Syracuse, Ohio State Retain 1-2 Status in Polls; Fab Melo, Will Buford Star

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Undefeated Syracuse opened their 2011-12 Big East campaign with a trademark, 75-49, victory over Seton Hall in which the Orange deployed coach Jim Boeheim's 2-3 zone defense to force 23 turnovers, 17 steals and 15 blocked shots.

Sophomore center Fab Melo collected 10 of those blocks, a school record, to go with his 12 points on 6-for-9 shooting for his first career double-double. The 7-foot Brazilian also added seven rebounds in the rout of the Pirates, which shot just 32% from the field.

Syracuse, ranked #1 in the AP Poll, improved to 14-0. The win was the 870th for coach Boeheim, leaving him in fifth place all time, six behind Kentucky's Adolph Rupp and nine behind North Carolina's Dean Smith.

#2 Ohio State was also opening conference action, theirs the Big Ten, and the Buckeyes responded with an 87-54 trouncing of Northwestern.

The Buckeyes shot 48% while holding the wildcats to 32% shooting for the game. Ohio State made 10 of 20 3-pointers, including 5-for-7 by senior guard William Buford, who led all scorers with a career high 28 points on 9-for-14 shooting.

Sophomore Jared Sullinger tossed in 17 points and grabbed 14 rebounds as the Buckeyes held the top two scorers in the conference - John Shurna and Drew Crawford - to a combined 24 points on 9-for-30 shooting.

The 6'6" Buford continues to move up the Buckeye's career scoring leaders list, chasing Dennis Hopson's 2,096. Buford is averaging 16.6 points per game and needs 439 to catch Hopson.

The Buckeyes are 13-1 and favored to capture the Big Ten championship. Their win over Northwestern was the 31st straight time the Buckeyes have downed the Wildcats in Columbus, dating back to 1977.

Buckeyes Hammer Blue Devils; Sullinger, Craft, Buford, Thomas Shine

College Hoops Player of the Day for DAY, Month, 2011

An individual player having a monster game is always a good thing, but, in the long run, basketball is a team game, and teams which don't have to rely on one or two star players are usually the better for it.

Take Ohio State, for instance, a team which demonstrated a wealth of talent among their starters as they bombed the Duke Blue Devils in the now-annual ritual of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, smashing Duke's perfect season with an 83-65 blowout victory.

The Buckeyes led wire-to-wire, beginning the game with an 11-0 run that set the stage for the monumental win.

Jared Sullinger led all scorers with 21 points, adding eight rebounds. The sophomore forward from Columbus, Ohio was 8-for-14 from the field.

Three of Sullinger's teammates weren't far behind in the scoring category. Senior guard, William Buford, closing in on the all-time Buckeye scoring leaders, pumped in 20 on 8-for-15 shooting, including two of three from beyond the arc. Highly-touted sophomore, Deshaun Thomas was 8-for-12 with a pair of threes, for 18 points, his high point total for the season.

Point guard Aaron Craft may have had the best game of all, scoring a season-high 17 points on 7-for-11 shooting, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range. Craft also dished out eight assists, for his third straight game.

Ohio State, which was moved up to #2 in Monday's rankings, improved to 7-0, dropping #3 Duke to 7-1. The win also gave the Big Ten a 4-2 edge in the challenge series, which continues on Wednesday.

NOTABLE: Winners for the Big Ten, along with the Buckeyes, included Northwestern, a 76-60 winner over Georgia Tech, Purdue, 76-65 over Miami, and Illinois, which topped Maryland, 71-62.

For the ACC, Clemson beat Iowa, 71-55, and Virginia topped Michigan, 70-58.

The Baylor Bears, already ranked #7, got a big boost from sophomore Perry Jones III, who crammed in 27 points in Baylor's 90-54 win over Prairie View A&M. The 6'11" forward hit 10 of 14 shots and grabbed six boards.

Jones was playing his first game of the season due to a six-game suspension for accepting disallowed benefits which included Baylor's final game in the Big 12 tournament last season. Baylor is 6-0.

Syracuse played their first game since assistant coach Larry Fine was fired for alleged sexual misconduct, but the Orange didn't miss a beat, knocking off Eastern Michigan, 84-48, before a packed house at the Carrier Dome, Super sub, James Southerland, scored 19 points in 19 minutes. The crowd gave head coach Jim Boeheim, himself under fire in the scandal, a raucous standing ovation as he made his way onto the floor. Boeheim addressed the issues in the post-game press conference, but said there was nothing he would do or say until the investigation into the matter was concluded. Syracuse officials are staunchly behind Boeheim remaining as head coach of the Orange, a position he's held since 1976.

Jared Sullinger Hoists in 27, Grabs 13 Boards as Ohio State Routs North Florida, 85-50

College Hoops Player of the Day for Monday, November 21, 2011

With the holiday shopping season nearly upon them, the Ohio State Buckeyes went to Jared... Jared Sullinger, that is, the 6'9" sophomore forward who helped power the Buckeyes to a 34-3 record and a trip to the sweet sixteen in the NCAA tournament last season.

This season, Sullinger has the Buckeyes at 4-0, after their blowout, 85-50, win over North Florida, in which Sullinger produced season highs in scoring and rebounding, with 27 and 13. Shooting 9-for-16 from the field and 9 of 10 from the line, Sullinger was deadly in the paint while his teammates were ball-hawking away from it, forcing 23 turnovers by the overmatched Ospreys.

Sullinger's 13 boards included five n the offensive end. It was his second double-double in a row after going for 20 points and 11 rebounds against Jackson State this past Friday.

The Buckeyes have won 26 straight home games and will be put to the test on November 29, when the Duke Blue Devils come to visit. Prior to that, Ohio State hosts VMI and Valparaiso on the 23rd and 25th, respectively.

Round of 32 Results and Recaps - Sunday Games

East

North Carolina 86 Washington 83 - Proving once again that size matters, Washington cold not contain the Tar Heel big men - Tyler Zeller (23 points) and John Henson (10 points, 10 boards) - but little Isaiah Thomas and the Huskies took them to the limit.

Ohio State 98 George Mason 66 - the Buckeyes continued to decimate anything in their way, as they smothered the Patriots. David Lighty was 9-for-10 from the field for a game-high 25 points.

Marquette 66 Syracuse 62 - the Golden Eagles soared once again, doing to Syracuse what they did to them during the Big East regular season. The lead changed hands frequently, but Marquette made the plays down the stretch. An 11 seed, Marquette is a surprise from the Big East, which has now seen more than half of their 11 teams gone in the first weekend.

Southwest

VCU 94 Purdue 76 - VCU took a ten-point lead into half time and extended it through the second half, dominating all aspects of the game and distributing 24 assists as a team. Bradford Burgess had 23 points and 8 rebounds for the Rams and 5'10" Joey Rodriguez distributed 11 assists to go with his 10 points.

Kansas 73 Illinois 59 - The Jayhawks had little trouble beating coach Bill Self's former school, getting 24 points and 12 rebounds from Markieff Morris and 17 and 12 from twin brother Marcus.

West

Duke 73 Michigan 71 - Duke survived a serious scare from the Wolverines when Darius Morris missed a runner in the lane with two seconds left after erasing most of a 15-point Duke second half lead. Nolan Smith led all scorers with 24 points, and Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski notched his 900th career win.

Arizona 70 Texas 69 - Texas trailed nearly the entire game, but had two close-in chances to win the game as time ran down. Arizona continued the Longhorns' frustrations in the NCAA tournament by ousting them in an early round again.

Florida State 71 Notre Dame 57 - The Seminoles stunned Notre Dame, smothering them with the nation's best defense and advancing to face VCU in the Sweet 16. Florida State held the usually high-scoring Fighting Irish to just 32% shooting. Bernard James had 14 points and 10 boards for the Seminoles.

Notre Dame was the 9th of 11 teams from the Big East to lose on the opening weekend, leaving just Marquette and UConn from the conference, widely considered to be the best in the nation. Not any more.

Diebler Leads Buckeye Rout of Wisconsin

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, March 6, 2011

In their final regular season game, capping off their Big Ten title, the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes took a victory lap at home, avenging one of their two losses this season, whipping the #10 Wisconsin Badgers, 93-64.

Amid the scoring onslaught, senior guard Jon Diebler had himself a nearly perfect afternoon, leading all scorers with 27 points on 8-for-10 shooting, going 7-of-8 from beyond the arc and hitting 4 out of 5 free throws. Ironically, Diebler's first three-point attempt - which he missed - was the only errant 3-pointer of the day for Ohio State, as the Buckeyes set an NCAA mark for a team attempting 10 or more 3-pointers by going 13-for-14 on threes, an incredible 93%.

Jared Sullinger added 22 for the Buckeyes, who head to the post-season with the best record in the country along with Kansas, at 29-2.

NOTABLE: Winning the regular season isn't everything, as the Fairfield Stags are learning after being dumped by St. Peter's in the semi-finals of the Metro Atlantic tournament, 62-48. The Stags had dropped the Peacocks twice during the regular season - once by 27 points - but shot just 33% for the game as St. Peter's clamped down on defense and move to the finals to face Iona Monday night.

A similar fate was dealt to George Mason, which had won the Colonial Athletic conference going away with a 16-2 record. They were knocked off by VCU in the tournament semi-final, 79-63, though there are indications that the Patriots will still receive an at-large invitation to the NCAAs. VCU, 12-6 during the regular season, will face Old Dominion, winner of eight straight, in the final, Monday night.

One more team secured an automatic bid on Sunday. Indiana State defeated Missouri State, 60-56, to take the Missouri Valley conference tournament title.

Jon Diebler Hits 10 3s as Ohio State Rolls Over Nittany Lions

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Ohio State's Jon Diebler didn't take any shots from inside the three-point line in the Buckeyes' lopsided, 82-61, win at Penn State.

Diebler's touch from downtown was deft, hitting 10 of 12 three-pointers en route to scoring a game-high 30 points. That was it. He didn't even get to the foul line, not even once, as he set a personal career high and set the record for 3-pointers in a game for an Ohio State player.

The top-ranked Buckeyes took a 15-point lead into half time and expanded it from there. Will Buford added 21 points, as he and Diebler accounted for nearly two-thirds of Ohio State's total.

The Buckeyes close out their regular season on Sunday, hosting Wisconsin. Only the Badgers and Purdue have beaten Ohio State this season, both losses occurring on the road. Ohio State is 28-2 and 15-2 in the Big Ten. They look like a certain #1 seed for the Midwest region.

Buckeyes Pound Purdue; Buford Leads with 19 Points

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Although the game was billed as a Top 25 match-up with intriguing conference implications, Purdue's visit to #1 Ohio State quickly turned from a contest to a rout, with the Buckeyes cementing their hold on the top spot in the polls and the Big Ten with a one-sided, 87-64 victory that was a done deal within the first fifteen minutes.

Ohio State used an 11-0 run to establish a 20-point half time lead which ballooned to as many as 31 in the second frame. Though JaJuan Johnson led all scorers with 22 points, Will Buford was the best of six double-figure scorers for the Buckeyes, with 19 points on deadeye shooting. The Ohio State junior was 6-for-8 from the field, including 5-for-6 on three-point shots.

The top-ranked Buckeyes improved to 21-0 and 8-0 in the Big Ten. Purdue, their closest pursuer, is 6-2. Yhe Buckeyes, along with #4 San Diego State, are the only unbeaten teams in the nation.

NOTABLE: While Ohio State looks to make a shambles of the Big Ten, the Big East gets more interesting and contentious by the day. After Notre Dame knocked off Pitt on Monday, Seton Hall went into the Carrier Dome and absolutely decimated Syracuse, 90-68, sending the Orange to their third straight loss following an 18-0 start to their season. Jeremy Hazell, back from a wrist injury that sidelined him for 13 games, led the scoring parade with 28 points.

Diebler Hits Nine Straight Threes; Buckeyes Coast to 9-0

College Hoops Player of the Day for DAY, Month, 2010

Jon Diebler misfired on his first two three-point attempts. He missed his last three as well, but, in between, he nailed nine straight shots from outside the arc, tying an Ohio State record while leading the #2 Buckeyes to a runaway, 83-55, win against overmatched Florida Gulf Coast.

Overmatched may be putting it lightly. The Eagles scored just 16 first half points to the Buckeyes' 42. They fared better in the second half, but by then the outcome had already been determined.

Diebler's sharp-shooting display netted him 29 points on 9-of-14 shooting, all from outside the three-point line. He went to the free throw line just twice, making both shots, and added four rebounds and a couple of assists to his night's resume.

The Buckeyes are now 9-0 and have four more "creampuff" games before facing Indiana December 31 to open the Big Ten season, though one of those games is against Oakland, which knocked off #7 Tennessee, Tuesday night.

Notable: There's no immunity from being humbled by a small school this season, the latest victim being UNLV, which found themselves on the wrong end of a 68-62 score, delivered by UC-Santa Barbara. The two teams were tied 30-all at the break, but the Gauchos put up 38 to the Rebels' 32 in the second half for the win, improving to a modest 5-3 record while UNLV fell to 9-2.

Jared Sullinger Puts Up 40 for #2 Buckeyes

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, December 9, 2010

As usual, there are some good freshman players in college hoops this season, and then there's Jared Sullinger, the 6'9" Ohio State forward that has help the Buckeyes to a 7-0 record and a #2 ranking in the national polls.

Sullinger had the best game of his brief career on Thursday, slamming down 40 points on the pesky Jaguars of IUPUI, as the Buckeyes overcame relentless pressure to secure a 75-64 victory.

Averaging nearly a double-double (18.9, 9.9), Sullinger hit 12-of-17 shots from the field and canned 16-of-23 free throws to set an Ohio State freshman scoring record. He also contributed 13 rebounds, with 7 of them coming on the offensive end.

Whenever teams play IUPUI, comes the obvious question, who? For the record, IUPUI is short for: Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, an urban university boasting over 30000 students in 20 schools. The school offers 200 different degree programs and is ranked the 8th best public university in the Midwest, according to Forbes magazine.

The school definitely is an up-and-coming establishment, playing in the Summit League. They've already played - and lost - to three ranked teams; along with Ohio State, they've met Gonzaga and San Diego State.

Notable: The #2 Buckeyes may get an unexpected boost soon, especially if word coming out of the Duke athletic department is to be believed. Sadly, it involves another freshman sensation, Kyrie Irving, the flashy guard that has helped the Blue Devils forget the loss of Jon Scheyer to graduation. Irving suffered a freak injury late in the second half in Duke's win over Butler last Saturday.

Irving jammed his right big toe making a move, and hasn't seen action since. While the injury is being called "ligament damage," there's possibly more to it. Duke is mulling over options for their young star, including rest and/or surgery. How long Irving will be out is still speculation, though some feel his season may be over.

NCAA Tourney: Friday Night Previews

6 Tennessee (27-8) vs. 2 Ohio State (28-7), 7:07 pm EDT - The Volunteers have survived suspensions and injuries to advance to the Sweet 16, and they'll put it all on the line versus the Buckeyes, a team they match up well against. The Vols' big time player is 6'9" forward Wayne Chism, who doesn't always stuff the stat sheet, but contributes in a variety of ways: on the boards, setting picks, passing and floor leadership. Chism has been fairly quiet in the first two wins - a close 62-59 win over San Diego State, and a relatively easy advance past Ohio, 83-68 - scoring just 9 and 11 points, respectively, though against Ohio, he did add 12 boards and 4 assists.

A trio of guard -forward hybrids - Bobby Maze, J.P. Prince and Scotty Hopson - will be counted upon to do most of the scoring and rebounding, providing some balance, but no dominating inside presence. That's the Tennessee make-up, and they've done well with it thus far.

Ohio State features a similar squad of players between 6'3" and 6'8", led by budding superstar Evan Turner, who is a triple-double threat every time he steps onto a court. The NCAA Player of the Year, Turner average 20 points, 9.2 rebounds and 6 assists through the season and had a huge game (24, 9, 9) in the second round, 75-66, win over Georgia Tech after virtually walking through the opening win past UC Santa Barbara, 68-51, with 9 points.

The Buckeyes are dangerous on the perimeter with sharp-shooters Jon Diebler, David Lighty and William Buford, and led by upper-classmen. 12 of the 16 players on their roster are either seniors or juniors and there are no freshman. Rounding out the starting five - each of whom will play almost the entire game - is the potential game-changer, 260-pound Dallas Lauderdale, who provides heft inside. Tennessee does not have a player that can match up with him well, nor do they have anyone with Turner's all-around ability. The Vols tenacity and team play should keep this one interesting.


10 St. Mary's Gaels (28-5) vs. 3 Baylor Bears (27-7), 7:27 pm EDT - To many, it's no surprise that either of these teams have advanced this far as Baylor was near the top of the Big 12 standings and ranked all season long and the Gaels knocked off Gonzaga in the WCC tourney final to receive the automatic bid. One could make the case that, with the PAC-10 sending only two teams, St. Mary's was under-seeded and could have been as high as a 4 or 5. At least that the way they've been playing, with 6'11" Omar Samhan dominating the interior in both of St. Mary's blowout wins in the tourney.

Though the Gaels beat Richmond by 8 in the opening round and Villanova by 7, the games were really not that close. St. Mary's held the lead for most of both contests. Complementing Samhan's interior play are a couple of gunners in Matt Dellavedova and Mickey McConnell, both gritty guards with good range. Dellavedova will also drive the ball to the hoop and always seems to be on top of loose balls. Forward Ben Allen is a key on both ends of the floor and Clint Steindl operates well on the wings and is an excellent passer.

The Bears haven't impressed much with wins over Sam Houston St. and Old Dominion, but the guy who St. Mary's will find hardest to handle is guard LaceDarius Dunn, who can light it up from anywhere on the court and is one of the quickest players in the country. Additionally, the Bears bring plenty of inside heft with Ekpe Udoh (6'10"), Quincy Acy (6'7"), Josh Lomers (7'0") and Anthony Jones (6'10"). St. Mary's hasn't seen that kind of size thus far in the tournament, though they did handle Gonzaga just prior, who can put big bodies on the floor.

This one promises to be one of the most entertaining games of the entire tournament.


9 Northern Iowa Panthers (30-4) vs. 5 Michigan St. Spartans (26-8), 9:37 pm EDT - Besides Cornell, the Panthers are the real Cinderella story of the tournament. Prior to beating #1-ranked and top-seeded Kansas on Saturday, N. Iowa hadn't even played a Top 25 team, so beating the Jawhawks was a shock and busted many a hopeful bracket sheet in the process. The big star thus far has undoubtedly been Ali Farokhmanesh, who has hit timely 3-point bombs, enabling the Panthers to move forward through the field.

However, Ali is not even one of the team's top scorers. He's actually 4th, after center Jordan Eglseder, forward Adam Koch and point guard Kwadzo Ahelegbe. Johnny Moran fills oout the starting five, who each play about 33-35 minutes per game. Northern Iowa is the classic "five iron men" who will go toe to toe with anyone in the nation. They are well-organized, solid in fundamentals and good defenders. They also have that extra X-factor that comes with winning 30 games in a season - they know what they are.

Michigan State comes into this game battered and bruised. Starting point guard Kalin Lucas will miss the remainder of the season with a ruptured left Achilles. He was replaced in the Spartans' second round win over Maryland by Korie Lucious who hit the game-winner at the buzzer for the 85-83 victory. Coach Tom Izzo's kids are trained to be tough and resilient, so it's no surprise they're here even without their point guard. They absorb adversity like a sponge and move forward, much of the load now shifting to forwards Durrell Summers and Raymar Morgan, both of whom have stepped it up in the first two rounds.

Inside, Draymond Green will provide an interesting match-up with Eglseder, though he's giving up 6 inches and about 50 pounds to the Northern Iowa center. A couple of inside bangers, Delvon Roe and Derrick Nix will see plenty of action, as Izzo will try to wear down the Panthers with fresh bodies. On the wing, Chris Allen is a real unknown, though he's capable of big games as well as being somewhat invisible for long stretches.

This one will go to the team that displays the best survival skills, especially if the refs let them go at it physically.

1 Duke (31-5) vs. 4 Purdue (29-5), 9:57 pm - Here is a game in which a #1 seed could easily been seen waving good-bye to its tournament hopes at the final buzzer. Purdue has regrouped after injury sidelined their #2 scorer and rebounder, replacing Robbie Hummel with gutsy, tough-as-nails senior guard Chris Kramer, a defensive specialist who will likely have the assignment of taking Duke's sharp-shooting Jon Scheyer off his game.

Should Kramer be successful, the rest of the Boilermaker squad looks like a solid match for the Blue Devils. Purdue can get plenty of scoring from center JaJuan Johnson and guard E'Twaun Moore, who is plays with emotion and quickness. Duke will be going to their best player, Kyle Singler, along with guard Nolan Smith for their scoring punch, while using Brian Zoubek and twins Miles and Mason Plumlee to clog up Johnson inside.

There isn't much separating these two teams, especially considering that, with Hummel, the Boilermakers might have even been the favorite. Coach K gives Duke an edge, though Purdue is by no means an easy out.

Moving Day: Orange, Buckeyes, Spartans, Big Red, Mountaineers Advance

NCAA Tourney Update: 2nd round results

East Region

10 Missouri 59
2 West Virginia 68
The Mountaineers held off a scrappy Mizzou squad, but eventually wore them out. DaSean Butler led the charge with 28 points, including 12 of 13 from the foul line.

12 Cornell 87
4 Wisconsin 69
Cinderella Cornell established an early lead and expanded it to as many as 24 points in the second half, completely dominating their Big Ten rivals. Louis Dale had 26 points and Ryan Whittman scored 24 to pace the Big Red, improving their season record to 29-4. Cornell will face the region's top seed, Kentucky, in a regional semi-final game.

Midwest Region

10 GA Tech 66
2 Ohio St. 75
The Buckeyes advanced past Georgia Tech to the regional semi-finals on the strength of Evan Turner's all-around floor presence. Turner tallied a game-high 24 points to go with 10 rebounds and 9 assists.

5 Michigan St. 85
4 Maryland 83
Greivis Vazquez hit a jumper to give Maryland a one-point lead with 6.6 seconds left, but Cory Lucious nailed a three as time expired, enabling Michigan State to advance. Durrell Summers single-handedly kept the Spartan hopes alive with 26 points, hitting 6 of 8 threes and 10 of 15 overall. Durrell's game-high total also equalled his career best.

West Region

1 Syracuse 87
8 Gonzaga 65
Once Syracuse had established a lead early in the first half, there was no looking back as the Orange, led by Wesley Johnson's game-high 31 and 14 rebounds and Andy Rautins' 24 points, throughly disabled the Gonzaga offense with the 2-3 zone defense and demoralized Gonzaga players by bombarding them with 3-pointers and an up-tempo offense. Syracuse shot 55% for the game, hitting 12 of 25 from beyond the arc.

The Orange advance to the regional semi-final against Butler.

Second Round Bound: Syracuse, Ohio State, Cal, Maryland

NCAA Tourney Results: 1st round

Midwest Region

15 UC-Santa Barbara 51
2 Ohio St. 68
Jon Diebler drained 7 of 12 three-pointers, allowing Ohio State to coast to an opening round win over the gauchos. The Buckeyes meet Georgia Tech in the second round.

13 Houston 77
4 Maryland 89
Aubrey Coleman, the nation's leading scorer, has a game-high , but the Maryland attack was more balanced. Jordan Williams scored 21 points and snatched 15 rebounds to spearhead the effort which sent the Terrapins to a second round match-up with Michigan State.

South Region

9 Louisville 62
8 California 77
Cal opened the game with a 12-0 run and it was 22-4 before Louisville ever got involved. The Cardinals eventually cut Cals' lead to 4 in the second half, but then were shut out for nearly four minutes as the Golden Bears secured the win. Jerome Randle and Theo Robinson each tallied 21 for Cal, who will face Duke in the next round.

West Region

1 Syracuse 79
16 Vermont 56
Wesley Johnson scored 18 points to lead five Syracuse players in double figures over Vermont. The Orange face Gonzaga in the second round Sunday in Buffalo.

NCAA Conference Scoreboard (includes all 1st round games)

Conference W-L
ACC (4-2)
Atlantic-10 (1-2)
Big East (4-4)
Big Ten (4-1)
Big 12 (5-2)
Conference-USA (0-2)
PAC-10 (2-0)
SEC (2-2)
West Coast (2-0)
Western Athletic (0-2)
Other (6-13)

*Conferences with only one tournament team listed as "Other."

Buckeye's Turner a Stat Machine

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Whenever Ohio State's Evan Turner is in the linuep, the Buckeyes have an excellent shot at winning - against any team in the country. Wednesday night, Turner put his seemingly-limitless talents on display against Helpless Penn State, and the result was a statistical eye-opener, in addition to being another Ohio State victory.

Turner scored a game-high 25 points to lead the Buckeyes to a 75-67 win, their 11th in their last 12 games against conference opponents. Turner usually does much more than just pour in the points, and his effort against the Nittany Lions was no exception as he racked up 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals and a couple of blocked shots. While it wasn't a double-double, of which Turner has 12 this season, it was close to a triple-double, something the 6'7" junior has accomplished twice in '09-10.

The win kept Ohio State's hopes for a Big Ten championship very much alive, everything hinging on the outcome of Michigan State's trip to Purdue on Sunday. Should the Spartans pull off the upset, the Buckeyes, Boilermakers and Spartans could all easily finish the regular season at 14-4, with the tiebreaker falling Ohio State's way as they split with Purdue and hold a win over Michigan State in their only meeting this season. The Spartans have already lost to Purdue once, so another loss would give Purdue the edge, at 15-3, should they close out the calendar with wins over Indiana and Penn State, so Sunday's Purdue-Michigan St. rematch looms the biggest Big Ten game of the season.

Notable: Bubble teams going backwards include San Diego State (20-8, 9-5), as the Aztecs lost, 82-68, at BYU; Dayton (18-9, 7-6), a 49-41 loser to Temple; Minnesota (16-11, 7-8), losers at home to Purdue, 59-58; and Oklahoma State (19-8, 7-6), a 69-59 loser at Texas. South Florida, which suffered a crushing, 74-49 loss at the hands of Villanova, was probably already off the bubble and out of the post-season picture before they took the court against the Wildcats. They're now 6-9 in the conference.

The shocker of the night came from the Norte Dame Fighting Irish (18-10, 7-8), which bombed Pittsburgh, 68-53, just days after the Panthers knocked off Villanova, 70-65. The Irish played their third straight game without senior star Luke Harangody, who is out with a bone bruise to his right knee, and are currently tied for 8th place in the Big East with Seton Hall, UConn and Cincinnati, all at 7-8. With their final three games against Georgetown, Connecticut and Marquette, the Irish need to win two of those to even be in the NCAA conversation, plus, they'd likely have to win at least two games in the conference tournament. It's a tough road ahead.

Buckeyes Tie Spartans for 1st in Big Ten with Win over Illini

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, February 14, 2010

No matter which team emerges from the logjam atop the Big Ten, the Ohio State Buckeyes have served notice that they will be a team to reckon with down the regular season stretch and into tourney time.

Heading into Sunday, the Buckeyes were tied with the Fighting Illini and Purdue at 9-3 in the conference, all 1/2 game back of 10-3 Michigan State. After a dominating first half which left the Buckeyes up 36-20 at the break, Ohio State stormed to a convincing 72-53 road win. Led by Evan Turner and his 16 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists, the Buckeyes ended the day tied for first in the Big Ten.

Turner, who leads his team in points per game, assists, rebounds and steals, has established himself as a front-runner for Big Ten player of the year along with several national honors. The 6'7" junior swingman has posted 8 double-doubles and two triple-doubles this season.

Ohio State has a big week ahead, hosting Purdue on Wednesday and traveling to Michigan State on Sunday.

Notable: Unless you haven't heard, the Big East is a very tough conference. Just ask the players or coaches of Syracuse and Georgetown, each of whom suffered out-of-the-blue upsets at the hands of Louisville and Rutgers, respectively. Louisville ended the Orangemen's 11-game win streak and dropped them into second place (11-2) in the conference with a 66-60 win. Villanova leads at 11-1.

Georgetown's loss to Rutgers was more of a shock. The Scarlet Knights had won only twice in conference play before knocking off the Hoyas, 71-68.

Buckeyes Bounding Into Tourney Contender

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Ever since Evan Turner returned from injury to the Ohio State starting lineup, the Buckeyes have become a force to reckon with in the Big Ten, winning 7 of 9 games and vaulting into the national Top 25.

Turner proved his value once again on Wednesday, as the Buckeyes hammered Penn State, 75-62, winning their 12th straight home game since a 77-73 setback to North Carolina on November 19. Turner led all scorers with 27 points, his second-highest point total of the season (he had a career-high 32 points in a 70-66 win over Purdue on January 12), to go with 10 boards, 6 assists and 3 steals. Turner played all 40 minutes of the game and, at 6'7", 210 pounds, is truly one of the most feared offensive players in the nation. He has the ability to can jumpers from the perimeter but can also take opponents off the dribble and is a great finisher near the hoop. He averages 50% from the field, 35.9 from 3-point land and is a 73.8 free throw shooter. He leads the Buckeyes in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals.

Ohio State, ranked #13 in the most recent poll, has improved to 17-6 and is in a 3-way tie for second place in the Big Ten at 7-3 with Wisconsin and Illinois. Everyone in the conference is chasing 9-1 Michigan State.

Notable: dominique Jones only scored 29 points, but the South Florida Bulls won their school-record 4th straight Big East contest by downing the Georgetown Hoyas, 72-64, at Georgetown.

The Bulls continue to get outlandish scoring from Jones, the leading Big East scorer at 22.4 points per game. Over the 4-game win streak, he's averaged 35 points.

Turner Outduels Hummel; Ohio St. Outlasts Purdue

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, January 12, 2010

After missing 6 games due to injury, Evan Turner entered his third game back as the Ohio State Buckeyes traveled to face Purdue in a key Big Ten tilt. But even he couldn't have expected Robbie Hummel to score 29 first half points, hitting 8 of 10 3-pointers, before going on to a game-high 35. Hummel's eight 3's in a half tied a Purdue record set by Cuonzo Martin in a 1994 Sweet 16 win over Kansas, but the second half belonged to Turner and the Buckeyes, who scrapped back and eventually tied the game at 62 on a Turner trey and went on to win, 70-66, handing the Boilermakers their second loss of the season. For the Buckeyes, the game was their first road win of the season, and second conference win in five tries. Turner, who scored 23 in the second half, finished with 32, plus 9 rebounds and 3 assists.

Hummel scored 18 straight points heading into the half before E'Twaun Moore's layup with 5 seconds left put Purdue up, 41-29, at the break, but was stymied in the second, scoring four points within the first two minutes, but then being held scoreless by Ohio State's best defender, David Lighty, until he canned a pair of free throws with 22 second left in the game and Ohio State already ahead. Hummel dislocated a finger on his non-shooting hand late in the game and missed some key court time. He had ten rebounds.

The scoring outbursts by Hummel and Turner were both personal season highs, Turner's a career best.

Big Ten: Buckeyes Slam Spartans;

Ohio State 82, Michigan State 70

Ohio State figured they needed to make a good showing in the Big Ten tourney and by knocking off Michigan State, their message has been sent. Ohio state shot 52% for the game, took a lead early on and kept the Spartans at bay the rest of the game. Michigan State shot just 38% and hit just 3 of 28 3-pointers. Ohio State took their first lead just 6 1/2 minutes into the game and never gave it back, stretching it to as many as 16 points in the second half.

By reaching the finals tomorrow against Purdue, Ohio State has virtually assured themselves a spot in the NCAA field.

Purdue 66, Illinois 56

Purdue shot just 38%, but Illinois shot only 35%, and the Boilermakers used a 20-point half time edge to coast to a semifinal win in the Big Ten tourney. JaJuan Johnson scored 20 and Robbie Hummel had 19 to lead Purdue, who will face upset-minded Ohio State Sunday in the tournament final.

Upsets Galore!

Big Saturday produces eight losses by Top 25 teams

There were 22 games involving Top 25 teams on Saturday. Everybody except Duke and Pitt were on the court and 8 of those ended up on the wrong side of the score. Even in the one game between two ranked teams, the lower one, #10 Texas A&M, scored an upset over the higher, #6 Kansas. The game was played on Kansas' home court, so maybe the two will change positions in Monday's new poll, though nobody's holding their breath.

On to the action (losers first):

NC State 83 North Carolina 79 - This wasn't just big, it was huge. #3 North Carolina looked like a shoo-in to take over the #2 ranking in the next poll after Wisconsin and UCLA both suffered losses during the week. It was not to be. The Wolfpack sizzled at 60% shooting from the field, including 8-15 3-pointers, and in the process, further muddied the ACC waters. North Carolina's loss, coupled with Boston College's win over Virginia Tech, hoisted two unranked teams, BC and Virginia, to the top of the conference standings.

Texas A&M 69 Kansas 66 - Acie Law played 39 minutes and scored 23 points to lead the #10 Aggies to their most important win of the season. By virtue of Texas' loss to Kansas State, A&M wriggled out of a 3-team logjam atop the Big 12 and came out on top, a game better than #6 Kansas and #22 Texas.


USC 71 Oregon 68 - The Trojans proved that their win at Oregon was no fluke, holding off a spirited late rally by the #9 Ducks for the win. Oregon has had a tough week, losing to both SoCal teams. UCLA beat them on Thursday, securing first place in the Pac-10. On Saturday, USC relegated Oregon to middle of the pack status and moved into a tie with Washington St. for 2nd place at 8-3. USC plays UCLA at Pauley Pavilion this coming Wednesday.

USC shot 60% for the game while holding the Ducks to just 33% (22-66). The disparity in shooting percentage was mandatory for the Trojans as they were outrebounded 41-20, an area they must address in the near term.

Colorado 89 Oklahoma St. 77 - This was not expected to happen. Colorado was just 1-7 in the conference going in and 3-7 at home overall. But senior guard Dominique Coleman scored 21 points and pulled down 14 rebounds. Teammates Kalvin Bay and Richard Roby contributed 21 and 20 respectively to pull off one of the more stunning upsets of the day. #12 Oklahoma State fell to 5th place in the Big 12 at 4-3.

Boston College 80 Virginia Tech 59 The #16 Hokies fell for the second straight time to an unranked opponent. On Wednesday, they lost at home to NC State, 70-59, and on Saturday took their show on the road. The loss boosted Boston College into a first-place tie with Virginia at 7-2 and dropped the Hokies to 4th place at 6-3. Senior forward Jared Dudley matched his season high with 30 points for the Eagles while snatching 13 rebounds (7 offensive) for his 8th double-double of the season.

South Florida 69 Notre Dame 63 - Another poor performance on the road sent the #21 Fighting Irish to their 5th loss of the season and 4th out of 6 on the road in . Colin Falls had 26 points for Notre Dame, but McHugh Mattis had 23 as the Bulls took an early lead and never relinquished it. The Bulls outrebounded Notre Dame 48-38 and outscored them from the foul line, 20-6. The loss dropped the Irish to 6-4 in the heady Big East.

Kansas St. 73 Texas 72 - #22 Texas' Kevin Durant had 32 points and 9 rebounds but Cartier Martin (27 points) hit a 3-pointer and two key free throws to send the visiting Wildcats to their 6th straight Big 12 win and into a second place tie with rival Kansas at 6-2. Unranked K-State plays next at Kansas on Wednesday while Texas has a date at #10 Texas A&M on Monday night.

Georgia Tech 80 Clemson 62 - Georgia Tech ended a four-game losing streak and demolished the #25 Tigers in Atlanta. The Yellow Jackets outshot Clemson 46-41% and won the battle of the boards, 44-28. Clemson, undefeated at 17-0 just 3 weeks ago, has dropped 5 of their last 6, all ACC games. At 4-5, they are alone in 7th place in the conference.

Saturday's Top 25 Winners:

#1 Florida 91 Tennessee 78 - The Gators run their streak to 14 straight wins, currently the longest in the nation. They lead the SEC East at 8-0.

#2 Wisconsin 69 Northwestern 52 - The Badgers recovered from their first conference loss with a convincing home win. Alando Tucker had 20 points and 9 rebounds. Running mate Kammron Taylor scored 15.

#3 Ohio St. 63 Michigan St. 54 - Greg Oden led the way with 16 points and 11 rebounds (7 offensive), keeping the Buckeyes tied for first place with Wisconsin in the Big 10.

#5 UCLA 82 Oregon St. 35 - In one of the most lopsided games of the season, the Bruins shot 58% overall and hit 7-15 3-pointers. 11 different players scored for UCLA as bench sitters got extended playing time as the Bruins built a 30-point halftime lead.

#10 Texas A&M 69 #6 Kansas 66 - See recap above.

#11 Memphis 88 SMU 52 - Memphis improved to 9-0 in Conference USA and won their 11th straight overall. They lead by 3 1/2 games and may end up being the only representative from that watered-down conference in the NCAA tournament.

#13 Butler 66 Wisconsin-Milwaukee 47 - The 22-2 Bulldogs won their 14th straight home game without a loss.

#15 Nevada 69 Hawaii 68 - Nick Fazekas had 21 points and 10 rebounds for his 11th double-double of the season as the Wolf Pack survived a scare from the visiting Rainbow Warriors.

#17 Air Force 88 Wyoming 43

#18 Washington St. 48 Arizona St. 47 - The Cougars squeezed out a road win to improve to 19-4 and remain tied for 2nd in the Pac-10 at 8-3.

#19 Alabama 64 South Carolina 61 - The Crimson Tide won their second straight, improving to 4-4 in the SEC West, good enough for a 1/2-game lead over Mississippi and Auburn.

#20 Arizona 84 Washington 54 - The Wildcats won for just the 3rd time in their last 9 games.

#23 Stanford 90 California 71 - The Cardinal won the boards 43-29, shot 54% and hit 22-24 free throws for a much-needed road win.

#24 Vanderbilt 66 Georgia 61 - The Commodores avenged an earlier loss at Georgia with 20 points from Derrick Byars and 19 from Dan Cage.

With the Super Bowl taking most of the sports interest today, only one Top 25 team will see action on Sunday as #8 Duke hosts Florida State.

Ones to Watch on Saturday

There were no Top 25 teams in action last night, but a bevy of basketball to be played on Saturday. Here are some of the games to watch (conference records in parentheses):

12:00 pm Louisville 16-6 (6-2) at Villanova 14-7 (3-5) - Two teams with plenty of upside, both headed for the NCAA Tournament. Villanova needs to get back into the Big East race while Louisville can earn conference credentials with a road win.

3:30 pm #9 Oregon 19-3 (7-3) at USC 17-6 (7-3) - Second straight road game for the Ducks, and the first one didn't go well, losing to UCLA on Thursday. A win by the Trojans puts them back in the top 25 and tightens their hold on 2nd place in the conference.

4:00 pm #4 Ohio St. 19-3 (7-1) at Michigan St. 17-6 (4-4) - Road wins are essential and the Buckeyes need to win in East Lansing. The Spartans are likely a sleeper NCAA team and could upset.

5:30 pm UNLV 19-4 (6-2) at BYU 16-6 (6-2) - Winner will get eyeballs from the poll voters and likely stay tied with #17 Air Force in the Mountain West. The Falcons host Wyoming today.

7:00 pm Georgia 13-7 (5-3) at #24 Vanderbilt 15-7 (5-3) - Both teams seemed destined to dance in March, but suffered losses in their most recent outings. Georgia already has a win over the Commodores, 85-73 on January 13, so some home cookin' should be in order. The Bulldogs, however, are a tough beat.

8:00 pm #21 Notre Dame 18-4 (6-3) at South Florida 11-11 (2-6) - This may look like an easy date for the Fighting Irish, but South Florida isn't too bad, the Big East is balanced and Notre Dame has struggled on the road. Time for them to grow up.

9:00 pm #10 Texas A&M 18-3 (6-1) at #6 Kansas 19-3 (6-1) - Phog Allen Fieldhouse will be rockin' and rollin' with the best game of the day and 1st place in the Big 12 on the line. The Aggies have never beaten Kansas in the five years they've been in the conference. Billy Gillespie's mind will be on defending the Jayhawks' Brandon Rush, one of the top players in the nation. This should be fun.

#1 No More - Ducks drown Bruins

Oregon 68 UCLA 66 - The Ducks parlayed an early lead into a huge victory, handing the #1 UCLA Bruins their first loss of the season. The Bruins trailed nearly the entire game, but brought it to within 64-61 with less than three minutes when Aaron Afflalo hit a 3-pointer and tied the game at 66 on Darren Collison's 3-pointer with 25 seconds remaining.. But Aaron Brooks, who led all scorers with 25 points, hit a jumper with 12 seconds left and UCLA could not score as time wore down. Maarty Leunen added 18 for the Ducks who improved to 14-1.

Ohio State 62 Illinois 44 - The Buckeyes are leaving little doubt about their plans to dominate the Big Ten. After opening conference play with a 74-67 home win over Indiana, Ohio State punished the Illini despite an 0-5 1st half performance from center Greg Oden. While the Buckeyes shot only 35%, it was more than enough, as Illinois shot only 23%. Oden finished with only 7 points, but four other Buckeyes scored in double figures.

Arkansas 88 Alabama 61 - The Crimson Tide wasn't exactly rolling as the Razorbacks stunned Alabama in another SEC opener. Arkansas opened a 26-6 lead nearing the middle of the first half and extended that to 44-20 by halftime. It didn't get any better for Alabama in the second stanza as Arkansas pulled away, leading at one point by as many as 36 points. Arkansas owned the interior, scoring repeatedly on layups and short jumpers. Three Arkansas players - Patrick Beverly, Sonny Weems and Gary Ervin - each tallied 18.