Men’s Basketball Faces Alabama In The Hall of Fame Tipoff Classic – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/27/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 27, 2002
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Opponent No. 4 Alabama
Site Springfield Civic Center (7,800)
Game Time 7 p.m. (EST)
TV ESPN
Local TV None
TV Talent Dave Strader (Play-by-Play), Len Elmor (Color)
Radio OSU Radio Network (63 stations)
Local Radio WBNS FM-97.1 AM-1460
Radio Talent Paul Keels (P-by-P), Ron Stokes (Color)
Ohio State Buckeyes
Probable Starters (1-0)
G 4 – Brent Darby, 6-1, Sr.
G 3 – Sean Connolly, 6-5, Sr.
G 40 – Matt Sylvester, 6-7, Fr.
C 14 – Velimir Radinovic, 7-0, Jr.
F 33 – Zach Williams, 6-7, Jr.
No. 4 Alabama
Probable Starters (3-0)
G 5 – Earnest Shelton, 6-3, So.
G 14 – Terrance Meade, 6-2, Sr.
G 25 – Maurice Williams, 6-1, So.
C 42 – Kenny Walker, 6-9, Sr.
F 35 – Erwin Dudley, 6-8, Sr.
Ohio State Successful in Debut
Playing his first game in an Ohio State uniform, transfer Emonte Jernigan hit two big baskets down the stretch as the Buckeyes held off Coppin State, 58-51. Ohio State – short-handed after losing two of its top players with injuries – was in trouble most of the night but never trailed by more than three points. Coppin State led 49-48 on Darron Bradley’s 3-pointer with 3:48 left. Jernigan followed Bradley’s 3-pointer with one of his own from the left wing with 3:30 left to key a 10-0 run by the Buckeyes. Sean Connolly added 12 points and Williams had 11 for Ohio State. Larry Tucker led Coppin State with 20 points, but scored just two in the second half.
Roster Down Two Following Injuries
Brandon Fuss-Cheatham, a sophomore point guard, and Shun Jenkins, a junior forward, will miss the next several weeks recovering from injuries suffered Nov. 22 against the Harlem Globetrotters in the final exhibition game of the season. Fuss-Cheatham, who started both exhibition contests this year, went down with an injury to his left knee. The injury, a partially torn lateral meniscus, required arthroscopic surgery Nov. 25. Jenkins suffered a broken little finger on his left hand. He had surgery Wednesday and will miss 3-5 weeks of game action.
Noting the Coppin State Win
Jim O’Brien is 47-2 as the Ohio State head coach when his teamshave held opponents under 60 points. Ohio State opened its 104thseason of men’s basketball with a win over Coppin State. TheBuckeyes are 82-22 (.788) all-time in season openers and 86-18(.827) in the first game of the season played in Columbus. OSU is2-0 against the Eagles. Ohio State has posted an 8-0 record againstMEAC teams. The Buckeyes began their fifth season in Value CityArena and have posted a 59-8 record in games on their home floor.Freshman guard Matt Sylvester made his first start as a Buckeye. Hefinished with two points, rebounds and assists in a career-high 28minutes. Senior guard Brent Darby connected for his 100th 3-pointfield goal as a Buckeye with 13:47 remaining in the first half. Heis 10th all-time in career 3-pointers (101). Darby needs seven more3-pointers to take over eighth place on Ohio State’s all-time list.Brian Brown (1999-2002) and Doug Etzler (1992-95) are tied foreighth with 107 3-point field goals in their careers. Junior guardEmonte Jernigan made his first appearance for the Scarlet and Gray.He finished with eight points in 18 minutes of action.
Alabama Opens Season 3-0
The Crimson Tide opened the season in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic in New York with a 68-62 win over Oklahoma Nov. 14. Alabama, ranked No. 4 in the most recent Associated Press Poll, then handled Alabama State (82-56, 11/22) and Middle Tennessee State (80-65, 11/25) Monday. Three players average double figures for the Crimson Tide. Guard Maurice Williams leads the way with nearly 20 points a game. He is followed by Erwin Dudley (13.7 ppg.) and Kenny Walker (12.0). Dudley also is the team’s leading rebounder with 8.7 boards a contest.
Last Four Top 10 Foes Fall to Buckeyes
Ohio State is 54-102 (.346) all-time in games agaisnt Top 10 opponents. The Buckeyes have won the last four games against Top 10 teams. No. 3 Michigan State (64-55) and No. 3 Illinois (63-61) fell in 2001. No. 9 Iowa (72-72) and No. 10 Illinois (94-88) lost to the Buckeyes in 2002. The Buckeyes were not ranked in any of those victories. The last time the Buckeyes downed a non-Big Ten foe ranked in the Top 10 was March 20, 1999. Ohio State beat No. 9 St. John’s 77-74 to advnace to the Final Four. That game followed a 71-64 win over No. 4 Auburn in the 1999 Midwest Regional semifinals played in Knoxville, Tenn., March 18.
Buckeyes Lead in Series vs. the Tide
The Buckeyes own a slight 3-2 advantage in the five previous meetings between the two schools. The teams last met Feb. 17, 2001 in Tuscaloosa, Ala., to end a home-and-home series with the Crimson Tide. Ohio State won the Columbus half of that contract, 78-70, Nov. 15, 1998 but fell at Alabama, 85-67. The two teams last met on a neutral court March 21, 1979 in New York in the third-place game of the National Invitation Tournament. Alabama was the winner in that game (96-86). The first game played in the series was a 96-68 Ohio State win at Alabama Dec. 22, 1969. The Crimson Tide traveled to Columbus the following year and fell to the Buckeyes, 74-58 (12/7/70).
Four Buckeyes Experienced vs. Alabama
Three current Buckeyes have playing experience against Alabama. Brent Darby scored 15 points off the bench in the last meeting in Tuscaloosa. Sean Connolly and Zach Williams scored five and two points, respectively, as starters in that game, an 85-67 Ohio State loss. The only other player with game experience against the Crimson Tide is sophomore J.J. Sullinger, who is unable to play this year while sitting out to satisfy NCAA transfer rules. Sullinger played last season at Arkansas. He averaged 7.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in two games against Alabama in SEC regular-season play.
Ohio State on Top in Games vs. the SEC
Ohio State owns a 27-23 record against teams representing the Southeastern Conference. The Buckeyes have played each conference member, except Louisiana State. Kentucky has provided the competition 19 times with the Buckeyes claiming victory in nine of those games.
Eastern Division Florida 5-2 Georgia 0-1 Kentucky 9-10 South Carolina 1-1 Tennessee 2-1 Vanderbilt 3-4
Western Division Alabama 3-2 Arkansas 1-2 Auburn 1-0 LSU Mississippi 1-0 Mississippi St. 1-0
Totals 27-23
Gottfried in 5th Season at Alabama
Mark Gottfried has been the head coach at Alabama, his alma mater (1987), for five seasons after starting his career at Murray State (1995-97). While coaching the Racers, Gottfried’s teams won the Ohio Valley Conference title three times while advancing to the NIT once and the NCAA tournament, twice. He is 153-74 overall with an 85-49 record at Alabama.
This Date In History
Ohio State is 5-2 in games played on Nov. 29. The last time the Buckeyes were on the road Nov. 29 was at the Great Alaska Shootout against Georgetown in 1981, a 47-46 win over the No. 5 -ranked Hoyas.
OSU on Nov. 29 11/29/75 L @Butler 67-70 11/29/80 W Cleveland State 89(9)-81 11/29/81 W vs Georgetown 47-46(5) 11/29/86 W Bucknell 90-62 11/29/93 W Pennsylvania 83-80 11/29/97 L Vanderbilt 54-64 11/29/99 W Vermont 74(15)-51
Next Two Games at Neutral Sites
Following the home-opening win over Coppin State (58-51, Monday), the Buckeyes travel for a pair of neutral-site games. Alabama takes on the Buckeyes at the Hall of Fame Tipoff Classic in Springfield, Mass., and Duke will meet OSU at the ACC/Big Ten Challenge in Greensboro, N.C. Both the Crimson Tide (No. 4) and Blue Devils (No. 6) are ranked among the Associated Press Top 10.
O’Brien Names Captains
Seniors Brent Darby and Sean Connolly along with junior Zach Williams will serve as tri-captains for Ohio State in 2002-03. All three will be serving their first full seasons as captains.
Darby on Preseason All-League Squad
Both the Big Ten Conference men’s basketball coaches and the league’s media selected Brent Darby to the Big Ten Preseason All-Conference Team. Darby joins Brian Cook (Illinois), Tom Coverdale (Indiana), Kirk Penney (Wisconsin) and Rick Rickert (Minnesota) on the preseason squad. The Buckeyes have had a preseason first team member in each of the last four seasons. Michael Redd made the team in 1998, Scoonie Penn and Redd in 1999, Ken Johnson in 2000 and Brian Brown in 2001.
Darby Closing on 1,000 Pts., Reaches 100 Made 3-pointers
Senior guard Brent Darby is 10th all-time in career 3-pointers made with 101 after knocking down three long-range attempts against Coppin State. He has averaged 41 made 3-pointers the last two seasons, which if he were to connect on 41 again as a senior, would put him fourth all time with 139 behind Scoonie Penn (153/1998-00), Neshaun Coleman (147/1996-99) and Jamie Skelton (144/1991-94). Darby also has 780 career points with 18 against the Eagles in the opener. He has averaged 353 the last two years with a career high of 409 as a junior. He is on pace to become Ohio State’s 41st player all-time to reach 1,000 career points. At least one player has reached 1,000 points in each of the last four years. Michael Redd (5th/1,879) and Jason Singleton (39th/1,022) reached 1,000 in 1999 followed by Scoonie Penn (34th/1,076) in 2000, Ken Johnson (36th/1,055) in 2001 and Brian Brown (19th/1,384) in 2002.
Buckeyes Seek 20th 20-Win Season
Jim O’Brien has guided the Buckeyes to 20-win seasons in each of the last four years. Another 20-victory campaign in 2002-03 would set an Ohio State record for consecutive seasons (5) with 20 or more wins. Only the 1960-1963 teams won more games over a four-year period (98) than O’Brien’s last four squads, which finished with 94 victories. Ohio State teams have won 20 or more games 19 times in 104 years of basketball.
Buckeyes Also On Big Ten Win Streak
Ohio State has won 11 or more games in Big Ten Conference play in each of the last four years, winning co-championships in 2000 and 2002, finishing second in 1999 and third in 2001. Only the 1960-64 teams, which won or shared a record five-consecutive Big Ten titles, had a more successful stretch in league play.
Opponent Experience Prevalent
The Buckeyes will play a total of 15 regular-season games against teams that participated in postseason competition in 2002. Ten games will be against NCAA tournament teams with the remaining five against National Invitation Tournament participants. Alabama and Duke provide tournament-tested opponents in two of the first three games of the season. When January rolls around, the Buckeyes will face a stretch of seven games against six opponents with 2002 postseason tournament experience. Three of those battles are against 2002 Big Ten Champions Indiana, twice, and Wisconsin. Another is against Michigan State, the 2002-03 preseason favorite win with the league title.
Four Top 10 Opponents on Schedule
Ohio State is scheduled to play four teams currently in the Associated Press Top 10, a total of seven in the Top 25 and another two (Illinois and Louisville) receiving votes for Top 25 consideration. No. 4 Alabama, No. 5 Pittsburgh, No. 6 Duke and No. 9 Michigan State all face the Buckeyes early in the season. After facing No. 4 Alabama, the Buckeyes then travel to Greensboro, N.C., Dec. 3 to battle Duke in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Buckeyes then travel to take on Pittsburgh Dec. 18 and Michigan State plays host to the Buckeyes Jan. 9 to open the Big Ten season. No. 19 Indiana and the Buckeyes play twice in a span of 11 days beginning with a home game Jan. 11 and ending with a road contest Jan. 21. No. 24 Minnesota makes a visit to Columbus Feb. 5 for the only meeting of the year. No. 25 Wisconsin visits Ohio State Jan. 18.
Sylvester Back Sooner Than Expected
When redshirt freshman Matt Sylvester underwent successful back surgery Aug. 7, he was expected to miss significant practice time while recuperating. He has progressed ahead of schedule and is participating in full practices with the Buckeyes. The 6-7 guard missed the majority of his freshman season with calf and back injuries. He was granted a medical redshirt year by the NCAA and will retain four years of eligibility at Ohio State. He made his first career start in the season opener against Coppin State.
Three Card Monte, LaMonta, Emonte
When Jim O’Brien looks down his bench this season, he’ll have a full compliment of Monte’s with assistant coach LaMonta (la-MON-tay) Stone, Monte (MON-tee) Mathis and junior guard Emonte (e-MON-tee) Jernigan. O’Brien also will have a trio of players, who use the same pronunciation but different spellings of the first name (SHAWN). Seniors Sean Connolly and Shaun Smith along with junior Shun Jenkins all pronounce their names the same.
Sylvester Begins Buckeye Career-Again
Matt Sylvester opens the 2002-03 season with the hopes of playing a more significant role for the Buckeyes after sitting out the majority of his true-freshman season. Sylvester played in three early games in 2001-02 before back and calf injuries forced him to the sidelines for the remainder of his freshman year. He received a medical redshirt to retain four years of eligibility.
O’Brien Selected for NCAA Committee
Jim O’Brien will serve as one of four NCAA Division I men’s basketball coaches on the NCAA Basketball Issues Committee. O’Brien will serve for one year. Coaches and administrators on this committee will meet to discuss NCAA Division I men’s basketball issues.
Stockman, Sullinger Wait for 2003-04
A pair of Ohio natives will be on the bench during home games this season but will not dress, travel or play this season. Sophomore J.J. Sullinger and junior Tony Stockman transferred to Ohio State from Arkansas and Clemson, respectively, following the 2001-02 season. Both will practice with the Buckeyes this year and will begin their eligibility in 2003-04. Sullinger will have three years of eligibility with the Buckeyes. Stockman will have two.
Jernigan Familiar with Adjusting
Junior guard Emonte Jernigan knows how to adjust to new challenges as a student-athlete. He began his career as a junior college player before signing to play NCAA Division I basketball with Oregon State. After one season with the Beavers, Jernigan left to attend another junior college for the 2001-02 campaign. He did not play organized basketball last year and will have two seasons of eligibility at Ohio State. His season out of basketball last year allows him to play immediately at Ohio State without having to sit out following his transfer.
Nwankwo, Sherman Added to Roster
Jim O’Brien added a pair of walkons to the Ohio State men’s basketball roster in early November. Sophomore Ugo Nwankwo (OO-go WAN-kwo) and junior Nick Sherman, both guards, are eligible to practice and play for the Buckeyes this season. Nwankwo (6-2, 185) is a native of Ann Arbor, Mich., and Sherman (6-3, 190) is a Dayton, Ohio, native.
O’Brien Welcomes Changes in Staff
Paul Biancardi, a longtime assistant to Jim O’Brien both at Boston College and Ohio State, was promoted to associate head coach in the offseason. Bruce Parkhill, who held the spot for two seasons, returned to his native State College, Pa., to spend more time with his family. In addition to Biancardi’s new role, a couple other positions were filled over the summer. LaMonta Stone, who last coached at Eastern Michigan, accepted one of the assistant positions on O’Brien’s staff. Monte Mathis, who was a full-time assistant on an interim basis in 2001-02 was made a full-time assistant as well. Andy Murphy, who had been a volunteer helping with the video needs of the OSU program, took over that spot on a full-time basis this year.
Winning Percentage Soars for O’Brien in Last Four Seasons
Jim O’Brien has won over 73 percent of the games he’s coached at Ohio State after an 8-22 record in his first season with the Buckeyes. O’Brien is 95-35 (.731) in the 130 games following the 1997-98 campaign, his first in Columbus. The Buckeyes have won 20 or more games and advanced to the NCAA tournament in each of the last four seasons, while finishing in the Top 3 in the Big Ten regular season race all four years, winning a pair of Big Ten regular titles (2000 and 2002) and a claiming the Big Ten tournament crown (2002) once.
Value City Arena Serves Buckeyes Well
The Buckeyes began their fifth season in Value City Arena in the home opener against Coppin State. Ohio State is 59-8 (.881) in games played on the home floor since the building opened for the start of the 1998-99 campaign. Ohio State is 4-1 in VCA home openers. Notre Dame beat the Buckeyes 57-54 on a buzzer beater to open the 1999-00 season in the first round of the 1999 Preseason NIT.
Buckeyes Play 104th Hoops Season, 91st in Big Ten Conference
Ohio State has a record of 82-22 (.788) in season-opening games over the 104 years of men’s basketball at OSU. The Buckeyes are 86-18 (.827) in home openers and 49-53 (.480) in road/neutral openers. Ohio State did not play a road game in 1900-01. This is the 91st 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.
