Men’s Basketball Travels To #19 Illinois – Ohio State Buckeyes
1/4/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 4, 2000
No. 13 Ohio State Buckeyes
Probable Starters (8-2, 0-0)
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.
No. 19 Illinois Fighting Illini
Probable Starters (8-3, 0-0)
G 13-Cory Bradford, 6-3, So.
G 30-Frank Williams, 6-3, Fr.
C 52-Marcus Griffin, 6-9, Jr.
F 32-Cleotis Brown, 6-5, Sr.
F 21-Robert Archibald, 6-11, So.
OSU 48-39 in Big Ten openers, 15-20 in road conference openers
Ohio State is in its 88th season as a member of the Big Ten Conference. The Buckeyes are 48-39 all-time in league openers. OSU has begun the conference season at home 52 times (33-19) and on the road 35 times (15-20). Overall, Ohio State has a record of 32-55 (.368) in Big Ten road openers and 55-32 (.632) in home league openers.
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.
Redd, Penn heat up vs. American
Ken Johnson had a big hand in Ohio State’s runaway victory over American University. Johnson blocked two more shots than American made in the first half, and Michael Redd and Scoonie Penn came out of shooting slumps as the No. 15 Buckeyes rolled to a 79-43 victory. Johnson blocked eight shots in the opening half as the Buckeyes broke out to a 45-15 lead. American U. made just 6-of-29 shots (21 percent) in the first 20 minutes. Averaging 69 points coming in, the Eagles were held to their lowest point total since losing to Princeton 71-36 during the 1983-84 season. Redd led the Buckeyes with 19 points. Penn added 15 points, and Will Dudley hit all five of his field-goal attempts for 10 points in Ohio State’s fourth win in a row. Johnson and the rest of the starters saw only scant playing time in the second half. The 6-foot-11 senior didn’t block a shot in his seven minutes of action after halftime. Tim Washington had 14 points for the Eagles, who ended up 17-of-58 from the field (29 percent). Washington had five field goals, but the other four starters were a combined 6-for-31. Ohio State showed signs of coming out of a season-long shooting slump. The Buckeyes topped 50 percent shooting from the field for the second game in a row, going 31-of-59 (53 percent). It also was the first time this season that Redd and Penn have each hit at least half of their shots in the same game. Johnson blocked four shots in the last five minutes of the first half as the Buckeyes closed the half on an 18-3 run.
Noting the win over American
– Ohio State improved to 8-2 on the season with the 79-43 win over American University (5-5). OSU holds a 22-2 record during its two years at Value City Arena.
– Michael Redd tallied 19 points in the contest, becoming the 13th player in OSU history to eclipse the 1,500-point barrier. With 1,510 career points, Redd has moved past Troy Taylor (1,497) into 13th place on the all-time scoring ladder at Ohio State.
– Redd scored more points in the first 1:52 of the game (five) than he did in the entire game vs. Oakland (four) on Monday. He finished the game with 19 points, marking the 73rd time in 76 career games that he has scored in double figures.
– Ken Johnson blocked eight shots in the game – all in the first half. It marked the second time this season he has swatted eight shots. The eight blocks are the third-most in OSU history. Brad Sellers and Herb Williams hold the record with nine blocked shots. Johnson now has 208 career blocked shots – second only to Williams (328) on the all-time chart.
– OSU shot a season-high 54.5 percent (6 for 11) from three-point range, besting the 50 percent performance Monday vs. Oakland.
– Ohio State has connected on at least one three-point goal attempt over the last 230 games. Michael Redd extended the streak with a trey at the 18:08 mark of the first half. The last time an OSU team missed all attempts from three-point range was Feb. 2, 1992, when OSU went 0 for 5 in a 68-58 win over Michigan.
– American tallied a season-low 43 points in the contest. The Eagles’ previous low was 57, set at Delaware. The 43-point output is American’s lowest-scoring game since a 36-point performance vs. Princeton during the 1983-84 season.
– American’s 15 points in the first half are the fewest points allowed in a half in Value City Arena. The previous low was 17, set Monday in the first half by Oakland.
– The Buckeye defense held American’s Patrick Doctor scoreless. Doctor entered the game as AU’s leading scorer at 14.3 points per game.
– The contest was OSU’s third-consecutive sellout. With all eight Big Ten home games already sold out, Ohio State will have a string of 11 straight sellout games.
– Will Dudley tied his career high for rebounds, grabbing seven boards vs. American. Dudley previously notched seven rebounds vs. Florida A&M earlier this season.
OSU guards successful at foul line
The Ohio State guard rotation of Michael Redd, Scoonie Penn, Brian Brown and Brent Darby have been deadly from the foul line this season. Redd has made 23 of 25 shots (.920) followed by Brown (23-27, .852), Darby (11-13, .846) and Penn (34-42, .810) . Combined, the four have made 91 of 107 for 85.0 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 15 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 208 blocks in his career after swatting eight shots against American. 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.
Redd 62 points away from OSU Top 10
Redd moved into 13th place all-time at OSU in scoring with 19 points against American (12/29). With 62 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.
Opposing offenses struggle
The Buckeye defense has managed to hold seven of the 10 opponents this season under 40 percent from the field and all opponents to a combined 35.0 percent (203-580). Only Notre Dame (.500), Coastal Carolina (.441) and Kansas (.477) have managed to shoot over 40 percent against the Buckeyes. Four teams–Duquesne (.283), Florida A&M (.224), Eastern Kentucky (.242) and American (.293)–managed a shooting percentage in the 20s.
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 50 blocks on the year. As a team, the Buckeyes are first among Big Ten teams in scoring margin (+19.7), field goal percentage defense (.350) and blocked shots (6.90). The Buckeyes are second in scoring defense (56.1), free throw percentage (.708), rebound margin (+8.6), turnover margin (+4.40) and defensive rebounds (26.30)..
Penn makes 100th career collegiate start vs. Toledo
Ohio State senior guard Scoonie Penn made his 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 46 starts over the last two seasons.
Redd ends double-figure scoring streak
Ohio State junior guard Michael Redd has appeared in 76 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.
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 (208) 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 5.0 bpg. (50/10 gms.) so far this season.
Redd reaches, Penn closing in on 1,500 points
The Ohio State guard tandem of senior Scoonie Penn and junior Michael Redd each will reach career point 1,500 this season. Redd eclipsed the mark with 19 against American (12/29) and has 1,510 career points, good for 13th on the OSU career list. Penn, who spent two seasons at Boston College, has scored 1,494 career points. Penn tallied 737 while at BC and has 757 at Ohio State.
Numerically noting the Buckeyes
– Scoonie Penn: Penn needs two made free throws to reach 300 in his career…he has made 298 of 392 (.760) career free throws…Penn reached 100 career starts vs. Toledo (12/22)…he has 46 at Ohio State..Penn is closing in on 400 career assists…with 50 this year, his career total is 391, 204 coming at OSU…500 career field goals will be reached with eight more this season, Penn has 492 in his career, 249 at Ohio State…Penn will play his 3,500th career minute vs. Illinois…he has 3,498 minutes played in his career…Penn has played 30 or more minutes in seven games this season, including all 40 at Kansas (12/16)…in the last two games, Penn has connected on 9 of 12 shots (.750), including 5 of 7 3-point attempts (.714)…since failing to record a steal in the season opener against Notre Dame, Penn has at least one theft in nine-consecutive contests, seven in the last two games.
– Michael Redd: Redd has started all 76 games in his career…he reached 100 career 3-pointers made with three at Kansas (104-321)…he claimed 13th on the OSU career scoring list with 19 points vs. American (12/29)…Redd has 1,510 career points…Redd is 23 of 25 (.920) from the foul line this year…he is a career 63 percent free throw shooter (288-456)…Redd has connected on at least one 3-pointer in nine of 10 games this season (0-2 vs. Oakland)…with eight free throws made this season, Redd will reach 300 makes for his career…In the rebound category, Redd is nearing the 500 mark…he has 468 for an average of 6.2 rpg…Redd needs five assists to reach 200.
– Ken Johnson: Johnson has started the last 46 games at center…Johnson has 208 career blocks and is averaging 5.0bpg. (50) this season…Johnson has 16 career games with five or more blocks, he had three as a freshman, seven last year and six this season in 10 games…Johnson is a career 56 percent shooter from the field (210-404) and is connecting on 61 percent this season (33-54).
– Brian Brown: Brown has doubled his offensive output this season with an average of 9.6 points a game…he averaged 4.1 as a freshman…he also is shooting nearly 45 percent better from the foul line…Brown shot just 51.9 percent as a freshman (27-52) from the free-throw line…this season, Brown has connected on 23-27 (.852).
– Cobe Ocokoljic: Ocokoljic cracked the starting lineup vs. Oakland (12/27)…he has played double-figure minutes in seven of 10 games and three of the last four, including a career high 32 minutes vs. American (12/29)…As a starter, he has made 7 of 13 shots (.550) and 2 of 4 3-pointers (.500)…he also is averaging 8.5 ppg and 6.0 rpg. in a starting role.
– George Reese: Reese has nearly doubled his offensive output from a year ago…he averaged 5.5 points last season and is third on the team this year at 10.9 ppg…he connected on 42 percent of his shots as a junior (73-174) but has upped that percentage to 51.1 (45-88).
– Brent Darby: Darby has played 20+ minutes in each of the last two games and has shot 66.7 pct. from the 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 made 85 pct. of his free throws (11-13).
– Will Dudley: Dudley is a career 67 percent shooter from the field…he has connected on 32-48 shots from the field in 25 career games…he has made 18-27 (.667) shots this season.
Blocks, steals excels OSU defense
Ohio State, led by senior center Ken Johnson’s 50 blocks, has rejected 69 shots this season while foes have just 24. Senior guard Scoonie Penn leads the team with 22 steals. OSU leads opponents 64-52 in thefts.
No DQs are Ok with OSU
Ohio State has not had a player foul out this season and has not had a player disqualified since Jason Singleton fouled out in the Big Ten Tournament loss to Illinois last season (3/6/99). OSU has gone 15-consecutive games without a disqualification. Guard Scoonie Penn has not fouled out of a game in his last 51 contests (last vs. Villanova 2/27/96 while at Boston College). The OSU starting five (Redd (1), Penn (0), Johnson (1), Reese (1) and Brown (1)) have combined for just four ejections in the last two seasons.
Buckeyes spend last 19 weeks in AP poll
Ohio State spent the final 10 weeks of the 1998-99 season and the first nine 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 13th in the AP and 18th in the ESPN/USA Today polls (1/3/99)
Buckeyes hit the boards early on with Columbus connection
Ohio State is averaging 41.1 rebounds a contest, which is 8.6 more than opponents (32.5) after the first 10 games of the season. Junior Michael Redd leads the way with 7.1 rpg. Senior George Reese is next at 6.6 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 51 of 74 (.689) from the field so far this season. Johnson is 33-54 (.611) and Dudley is 18-27 (.667) from the floor in 1999-00. Both, by the way, play the piano.
Illini route Loyala to enter Big Ten play
Marcus Griffin scored 24 points and Cleotis Brown added 19 as No. 20 Illinois beat Loyola of Chicago 107-71. Lucas Johnson scored 15 points and Cory Bradford had 14 for the Illini (8-3), who led by 19 points at halftime. Jerell Parker had 13 points and Silvijie Turkovic added 12 for Loyola (8-3), which got within 66-55 with 10:30 remaining. But Illinois, behind Griffin and Brown, went on a 15-1 run for an 81-56 lead with 7:30 to go. Griffin started the run with a layup and also had two free throws and another basket. Brown eight points, including two 3-pointers, in the run. Illinois shot 50 percent from the field and was 13-of-25 from 3-point range. Illinois freshman point guard Frank Williams had five points, 13 assists and four steals.
Illini successful vs. OSU when ranked
Illinois has been ranked among the Associated Press Top 25 in 34 games against Ohio State. The Illini have a 27-7 record against the Buckeyes when ranked. Illinois was last ranked in a meeting with Ohio State March 5, 1997 when the Buckeyes fell 90-83 to No. 24 Illinois. The last meeting between the two teams when both teams were ranked occurred Feb. 9, 1989 in Champaign. The No. 16 Buckeyes fell to No. 7 Illinois 62-60. Ohio State’s last win as a ranked team was last season at Illinois when the No. 15 Buckeyes edged the unranked Illini, 64-61, in Champaign (1/30/99).
Buckeyes 15-10 when ranked vs. Illinois
Ohio State has taken an Associated Press Top 25 ranking into 25 games against Illinois since 1950. The Buckeyes have come away with a 15-10 record (.600) in those games. The last time Illinois defeated a ranked Ohio State team was in the Big Ten Tournament last season when the unranked Illini won 79-77 over the No. 12 Buckeyes in Chicago (3/6/89). Ohio State was ranked No. 15 in the 64-61 win over Illinois last season in Champaign (1/30/99).
Illini winners in 6 of last 7
Illinois has won six games in the last seven outings including an 84-70 victory over Kansas Dec. 18 in Chicago. The 8-3 Illini have losses to Duke (72-69), Maryland (69-67) and Missouri (78-72) in the annual border war with the Tigers. Wins have come against Western Illinois, Bradley, Seton Hall, Texas-Pan American, Kansas State, Kansas, Bethune Cookman and most recently against Loyola-Chicago.
Bradford leads Illini offensively
Sophomore guard Cory Bradford leads the Illinois with a 15.9 scoring average. Marcus Griffin follows at 14.0 points per game and leads the team with 6.6 rebounds a contest. Freshman Frank Williams adds 12.5 ppg., and 4.6 assists a game.
Kruger in fourth campaign in Champaign
Illinois’ Lon Kruger is in his 18th season as a NCAA Division I head coach. He began his career at Texas Pan American (1983-86) after serving as an assistant at his alma mater, Kansas State, from 1979-82. Kruger then coached at KSU from 1987-90 before taking the Florida job in 1991. Illinois then hired the Silver Lake, Kan., native in 1997. Kruger has compiled a record of 304-226 as a head coach. As a player, he was the Big Eight Player of the Year in both 1973 and ’74. .
The Illinois Series
Illinois leads the all-time series with Ohio State 93-55 after splitting a pair of contests in 1998-99. The Illini are 54-21 all-time over OSU in Champaign, 38-34 in Columbus and 1-0 on neutral ground. Ohio State last won in Champaign last season 64-61 (1/30/99). Illinois’ last win (79-77) was at the 1999 Big Ten Tournament, March 6, 1999.
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 67-50
Northwestern 95-44
Penn State 9-10
Purdue 66-77
Wisconsin 76-53
Totals 612-602
OSU 3-point field goal streak extended to 230
Ohio State has connected on at least one 3-point field goal attempt over the last 230 games. Junior Michael Redd extended the streak early in the first half against American. 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 222-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.
