Men’s Basketball Travels To Madison To Face Wisconsin – Ohio State Buckeyes
1/11/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 11, 2000
No. 17 Ohio State Buckeyes
%^$Probable Starters (9-3, 1-1)
%^$G 12-Scoonie Penn, 5-10, Sr.
%^$G 22-Michael Redd, 6-6, Jr.
%^$G 13-Brian Brown, 6-3, So.
%^$C 32-Ken Johnson, 6-11, Sr.
%^$F 34-Cobe Ocokoljic, 6-8, Fr.
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%^$Wisconsin Badgers
%^$Probable Starters (9-5, 1-1)
%^$G 32-Roy Boone, 6-3, Jr.
%^$G 22-Mike Kelley, 6-3, Jr.
%^$G 13-Duany Duany, 6-5, Sr.
%^$F 40-Charlie Wills, 6-8, Jr.
%^$F 15-Andy Kowske, 6-8, Jr.
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%^$Redd 22 points away from OSU Top 10
%^$Michael Redd is in 11th place all-time at OSU in scoring with 1,550 career points. With 22 more points this season, he will crack the OSU Top 10 list in career scoring. Buckeye great Allen Hornyak (1971-73) is currently 10th on the scoring list with 1,572 career points.%^$
%^$Redd gets back to form with 25 vs. Gophers
%^$When push came to shove, Ohio State was slightly better at pushing and shoving Sunday vs. Minnesota. Michael Redd scored 25 points and Scoonie Penn added 20, including four free throws in the final 21.4 seconds, as No. 13 Ohio State held off Minnesota 71-63. Every shot was contested and on most trips down the court, at least one player ended up on the floor.The Buckeyes , last in the conference in free-throw shooting last season, made 10 of 12 free throws in the final 5 1/2 minutes and outscored the Golden Gophers 14-5 at the line. Penn celebrated his 23rd birthday by hitting all six of his free throws. In the Buckeyes’ previous game, an 80-77 loss at Illinois on Thursday night, Penn made 1 of 6 free throws. Minnesota pulled to 57-56 on Terrance Simmons’ fastbreak layup with 4:24 left before Penn made two free throws and Ken Johnson was credited with a field goal when Joel Przybilla was called for goaltending. Penn then made a 3-pointer at the 3:09 mark to push the lead to 64-56. But the Golden Gophers used a 5-0 run to draw to 66-63 on a free throw by Przybilla with 40.8 seconds left. Ohio State ran time off the clock before Penn was fouled with 21.4 seconds left and made both shots After Mitch Ohnstad missed a 3-pointer for Minnesota, Penn rebounded, was fouled and again hit both attempts. George Reese added 14 points for the Buckeyes. Johnson, leading the Big Ten in blocks with 5 a game, blocked seven including four in a four-minute span in the second half. Przybilla had 14 rebounds and seven blocks to go with his 15 points. Ohnstad had 12 points and Simmons 11.%^$
%^$Noting the win over Minnesota
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Ohio State improves to 9-3 overall and 1-1 in Big Ten play withthe win. Minnesota shares identical records. OSU is now 23-2all-time at Value City Arena.%^$
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With his 25-point performance, Michael Redd moved up twonotches on the all-time OSU scoring ladder to 11th place with 1,550points. Redd moved past 12th place Tony Campbell (1,529) and 11thplace Gary Bradds (1,530).%^$
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Michael Redd scored a season-high 25 points, topping hisprevious high of 20, set at Kansas (12/16/99). The 25 points are anOSU high for the season.%^$
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Scoonie Penn scored 20 points in the game, falling one pointshort of a season high. Penn tallied 21 points vs. Coastal Carolina(12/13/99).%^$
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Redd and Penn combined to score 45 points, marking the firsttime this year the two have combined to eclipse the 40-pointbarrier. OSU is now 12-3 in games where Penn and Redd combined for40 or more points.%^$
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Ohio State has now connected on at least on three-point fieldgoal in each of the last 232 games. Michael Redd extended thestreak with a three-pointer in the first half.%^$
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Scoonie Penn moved into third place on the three-point fieldgoals chart after drilling two vs. Minnesota. With 113 careerthree-pointers at OSU, Penn moved past Chris Jent (112) into thirdplace and now stands behind only Neshaun Coleman (147) and JamieSkelton (144). %^$
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Ken Johnson blocked seven shots in the contest, giving him 218for his career. Johnson stands second on the all-time OSU blockedshots list, trailing only Herb Williams (328). Johnson’s sevenblocks mark the seventh time in 12 games this season he has blockedfive or more shots in a game.%^$
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Johnson became OSU’s first disqualification of the season,fouling out late in the first half. The foul out broke Ohio State’sstreak of 16-consecutive games without a disqualification.%^$
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Joel Przybilla set the opponent record for blocked shots inValue City Arena with seven. The previous high was three, set byCoastal Carolina’s Cedric Davis earlier this season (12/13/99).%^$
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Coming off a career-high 24-point performance at Illinois,George Reese tallied 14 points vs. Minnesota. Reese has scored indouble figures in eight of the 12 contests this season. Reese alsotied his season high with nine rebounds.%^$
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Minnesota blocked 10 shots in the game, which is thesecond-most ever against Ohio State. The record is 12, set byFlorida (12/16/87).%^$
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OSU held Minnesota to 10 assists in the game. The Gophers cameinto the contest averaging 18.2 assists per game – tops in the BigTen. The 10 assists tie a season low for Minnesota.%^$
%^$ONN to replay OSU men’s hoops
%^$The Ohio News Network will replay eight Big Ten OSU men’s basketball games this season beginning with the Minnesota contest Jan. 9. Replays begin at 11 p.m. EST the night of the game on ONN. The other games are: Jan. 15 at Northwestern, Jan. 29 vs. Purdue, Feb. 2 vs. Wisconsin, Feb. 9 vs. Iowa, Feb. 12 vs. Penn State, Feb. 19 at Indiana and Feb. 23 vs. Northwestern. %^$
%^$Redd among 30 finalists for Wooden Award, Penn still being considered
%^$Ohio State junior guard Michael Redd is listed among the 30 finalists for the 2000 John R. Wooden Award. Ohio State senior Scoonie Penn is still under consideration but is not listed among the mid-season Top 30.%^$
%^$OSU guards successful at foul line
%^$The OSU guard rotation of Michael Redd, Scoonie Penn, Brian Brown and Brent Darby have been deadly from the foul line this season. Redd has made 29 of 31 shots (.935) followed by Brown (24-29, .828), Penn (41-54, .759) and Darby (11-15, .733). Combined, the four have made 105 of 129 for 81.4 percent accuracy.%^$
%^$Ocokoljic first freshman to start since Brown in 1999 NCAA Tournament
%^$When OSU freshman Cobe Ocokoljic took the floor in a starting role against Oakland (12/27) it marked the first time a freshman started for OSU since Brian Brown started his first game against Murray State (3/11/99) in the opening round of the 1999 NCAA Tournament. Brown has since started the last 17 games for the Buckeyes. OSU junior Michael Redd started all 30 Buckeye games his freshman year (1997-98).%^$
%^$Johnson records 200th career block, now 12th on Big Ten list
%^$Buckeye senior Ken Johnson has 218 blocks in his career after swatting seven shots against Minnesota. Johnson is just the second Buckeye and the 12th Big Ten player to reach 200 career blocks. Herb Williams (1977-81) leads OSU and is fourth all-time among Big Ten players with 328 rejections. %^$
%^$Johnson, Buckeyes leading Big Ten in several categories
%^$Ohio State senior center Ken Johnson is leading Big Ten players in blocks this season. Johnson is sending back 5.00 shots per game with 60 blocks on the year. As a team, the Buckeyes are first among Big Ten teams in scoring margin (+16.8), rebounding (41.6), field goal percentage defense (.362) and blocked shots (6.92). The Buckeyes are second in scoring defense (58.7), rebound margin (+7.8), turnover margin (4.08) and defensive rebounds (26.83). %^$
%^$Penn makes 100th career collegiate start vs. Toledo
%^$Ohio State senior guard Scoonie Penn made the 100th start of his career against Toledo (12/22). Penn has started every game in which he has appeared over two seasons at Boston College and two at Ohio State. As an Eagle at BC, Penn started 56 games from 1995-97. To date at OSU, Penn has 48 starts over the last two seasons.%^$
%^$Redd begins another double-figure scoring streak
%^$Ohio State junior guard Michael Redd has appeared in 78 games as a Buckeye. He has failed to reach double figures in scoring just three times, a nine-point effort vs. BYU (12/30/97), an eight-point outing at Michigan (1/16/99) and a career-low four-point outing against Oakland (12/27/99). Redd had scored in double figures in 26-consecutive games before the Oakland game. He scored 10 or more in 34-consecutive contests after the BYU game his freshman season. He has reached double digits in his last three games, including the 25-point effort vs. Minnesota (1/9/00).%^$
%^$Johnson likely has made final move on OSU career swat chart
%^$Ohio State senior center Ken Johnson likely made his final assault on the Buckeye career blocked shots chart with his eight-rejection night against Eastern Kentucky, which moved him into second-place all-time (218) at Ohio State in career blocks. Johnson trails the 328 recorded blocks by Buckeye great Herb Williams (1978-81). Johnson averaged 1.9 bpg (58/30 gms.) as a sophomore, 2.8 bpg. (100/36 gms.) as a junior and 5.00 bpg. (60/12 gms.) so far this season.%^$
%^$Redd, Penn reach 1,500 points
%^$The Ohio State guard tandem of senior Scoonie Penn and junior Michael Redd each reached career point 1,500 this season. Redd eclipsed the mark with 19 against American (12/29) and has 1,550 career points, good for 11th on the OSU career list. Penn, who spent two seasons at Boston College, has scored 1,510 career points. Penn tallied 737 while at BC and has 792 at Ohio State.%^$
%^$Team Notes
%^$Ohio State has scored 70 or more points in nine games this season and has an 8-1 record in those games…Since making eight of 11 free throws in the opener against Notre Dame (L 59-57), the Buckeyes have made at least 10 charity tosses in each of the last 11 contests…The Buckeyes have made more free throws (180) than opponents have attempted (164)…Ohio State has held nine of 12 opponents under 65 points this season and has an 8-1 record in those games…OSU has reached double digits in offensive rebounds in all but one game this season (7 vs. Vermont) and assists in all but two contests (8 vs. Toledo and 7 vs. Minnesota)…Ohio State has blocked at least one opponent shot in the last 49 games (0 vs. Penn State, 2/28/98)–Ken Johnson has started the last 48 games.%^$
%^$Numerically noting the Buckeyes
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Scoonie Penn: Penn made his 300th career free throw with a 6-6effort against Minnesota (1/9)…he has made 305 of 404 (.755)career free throws…Penn reached 100 career starts vs. Toledo(12/22)…he has 48 at Ohio State..Penn is closing in on 400 careerassists…with 54 this year, his career total is 395, 208 coming atOSU…he made his 500th career field goal vs. Minnesota(1/9)…Penn has 504 in his career, 261 at Ohio State…Penn playedhis 3,500th career minute vs. Illinois…he has 3,573 minutesplayed in his career…Penn has played 30 or more minutes in ninegames this season, including all 40 at Kansas (12/16)…sincefailing to record a steal in the season opener against Notre Dame,Penn has at least one theft in 11-consecutive contests. %^$
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Michael Redd: Redd has started all 78 games in his career…heclaimed 11th on the OSU career scoring list with 25 points vs.Minnesota (1/9)…Redd has 1,550 career points…Redd is 29 of 31(.935) from the foul line this year…he is a career 64 percentfree throw shooter (294-462)…Redd has connected on at least one3-pointer in 11 of 12 games this season (0-2 vs. Oakland)…withsix more free throws made this season, Redd will reach 300 makesfor his career…in the rebound category, Redd is nearing the 500mark…he has 481 for an average of 6.2 rpg…Redd needs one assistto reach 200 for his career.. %^$
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Ken Johnson: Johnson has started the last 48 games atcenter…Johnson has 218 career blocks and is averaging 5.0 bpg.(60) this season…Johnson has 17 career games with five or moreblocks, he had three as a freshman, seven last year and seven thisseason in 12 games…Johnson is a career 52 percent shooter fromthe field (212-411) and is connecting on 57 percent this season(35-61). %^$
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Brian Brown: Brown has doubled his offensive output this seasonwith an average of 9.4 points a game…he averaged 4.1 as afreshman…he also is shooting nearly 45 percent better from thefoul line…Brown shot just 51.9 percent as a freshman (27-52) fromthe free-throw line…this season, Brown has connected on 24-29(.828)…he has made 18 of 28 field goal attempts (.643) in hislast four games…he has scored in double figures in six games thisseason after reaching 10 points just twice as a freshman. %^$
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Cobe Ocokoljic: Ocokoljic cracked the starting lineup vs.Oakland (12/27)…he has played double-figure minutes in eight of12 games and four of the last six, including a career high 32minutes vs. American (12/29). %^$
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George Reese: Reese has doubled his offensive output from ayear ago…he averaged 5.5 points last season and is third on theteam this year at 12.3 ppg…he connected on 42 percent of hisshots as a junior (73-174) but has upped that percentage to 51.7(61-118)…he scored 18-second half points on his way to a careerhigh 24 vs. Illinois (1/6/00). %^$
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Brent Darby: Darby played 20+ minutes in the last two gamesbefore the Big Ten opener with Illinois…he shot 66.7 pct. fromthe field in those two games (6-9)…he has made 4 of 6 3-pointers(.667) and 5 of 7 free throws (.714)…on the season, he has made73 pct. of his free throws (11-15).%^$
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Will Dudley: Dudley is a career 67 percent shooter from thefield…he has connected on 32-48 shots from the field in 25 careergames…he has made 18-27 (.667) shots this season.%^$
%^$Blocks, steals excels OSU defense
%^$Ohio State, led by senior center Ken Johnson’s 60 blocks, has rejected 83 shots this season while foes have just 36. Senior guard Scoonie Penn leads the team with 26 steals. OSU leads opponents 76-64 in thefts.%^$
%^$Buckeyes spend last 20 weeks in AP poll
%^$Ohio State spent the final 10 weeks of the 1998-99 season and the first 10 weeks of 1999-00 ranked among the Top 25 teams nationally in the Associated Press Poll. The Buckeyes finished 1998-99 No. 14 in the AP and No. 4 in the ESPN/USA Today polls. OSU is currently 17th in the AP and 18th in the ESPN/USA Today polls (1/10/99) %^$
%^$Buckeyes hit the boards early with Columbus connection
%^$Ohio State is averaging 41.6 rebounds a contest, which is 7.8 more than opponents (33.8) after the first 12 games of the season. Junior Michael Redd leads the way with 7.0 rpg. Senior George Reese is next at 6.8 rpg. Both Redd and Reese hail from Columbus.%^$
%^$Centers click for Buckeyes
%^$The OSU center position, made up of senior Ken Johnson and sophomore Will Dudley, has combined to shoot 53 of 81 (.654) from the field so far this season. Johnson is 35-61 (.574) and Dudley is 18-27 (.667) from the floor in 1999-00. Both, by the way, play the piano.%^$
%^$Badgers come back to down Illini
%^$Mark Vershaw scored seven points in the final 1:31 of the game, including the game-winning 3-pointer with 18 seconds left, as Wisconsin erased a 33-18 halftime deficit to defeat 19th-ranked Illinois 63-59, last Saturday, in front of a sellout crowd of 17,142 at the Kohl Center. Senior Duany Duany led the Badgers in scoring for the second consecutive game, scoring 12 of his 15 points in the second half. Illinois closed the first half on a 24-6 run over the final 13:16. Wisconsin shot just 23 percent from the field, including 1-14 from the 3-point line in the opening frame. The Fighting Illini countered with 43 percent shooting and were led by freshman point guard Frank Williams’ eight points. The Badgers’ starting point guard, Mike Kelley, played just six minutes before the break because of foul trouble. The second half was a different story, though. Wisconsin outscored the Illini 17-4 over the first 6:06 and cut the lead to two points. Included in that run were three 3-pointers for Duany. Illinois managed to hold the lead until Jon Bryant hit a three-pointer, his only basket of the game, to put the UW up by one with 4:46 remaining. Duany then hit another three and Vershaw, who finished with 11 points, followed with two free throws to give Wiscosnin a five-point cushion with 1:31 left in regulation.%^$
%^$Buckeyes 16-6 when ranked vs. Wisconsin
%^$Ohio State has taken an Associated Press Top 25 ranking into 22 games against Wisconsin since 1950. The Buckeyes have come away with a 16-6 record (.727) in those games. The last time Wisconsin defeated a ranked Ohio State team was in 1993 when the unranked Badgers won 76-67 over the No. 24 Buckeyes. %^$
%^$Badgers win 3 of last 4
%^$Wisconsin opened the season with a 6-2 record before dropping back-to-back games to South Florida and Northern Illinois, both on the road. Since the loss to NIU, Wisconsin has won three of its last four games. The Badgers beat Marquett (86-74), No. 17 Temple (62-44) and No. 19 Illinois (63-59). Wisconsin opened the Big Ten season at Indiana but lost to the No. 10 Hoosiers , 71-67. %^$
%^$Two Badgers pace offense
%^$Mark Vershaw (6-9, Jr., F) is leading the Badger offense with 12.0 points a contest. He is followed by Andy Kowske (6-8, Jr., F) with 10.1 ppg. Vershaw is the team’s leading rebounder at 5.4 rpg. %^$
%^$Bennett in 5th campaign at Wisconsin
%^$Wisconsin’s Dick Bennett has taken three of his four Wisconin teams to postseason play. Both his 1997 and ’99 squads played in the NCAA Tournament and his first UW team in 1996 advanced to the NIT second round. He has compiled a 77-59 record at Wisconsin after guiding UW-Green Bay to a 187-109 record from 1986-1995. Five of his last six UWGB teams played in postseason competition, three NCAA bids and a pair of NIT appearances. In 24 seasons as a head coach at the collegiate level, he has built a 438-248 record.%^$
%^$The Wisconsin Series
%^$Ohio State leads the all-time series with Wisconsin 76-53 following a 63-54 win over the Badgers last year in Columbus. Wisconsin leads 36-29 in Madison while the Buckeyes hold a 47-17 edge in Columbus. Wisconsin’s last win in the series was a 64-59 win in Madison Jan. 3, 1998.%^$
%^$OSU vs. the Big Ten
%^$Ohio State played its 1,200th game against the current alignment of Big Ten teams against Indiana (Jan. 9, 1999). The Buckeyes earned their 600th win over current Big Ten opponents with a 70-62 win over Penn State in the earliest Big Ten game ever played Nov. 20, 1998 in Columbus. %^$
%^$Big Ten Series Records
%^$Illinois 55-93
%^$Indiana 65-92
%^$Iowa 59-66
%^$Michigan 77-67
%^$Michigan State 43-50
%^$Minnesota 68-50
%^$Northwestern 95-44
%^$Penn State 9-10
%^$Purdue 66-77
%^$Wisconsin 76-53
%^$Totals 613-602
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%^$OSU 3-point field goal streak extended to 232
%^$Ohio State has connected on at least one 3-point field goal attempt over the last 232 games. Junior Michael Redd extended the streak early in the first half against Minnesota. The last time an OSU team missed all attempts from 3-point range was Feb. 2, 1992 when the Buckeyes went 0 for 5 in a 68-58 OSU win over Michigan. Buckeye opponents have a streak of 223-consecutive games with at least one 3-pointer made. Michigan went 0-10 from long range March 3, 1992 in an OSU 75-66 victory, marking the last time an opponent was held without a 3-pointer.%^$
%^$1999 Final Four banner unveiled
%^$A banner celebrating the 1999 Final Four appearance by the Ohio State men’s basketball team was unveiled in a pregame ceremony Nov. 29 vs. Vermont. The banner will hang at Value City Arena throughout the 1999-00 season and then will be moved to the Ohio State practice facility. The banner was raised by 1998-99 captains Neshaun Coleman and Jason Singleton.%^$
%^$Lucas named to SI All-Century Team
%^$Ohio State basketball legend Jerry Lucas (1960-62) was selected to the Sports Illustrated All-Century Team, one of only five players to be so honored. Lucas is joined on the team by Bill Bradley (Princeton, 1963-65), David Thompson (N.C. State, 1973-75), Oscar Robertson (Cincinnati 1958-60) and Lew Alcindor (UCLA, 1967-69). Lucas averaged 24.3 points a game in his OSU career and an astounding 17.2 rebounds a contest. He was a three-time All-America selection and the Big Ten’s only three-time player of the year. Lucas’ 1,411 career rebounds stands as the career record. His 17.2 average also is a career record. He averaged 17.8 rebounds as a senior, which stands as the OSU single season record. %^$
%^$Penn named 1st Team AP All-American
%^$Senior guard Scoonie Penn was named to the Associated Press Preseason First Team All-America team. Penn joins Mateen Cleaves, Michigan State, Terence Morris, Maryland, Chris Porter, Auburn and Quentin Richardson, DePaul. %^$
%^$VCA sold out for 1999-00 Big Ten season
%^$The entire 1999-00 home Big Ten men’s basketball season at Value City Arena is sold out. All 19,100 seats are sold this year, including 4,000 student season tickets. A total of 10,000 student season ticket applications were submitted for the 4,000 available seats. Split season tickets were distributed to 8,000 students who submitted applications this year. Last season 650 student season tickets were sold. The Buckeyes averaged 17,228 fans last season. Ohio State was 14-1 in its first season a VCA.%^$
%^$Buckeyes sign three for 2000-01
%^$Jim O’Brien, Ohio State head men’s basketball coach, announced the signing of three highly recruited players to be added to the Buckeye program. Matt Marinchick (Hudson, Ohio), Velimir Radinovic (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) and Zach Williams (Middle Village, N.Y.) all signed letters of intent Nov. 11.%^$
%^$Marinchick (Ma-RIN-chick), a 6-10 center from Hudson (Ohio) H.S. is ranked No. 20 nationally at his position by Athlons Sports. He led his high school team with 12.8 points per game as a junior. %^$
%^$Radinovic (VEL-ah-mere Ra-DIN-o-vich) is a 7-0 center/forward from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Last season, he averaged 16 points and 12 rebounds at T.A. Blakelock High School in Toronto.%^$
%^$Williams, a 6-6 power forward comes to Ohio State as the No. 4-ranked player in New York. Williams, of Christ the King High School, averaged 15 pts. and 8 rebs on his high school team that was ranked No. 3 in the nation last season%^$
%^$Penn, Redd earn preseason Big Ten recognition by both coaches and media
%^$Ohio State senior guard Scoonie Penn was selected as the preseason Big Ten Player of the Year by the league coaches during the conference-sponsored media day. %^$
%^$Michigan State senior Mateen Cleaves was selected by the Big Ten media as its preseason player of the year candidate. Ironically, the coaches tabbed Cleaves the Big Ten Player of the Year at the conclusion of last season while the media selected Penn. Penn along with OSU junior Michael Redd (Columbus, Ohio/West) were both selected as first team all-conference members by both the media and coaches.%^$
%^$The coaches also added Cleaves and Morris Peterson of Michigan State to the first team along with A.J. Guyton of Indiana. The media selected a similar first team but replaced Guyton with Cory Bradford of Illinois. League coaches picked Michigan State to win the conference this year followed by Ohio State, Illinois, Purdue and Indiana. The media picked MSU, Ohio State and Illinois as its top three.%^$
%^$Redd, Penn named OSU captains
%^$Senior Scoonie Penn and junior Michael Redd were named team captains during preseason camp. It will be the second season Penn has served in that capacity at Ohio State. He along with seniors Neshaun Coleman and Jason Singleton served last season. Redd will be serving his first season as an OSU captain. %^$
%^$Penn, Redd listed on several preseason All-America lists
%^$Buckeye senior Scoonie Penn is listed on several first team All-America teams. Some of the publications or preseason pollsters who have deemed Penn among the nation’s best include: Sport Magazine, Athlon Sports, Basketball Times, Street & Smith’s and Blue Ribbon. Lindy’s picks Penn and junior Michael Redd as First Team all-Big Ten Conference selections. Redd has been consistently deemed a second team nomination in most of the preseason publications. %^$
