Men’s Basketball Returns Home Saturday to Host Purdue – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/22/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 22, 2002
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%^$Date Feb. 23, 2002
%^$Opponent Purdue
%^$Site Value City Arena (19,200)
%^$Game Time 8 p.m. (EST)
%^$TV ESPN Plus
%^$Local TV WBNS 10 TV
%^$TV Talent Jim Barbar (Play-by-Play), Bill Hosket (Color)
%^$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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%^$No. 18 Ohio State Buckeyes
%^$Probable Starters (18-6, 9-4)
%^$G 4 – Brent Darby, 6-1, Jr. (12.9)
%^$G 21 – Boban Savovic, 6-5, Sr. (11.3)
%^$G 13 – Brian Brown, 6-4, Sr. (15.0)
%^$C 14 – Velimir Radinovic, 7-0, So. (3.6)
%^$F 33 – Zach Williams, 6-7, So. (10.3, 5.8)
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%^$Purdue Boilermakers
%^$Probable Starters (12-16, 4-10)
%^$G 33 – Darmetreis Kilgore, 6-5, Jr. (10.3)
%^$G 0 – Willie Deane, 6-1, Jr. (17.6)
%^$C 54 – John Allison, 6-10, Sr. (9.6)
%^$F 32 – Matt Carroll, 6-8, Fr. (1.4)
%^$F 3 – Brett Buscher, 6-8, So. (4.4)
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%^$Ohio State Returns Home to Value City Arena
%^$For the first time since early February, the Ohio State basketball team will be wearing white uniforms when it takes the floor on Saturday night. After a four-game road swing through Madison, East Lansing, Iowa City and Bloomington, coach Jim O’Brien’s Buckeyes are at home this week, taking on Purdue at 8 p.m. in the Jerome Schottenstein Center’s Value City Arena. It will be OSU’s first home court appearance since a 58-57 squeaker over Northwestern on Feb. 2. With a 14-1 record at home this year, the Buckeyes are looking forward to back-to-back home games with the Boilers and Michigan State (Tuesday) before closing out the regular season at Michigan on Mar. 2 (now set for an 8 p.m. tip). The Buckeyes are coming off a 63-57 loss at Indiana on Wednesday, a setback that leaves them one game behind the Hoosiers at the top of the Big Ten standings. But the Hoosiers must now play two of their remainging three games on the road, starting Sunday at Michigan State. Following the Spartans, IU is at Illinois on Tuesday and then concludes its Big Ten season by hosting Northwestern on Mar. 2.%^$
%^$O’Brien on the Buckeyes
%^$”I said before the Indiana game that the winner of that game is now out of the woods and the loser is not out of the picture. I still feel that way. We need some help, but to my way of thinking we are still very much in this. We just have to take care of business,” said the Ohio State coach.%^$
%^$Buckeyes Seeking 17th Big Ten Title
%^$Ohio State is seeking its 17th Big Ten basketball title. The Buckeyes have won 10 outright crowns and shared six others. Ohio State’s last championship came in 1999-2000, when the Buckeyes shared the title with Michigan State. Ohio State’s last outright crown was in 1992.%^$
%^$O’Brien Nominated For National Coach of the Year
%^$Ohio State basketball coach Jim O’Brien has been nominated by the Atlanta Tipoff Club for the Naismith National Coach of the Year Award. O’Brien is one of 20 finalists for the honor which will be presented April 5 in Atlanta, the site of this year’s Final Four. O’Brien was the NABC National Coach of the Year in 1999 and the Big Ten Coach of the Year in 1999 and 2001. He is also considered to be a leading contender for the latter honor this year.%^$
%^$OSU-Indiana Recap
%^$The Buckeyes jumped out to an early 11-5 lead, but the Hoosiers ran off an 11-4 spurt for a 16-15 lead at the 6:04 mark. Indiana led 28-24 at the half, thanks in large part to 12 points off OSU turnovers. The Buckeyes staged a rally of their own at the start of the second half and the two teams were tied at 38-38 with 11 minutes to play. A three pointer by Jared Jeffries gave IU the lead for good at 43-41 and Indiana went on to take a one-game lead over the Buckeyes with three games to play. Brian Brown paced the Buckeyes with 23 points. The Buckeyes held the Hoosiers to 38 percent shooting, but Indiana forced OSU into 16 turnovers.%^$
%^$Noting the Game at Indiana
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Ohio State is now 4-5 on the road for all games and 3-4 awayfrom home in league play.%^$
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This is the 11th time this year that Brian Brown has paced theBuckeyes in points. He has scored in double figures in 22 of 24contests this year.%^$
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Even though Brent Darby (slowed by a sore back) finished withjust 4 points, he tied his career-high with 7 rebounds.%^$
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In splitting two games with Indiana this year, the Buckeyeshave held the Big Ten’s top three-point shooting club to a combined12 of 37 from behind the arc.%^$
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In two games vs. IU this season, Brown has scored 49 points,hit 19 of 29 shots (4-6 treys), made 7 of 9 free throws, grabbed 12rebounds, handed out 4 assists, committed 1 turnover and beencredited with 1 steal. He played 37 minutes in Columbus and 38 inBloomington.%^$
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The loss snapped Ohio State’s two-game winning streak inAssembly Hall.%^$
%^$Brown Moves Past Witte, Havlicek
%^$Ohio State senior guard Brian Brown led all scorers at Indiana, notching 23 points against the Hoosiers, his second best effort of the year (26 vs. IU in the first meeting of the year between the two clubs). Brown hit 9 of 16 shots against the Hoosiers this time around, including three treys. He also pulled down six rebounds and had three assists. In his two games against Indiana this year he has connected on 19 of 29 field goal attempts.%^$
%^$Brown, who has led the team in scoring 11 times this season (six times in Big Ten play) is averaging a team-high 15.8 points in Big Ten play. He has scored in double figures in 22 of OSU’s 24 games this season and is now 23rd among OSU career scoring leaders with 1,224 points. Brown, who went around Luke Witte (1,211) and John Havlicek (1,223) with his showing at Indiana, now takes aim at No. 22 Larry Siegfried (1,228) and No. 21 Ronnie Stokes (1,240) on OSU’s all-time point list.%^$
%^$Ohio State Back in Both Polls
%^$For the fifth consecutive week, Ohio State is ranked in the Top 25 in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches polls. The Buckeyes are 18th in the latest ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll and 19th in the Associated Press poll.%^$
%^$Dials on Pace to Set OSU Freshman Record
%^$Ohio State freshman Terence Dials is shooting 63.7 percent (58-91) from the field in 24 games as a Buckeye. Dials is well on his way to setting an Ohio State freshman record for field goal percentage. Jermaine Tate is the current record holder with a .569 (115-202) shooting percentage as a freshman in 1996. The 6-9, 240-pound Dials hit three of six shots at Indiana.%^$
%^$Williams, Brown Among Big Ten Marksmanship Leaders
%^$Sophomore forward Zach Williams is fourth in the Big Ten in field goal percentage with a mark of .594 (98 of 165) in 24 games. Williams hit 4-of-7 shots against the Hoosiers, Brown was 9-of-16. Senior guard Brian Brown is 15th with a .481 (129-268) figure, also in 24 games. Freshman Terence Dials does not have enough makes (3.0 per game) to qualify.%^$
%^$Ohio State 11-2 at VCA vs. Ranked Teams
%^$Ohio State has faced 13 ranked opponents at Value City Arena since the facility opened for the start of the 1998-99 season. Ohio State is 4-1 against Top 10 teams, which includes a 72-62 victory over No. 9 Iowa on Jan. 5 of this year.. OSU is 11-1 vs. ranked Big Ten squads at VCA. The Buckeyes are 124-192 all-time vs. teams ranked in the Associated Press Poll.%^$
%^$Buckeyes Show Up in NCAA Statistics
%^$Ohio State (as of Feb. 18) is rated in the Top 30 in several categories. The Buckeyes are No. 6 nationally in field goal percentage (48.7), No. 20 in scoring defense (62.0), No. 23 in winning percentage (78.3), 22nd in scoring margin (11.1 ppg.) and 26th in rebound margin (6.0).%^$
%^$A Look At The Boilers
%^$Purdue, under the long-time tenure of Gene Keady, are 12-16 for all games and 4-10 in the Big Ten (10th). The Boilers, 0-7 in road conference games and 1-8 on the year, are coming off a 61-48 loss at Northwestern on Wednesday. Junior guard Willie Deane leads the Purdue attack with a Big Ten-best average of 17.6 points per game for all games. Deane had 27 points in the first meeting with Ohio State this year, still the high-water mark by an Ohio State opponent in 2002. Guard Darmetreis Kilgore is the only other Boiler in double figures with an average of 10.3. Senior center John Allison is averaging 9.6 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. He also has 52 blocked shots to his credit. As a team, the Boilers are averaging 70.5 points, but giving up 71.2. They are shooting .440 as a team, to their opponents’ .471. In the rebounding department, the Boilers are pulling down 32 a game, 2.2 less than their opponents.%^$
%^$The Buckeyes vs. Purdue
%^$Junior Brent Darby and sophomore Zach Williams lead the Buckeyes with 10 points per game against Purdue in their careers. Darby has played in two career games against the Boilers while Williams has played in two. Freshman Terence Dials scored a career-high 16 points in his only game against Purdue back on Jan. 2. Williams also leads the Buckeyes on the boards, pulling down five rebounds per contest and is shooting 69 percent from the floor against Purdue.%^$
%^$Series Information
%^$Purdue leads the series, 77-69, but Ohio State has cut into that deficit by winning the last five meetings between the two schools, including a 79-71 win earlier this year in West Lafayette in a game that launched the 2002 Big Ten campaign for both schools. The Buckeyes do hold a 46-26 edge in games played in Columbus, including a 2-0 mark in The Jerome Schottenstein Center. Prior to the Buckeyes’ current five-game run, Purdue had won nine in a row and 10 of the previous 11 against OSU. In the first meeting this year (Jan. 2), the Buckeyes shot 61 percent from the field and outrebounded the host Boilers, 29-18. Boban Savovic paced the Buckeyes with 18 points and freshman Terence Dials contributed 16 off the bench. Zach Williams and Brian Brown each added 14, to offset a stellar performance by Purdue guard Willie Deane who netted 27.%^$
%^$Purdue Coach Gene Keady
%^$Gene Keady, the Dean of Big Ten coaches, is in his 22nd year at Purdue and his 24th year as a head coach. Keady’s record is 468-222 with the Boilers and 506-241 overall. He is 23-17 in 40 games against OSU. Keady has six Big Ten championships and six national coach of the year awards (second most by any coach). He is the Big Ten’s third winningest coach all-time by percentage and is second in victories.%^$
%^$Under Keady, Purdue has made 20 postseason tournament appearances in 21 years (16 times in the NCAA Tournament). During that span Purdue has averaged 20.7 wins per season.%^$
%^$Brown Moves Up Point Ladder
%^$Senior Brian Brown, who reached the 1,000-point mark in his Buckeye career earlier this year against UNC-Greensboro, became the 40th player in Ohio State history to score 1,000 points. He now has 1,224 points in 121 career games for an average of 10.1 points a contest. Brown netted 23 points at Indiana on Wednesday and currently owns the No. 23 spot on the all-time career scoring list at Ohio State. Should Brown maintain his current scoring average of 15.0 points a game in the Buckeyes’ remaining three regular-season games, he would surpass Larry Siegfried (1,228 points/1959-61) and Ron Stokes (1,240/1982-85). Depending on postseason play, Brown also could bypass Clark Kellogg (1,285/1980-82) and Jim Cleamons (1,335/1969-71).%^$
%^$O’Brien 26-4 in VCA vs. Conference Foes
%^$In four seasons at Value City Arena, Jim O’Brien and the Buckeyes have a combined record of 26-4 (.867) in Big Ten play. 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 at VCA. 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 14-1 at home this year. Home losses at VCA 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.%^$
%^$Value City Arena Serves Buckeyes Well
%^$Ohio State has played 64 home games at Value City Arena since the facility opened for the 1998-99 season. The Buckeyes are 57-7 (.890) at Value City Arena.%^$
%^$Buckeyes Raining Threes
%^$Boban Savovic is eighth in career 3-pointers made at OSU with 106. He has connected on 41-of-102 triples this season for a shooting percentage of .402. Savovic passed Damon Stringer (1996-97), who finished his career with 89 treys, with a 3-of-5 effort at Purdue (1/2/02) earlier this season. Brian Brown is now all alone in ninth place in career treys at OSU with 93. He has made 20-of-62 on the season, including 3-of-5 at Indiana. Brent Darby, meanwhile, has made 29 of 81 three-pointers this year and now has 85 for his career (229 shots). He is 11th in OSU annals, five behind Stringer. Sean Connolly has made 134-of-342 career 3-pointers, which includes a 64-of-165 (.386) long-range shooting effort as a freshman at Providence. At Ohio State, Connolly has connected on 70-of-177 treys (.395).%^$
%^$Buckeyes Limit Foes’ Long-Range Shooting
%^$Fifteen of the 24 teams Ohio State has played this season have been held below 30 percent shooting from 3-point range. Indiana became the latest casualty Wednesday night, converting just 6 of 23 three-pointers against the Buckeyes. The Buckeyes have held six opponents under 18 percent shooting from long range.%^$
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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%^$at Louisville 14.3 4-28%^$Pittsburgh 26.3 5-19%^$Eastern Illinois 20.0 3-15%^$UNC-Greensboro 26.7 4-15%^$Massachusetts 29.4 5-17%^$Northwestern 25.0 5-20%^$Michigan 20.0 4-20%^$Illinois 17.6 3-17%^$Wisconsin 17.4 4-23%^$Michigan State 27.3 3-11%^$Indiana 26.0 6-23%^$
%^$Brown Now Eighth in Career Assists
%^$Brian Brown passed former teammate Scoonie Penn on the Ohio State career assists list with five against IUPUI earlier this season. Brown is now eighth all-time with 342 assists, including three at Indiana. Jim Jackson (1990-92) is seventh all-time with 372.%^$
%^$Brown Leads Balanced Attack
%^$Senior Brian Brown continues to lead a balanced Ohio State attack with an average of 15 points per game. Junior Brent Darby and senior Boban Savovic are averaging 12.9 and 11.3 points per game, respectively, while sophomore forward Zach Williams checks in at 10.3.%^$
%^$Ohio State Tops Big Ten in Several Areas
%^$Ohio State ranks at, or near, the top of several Big Ten statistical categories. The Buckeyes lead in scoring margin (+10.4 ppg.), field goal percentage (.486) and rebounding defense (28.8). They are second (actually tied) in scoring defense (62.0) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (.297). Ohio State also is third in rebound margin (+5.3) and fourth in turnover margin (+1.21).%^$
%^$Noting the Buckeyes…
%^$2 – Brandon Fuss-Cheatham: Has played in 23 games …spells Brent Darby at point … two turnovers and nine assists in last eight contests… averages just under 10 minutes a game off the bench this season for the Buckeyes.%^$
%^$3 – Sean Connolly: First guard off the bench, contributing nearly 20 minutes a game … has made 12-of-27 (.444) 3-point attempts in last six contests … six double figure games this season with season-high 17 in loss at Minnesota…has been charged with just 7 turnovers in last 9 games…has 39 assists and 13 steals this year … big steal late at Iowa … career 80 percent shooter from the foul line (122-152).%^$
%^$4 – Brent Darby: Bothered past two games by sore lower back (muscular) … held to 4 points at Indiana, but did have 7 rebounds … Averaging 18 points in the 5 games prior to Indiana … notched a career-high 26 points against Northwestern (Feb. 2) … one of four Buckeyes in double figures with 12.9 points a game … has played 30 or more minutes in 15 games this season including a career-high 41 minutes in the overtime loss to Wisconsin …32 minutes at Iowa, despite painful back … team leader from the foul line (98-124, .790) … in last 7 games has connected on 14-of-31 3-pointers (.451) … career 77 pct. shooter from the foul line (171-221) … 85 career 3-pointers … had a string of three-consecutive 20-point games earlier this season.%^$
%^$13 – Brian Brown: Went over 400 career rebounds against Northwestern … has started 90-consecutive games for the Buckeyes … only current Buckeye with over 300 assists (342) and 100 steals (116) … shooting 48 percent from the field this season… has been in double digits in last 19 games and in 22-of-24 this season … 9th place all-time among OSU 3-point leaders with 93 … Wooden Award Candidate … two-time OSU captain.%^$
%^$14 – Velimir Radinovic: Has started the past 20 games … double figure minutes in 18-of-24 games … shooting 55 percent from the field (34-62) … second on the team with 12 blocks … season high 10 points in home loss to Pittsburgh (12/19/01) … seven rebounds at Michigan State … seven second-half points at Iowa.%^$
%^$21 – Boban Savovic: Played 100th game and made 50th start as a Buckeye vs. Illinois … leads team from 3-point range (41-102, .402) … tops Buckeyes in assists from the No. 3 guard spot with 91 … has recorded five or more assists in 11 games this season … tops team in steals with 34 and has 102 for his career … strong, quick hands … fine defender and solid all-around performer.%^$
%^$23 – Ryan Heflin: Shooting 71.4 percent from the field in seven appearances (5-7) this season … career-high seven points in six minutes vs. Santa Clara (12/12/01) … team barber, often cuts teammates’ hair the day before games … missed Indiana trip with the flu.%^$
%^$24 – Shaun Smith: Perfect from the field this year (3-3) in seven appearances … has command of OSU offense … runs practice squad against starters in practice … would rather look to make assists than score in games.%^$
%^$33 – Zach Williams: One of the hardest workers on the squad … often draws opponent’s best scoring big man … has the ability to score over bigger players … leads starters in field goal percentage (98-165, .594) and rebounding (5.8 rpg.) … only Buckeye with over 100 rebounds (139) … has scored 10 or more points in 13 games this year .%^$
%^$34 – Terence Dials: Has played double figure minutes in 18-of-24 games … one of the top freshmen in the Big Ten … shooting just under 64 percent from the field this season (58-91) … on pace to set Ohio State freshman record for shooting percentage … leads the team in blocked shots with 16 … has collected 51 rebounds in last 10 games … career-high 13 caroms vs. Louisville (12/15/01) … has been a factor in OSU’s Big Ten success.%^$
%^$43 – Will Dudley: Started first four games of the season … double figure minutes in ten games this year … shooting 52 percent (25-48) on the season … 15-of-32 rebounds have come on the offensive end of the floor this year … 99 career games at Ohio State … career 56 pct. shooter from the field (126-226) … needs two rebounds to reach 200 for his career … 31 career blocks are most on team … good jump hook … skillful under the basket.%^$
%^$44 – Tim Martin: Tied a career-high with seven rebounds against Northwestern … has played in all 23 games with one start this season (Northwestern, Jan. 12) … 26-of-56 rebounds this year have come on the offensive end of the court … gives Buckeyes added strength in the middle … defensive presence at Iowa was a key factor in OSU win … Big Ten season-high 18 minutes vs. the Hawkeyes … competitive and great team player.%^$
%^$54 – Matt Marinchick: Has played in eight games as a redshirt freshman for Ohio State … connecting on 50 percent of his field goal attempts (4-8) … hit all four foul shots in just one minute of action in home win over Michigan.%^$
%^$Next Up For the Buckeyes
%^$Ohio State closes out its home season Tuesday by hosting Michigan State at 8 p.m. in Value City Arena. It will be senior night for the Buckeyes, with seniors Brian Brown, Will Dudley, Boban Savovic and Tim Martin being recognized, along with senior managers Dave Egelhoff and Steve Ater, during the pregame festivities.%^$
%^$Senior Class Continues Successful Run
%^$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 89 wins (31 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.%^$
%^$OSU Hoping For a 4th-Consecutive NCAA Trip and 20-win Season
%^$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. Jim O’Brien is just two wins away from his fourth-consecutive 20-win season.%^$
