading Michigan State, who defeated Penn State 65-54 on Saturday. With a win, Ohio State will move back into a tie for first with the Spartans, a half-game ahead of the Boilermakers.
Illinois is a streaky team. The Illini started out 4-0 in conference play then lost three-straight. Since that losing skid, the Orange & Blue have rattled off five consecutive Big Ten victories which include wins over Michigan State (78-73) and Wisconsin (63-56). Meanwhile, Ohio State has won eight-straight conference games after starting the Big Ten portion of the slate 1-3. Continue Reading »
Right: Ohio State’s Big Ten Player of the Year, Evan Turner. (AP Photo)
