Men’s Basketball Heads to UMass – Ohio State Buckeyes
1/8/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 8, 2002
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%^$Opponent Massachusetts
%^$Site Mullins Memorial Cntr. (9,493)
%^$Game Time 7 p.m. (EST)
%^$TV ESPN Plus
%^$Local TV WBNS TV 10
%^$TV Talent Mike Gleason (Play-by-Play), Bill Hosket (Color)
%^$Radio OSU Radio Network (64 stations)
%^$Local Radio WBNS FM-97.1 AM-1460
%^$Radio Talent Paul Keels (P-by-P), Ron Stokes (Color)
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%^$Ohio State Buckeyes
%^$Probable Starters (10-2, 2-0)
%^$G 4 – Brent Darby, 6-1, Jr.
%^$G 21 – Boban Savovic, 6-5, Sr.
%^$G 13 – Brian Brown, 6-4, Sr.
%^$C 14 – Velimir Radinovic, 7-0, So.
%^$F 33 – Zach Williams, 6-7, So.
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%^$Massachusetts Minutemen
%^$Probable Starters (6-5, 0-1)
%^$G 30 – Shannon Crooks, 6-2, Sr.
%^$G 12 – Anthony Anderson, 5-11, So.
%^$C 33 – Kitwana Rhymer, 6-10, Sr.
%^$F 40 – Micah Brand, 6-11, Jr.
%^$F 34 – Raheim Lamb, 6-5, So.
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%^$Ohio State Mourns Loss of Legend
%^$Fred Taylor, who walked the basketball sidelines at Ohio State for 18 seasons as head coach, died Sunday in Columbus. Taylor, 77, guided the Buckeyes to three-consecutive NCAA championship games from 1960-62, winning the title in 1960 with a 75-55 win over California. His teams produced seven Big Ten championships and played in four NCAA Final Fours. He served as head coach from 1958-76, compiling a record of 297-158. His .653 winning percentage is the highest in Ohio State history for coaches with more than two seasons. The Buckeyes went 78-6 from 1960-62 with a lineup that featured Jerry Lucas and John Havlicek. Bob Knight, head coach at Texas Tech, also played on that team in a reserve role.%^$
%^$Savovic Earns Big Ten Award
%^$Boban Savovic averaged 16 points and six assists per game last week as the Buckeyes improved to 10-2 overall and 2-0 in Big Ten play. The senior guard shot 55 percent from the field (11-20) and hit 6-of-12 3-point attempts. Savovic began conference play with a team-best 18 points in a road victory at Purdue, hitting 7-11 from the field (.636) and 3-5 from long range. He then guided OSU to a convincing home win over No. 9 Iowa, 72-62, by nearly recording a double-double. Savovic scored 14 points, including three treys, and added a career-best nine assists in the win. For the year, he leads the team in assists (54) and steals (18) and ranks second in scoring at 12.6 points per contest. Savovic earns his first Big Ten player of the week laurel and the first for a Buckeye this season.%^$
%^$Buckeyes Return to Massachusetts
%^$Ohio State enters its matchup vs. Massachusetts with an overall record of 10-2 and a 2-0 Big Ten mark after the win over No. 9 Iowa. UMass enters the game with a 6-5 overall record following a 63-38 loss to St. Joseph’s Saturday. Ohio State and UMass played in Columbus last year with the Buckeyes winning, 54-51. That was the first meeting between the two schools. Ohio State is 17-7 against teams representing the Atlantic 10 Conference.%^$
%^$UMass Pair in Double Figures
%^$Shannon Crooks, a 6-2 senior guard, leads the Minutemen offensively with an average of 13.7 points a game. He is followed by junior center Micah Brand’s 11.5 ppg. Senior center Kitwana Rhymer is the team’s leading rebounder with 6.6 rebounds a game.%^$
%^$UMass on Two-Game Skid
%^$Massachusetts opened the season with four-consecutive wins over Arkansas-Little Rock, Marist, Oregon and North Carolina State but have lost five of the last seven contests. The wins were over Central Connecticut State and Maine. The Minutemen have lost to Holy Cross, Boston College, Connecticut, Marshall and St. Joseph’s.%^$
%^$Lappas in First Season at UMass
%^$Massachusetts head coach Steve Lappas is in his 14th season as a collegiate head coach and his first at UMass. He spent four seasons at Manhattan before a nine-year stint at Villanova. His teams have played in four NCAA and four NIT events over his career. His overall record is 236-177.%^$
%^$Brown Climbs Scoring Chart
%^$Ohio State senior guard Brian Brown reached the 1,000-point mark in his Buckeye career against UNC-Greensboro. Brown became the 40th player in Ohio State history to reach 1,000 points. He has scored 1,015 points in 108 career games for an average of 9.4 points a contest. He scored 14 in the most recent outing vs. Purdue to climb to the No. 39 spot all-time. He needs eight points to pass Jason Singleton (1996-99), who is 38th all-time in career scoring at Ohio State with 1,022 points.%^$
%^$OSU on 6-Game Big Ten Road Win Streak
%^$Ohio State started the Big Ten season with a 4-5 record last year before going on a seven-game win streak to finish third with an 11-5 record. Five the last seven victories in the conference were on the road. After dropping a home game to Indiana (70-67, Jan. 31, 2001), the Buckeyes rattled off Big Ten road wins over Minnesota, Iowa, Purdue, Northwestern and Penn State and a pair of home victories over Wisconsin and Illinois. Ohio State opened the 2002 conference season with a road win at Purdue, 79-71, to extend the conference road winning streak to six games.%^$
%^$O’Brien 21-4 in VCA vs. Conference Foes
%^$In four seasons at Value City Arena, Jim O’Brien and the Buckeyes have a combined record of 21-4 (.840) in Big Ten play at home in VCA. Indiana, Iowa (2) and Penn State are the only Big Ten teams with victories at VCA. The Buckeyes are 31-3 (.912) against non-conference opponents. Ohio State was 7-0 in 1998-99, 8-1 in 1999-00 and 8-1 in 2000-01 in non-Big Ten home games. The Buckeyes are 9-1 at home this year. Home losses have come to Notre Dame (59-57) in the 1999 Preseason NIT (11/16), Kansas (69-68) Dec. 23, 2000 and Pittsburgh Dec. 19, 2001 (62-55). O’Brien is 38-5 in non-conference home games in five seasons at Ohio State, which includes a 7-2 record his first season at St. John Arena.%^$
%^$Savovic, Brown Climbing 3-point Chart
%^$Boban Savovic is eighth on the Top 10 list for career 3-pointers made with 93. He has connected on 28-of-55 3-point shots this season for a shooting percentage of 50.9 percent. Savovic passed Damon Stringer (1996-97), who finished his career with 89 treys, with a 3-of-5 effort at Purdue (1/2/02). Brian Brown, who started the season 10th all-time, is just outside the Top 10 with 80 3-pointers. He has made 7-of-29 on the season (.241). Brent Darby could crack the Top 10 this season as well. He has made 71-of-190 (.374) for his OSU career. Sean Connolly has made 121-of-305 career 3-pointers, which includes a 64-of-165 (.388) long range shooting effort as a freshman at Providence. At Ohio State, Connolly had connected on 57-of-140 treys (.407).%^$
%^$Ohio State in RPI Top 20
%^$With four-consecutive victories and an overall record of 10-2, Ohio State has moved into the Top 20 in the Rating Percentage Index, a formula used to help select teams to the NCAA tournament. The Buckeyes are No. 17 in the most recent RPI with a strength of schedule rated at No. 29. Ohio State is the second among Big Ten teams in the RPI behind No. 3 Illinois, which has a No. 7 strength of schedule.%^$
%^$Buckeyes Move Up in Rankings
%^$Ohio State has played or will face seven teams that are ranked or receiving votes in the most recent Associated Press Top 25 Poll. Ohio State, with a 10-2 record and a recent win over No. 9 Iowa, received 51 votes for Top 25 consideration and is currently rated as the No. 31 team nationally. Currently rated teams on the OSU schedule include No. 9 Illinois, No. 13 Iowa, No. 23 Pittsburgh, No. 25 Michigan State, No. 27 N.C. State, No. 37 Louisville and No. 50 Indiana.%^$
%^$Buckeyes Limit Foes’ Long Range Shooting
%^$Six of the 12 teams Ohio State has played this season have been held at or below 25 percent shooting from 3-point range. None of the six connected on more than four 3-pointers. Four opponents have not reached 17 percent shooting from long range.%^$
Opponent Pct. 3FG-A%^$Winthrop 16.7 3-18%^$N.C. State 14.8 4-27%^$UNC-Wilmington 15.4 2-13%^$Santa Clara 25.0 4-16%^$at Louisville 14.3 4-28%^$Eastern Illinois 20.0 3-15%^$
%^$Brown Reaches 300 Assists, Moves in Top 10
%^$Brian Brown passed former teammate Scoonie Penn on the Ohio State career assists list with five against IUPUI. Brown is now 10th all-time with 309. Carter Scott (1978-81) is ninth with 326.%^$
%^$Noting the Win over Iowa
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The Buckeyes are 52-7 in Value City Arena since it opened forthe 1998-99 season. OSU is 31-3 against non-conference opponentsand 21-4 in Big Ten games.%^$
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With his 19-point performance Brian Brown has 1,034 points inhis Ohio State career. He moves into the No. 37 spot for careerscoring leaders. He passes Jason Singleton (1996-99) with 1,022points and Bill Andreas (1973-75) with 1,023 career points.%^$
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Freshman forward Terence Dials set a career high for blockswith two. He has had one block in four games this season.%^$
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Brent Darby kept the 3-point streak alive with his field goalat the 14:10 mark in the first half. Ohio State has made at leastone 3-point basket in 293-consecutive games.%^$
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Ohio State opened the first 7:23 of the first half on a 20-2run. The Buckeyes were 9-of-11 from the field and forced eight Iowaturnovers. Iowa answered with a run of its own. The Hawkeyesoutscored the Buckeyes 18-6 over the final 12:31 of the half. OSUled 26-20 at halftime.%^$
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Boban Savovic finished the game with a career-high nineassists. His previous high was eight set last season againstFlorida State (11/23/00). He has had five or more assists in eightof the 12 games this season.%^$
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Zach Williams finished the game with his second careerdouble-double. He scored 12 points and snagged 10 rebounds. He isthe only Buckeye to record a double-double.%^$
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The Buckeyes are 9-1 when they lead at the half. They are 10-1when leading with 5:00 minutes remaining in the game.%^$
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Ohio State shot 24-of-48 against Iowa for a .500 shootingpercentage. The Buckeyes have shot .500 or above in eight conteststhis season and have been victorious in all eight matchups.%^$
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The Buckeyes have scored 70 or more points in nine games thisseason. They are 9-0 in those games.%^$
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The 72-62 victory for the Buckeyes is the first win in Columbusover Iowa since Jan. 4, 1994 when OSU prevailed 72-68 in St. JohnArena.%^$
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Ohio State has played Iowa 31 times when the Hawkeyes have beenranked. The Buckeyes have posted a 14-17 record in those games.%^$
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Iowa forward Reggie Evans attempted 14 free throws which tiesthe individual Value City Arena record. Donatas Zavackas ofPittsburgh attempted 14 free throws earlier this season(12/19/01).%^$
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The Buckeyes were able to hold Evans the Big Ten’s leadingrebounder to nine boards. He is averaging 12.1 rebounds pergame.%^$
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Ohio State has played on this date in history 20 times, postinga 12-8 record. The Buckeyes have won five of the last six games onthis date.%^$
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Ohio State and Iowa played in front of a sell-out crowd of19,200 in Value City Arena. It is the first sellout of the 2001-02season. The Buckeyes are 16-3 in VCA sellouts. OSU is 11-2 in soldout games against the Big Ten, including 5-0 against rankedconference opponents.%^$
%^$Brown Holds Team Lead in Scoring
%^$Senior Brian Brown owns the team lead in scoring following a 19-point effort against Iowa. He tops four Buckeyes in double digits in a well-balanced offensive attack. Brown is averaging 14.2 points per game followed by Boban Savovic with 12.6. Brent Darby (11.1 ppg.) is just ahead of sophomore Zach Williams (10.8).%^$
%^$Ohio State Tops Big Ten in Several Areas
%^$Ohio State is among the top two in several Big Ten categories. The Buckeyes lead in scoring margin (16.6 ppg.), field goal percentage (.513), rebounding defense (28.8) and assist/turnover ration (1.20). Ohio State is second in scoring defensive (58.8), 3-point field goal percentage defensive (.275), assists (17.25) and turnover margin (2.08).%^$
%^$Value City Arena Serves Buckeyes Well
%^$Ohio State has played 59 home games at Value City Arena since the facility opened for the 1998-99 season. Fans have been instrumental in the Buckeyes’ 52-7 (.881) home record at Value City Arena.%^$
%^$Buckeyes Enter 103rd Season
%^$Ohio State has a record of 81-22 (.786) in season-opening games over the 103 years of men’s basketball at OSU. The Buckeyes are 85-18 (.825) in home openers and 49-53 (.480) in road openers. Ohio State did not play a road game in 1900-01. This is the 90th season of Big Ten membership in men’s basketball for the Buckeyes. Ohio State is 50-40 (.556) in conference openers, 61-29 (.678) in league home openers and 34-56 (.378) in the first road game of the season in Big Ten play.%^$
%^$Senior Class Continues Successful Run
%^$Ohio State seniors Brian Brown, Will Dudley and Boban Savovic have been a part of three of the more successful seasons in Ohio State history. As freshmen, the trio helped the squad reach the 1999 Final Four. As sophomores, they were a part of a Big Ten Championship team and another trip to the NCAA tournament. As juniors, they were instrumental in taking Ohio State to its third-consecutive NCAA tournament appearance and 20-win season. Combined, these seniors have been a part of 80 wins (29 defeats), three NCAA tournaments, three 20-win seasons, the 1999 Final Four and the 2000 Big Ten Co-Championship. Another senior, Tim Martin, did not play for OSU until the 2000-01 season. Martin, a transfer from Kent State, sat out the 1999-00 season to satisfy NCAA transfer rules.%^$
%^$A 4th-consecutive NCAA trip, 20-win season?
%^$The Buckeyes have been to 21 NCAA Tournaments in the history of the program, including the past three. No Ohio State coach has ever led four-consecutive teams to the NCAA Tournament. The Buckeyes have made three-consecutive trips four times (1944-46, 1960-62, 1990-92 and 1999-01). Ohio State also has a streak of three-consecutive 20-win seasons. The only time the program enjoyed four-consecutive 20-win campaigns occurred from 1960-63 with 25, 27, 26 and 20 wins, respectively. Ohio State won the national championship in 1960 and won four of five-consecutive Big Ten titles during that span.
