Right: In 2006, center Terence Dials was the Big Ten player of the year. (File Photo)

The last time Ohio State played at the University in Dayton Arena for the NCAA Tournament was three years ago.

Back in 2006, after winning the Big Ten regular season title and placing second in the conference tournament, the Buckeyes were tagged as a No. 2-seed in the Minneapolis regional. OSU’s first opponent was Davidson, a 15th-seed, a year before Stephen Curry would don a Wildcat uniform.

In the days leading up to the game there were several references that this match-up between Ohio State and Davidson was “David versus Goliath.”

Ian Johnson, a 6-foot-9 senior forward was able to score 26 points for Davidson, thanks to a goofy-looking, shot put-style, jump hook shot.

Unfortunately, he and his Davidson teammates did not have enough stones to slay the second-seeded “Goliath” known as Ohio State.

While the giant slumbered through the first half, it woke up during the second 20 minutes of action thanks to the play Terence Dials, Ron Lewis, and J.J. Sullinger as Ohio State went on to defeat Davidson 70-62.

Both Dials and Lewis finished the game with 19 points, but the bulk of that offensive output came in the second half. Lewis chipped in 16, and Dials 13 in the final period of play. Dials also finished a double-double with 13 rebounds. Sullinger contributed a baker’s dozen in both points and boards.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair with three ties and five lead changes throughout, and Davidson scored the final four points of the first half to take a 29-25 lead into intermission.

Davidson’s Jason Morton scored on a layup with 14:03 remaining to play in the game, pushing the Wildcat lead to 35-32. But two deep treys by Lewis, one at 13:44 and the other with 12:41 remaining, turned what was a three-point deficit into a three-point lead and the Buckeyes never trailed from that point on in the game.

The Buckeyes shot just 29.7 percent for the first half, going 11-of-37 from the floor and 1-of-14 from beyond the arc. But Ohio State improved those numbers greatly in the second stanza, shooting 53.6 percent from the field on 15-of-28 shooing and 4-of-8 from downtown.

For the game, Ohio State had an even 40.0 percent field goal percentage on 26-of-65 shooting, while Davidson finished shooting 38.2 percent (26-of-68) from the floor. Both teams were 5-of-22 (22.7 percent) from three-point range.

With the win, Ohio State advanced to play the seventh-seeded Georgetown Hoyas, who defeated the 10th-seeded Northern Iowa Panthers 54-49 in the opening round.

In the second round match-up, 7-foot-2 center Roy Hibbert scored 20 points and pulled down 14 rebounds as he dominated the Big Ten player of the year, Terence Dials, and the Hoyas went on to win 70-52.

Georgetown’s Jeff Green added 19 points, Ashanti Cook had 17 and Darrel Owens 14, which accounted for all the Hoyas’ points.

Hibbert hit four of his first five shots from the field and had nine points as Georgetown streaked to a 20-10 lead just past the halfway mark of the first half. The Hoyas later scored 11 of the final 13 points to close out the opening stanza and held a 38-25 advantage at intermission while shooting 57 percent from the floor.

Ohio State could never recover in the second half.

Dials finished with 19 points, Jamar Butler added 12 and Je’Kel Foster chipped in 11 for the Buckeyes.

A year later, Ohio State and Georgetown met in the national semifinals with the Buckeyes winning 67-60.

Tags: Men's Basketball by Matt Barker, Publisher & Editor of BuckeyeBanter.com
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No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes vs. No. 9 Siena Saints

Date: Friday, March 20
Time: 9:40 p.m. ET (approx.)
Place: The University of Dayton (UD) Arena – capacity 13,409
TV: CBS Sports with Verne Lundquist and Bill “With a Kiss” Rafferty.
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.
NCAA Tournament History: Ohio State is making its 21st appearance in the NCAA Tournament and is 37-19 all-time. The Buckeyes have advanced to nine Final Fours, made it to the championship game four times, and won a national title back in 1960. Ohio State’s last NCAA tournament appearance was in 2007 as the Buckeyes lost to Florida in the championship game.
Siena is making their fifth appearance in the NCAAs and is 3-4 overall. Last year, the Saints went on to upset fourth-seeded Vanderbilt in the first round of the tournament, 83-62. Siena was led by guard Kenny Hasbrouck, who scored a team-high 30 points. The Saints never trailed in the contest and became the first MAAC team to advance since the 2004 tournament.
Last Time: The last time Ohio State and Siena met on the hardwood was back in 1986 with the Buckeyes winning 101-57 at St. John Arena. OSU had five scorers in double figures with Dennis Hopson leading the way with 24 points.

Right: Senior guard Kenny Hasbrouck (right, 41) is averaging 14.8 points per game for Siena. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

The eighth-seeded Ohio State Buckeyes will take on the ninth-seeded Siena Saints at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, for a first round match-up in the NCAA Tournament on Friday. The tip-off time is approximately 9:40 p.m. ET.

Fran McCaffery, who’s in his fourth season as head coach of Siena, is 84-43 overall and took the Saints to the NCAA Tournament last year as a 13th-seed and advanced to the second round after they knocked off fourth-seeded Vanderbilt.

McCaffery has four players that average in double figures in scoring, led by 6-foot-3 senior guard Kenny Hasbrouck, who pours in 14.8 points per game. Edwin Ubiles, a 6-foot-6 swingman, averages 14.6 points per game, while 6-foot-5 forward Alex Franklin contributes 13.6 points per contest. Down low, 6-foot-9 sophomore forward Ryan Rossiter leads the team in rebounding, collecting 7.8 caroms per outing while averaging an even 10.0 points per ball game.

Siena won the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference regular season title with a record of 16-2, and claimed the league’s tournament championship with a 77-70 victory over Niagara and finished the season with an overall record of 26-7.

Hasbrouck scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half against Niagara and was named the MAAC Tournament MVP.

Siena was 12-5 in non-conference games, losing to Tennessee (78-64), Wichita State (72-70), Oklahoma State (77-68), Pittsburgh (79-66) and Kansas (91-84). Out of the Saints’ seven wins, those victories over Boise State (82-52), Cornell (74-56), Albany (71-64), Buffalo (71-60), St. Joseph’s (75-74), Holy Cross (83-71) and Northern Iowa (81-75).

Ohio State and Siena have one common opponent, Iona, as the Buckeyes defeated the Gaels 71-53 back on Dec. 20, and the Saints won both meetings against their conference foe (69-68 on Jan. 26, and 75-60 on Feb. 16).

From Ryan Restivo of the Siena Saints’ blog:

—– Ohio State’s turnover problem could come into play here too, Siena loves to press and that’s how they have been able to get teams to play their up tempo style. They will come out and press and sometimes trap, they are normally looking to see how willing the opponent is to play at their pace. Over the last three games in the MAAC Tournament, all three teams showed a willingness to play at their style and kept as close as they could to the Saints in the first half. But in the second half these teams just get too tired, even in the championship game which was tied at halftime, Siena used a stretched between the under 8 and under 4 timeout to take big lead and sit on it for good. Kenny Hasbrouck scored 30 in Siena’s tournament win over Vanderbilt last year, but they will probably get more diverse scoring from a team that can go 7 to 8 deep in scorers.

They are good in halfcourt D too, can definitely deny the three point shot. From what we know about Ohio State, this isn’t a team that gets hard after offensive boards and that will help the Saints try to lead out quicker in transition offense. Siena got better over the MAAC Tournament weekend at playing interior post defense and that will probably be the match-up to watch. Siena has generated a TO% of over 20% in 25 of their 34 games, in those games they are 22-3.

One problem Siena has is free throws. They have given away points at the line in many of their games and, most of the time, it hasn’t cost them. Siena had a lead as large as 20 in the second half against Northern Iowa in their BracketBuster game but let them back in the game by giving up 5 points at the free throw line.

Siena doesn’t look like a team that can legitimately play with some of the big men Ohio State feature. The Saints don’t have players 7 feet tall but Alex Franklin plays a lot taller than his size and Ryan Rossiter has become a solid contributor after being a fringe role player last year. Siena’s players are also vulnerable to foul trouble and the depth is a little inexperienced but the Saints are about as comfortable with their fourth, fifth and sixth options to score points as their top three (Hasbrouck, Edwin Ubiles, Alex Franklin). All this and I haven’t mentioned Clarence Jackson who has become a bench three point threat though he has shown he is unafraid to hoist up threes at any time.

Siena and Ohio State should be a great offensive game, we’ll see how Ohio State’s turnover problem factors into this and if they can play at an up tempo pace. I think either pace extreme should make this a good game though Siena has only played a few games where it has taken to score mid-60s to win. I think we’re in for a fast paced game with two very good offenses, something that should keep all college basketball fans captivated as the first round comes to a close. —–

After looking over the stats for both teams, Ohio State and Siena average the same amount of turnovers per game, 13.1, as both rank 102nd in the nation out of 330 teams. Personally, an up-tempo game would help the Buckeyes more than it would hurt after witnessing the 82 points scored against Michigan State, last Saturday.

It seems that Ohio State handles the ball fairly well in the backcourt and in transition, but they turn the ball over more in their half-court offense with lazy passes and when Evan Turner tries to create offense on his own and forces too much.

Ohio State has been going nine-deep with B.J. Mullens, Jeremie Simmons, Kyle Madsen and Walter Offutt coming off the bench. I think playing three games in three days took their toll on the Buckeyes during the Big Ten tournament, but should be well-rested and ready for Siena on Friday. I don’t think the uptempo style will bother OSU and it just may even benefit the Bucks’. There’s really no team in the Big Ten that plays that style.

One thing that Ohio State will benefit from is that it should be a home game (or close to it) for the Buckeyes, playing in nearby Dayton.

Clearly, OSU has a definite size advantage, but will Dallas Lauderdale and Mullens show up to play? B.J. played just 12 minutes against Purdue last time out, scoring only three points and seemed dejected for the lack of of playing time.

Defensively, Siena gives up a whopping 70.0 points per game, which ranks them 223rd out of 330 teams, while allowing their opponents to shoot 43.6 percent from the field (190th) and 33.8 percent from beyond the arc (154th).

Ohio State will have to knock down their open shots from three-point land, something they have been doing as of late. It was also open up the lane for Turner to drive and the bigs to operate in the post. The Buckeyes are 10th in the NCAA in field goal percentage (48.4) and are 34th in the nation in three-point field goal percentage (37.9).

While it seems that most Buckeye fans are already looking towards Sunday’s match-up against Louisville, I think this game is going to be much closer, but with the Buckeyes coming away with a 7 or 8-point win.

Tags: Men's Basketball by Matt Barker, Publisher & Editor of BuckeyeBanter.com
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Right: Ohio State’s Evan Turner drives by Purdue’s Marcus Green in the Big Ten tournament championship on Sunday.
(Getty Images)

Earlier this evening it was announced that the eighth-seeded Ohio State Buckeyes will take on the ninth-seeded Siena Saints at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, for a first round match-up in the NCAA Tournament on Friday. The tip-off time is approximately 9:40 p.m. ET.

Siena, which is located in Loudonville, New York, just a few miles north of the state capital of Albany, plays in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and finished the season with an overall record of 26-7.

Out of the Saints’ 12 non-conference games, they won seven, though none of the teams are notable. Those victories include Boise State, Cornell, Albany, Buffalo, St. Joseph’s, Holy Cross, and Northern Iowa.

The five losses came at the hands of Tennessee, Wichita State, Oklahoma State, Pittsburgh and Kansas.

Siena’s last PRI ranking had them at No. 19, and their strength of schedule was at No. 66. So they’re definitely are not a cupcake.

Fran McCaffery, who’s in his fourth season as head coach of Siena, is 84-43 overall and took the Saints to the NCAA Tournament last year as a 13th-seed and advanced to the second round after they knocked off fourth-seeded Vanderbilt.

McCaffery has four players that average in double figures in scoring, led by 6-foot-3 senior guard Kenny Hasbrouck, who pours in 14.8 points per game. Edwin Ubiles, a 6-foot-6 swingman, averages 14.6 points per game, while 6-foot-5 forward Alex Franklin contributes 13.6 points per contest. Down low, 6-foot-9 sophomore forward Ryan Rossiter leads the team in rebounding, collecting 7.8 caroms per outing while averaging an even 10.0 points per ball game.

On Sunday, Ohio State had a golden opportunity to claim their second Big Ten tournament championship in three years, but let it slip away in the second half.

The Buckeyes took a 30-25 lead into halftime, but couldn’t get a defensive stop when they needed it most in the second period and had a hard time defending E’Twaun Moore, who scored 14 of his 17 points in the final stanza.

Moore did most of his damage from beyond the arc, nailing down 4-of-8 three-point attempts in the second half.

The Buckeyes led 40-37 with 13:15 left in the game, but Moore drained two triples on consecutive possessions before Marcus Green scored on a layup and Moore added another trey and all of a sudden the Boilermakers were out in front 48-41 with 10:45 remaining.

Purdue led by as many as nine points on four different occasions before Ohio State clawed back into the game.

With under a minute to play, the Buckeyes trailed 58-55, but Keaton Grant’s three-pointer with 47 seconds left was the second-to-last nail in the coffin. After Evan Turner scored on a conventional three-point play with 16 seconds to go, Chris Kramer’s two free throws four ticks later sealed the deal.

Turner finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds, while Jon Diebler and William Buford each had 15 points apiece for the Buckeyes.

Ohio State was outrebounded once again, this time by a 51-35 margin, which enabled Purdue to take 13 more shots from the field. Overall, the Buckeyes were 22-of-51 (43.1%) from the floor, and 7-of-17 (41.2%) from three-point range. Purdue shot 34.4 percent (22-of-64) from the field, and shot 32.0 percent (8-of-25) from beyond the arc.

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