Matt Sylvester seems to have the knack for making big shots at the end of big games.

Last March, Sylvester hit the game-winning three-pointer with 5.1 seconds left that helped knock off previously unbeaten and No.1-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini.

On Saturday, his triple from beyond the arc with 5.5 seconds left helped keep his team undefeated as the Ohio State Buckeyes rallied late for a 78-76 win over the Louisiana State Tigers in front of a raucous crowd 16,136 fans at Value City Arena, Saturday afternoon.

The Buckeyes trailed the Tigers by as much as 15 points with six minutes left to play in the game after LSU’s Glen Davis scored on a short jumper in the paint, putting his team ahead 73-58.

But Ohio State would scored the game’s next six points to cut the lead down to nine after a steal and a layup by OSU’s Ron Lewis made the score 73-64 with 4:56 remaining.

After a foul by Je’Kel Foster put Darrel Mitchell on the foul line for a one-and-one, who made the front end but missed the second attempt, both teams would trade baskets as LSU’s Davis would score on a layup with 3:22 left to make the score 76-66 in favor of the Tigers.

Unfortunately for the Tigers, they would not record another point in the game, as the Buckeyes’ would score 12 unanswered points to close out the game on four, three-point field goals. Foster drained a three-ball with 2:23 left, Sylvester hit one with 1:47 left, and Jamar Butler drilled a trey with 58 seconds on the clock.

After LSU turned over the ball on the next possession, Ohio State called a timeout with 19 seconds remaining to set up a play.

Foster had the ball just left of the top of the key, who was surrounded by double-team pressure and the ball was knocked loose. Foster was able to gather the ball in, do a 180-degree turn, and flung the ball to the corner. Sylvester caught Foster’s pass, who was stationed along the baseline just outside the three-point line, and hit nothing but nylon.

His three-pointer put the Buckeyes’ ahead 78-76, and it was the first lead Ohio State had since the 17:22 mark in the first half.

Following timeouts by both teams, LSU’s Ben Voogd pushed the ball up the floor against Ohio State’s press and passed off to Davis, who heaved up a desperation three-pointer that missed. Tyrus Thomas got a hand on the ball, but his tip missed right before the final horn sounded.

LSU led by as many as 13 points in the first half, and held a 41-31 advantage with 2:51 remaining in the opening period, but Ohio State closed the gap by going on a 8-2 run to trim the lead down to four with LSU leading 43-39 at halftime.

Terence Dials had another fine game scoring 24 points and hauling down eight rebounds. Sylvester and Lewis each added 14, while Foster chipped in 12 points.

LSU was led by the 6-foot-9, 310 pound Davis, who scored a game-high 25 points. Darrel Mitchell added 16 points, Thomas chipped in 14, and Tasmin Mitchell tossed in 12 points for the Tigers.

Ohio State was outrebonded once again, 35-29, and committed 18 turnovers against LSU’s swarming defense. The Buckeyes never seemed comfortable in their halfcourt sets, and OSU’s backcourt was pestered all day by LSU’s guards. When it seemed like the Tigers had the game all but wrapped up, the Buckeyes never gave up, and the senior leadership showed against a young LSU team.

One thing is for sure, which needs to get better as Big Ten play begins next week, and that is rebounding and interior defense in the post. Ohio State seems to have matchup problems against bigger teams, as the Buckeyes’ power forwards of Sylvester and Ivan Harris are more perimeter-oriented.

Ohio State’s next game is on Thursday, January 5, as the Penn State Nittany Lions (8-3) pay a visit to Value City Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m.

Tags: Men's Basketball by Matt Barker
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The fourth-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes will meet the fifth-ranked Notre Dame Fighting for the first time in nine years in the 2006 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, January 2. Kickoff is scheduled for 5:12 pm. ET.

Notre Dame is making its first Bowl Championship Series appearance since 2000, when the Irish faced Oregon State in the 2001 Fiesta Bowl. Notre Dame is looking to break a seven-game losing streak in bowl games.

Notre Dame and Ohio State will be meeting for just the fifth time. The series is tied at 2-2, with the Irish winning the first two games of the series in 1935 and ‘36. The Buckeyes won the two most recent contests between the two teams in 1995 and ‘96.

The Irish will be making their 27th bowl game appearance on Jan. 2, 2006. Notre Dame is 13-13 all-time in bowl games.

Junior QB Brady Quinn’s stellar 2005 campaign has pushed him to ownership of all of Notre Dame’s significant passing records, including career and single-season yardage, career and single-season attempts and completions, along with career and single-season touchdown passes. Quinn finished fourth in the voting for the Heisman Trophy this season, posting Notre Dame’s top finish since Raghib “Rocket” Ismail finished second to Ty Detmer in the 1990.

Senior wide receiver Maurice Stovall and junior wide receiver Jeff Samardzija have combined to become the only pair of teammates in the country with 10 or more touchdown receptions. Samardzija has a school-record 15, while Stovall is close behind with 11 (including 10 in Notre Dame’s last five games).

Notre Dame is currently averaging 38.18 points per game, on pace to break the school record of 37.6 posted by the 1968 team. The Irish also have scored 55 touchdowns this season, four off the record (59) compiled by the 1991 team. The school record for points in a season (426 in 1991) is in reach as well, as the Irish currently have 420 points - needing just six more to reach the single-season record.

Notre Dame’s offensive improvement in 2005 continues to lead the nation. The Irish have improved 143.6 yards per game this year from their 2004 production, ranking ahead of USC (+122.2) and Iowa (+121.8).

Sophomore running back Darius Walker became the ninth player to rush for over 1,000 yards in a single season at Stanford. Walker’s career-best 186-yard performance against the Cardinal pushed him to eighth on the all-time single-season rushing list with 1,106 yards.

Notre Dame finished sixth in the final Bowl Championship Series rankings, the highest for the team since midway through the 2002 season when the Irish peaked at No. 4. The No. 6 BCS ranking is the highest final ranking for the Irish since the inception of the BCS and guaranteed Notre Dame an at-large berth in one of the four BCS games.

Notre Dame’s minus-11-yard defensive rushing performance against Stanford marks the best effort (and fourth-best in modern history) by an Irish defensive unit in 37 years. The 1968 team held Georgia Tech to minus-42 yards rushing in a 36-4 victory on Nov. 16, 1968.

Notre Dame and Ohio State are separated by 280 miles, but they have faced each other on the gridiron just four times previous to this year’s Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. The Irish won the first two meetings in 1935 and 1936, while Ohio State earned victories in the two most recent meetings in 1995 and 1996, and he two teams have never met on a neutral field .

The teams’ current AP rankings (Ohio State #4, Notre Dame #5) are exact duplicates of the same rankings both teams held in the last meeting from the 1996 season. Ohio State won that contest 29-16 in Notre Dame Stadium. That game marks the most recent matchup for a top-five Notre Dame team against a top-five ranked opponent.

In that game, Ohio State dominated, with the Buckeyes taking 22-7 lead at halftime, and the Irish rushing attack putting up just 28 net yards in the first 30 minutes. Notre Dame would cut the lead to 13 points in the second half, but could not get any closer.

Pepe Pearson led Ohio State with 173 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Stanley Jackson completed nine of 15 passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns. For Notre Dame, Ron Powlus ended up 13 of 30 for 154 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Autry Denson compiled 55 rushing yards on 19 attempts.

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In what should be the toughest test of the season, the 21st-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes will play one more game before the Big Ten schedule begins next week as the Tigers from LSU visit Value City Arena on Saturday, in a rematch of last year’s double overtime thriller in Baton Rouge, won by LSU 113-101. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:00 pm.

The game will be televised regionally by ESPN Plus with the “Voice of the Cleveland Indians” Tom Hamilton, along with former Buckeye cager Bill Hosket. The game can also be heard on the 59-station OSU Buckeyes Radio Network with Paul Keels and Ron Stokes.

The Tigers are led by 5-foot 11 point guard Darrel Mitchell, who averages 18.8 points and 5.5 assists per game. Second in scoring and the team’s rebounding leader is 6-foot-9, 310 pound forward Glen “Big Baby” Davis, who averages 18.7 points and 10.3 rebounds per game.

Rounding out the starting five are 6-foot-9 freshman forward Tyrus Thomas (13.2 ppg, 9.5 rpg), 6-foot-7 freshman forward Tasmin Mitchell (12.2 ppg, 6.2 rpg), and 6-foot-1 freshman guard Ben Voogd (2.0 ppg, 2.9 apg).

This very young LSU team enters the game with a 7-3 record, and has notched wins over Southern University (84-56), Nicholls State (104-57), McNeese State (90-70), New Orleans (94-53), and Louisiana-Lafayette (81-62). The Tigers biggest win to date was a 71-68 overtime thriller over then 13th-ranked West Virginia in Morgantown. Three days later, LSU lost at home to Houston 84-83.

The Tigers then played in the round-robin Las Vegas Holiday Classic losing to Northern Iowa 54-50 in the first game before defeating Arkansas-Monticello 75-48 in the second contest.

In LSU’s last game of the tournament at Valley High School in Las Vegas, the Cincinnati Bearcats won on two late three-pointers while LSU missed front ends of a pair of one-and-ones in addition to a late turnover. The Tigers lost despite shooting 52.8 percent from the field and outrebounded Cincinnati, 38-25.

LSU was just 2-of-8 from the three-point arc and had 23 turnovers, 14 in the first half. Davis led LSU with 21 points, while Darrel Mitchell had 17 points. Thomas in his first start, doubled up with 12 points and 13 rebounds, with Tasmin Mitchell scoring 10.

In last year’s OSU-LSU game at the Maravich Center in Baton Rouge, Brandon Bass scored 29 points, including 12 during a pair of overtime periods, as LSU beat Ohio State 113-101 on January 15, 2005.

Bass’ free throws initiated an 8-0 run to open the second overtime period as the Tigers, which had forced the first overtime on Darrel Mitchell’s 3-pointer at the end of regulation.

Bass, who also had 10 rebounds, was one of five LSU players in double figures. Mitchell scored 32 points, Antonio Hudson had 20, Tack Minor had 17 points and 10 assists, and Glen Davis added 15 and 11 rebounds.

Ivan Harris and Je’Kel Foster led Ohio State with 20 points each. Foster shot 6-of-7 on 3-point attempts, including one that tied the score at 93 with three seconds left in the first OT. Terence Dials and Tony Stockman each had 17 points, J.J. Sullinger scored 13 and Brandon Fuss-Cheatham scored 10.

Ohio State shot 55.7 percent from the field, while LSU made 52.1 percent. The Buckeyes made 18 of 34 3-point attempts.

LSU outrebounded Ohio State 43-23 and outscored the Buckeyes 36-22 in the paint. The Tigers also had 27 points off 19 Ohio State turnovers.

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The Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs were suppose to come into Columbus and give the 21st-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes a stern test before Big Ten play begins next week, after all they did travel to Minneapolis and beat Minnesota and nearly knocked off defending national champion North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

“We thought it would be a closer game and make it a good match up, but we didn’t compete like we did against Minnesota and North Carolina. A lot of credit has to go to Ohio State,” Gardner-Webb head coach Rick Scruggs said following the game.

For the first time all season, Ohio State played a complete, 40-minute game. There were no second half letdowns, no large leads that quickly diminished. Ohio State played with intensity that was shown through tough defense, forcing a season-high 20 turnovers.

“It was a big issue I wanted to take care of. We need to be able to sustain the effort. We must defend well and rebound. I think the first possession was a good indicator of that. We had great intensity tonight,” Ohio State head coach Thad Matta said.

The Buckeyes’ also played smart basketball, only turning over the rock five times the entire game.

“We knew that Gardner-Webb was a good team and we knew that we had to come out with great defensive intensity. The past few practices we have been running drills to practice taking care of the ball and playing within the team and we did that tonight,” senior guard Je’Kel Foster said.

Senior center Terence Dials scored 23 points and pulled down nine rebounds in just 22 minutes of action to lead Ohio State to a 87-58 win over Gardner-Webb in front of 13,928 fans at Value City Arena, Wednesday night.

“I had space and tried to get deep into the paint. Once I get two feet in the paint I really don’t have to do much but just turn and shoot. I didn’t really do anything special. I just took what the defense gave me,” Dials said after going against Gardner-Webb’s 6-foot-9, 250 pound center Simon Conn.

Foster, who finished with 14 points, scored on a three-point field goal with 17:22 left in the first half to give the Buckeyes’ a 5-3 lead and Ohio State would never trail the rest of the way.

Ohio State used two different 8-0 runs in the first half to take a 25-10 lead with 9:50 left after a bucket by Ron Lewis, who also finished with 14 points, and the Buckeyes’ would head into the locker room at intermission leading 42-25.

It was more of the same for the Buckeyes in the second half, as Ohio State would claim its’ biggest lead of the game with 3:18 left to play after a fast-break layup by Lewis on a fine pass from Sylvester Mayes.

The Runnin’ Bulldogs were led by Conn who scored 14 points and grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds.

Ohio State’s final non-conference game before Big Ten play begins is against the LSU Tigers on Saturday. Tip-off on New Year’s Eve is at 1:00 pm.

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The fourth-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes and the fifth-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish began workouts on Tuesday in preparation for the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, January 2. Kickoff is scheduled for 5:12 pm. ET.

The game will be televised by ABC with Brent Musberger, Gary Danielson, and Jack Arute. The game can also be heard on the 73-station OSU Radio Network with Paul Keels, Jim Lachey, and Jim Karsatos.

Ohio State, who arrive in Phoenix on Monday, went through a full-contact practice at Pinnacle High School on Tuesday.

One player who was on the practice field after suffering a broken fibula in his right leg during the Buckeyes’ first defensive play against Michigan was linebacker Bobby Carpenter. Though held out of the contact drills, Carpenter was seen jogging, working out and testing his leg with lateral movements. The biggest question would be if he can plant off his right leg, then move to the left pain free.

Carpenter status for the Fiesta Bowl is up in the air, but that decision will likely come on Saturday when more x-rays will be taken after a week of workouts. Then it may come down to a game time decision, based on how it feels.

If Carpenter, Ohio State’s sack leader this season with eight is unable to play, true freshman James Laurinaitis, who filled in at the strongside linebacker position during the Michigan game and played well, will start in Carpenter’s absence.

Laurinaitis took all of the repetitions at linebacker along with A.J. Hawk and Anthony Schlegel during practice at the Woody Hayes facility in Columbus before the team headed to the desert.

Other Buckeyes’ coming off injuries that did practice full tilt were linebacker Mike D’Andrea, fullback Brandon Schnittker, and tight end Ryan Hamby. All three are expected to play after missing an extended amount of time this season.

Ohio State spent Tuesday’s practice working out the kinks following the break for the Christmas holiday, or as head coach Jim Tressel stated, “rust.”

“There might have been a little rust at the beginning but as practice went on you could see things starting to click. But the most important thing is that they want to compete against each other and get after it a little,” Tressel said following practice.

While Ohio State was going full contact, Notre Dame’s practice at Scottsdale Community College consisted of nothing more that wind sprints. The later that evening, the Irish headed over to Chase Field formerly known as Bank One Ballpark in downtown Phoenix, the site where Notre Dame lost 38-21 to Oregon State in last year’s Insight Bowl.

“A year ago, we left not feeling very good about ourselves,” Weis said. “This year, we’re hoping to go out a little different,” Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis said, even though he was not coaching the Irish this time last year.

“We’re facing a great opponent in Ohio State. I have the utmost respect for that whole program. But I’ll tell you this, we didn’t come out here to drink margaritas,” Weis continued.

Tags: Football by Matt Barker
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