Notes & Quotes – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/6/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
February 6, 1999
Noting the Purdue Game
In two games against the Boilermakers the Buckeyes have never trailed in 80 minutes of basketball. Ohio State downed Purdue 72-43 in Columbus and 80-69 in West Lafayette.
Buckeye junior Scoonie Penn had five points with 6:34 to play and Ohio State attempting to hold off a fierce Purdue rally. PU went on a 17-5 run cutting a 24-point (65-41) OSU lead to 12 (70-58) with 6:34 to play before Penn scored Ohio State’s final 10 points on a pair of layups and two 3-pointers to secure the Buckeye victory.
The Buckeyes won eight games last season and have already improved that mark by nine wins this year (17-6). The record for improving in the win column from one season to the next at Ohio State is 14 from 1958-59 (11-11) to 1959-60 (25-3). The Buckeyes won the national title in 1960. Ohio State has made two, 10-game improvements 1918-19 (7-12) to 1919-1920 (17-10) and from 1990-91 (17-13) to 1991-1992 (27-4). In five of the seven years in which the Buckeyes have improved in the win column from one season to next by at least eight games, Ohio State has won or shared the Big Ten title five times.
Ohio State’s seventh win in the Big Ten is the most since the 1993 team went 8-10. The 1993 squad also was the last to secure a winning season at Ohio State. The Buckeyes were assured a winning campaign after the win over Illinois (1/30).
The sweep of the Boilermakers is the first since the 1992 season when Ohio State won in Columbus (71-59) and at Purdue (71-64).
Ohio State has won consecutive road games in the Big Ten for the first time since the 1992 season when Ohio State won at Michigan State 78-65 (Feb. 29) and at Minnesota 94-63 (March 14). Ohio State has now won three league road games this season, the most since 1992 when OSU won seven.
Ohio State now has a record of 5-2 against opponents ranked in the AP Top 25. Ohio State last won five games against the ranked was in 1992 when the Buckeyes were 5-3 vs. the ranked. Ohio State was 6-9 vs. the ranked in 1989-90.
Ohio State has now won two road games vs. ranked opponents for the first time since 1992 when the No. 8 Buckeyes won at No. 12 Michigan State 78-65 (2/29/92) and at No. 15 Michigan 68-58 (2/2/92).
After taking a 49-34 lead at the half against Purdue, the Buckeyes are 15-2 when leading at the half this season. Nine different players scored for the Buckeyes in the first 20 minutes against the Boilermakers. Purdue managed just a 37 percent (21-57) shooting effort for the field. Ohio State has now held 13 of 23 opponents under 40 percent from the field.
Jason Singleton went over the 900-point mark in his career with 10 at Illinois. He has 923 career points after a 6 of 6 effort and 14 points at Purdue to move him closer to becoming the third Buckeye to reach 1,000 points this season (Redd, Penn).
Senior Neshaun Coleman connected on three 3-point attempts to give him 133 made 3-pointers for his career. He ranks second all-time in both 3-pointers made and connected (392). He has made 8 of his last 10 attempts from three-point range.
Junior Ken Johnson has 63 blocks this season to surpass his effort last year as a sophomore (58). Johnson’s single season total this year is the most since Brad Sellers swatted 97 in 1986. Johnson’s averaged this year of 2.7 blocks per game is the most (so far) since Sellers averaged 2.9 in 1986. Michael Redd moved into the No. 32 spot all-time in career scoring with 15 against Illinois. He has scored 1,098 career points after a 20-point effort at Purdue (2/6). He needs two points to reach the 1,100 scored by Mel Nowell (1960-62).
Ohio State has connected on at least one three-point field goal attempt over the last 207 games. Neshaun Coleman extended the streak at Purdue with a trey at the 14:20 mark of the first half.
