The 19th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes travel to that “state up north” to take on the 22nd-ranked Michigan Wolverines at Crisler Arena tonight. Tip-off time is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

The game will be televised nationally on ESPN during their “Rivalry Week” package with Brent (”OC” as in “open container”) Musburger and Steve Lavin calling the game action. As always, the game can be heard throughout Buckeyeland on the 59-station OSU Radio Network with “Big Daddy” Paul Keels and Ronnie Stokes.

The Wolverines (16-4 overall, 6-3 Big Ten) are off to their best start since the 1993-94 season, but are looking to rebound from a 94-66 beatdown at the hands of the Iowa Hawkeyes last Saturday in Iowa City.

In that game, the Wolverines trailed by eight points at intermission, but were outscored 52-32 in the final 20 minutes as the Hawkeyes finished the game shooting a blistering 34-of-49 (65.3 percent) from the field which includes an impressive 13-of-19 (68.4 percent) from beyond the arc.

Though Michigan kept the game close in the first half on 14-of-28 (50.0 percent) shooting, they needed a map and a compass to find the basket in the second half. Tommy Amaker’s crew couldn’t hit water if they fell out of a boat, putting just eight through the orange cylinder in 25 attempts (32.0 percent).

Even with the ineptitude in shooting during the second half of the Iowa game, Michigan continues to lead the Big Ten in field goal percentage at 49.3.

Leading the way for the Wolverines is 6-foot-3 senior guard Daniel Horton, a Big Ten Player of the Year and All-Big Ten candidate, who was named as one of 16 Finalists for the Bob Cousy Award as the nation’s top point guard.

Horton averages 16.4 points per game and scored 19 on 5-of-10 shooting in the loss at Iowa.

The rest of the starting five consists of backcourt mate Dion Harris, a 6-3 junior guard, who is third on the team in scoring with a 12.0 ppg average.

In the frontcourt, 6-foot-11 center Courtney Sims anchors the middle and is the team’s leading rebounder (6.2 rpg). Sims is also second on the team in scoring at 12.4 ppg.

The forwards are 6-foot-9 Graham Brown (5.6 ppg, 7.6 rpg) and 6-foot-6 Ron Coleman (4.6 ppg, 2.5 rpg), who has been in the starting lineup in place of an injured Lester Abram.

Abram, a 6-foot-6 swingman who is listed in the pregame notes from the University of Michigan’s sports information department as day-to-day, severely sprained his ankle against Minnesota on January 21. He has played just two minutes against Penn State on February 1 since the injury.

Abram is currently fourth on the team in scoring with a 11.5 points per game average, and is the team’s best three-point shooter at 45.5 percent from downtown.

Of Michigan’s four losses, three have come from Big Ten opponents. Michigan completed the non-conference portion of the schedule going 10-1, losing to 14th-ranked UCLA 68-61 at home.

Ohio State is coming off a 67-53 victory over Minnesota on Saturday, as the Buckeyes benefited from the hot shooting of senior guard Je’Kel Foster, who regained his outside touch in the last two games. Foster scored a season-high 25 points on 8-of-10 from the field, including 7-of-8 beyond the arc against the Gophers.

In the only meeting last year, Ohio State defeated Michigan 72-46 at Value City Arena.

Ohio State also own the all-time mark against Michigan with a record of 83-70. The Buckeyes are 33-43 all-time against the Wolverines in Ann Arbor.

After the Michigan game, the Buckeyes return home to host the 10th-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini on Sunday, with tip-off time scheduled for 1:00 p.m.

Tags: Buckeye Basketball by Matt Barker
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That burning smell coming from Value City Arena on Saturday was not due to a concession worker leaving a hot dog on the grill too long, it was the sweet aroma of scorched nylon thanks to Je’Kel Foster.

To take a line from Ohio native and ESPN anchor Dan Patrick, Foster was “en el fuego!” Though Foster missed his first three-point field goal attempt, he went on to nail down his next seven treys and score 25 points in the process, leading the 20th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes to a 67-53 win over the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

While Foster has been the sharpest of long-range shooters for the Buckeyes this season and the one of the best in the country, ranking eighth in the NCAA at a 46.5 percent clip, Foster has been struggling from beyond the arc since Big Ten play began.

Foster was just 14-of-43 (32.6%) in seven conference games before the Buckeyes faced the Gophers. After missing his first, it didn’t deter him as he kept hoisting up the rock from downtown.

“Coach told me to stay positive and to keep shooting. So I did and they kept going in,” Foster said after the game.

Minnesota only held the lead briefly at the beginning of the game, but when Foster connected on this first triple of the afternoon putting Ohio State ahead 5-2 with 17:22 left in the first half, the Buckeyes would never trail.

The Buckeyes claimed the biggest lead of the opening period when Dials was fouled by Minnesota’s Maurice Hargrow, and his one of his free throws put Ohio State ahead 25-17 with 6:56 remaining.

The Golden Gophers chipped away at the lead, and after a jumper by Dan Coleman, Minnesota trailed by just a bucket with 1:04 left.

Ohio State would close out the scoring before intermission on a three-ball by Jamar Butler from the top of the key, and a steal by Foster just before the horn sounded kept OSU ahead 33-28 at the break.

Later in the second half, Vincent Grier narrowed the gap down to three for the Gophers on his rebound and putback with 11:56 to play, making the score 45-42 in favor of the Buckeyes.

But a steal by J.J. Sullinger resulted in a layup for Matt Sylvester and another trey by Foster push the lead into double-digits for the Buckeyes with 9:15 left.

Ohio State’s biggest margin came at the end of the game on a pair of charity-stripe tosses by Foster, which made the final score 67-53.

Minnesota was able to stay in the game by outhustling Ohio State at times, and working hard to get rebounds. The Gophers held a 30-24 advantage off the glass.

The one problem that Minnesota has is that they do not have a true point guard. The Gophers had nearly as many turnovers (18) as field goals made (20).

Another thing that kept the Gophers in the game was that the Buckeyes kept hurting themselves with miscues as well, with 14 turnovers.

One of the keys to the game that I mentioned in the game preview was that Terence Dials needed to get a lot of touches on offense. With Minnesota’s lack of size on the inside, Dials did get the ball in the low post a lot, attempting 11 field goals and making six. Dials finished with 15 points and nine rebounds.

Jamal Abu-Shamala, a walk-on at the beginning of the season who earned a scholarship for the second semester at Minnesota, led the Gophers with 16 points. The only other player to score in double figures was Adam Boone with 10.

Up next, Ohio State will travel to the state up north to play Michigan on Thursday night. Tip-off at Crisler Arena is at 7 p.m.

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The 20th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes host their first Big Ten game in over two weeks as the Minnesota Golden Gophers travel to Columbus for an afternoon tilt at Value City Arena. Tip-off time is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.

This game will be televised through ESPN Plus and shown on several stations throughout Buckeyeland with the “Voice of the Cleveland Indians” Tom Hamilton calling the action along with the former Chuck Taylor-wearing, Fred Taylor-coached Bill Hosket handling the color commentary. And as always, the game can be heard on the Ohio State Buckeyes Radio Network with “Big Daddy” Paul Keels and the Eldon Miller-coached Ron Stokes.

If you would of asked me last week the outcome of the game, I would of said it will be a “blowout” and moved on. But as I take a line from former Indiana football coach Lee Corso, I should say “not so fast my friend” after Minnesota upset then 13th-ranked Indiana 61-42 last Sunday at Williams Arena in Minneapolis.

Sure, it was Minnesota’s first and only win to date in the Big Ten after going through the non-conference portion of schedule 9-2. But Minnesota head coach Dan Monson changed the lineup, inserting seldom-used forward Zach Puchtel into the starting five.

Puchtel, who is listed at 6-foot-6 and 250 pounds, along with frontcourt mate J’son Stamper (6-6, 235) held Indiana’s big man Marco Killingsworth to just two first half points as the Gophers took a 34-16 lead into intermission.

With Minnesota’s rather short but robust forwards clogging the paint that limited Killingsworth and Indiana’s inside game, the Hoosiers meanwhile could not hit water if they were throwing a beach ball off a pier against the Gophers. Indiana, which led the nation in three-point shooting percentage before playing Minnesota, converted just 22 percent (5 for 23) from beyond the arc, and were never able to establish an inside presence.

Ohio State should expect more of the same against Minnesota, with Puchtel in the starting lineup and the Gophers playing a tight, packed zone defense to limit the Buckeyes’ man in the middle, Terence Dials.

Ohio State has plenty of weapons in long-range shooters, who made 13 three-point field goals out of 36 attempts against Florida A&M on Monday, with a total of six different Buckeyes draining threes.

The Gophers are led by senior swingman Vincent Grier (6-5, 210), who had 36 points and 22 rebounds in two games last year against Ohio State. This year, Grier is averaging 15.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.

Going with the starting lineup Monson used against Indiana, Stamper (6.7 ppg, 6.9 rpg) and Puchtel (0.8 ppg, 0.7 rpg) will round out the frontcourt, with 6-2 senior guard Adam Boone (9.8, 4.9 apg) and 6-5 freshman guard Jamal Abu-Shamala manning the backcourt.

Others who will see extensive action off the bench will be 6-5 senior guard Maurice Hargrow (14.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg), 6-9 sophomore center Spencer Tollackson (9.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg), and 6-9 sophomore forward Dan Coleman (9.1 ppg, 3.8 rpg).

The biggest keys to the game for Ohio State, as always, is that Dials must stay out of foul trouble and to be able to play 30-35 minutes. He needs to be on the floor as much as possible for his defensive presence.

Minnesota is not a very good outside shooting team. The Golden Gophers have four players who average two or more three-point field goal attempts per game, and combined they are just 30.6 percent from beyond the arc. Boone leads the team with 32 three-pointers made, but has taken 108 for a paltry 29.6 percent.

Ohio State, on the other hand, has seven different players who average two or more attempts from three-point land, and are eighth in the nation shooting 40.9 percent.

Another key will be to make sure Dials touches the ball every time down on the offensive end, and as the Gophers swarm to cover him in the post, he needs to make smart decisions, either making a move to the basket or crisp passes. The inside-outside game, ball movement, and getting the Gopher defense off-balanced will lead the Buckeyes’ to a big win.

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For the 2006 recruiting class, according to Scout.com, Ohio State ranked 13th out of all Division I-A schools. And out of the 20 student-athletes who signed a letter of intent on Wednesday, seven are ranked in the Top 100. Those earning a five-star rating from Scout are linebacker Larry Grant, a junior college transfer from San Francisco, Connor Smith, an offensive lineman from Cincinnati Colerain, and running back Chris “Beanie” Wells from Akron Garfield.

USC, who lost to Texas in the Rose Bowl, claimed to be the biggest winners by Scout.com in this year’s class signing 13 players who rank in the Top 100, and eight of those tagged with a five-star rating.

Some people take a lot of stock into the recruiting classes, the rankings, and the ratings. While Ohio State only finished 13th according to Scout, the Buckeyes also had one of the smallest recruiting classes among the top teams, only signing 20 prep stars.

But lets take a look at previous years and see just how much these “experts” know about recruiting.

In 2002, Scout ranked Ohio State third after signing five-star players like defensive end Mike Kudla, running back Maurice Clarett, and linebacker Mike D’Andrea.

Kudla had a very solid career at Ohio State, D’Andrea hopes to come back from injuries, and Clarett is hoping to avoid jail time.

Some of the players that received a four-star rating in 2002 are Quinn Pitcock, Justin Zwick, Tyler Everett, Troy Smith, Bobby Carpenter, Santonio Holmes, Nate Salley, and Brandon Mitchell.

Also in the 2002 class was linebacker A.J. Hawk, who garnered just three stars and was ranked the 32nd-best linebacker in the nation on signing day. Wow, the best defensive player in all of college football in 2005 only received three stars? And there were supposedly 31 better linebackers in this class?

Folks, that’s not striking out, that’s whiffing on a Tim Wakefield knuckleball so bad that you nearly corkscrew yourself into the ground.

College recruiting is similar to drafting in the National Football League, with a certain amount of risk and reward, and there are no guarantees. Ryan Leaf was the second overall pick by the San Diego Chargers in 1998, while Tom Brady wasn’t selected until the sixth round with the 199th overall selection in the 2000 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. See the difference?

So you have to take all of these “expert” ratings and rankings with a grain of salt. I have never put a lot of stock into these rankings, because what a player did before does not always translates to the next level. Having played and coached high school athletics, there were players you thought would do well in college and possibly in the pro ranks who never got a chance. Then some had the world right before them only to lose it all by making some wrong decisions.

By the way in 2002, Zwick was ranked 14h and Smith 15th-best at the quarterback position. The best quarterback recruited that year was a guy by the name of Vince Young from Texas, who also had the top-rated class that year.

In 2003, less than a month after winning the national title, Ohio State finished ranked 25th with that year’s recruiting class. Only 15 players signed letters of intent, and the only five-star player was Donte Whitner. Others in that class who received four-stars were Marcel Frost, Anthony Gonzalez, David Patterson, Louis Irizarry, Dareus Hiley, and Brandon Maupin.

Whitner was the top-rated cornerback in the nation in 2003, while Ashton Youboty who was also in that class, received just three stars and was ranked the 24th-best cornerback. Both are leaving after their junior years and jump into the NFL.

The 2004 recruiting class was ranked 11th-best, with the only five-star player brought in by Ohio State that year being Ted Ginn Jr., who was rated the best cornerback in the nation. Players who were tagged with four-stars in that class were wide receiver Albert Dukes, linebacker Marcus Freeman, and tight end Rory Nicol.

Also in the class with three stars and ranked the 31st-best running back in the nation that year was Antonio Pittman.

The 2005 recruiting class was ranked 7th-best with the signing of five-star players in defensive end Doug Worthington, offensive lineman Alex Boone, and defensive back Jamario O’Neal.

One thing that you have to realize is that these team rankings every year have a lot to do with how many scholarships a school has to offer, and not necessarily how many of the so-called top players are signed. Some of the teams that ranked in the top-10 for 2006 signed a lot more players than Ohio State did.

Florida, Georgia, and Notre Dame all had top-five recruiting classes, but they also signed 27 or more players, too.

So you can take for ratings and ranking for what they are worth, but know that Ohio State will get the players they need and compete for a Big Ten and national championship every year.

Tags: Buckeye Football by Matt Barker
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With today being National Signing Day in college football, 20 student-athletes submitted their letters of intent to head coach Jim Tressel, and some as early at 7 a.m.

One of those who are committed to play for the Buckeyes next season is Akron Garfield running back Chris “Beanie” Wells, who Scout.com rates as the nation’s No. 1 high school football recruit.

Wells, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 230 pounds, rushed for 2,134 yards and 27 touchdowns for the Golden Rams in 2005. Last month, he played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl at the Alamodome in San Antonio where he rushed for 67 yards and three touchdowns, which earned him the offensive MVP award.

Other players who signed to play for the Buckeyes’ that might have an instant impact on the 2006 campaign are linebacker Larry Grant from the City College of San Francisco.

The junior college transfer stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 225 pounds, and has been clocked running a 4.45, 40-yard dash. Grant is a linebacker with all the physical tools to step in and immediately help a defense. He has very good size and exhibits good instincts. He could play inside as well as on the outside.

His decision came down to Ohio State and Oregon. He will enroll in time for spring football and compete for one of the three open linebacker jobs at OSU.

Also signing on the dotted line today was athlete Ray Small from Cleveland Glenville. Small, has world-class speed running the 40 in 4.4 seconds. The 5-foot-11, 170 pound receiver/defensive back can play on either side of the ball. He has been compared to current OSU and former Glenville player Ted Ginn. Jr.

Tags: Buckeye Football by Matt Barker
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