When you hear “White Out,” it’s not referring to what Indiana head coach Kelvin Sampson routinely does to his telephone bills. In a video produced by the Ohio State athletic department, the sixth member of the “Thad Five,” sophomore guard Mark Titus, makes his sales pitch for all Buckeye fans to show up at Sunday’s Indiana game wearing white.

A sellout crowd of more than 19,000 fans hope to “White Out” the 14th-ranked Hoosiers, who visit Value City Arena to take on the Buckeyes. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET, and the game will be televised on CBS with Kevin Harlan and “Special K” Clark Kellogg calling the action.

When Sampson is not making illegal conference calls to recruits, he has led the Hoosiers to a 19-3 overall record, 8-1 in Big Ten Conference play after Indiana claimed a 83-79 double overtime win at hapless Illinois, Thursday night.

The Hoosiers are led by 6-foot-4 freshman guard Eric Gordon, who is averaging a Big Ten-best 21.6 points per game. Gordon is strictly a scorer, as he averages more turnovers per game (3.6) than rebounds (3.1) or assists (2.6). But he can fill it from the outside, shooting 47.1 percent from the field and 41.3 percent from beyond the arc.

Gordon had just one point in the first half against Illinois, but scored 18 points on 3-for-5 shooting from behind the arc and 9 of 10 from the free throw line. He had the biggest shot of the night for the Hoosiers, banking in a three-pointer to tie the game at 63-63 with 25 seconds remaining in regulation.

Third in the conference in scoring while being the top rebounder in the league is 6-foot-9 senior forward D.J. White, who is averaging 17.5 points and 10.6 rebounds a game.

Coming off the bench, 6-foot-4 freshman guard Jordan Crawford is third on the Hoosiers in scoring, dropping down 10.6 points per outing.

Starting point guard Armon Bassett, a 6-1 sophomore, is the fourth Hoosier to average in double figures at 10.4 points per game.

The Hoosiers are 4-1 in conference road games with their only loss coming at Wisconsin (62-49) back on Jan. 31. Indiana’s other losses are to Xavier (80-65) Nov. 24 and Connecticut (68-63) Jan. 26.

Against Illinois, Indiana trailed by as many as 10 points midway through the second half before Gordon started chipping away at the lead from the foul line. He converted six shots from the charity stripe in the final eight minutes, but it was his banked-in three-pointer with 25 seconds left that knotted the score at 63-all.

The Illini’s Shaun Pruitt had an opportunity to win the game with four seconds left, but he missed the front end of a one-and-one to send the game to overtime.

Pruitt had another chance to win the game at the end of the first overtime, but he missed two free throws with two seconds left to send the game to a second extra session. Pruitt scored the first basket in the second overtime to give Illinois a lead, but the Hoosiers ran off five straight points, including a three-pointer from Bassett, to give Indiana the lead for good.

Indiana leads the all-time series with Ohio State 97-68, but Buckeyes own the edge in Columbus with a 47-33 advantage. The last time Indiana played in Columbus as a ranked team was Jan. 11, 2003, an 81-69 Ohio State win over the 15th-ranked Hoosiers. The Buckeyes have won the last four meetings vs. ranked Indiana teams in Columbus.

Ohio State currently has a record of 7-3 in Big Ten conference play, two games behind league-leading Purdue, who is 9-1. The Indiana game is a must-win if the Buckeyes have any hopes of three-peating.

Tags: Men's Basketball by Matt Barker, Publisher & Editor of BuckeyeBanter.com
Comments Off

Even though Columbus, like Cleveland, Akron and Dayton, are one-newspaper cities, at least where I spend my days during the week, I always have access to each of those daily publications.

While the Columbus Dispatch does an admirable job, the newspaper I always pick up first is the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Bill Livingston, a sports columnist for the PD, who was probably the beat reporter for the Cleveland Indians the last time the Tribe won a World Series, hit one out of the park today. And it involves Terrelle Pryor.

Livingston said this in today’s edition of the Plain Dealer:

Pryor’s upcoming visit to Penn State seemed at first glance to be a courtesy to Paterno, who is a football legend at Linebacker U., not Quarterback U. But apparently, Pryor’s father is being wooed heavily by the Nittany Lions.

Paterno with a space-age quarterback would be like Woody Hayes was with Art Schlichter.

The dinosaur is never going to fly.

It is hard to believe any cutting-edge, multi-threat quarterback who is serious about his pro prospects, absent a fondness for isolation, silos and passing Amish buggies on two-lane roads on the way in and out of State College, Pa., would willingly attend Penn State.

Amen, Billy.

While I have might of called Pryor a prima donna while being someone who obviously enjoys the spotlight of having college coaches trailing and a media entourage, maybe I was a bit harsh. But what it really appears is that this kid is having a hard time making a decision, especially when he has an “inner circle” pulling him in every direction.

Pryor is a Pennsylvanian. So when the 107-year old state icon named Joe Paterno comes calling, you listen. Clearly Pryor’s father did. But in reality, Pryor is just trying to make everyone happy, including his Dad. He knows where he wants to go, and that’s Ohio State.

When Pryor traveled down to the US Army All-American Bowl back in January, a high school all-star game featuring the best players in the nation, Pryor was seen hanging out with all of the Ohio State recruits and their families.

It appears that Pryor’s decision has come down to Ohio State and Penn State, even though Pryor has said previously he doesn’t feel comfortable living in a small-town environment. By the way, State College has a population of 38,420, which is roughly the same as the Columbus’ suburb I live in. Pryor wants the bright lights and the big city Columbus is.

Also, if Pryor wants to play quarterback in the NFL, why would anyone want to go to Penn State? The best quarterback in more than a decade to play for the Nittany Lions, Michael Robinson, is now a backup running back and special teams player for the San Francisco 49ers.

Meanwhile, Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel produced a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, who is now listed second on the depth chart as QB for the Baltimore Ravens. And if Troy Smith had Pryor’s height, he just might of been the No. 1-overall pick, last year.

I am also in firm belief that Pryor will decide to come to Ohio State, though he just might not make that decision until the April 1 deadline.

Tags: Football by Matt Barker, Publisher & Editor of BuckeyeBanter.com
Comments Off

Last night’s Ohio State-Michigan basketball tilt sort of reminds me of those one-on-one games I used to play against my little brother in the driveway. Not playing much defense, letting him make easy shots while I take more difficult ones, and then as the game wears on and his confidence level builds while sniffing an upset, I start playing for real.

In essence, that’s what Ohio State did as the Buckeyes defeated the Wolverines 65-55 in front of a sellout crowd at the Schottenstein Center, Tuesday night.

Ohio State trailed by as many as five points in the first half after a conventional three-point play by C.J. Lee put Michigan ahead 28-23 with 4:05 left before halftime.

Jumpers by David Lighty and Othello Hunter trimmed the UM lead down to a single point, as both teams battled with the Wolverines heading off the floor at halftime clinging to a 32-21 advantage.

In the second half, Ohio State took a one-point lead following a layup by Hunter, but Michigan came right back on consecutive possessions as Ron Coleman and Manny Harris drained triples to push UM’s lead back up to five at 40-35 with 16:43 to go.

The Buckeyes were able to regroup as Kosta Koufos scored inside and Jon Diebler connected outside on a deep three to tie the game once again.

With 10:41 remaining in the game, Jevohn Shepherd’s jupmer from beyond the arc once again gave the Wolverines a five-point advantage at 50-45.

The problem was, Michigan could only muster five more points the rest of the game.

The Buckeyes claimed the lead for good after a pair of charity-stripe tosses from Diebler after he was hacked by Zack Gibson driving the dish.

After a jumper by Lighty, Michigan’s 6-foot-10 center Ekpe Udoh was all alone with the ball at the top of he key, so he decided to heave a three-pointer, which went in, trimming Ohio State’s lead to 56-55.

That was the last points scored by the Wolverines the rest of the game as the Buckeyes tighten up the defense.

Jamar Butler scored on a three-pointer with 3:05 remaining and on a layup with 1:24 left to push the Buckeyes lead up to 61-55 before Michigan called a full timeout.

After Harris misfired from downtown, Hunter pulled down the rebound and Diebler made a pair of foul shots while Lighty slammed one down to seal up the win.

Hunter led Ohio State with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Four other Buckeyes scored in double figures as Diebler came off the bench to add 14, Koufos and Lighty each contributed an even dozen, and Butler chipped in 10 while dishing out nine assists.

Ohio State was 24-for-51 from the field (47.1%) and 7-for-16 (43.8%) from three-point range. Michigan, meanwhile, was 20-for-50 (40.0%) from the floor, but just 9 of 26 (34.6%) from beyond the arc.

The Buckeyes also outrebounded the Wolverines, 30-23.

Up next, Ohio State hosts Indiana, Sunday afternoon. Tip-off at the Schottenstein Center is scheduled for 1:00 p.m., and it will be televised on CBS.

Tags: Men's Basketball by Matt Barker, Publisher & Editor of BuckeyeBanter.com
Comments Off

In the past year, Michigan athletic director Bill Martin has pilfered two coaches from West Virginia, with the first being basketball coach John Beilein, last April.

Well Martin’s decision seems to have worked wonders for the Wolverines basketball team as they enter tonight’s game at the Schottenstein Center riding a five-game losing streak and have an overall record of 5-16, 1-8 in Big Ten Conference play.

Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, and it will be televised on ESPN with Brent Musburger, Steve Lavin, and Erin Andrews.

Michigan is led by 6-foot-5 freshman guard Manny Harris, who’s averaging 16.3 points per game. He has scored in double figures 19 out of UM’s 21 games this season while averaging 4.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per outing.

The only other Wolverine to average double digits in scoring is 6-foot-8 sophomore forward DeShawn Sims, who is pouring in 13.0 points per contest. He’s tied with 6-foot-10 sophomore center, Ekpe Udoh, for the team-lead in rebounds averaging 4.8 boards per game.

Michigan’s lone win in the Big Ten came against Northwestern, who has gone winless in their eight conference games.

The Wolverines other four wins have come against perennial Division I powerhouses like Radford, Brown, Eastern Washington and Oakland.

For Ohio State, this game couldn’t have come at a better time as thee Buckeyes are coming off a dismal performance last Saturday, losing 53-48 at Iowa.

It finally looks like senior point guard Jamar Butler is stepping up to become a vocal leader on this team. Following Saturday’s loss, Butler is quoted as saying in a reported written by Columbus Dispatch’s Bob Baptist:

“I don’t know if it’s possible to win the Big Ten now, but if they care about playing in March, they better pick their game up. The potential is there, but guys aren’t mentally tough. They don’t have it upstairs yet. Me and (Matta) talk, and we don’t know what we can do to get guys ready to go night in and night out. Some guys are ready to go and some guys aren’t.”

After watching the Buckeyes all season long, this is clearly evident. Ohio State plays well in spurts, but hasn’t managed to play a full, 40-minute game. OSU has lead at halftime against ranked teams like North Carolina at home and Butler on the road. And the Buckeyes have had their chances against other ranked opponents on the road as well, before losing to Purdue, Michigan State and Tennessee.

Some of the freshman need to learn this isn’t high school anymore, where you can just walk onto the floor for the win. You have to play hard the entire game. Just showing up isn’t going to cut it.

Hopefully tonight’s game will be a springboard for better results.

Tags: Men's Basketball by Matt Barker, Publisher & Editor of BuckeyeBanter.com
Comments Off

Though I am not much of a shopper, yesterday I entered a Schottenstein’s Department Store located on E. Main St. on Columbus’ east side.

What I found once I began walking through the store is that there were many bare spaces and empty racks with signs all over the store stating a big sale.

I asked a store employee what was up, and he said that located is eventually going to become a Burlington Coat Factory store.

Schotttenstein’s, or as they are known outside Columbus, Value City, were owned by their parent company, Retail Ventures Inc.

According to published reports, RVI unloaded a majority stake in its Value City Department Stores chain nearly two weeks ago.

But most of the articles I have found on the Internet about stores closures are the ones outside of the state of Ohio.

In the nearly five years of writing the blog, here’s a first, I am quoting Columbus Business First article that was published on Jan. 23:

The Columbus-based discount retailer late Wednesday said it sold an 81 percent stake in the business to VCHI Acquisition Co., a new entity formed from private equity firms VCDS Acquisition Holdings LLC, Emerald Capital Management LLC and Crystal Value LLC.

Retail Ventures said it is paying the buyer a $500,000 fee, issuing warrants for the purchase of 150,000 shares of Retail Ventures stock and advancing expenses during the transition that VCDS will repay 30 days after the deal’s closing.

The company said it expects to take an after-tax loss on the deal.

From what I am understanding of all of this is that some stores are closing, some locations will be converted to Burlington Coat Factory stores.

But what does this mean for Ohio State’s Value City Arena?

Before the Schottenstein Center opened, Jerome Schottenstein donated $12.5 million dollars to defray the cost of the $109 million price tag. Generally, when it comes to naming rights, payments are made on a yearly basis. In Cleveland where Jacobs Field is now known as Progressive Field after Progressive Insurance, a Cleveland-based company owned by millionaire/philanthropist Peter Lewis, reached a 16-year deal worth approximately $3.6 million per year.

Jacobs Field opened in 1994 and was named to honor former owners Richard and David Jacobs. Richard Jacobs paid $10 million for the naming rights, which expired in 2006.

Now since there is no longer any money owed to Ohio State for the naming rights, the new company taking over Value City Department Stores has no claim to being able to change the name, right? Granted, Ohio State wouldn’t totally changed the name of the arena, but it would appear that it doesn’t make sense to hang on to the Value City portion of the name, as the entire facility can now be called the Jerome Schottenstein Center.

Tags: Men's Basketball by Matt Barker, Publisher & Editor of BuckeyeBanter.com
Comments Off

Following Ohio State’s tough loss to Tennessee in Knoxville on Jan. 19, I scanned through the Buckeyes schedule to find that there were five very winnable games before a Feb. 10 showdown against Indiana at Value City Arena.

Of course those five games that I was mentioning above were winnable, if the Buckeyes wanted it.

This team has been a disappointment (so far) on many different levels. Ohio State has taken on some of the best teams in the country only to lose because the Buckeyes can’t seem to put together a 40-minute game.

Part of the problem is that Ohio State seriously lacks depth, especially at the guard position, and it particular, point guard. I’m sorry, but P.J. Hill is not very good. In fact, he’s downright awful. Out of all the point guards in the nation playing at the junior college level, he’s the best available? You mean to tell me that Ohio State head coach Thad Matta, who’s team just came off an NCAA runner-up finish, can’t get anyone better than Hill?

With that lack of depth, Matta has been basically forced to play zone defense, which after seeing his first three Ohio State teams play almost entirely man-to-man, that seems to go against his beliefs. Yet he has to because if anyone of his top-seven players gets into foul trouble, the team is going to be hurting for a stretch.

Playing zone defense against Iowa really wasn’t the best option for Ohio State as the Buckeyes lost to the Hawkeyes, 53-48, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Saturday night.

Whenever a guy scores 24 points, all on three-pointers like Iowa’s Justin Johnson did against the Buckeyes last night, it’s probably good idea to come out of that zone. But that’s something the Buckeyes can’t afford to do.

It’s also not a good sign when that guy scores nearly half of his team’s points from beyond the arc, either. Of course, it’s was even uglier as the Buckeyes were a mere 3-for-21 from three-point range.

What’s really disheartening is that the Buckeyes had downright beaten up on this same Iowa almost a month ago at home, 79-48. In that game, Iowa was a paltry 6 of 33 from downtown.

While last night’s game was close throughout, the Buckeyes never held a lead for most of the contest.

With the scored tied at 7-all early on, Johnson drained the first of his eight 3-pointers of the night to give Iowa a 10-7 advantage with 14:28 left in the first half.

From that point, Iowa never trailed, nor was the game tied at any point.

The Hawkeyes left the court at halftime owning a five-point lead, which was the margin of victory.

Iowa’s biggest advantage was eight points with 13:33 left in the game when Seth Gorney drained a short jumper, while Ohio State was able to cut the Hawkeyes lead down to two points twice during the second half.

After a layup by Kosta Koufos trimmed Iowa’s lead down to 49-46 with 4:59 left, neither team scored again until there were just 34 ticks left on the clock.

During that time, Ohio State was 0-for-6 from the field, including a missed layup by Jamar Butler with 42 seconds left that would of made it a one-point game.

After that, the Buckeyes were forced to foul down three, and Iowa made their free throws to seal up the win.

Iowa was 19-for-44 (43.2%) from the floor, and 11-for-25 (44.0%) from three-point range. Meanwhile, Ohio State was 21-for-56 (37.5%) from the field, and the aforementioned 3-for-21 (14.0%) from downtown.

Ohio State finally did a better job on the glass outrebounding Iowa 33-31, while only yielding six offensive boards to the Hawkeyes.

If Ohio State is to go from Big Ten pretender to Big Ten contender, it’s time to start playing basketball with some compassion, some heart, some intensity, and with some sense of urgency.

Up next, the Buckeyes will host Michigan, Tuesday night. Tip-off at Value City Arena is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET, and it will be televised on ESPN.

Tags: Men's Basketball by Matt Barker, Publisher & Editor of BuckeyeBanter.com
Comments Off