Men’s Basketball To Take on Michigan State in East Lansing – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/8/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 8, 2002
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Date Feb. 10, 2002
Opponent Michigan State
Site Breslin Center (14,759)
Game Time 1 p.m. (EST)
TV CBS
Local TV WBNS 10 TV
TV Talent Verne Lundquist (Play-by-Play), Billy Packer (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)
No. 16 Ohio State Buckeyes
Probable Starters (17-4, 8-2)
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.
Michigan State Spartans
Probable Starters (13-9, 4-5)
G 5 – Chris Hill, 6-3, Fr.
G 23 – Kelvin Torbert, 6-4, Fr.
C 55 – Adam Ballinger, 6-9, Jr.
F 25 – Aloysius Anagonye, 6-8, Jr.
F 15 – Alan Anderson, 6-6, Fr.
Buckeyes Continue Four-Game Road Trip
Ohio State will play its second game of a four-game road trip against the Spartans of Michigan State Sunday in East Lansing. The Buckeyes are coming off an overtime road loss at Wisconsin (94-92) on Wednesday. The remaining games on the road trip include games at Iowa (Feb.16) and Indiana (Feb.20). The last time Ohio State played four-straight conference games on the road was during the 1948-49 season when the Buckeyes traveled to Illinois, Northwestern, Indiana and Michigan. The trip also included a stop at St. Louis. The last time the Buckeyes played four-straight (non-tournament) regular season games on the road was during the 1985-86 season when the team traveled to Wisconsin, Northwestern, Indiana and Boston College.
Buckeyes On Top in The Big Ten
Ohio State is currently tied with Indiana for first place in the Big Ten (Feb. 8). The Buckeyes are 8-2 in conference play and 17-4 overall. The last time the Ohio State started 8-2 in conference play was during the 1999-00 Big Ten Championship season when the Buckeyes finished 13-3 in conference play.
Darby and Brown Pace Buckeyes
Ohio State guards Brian Brown and Brent Darby lead the team in scoring, averaging over 15 points each in Big Ten play. Darby has heated up over the last three games scoring over 20-points in each game. Included were wins over then No.12 ranked Illinois and Northwestern. Against the Illini (Jan. 29), Darby tied his then career-high with 22 points, including 16-18 from the stripe, to lead the Buckeyes over Illinois. Darby bettered his scoring output against Northwestern (Feb. 2), scoring a career-high 26 points, including 11 of OSU’s last 12 points. He also connected on 3 of 5 treys and went 7 of 8 from the free throw line. He tallied a combined 48 points, shooting 11 of 17 from the field and connected on 23 of 26 free throws. Against Wisconsin, Darby again lead his team in scoring, tallying 22 points in an overtime loss to the Badgers. He is averaging 15.4 points in Big Ten play.
Brown has led or tied for the team lead in five Big Ten games this year for the Buckeyes. Brown is averaging a team high 15.9 points in Big Ten play, including a career-high 26 points in the win over Indiana (Jan. 19).
Ohio State Back in Both Polls
Ohio State is back in the Top 25 in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches polls as of Feb. 4. The Buckeyes are currently ranked 22 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll and 16th in the Associated Press poll. Ohio State is the highest ranked Big Ten team in the AP poll.
Ohio State in RPI Top 15
With an 11-2 record in its last 13 games, and an overall record of 17-4, Ohio State has moved into the Top 15 in the Rating Percentage Index, a formula used to help select teams to the NCAA tournament. The Buckeyes are No. 15 in the most recent RPI (2/7/02). Ohio State is second among Big Ten schools in the recent poll. Indiana in 12th and Illinois in 21st.
Dials on Pace to Set OSU Freshman Record
Ohio State freshman Terence Dials is shooting 65 percent (48-74) from the field in 20 games as a Buckeye. He is fourth in the Big Ten in field goal percentage in league games, connecting on 60 percent (26-44) of his shots in league play. 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.
Dials, Williams Lead Big Ten From Field
Freshman Terence Dials and sophomore Zach Williams are both in the top five in the conference in field goal percentage. Dials is third in the conference, hitting 48-74 (.649) while Williams is No. 4, connecting on 43-of-71 shots (.606) in Big Ten.
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. 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. 6) is rated in the Top 20 in several categories. The Buckeyes are No. 5 nationally in field goal percentage (49.4), No. 18 in scoring defense (61.1), No. 19 in winning percentage (81.0), 20th in scoring margin (12.0 ppg.) and 20th in rebound margin (7.0).
Ohio State Travels to Michigan State
Ohio State enters its road matchup at Michigan State following an overtime loss on the road in Madison to the Badgers. Ohio State, victorious in 11 of its last 13 games, is 17-4 overall and 8-2 in the Big Ten. The Spartans are winners in two of their last three which includes wins at home against Michigan and at Illinois. The Spartans fell to Northwestern, 61-49, in Evanston Wednesday.
Taylor Leads Spartan Attack
Sophomore Marcus Taylor, slowed by an injury of late, leads the Spartans with a 15.2 scoring average. He is followed by freshman Chris Hill (11.5 ppg.) and junior Adam Ballinger (10.4 ppg). Three other Spartans average just under 10 points per game. Ballinger also owns the team lead in rebounding, grabbing 6.7 boards per contest.
The Buckeyes vs. Michigan State
Senior Brian Brown leads the Buckeyes with a 12.4 points per game scoring average against Michigan State in five career games. He is followed by sophomore Zach Williams, who is averaging 7.5 ppg in two career games against the Spartans. Williams also leads the Buckeyes on the boards against the Spartans, pulling down just under four rebounds a game.
Spartans Lead Close Series
The Spartans own the all-time series lead with the Buckeyes, 52-45. The Buckeyes lead the series in Columbus, 32-17, while the Spartans have the edge in East Lansing, 35-13. The Buckeyes and Spartans have split the last four meetings, each winning two on their home court. The Buckeyes won the last meeting in Columbus, 64-55, Jan. 27, 2001. A week prior, the Spartans won in East Lansing, 71-56, Jan. 21. OSU’s last win in East Lansing was on Feb. 29, 1992 (78-65).
Michigan State Recently
The Spartans have won four of their last six games in Big Ten play. Losses have come at Iowa (Jan. 22) and at Northwestern(Feb. 6). The four wins include victories at home against Purdue (Jan. 16) and Michigan (Jan. 30) and road wins over Penn State (Jan. 19) and Illinois (Feb. 3). The Spartans are currently 4-5 in the conference and 13-9 overall.
Izzo in Seventh Year at Michigan State
Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo is in his seventh year as the head coach in East Lansing. He has an overall record of 161-62 (.721) which includes the 2000 NCAA national championship. His resume also includes four regular-season Big Ten Championships, two Big Ten Tournament titles, three Final Four appearances and three National Coach of the Year awards.
Brown Climbs Scoring Chart
Senior Brian Brown reached the 1,000-point mark in his Buckeye career earlier this year against UNC-Greensboro. Brown became the 40th player in Ohio State history to reach 1,000 points. He has scored 1,176 points in 118 career games for an average of 10 points a contest. He scored 15 points in the most recent outing against Wisconsin and currently owns No. 26 spot in career scoring all-time at Ohio State. He trails No. 25 Lawrence Funderburke (1992-94) by just three points (1,179).
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 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 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 11-1 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.
Buckeyes Climbing 3-point Chart
Boban Savovic is eighth on the Top 10 list for career 3-pointers made at OSU with 103. He has connected on 38-of-94 3-point shots this season for a shooting percentage of 40.4 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 is 10th with 88 3-pointers. He has made 15-of-50 on the season (.300). Brent Darby could crack the Top 10 this season as well. He has made 83-of-221 (.376) for his OSU career. Sean Connolly has made 131-of-329 career 3-pointers, which includes a 64-of-165 (.388) long-range shooting effort as a freshman at Providence. At Ohio State, Connolly has connected on 67-of-164 treys (.408).
Buckeyes Move Up in Rankings
Ohio State has played or will face four teams currently ranked or receiving votes in the most recent Associated Press Top 25 Poll. Ohio State, with a 17-4 record and a recent win over then- No. 12 Illinois, No. 9 Iowa and No. 25 Indiana, received 564 votes for Top 25 consideration and is currently rated as the No. 16 team nationally in the AP Poll. Currently rated teams on the OSU schedule include No. 21 Illinois, No. 26 Pittsburgh and Indiana (RV/29th).
Buckeyes Limit Foes’ Long-Range Shooting
Thirteen of the 21 teams Ohio State has played this season have been held below 30 percent shooting from 3-point range. The Buckeyes have held six opponents under 18 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 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
Brown Now Eighth in Career Assists
Brian Brown passed former teammate Scoonie Penn on the Ohio State career assists list with five against IUPUI. Brown is now eighth all-time with 334. Prior to the Wisconsin game, Brown was tied for the eighth spot with Jay Burson (1986-89) with 329. Jim Jackson is seventh all-time with 372.
Noting the Game at Wisconsin
The Buckeyes played their first overtime game of the 2001-02season. The last time OSU played in an overtime game was March 15,2001, losing to Utah State 77-68, in the first round of the NCAAtournament. OSU is now 35-47 all-time in overtime games and 15-21on the road in overtime games. Four different Buckeyes scored indouble figures: Savovic (17), Williams (14), Darby (22) and Brown(15). It marks the eighth time this season that has happened. OhioState is now 3-3 on the road this season and 2-2 on the road inconference play. Brent Darby set new career-highs for minutesplayed (41), field goals (9) and field goals attempted (18). ZachWilliams set a new career-high for steals with four against theBadgers. His previous career-high was two. With five assistsagainst the Badgers, Brian Brown now stands by himself in theeighth place among Ohio State all-time assist leaders (334). He waspreviously tied with Jay Burson (1986-89) with 329. The Buckeyes’92 points marks the highest offensive output by OSU this season.With 15 points against Wisconsin, Brian Brown has now scored indouble figures in 19 of OSU’s 21 games this season. Ohio State lostfor only the second time this season when leading at the half. TheBuckeyes are now 15-2 when leading at the break.
Brown Tops Four in Double Figures
Senior Brian Brown continues to lead team lead in scoring following a 15-point effort against Wisconsin. Brown is averaging 14.9 points per game, followed by Brent Darby with 13.2 ppg. Boban Savovic is next with 11.5 ppg., followed by sophomore Zach Williams (10.5).
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 (12.0 ppg.) and field goal percentage (.494). Ohio State is second in scoring defense (61.6), rebounding defense (28.1). 3-point field goal percentage defense (.296) and rebound margin (6.7). The Buckeyes are third in assists (15.29).
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.
Noting the Buckeyes…
Brandon Fuss-Cheatham: Has played in 20 games … just two turnovers to go with 10 assists in last six games, no turnovers in last five contests with nine assists … has played 10 or more minutes in last 4-of-6 games and in nine games this season.
Sean Connolly: Contributes nearly 24 minutes off the bench … has made 9-of-14 3-point attempts in last four contests … five double figure games this season with season-high 17 in loss at Minnesota…has been charged with just four turnovers in last six games…has 34 assists, 9 steals this year … career 80 percent shooter from the foul line (121-150) … played 50th game as a Buckeye vs. Illinois.
Brent Darby: Notched a career-high 26 points against Northwestern … one of four Buckeyes in double figures with 13.2 points a game … has played 30 or more minutes in 14 games this season including a career-high 41 minutes in the overtime loss to Wisconsin … team leader from the foul line (87-109, .798) … in last five games has connected on 12-of-23 3-pointers (.521) … career 77 pct. shooter from the foul line (160-206) … 83 career 3-pointers, nearing Top 10 list … has a string of three-consecutive 20-point games.
Brian Brown: Went over 400 career rebounds against Northwestern (402/3.4 rpg.) … 87-consecutive starts … only current Buckeye with over 300 assists (334) and 100 steals (115) … shooting over .500 from the field … has been in double digits offensively in last 16 games and in 19-of-21 games this season.
Velimir Radinovic: Earned starting spot in last 16 games … reached double figure minutes in 17-of-20 games … shooting 51 percent from the field (27-52) … second on the team with 12 blocks … season high 10 points in home loss to Pittsburgh (12/19/01).
Boban Savovic: Played 100th game and made 50th start as a Buckeye vs. Illinois … leads team from 3-point range (38-94, .404) … tops Buckeyes in assists from the No. 3 guard spot with 83 … has recorded five or more assists in 10 games this season … tops in steals with 31 … … 103 of 207 FGs are for career are from 3-pt. range (103-276, .373) … needs one steals to reach 100 at Ohio State.
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.
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.
Zach Williams: One of the hardest workers on the squad … often draws opponent’s big man … has the ability to score over bigger players … leads starters in field goal percentage (88-147, .599) and rebounding (6.1 rpg.) … only Buckeye with over 100 rebounds (128) … has scored 10 or more points in 12 games this year … reached 400 career points (413/8.1) at OSU with 14 scored against Illinois.
Terence Dials: Has played double figure minutes in 15-of-21 games … third in the Big Ten in field goal shooting (48-74, .649) … on pace to set Ohio State freshman record for shooting percentage … still learning the Ohio State offensive and defensive schemes … 38 rebounds in last seven games … career high 13 caroms vs. Louisville (12/15/01). Has been a factor in OSU’s recent success.
Will Dudley: Started first four games of the season … double figure minutes in ten games this year … shooting 55 percent (24-43) on the season … 15-of-29 rebounds have come on the offensive end of the floor this year … 96 career games, 9.4 minutes per game at Ohio State … career 56 pct. shooter from the field (125-222) … needs five rebounds to reach 200 for career … 31 career blocks are most on team.
Tim Martin: Tied a career-high with seven rebounds against Northwestern … has played in all 20 games with one start this season … 24-of-49 rebounds this year have come on the offensive end of the court … gives Buckeyes added strength in the middle … averages over 11 minutes as a walk-on player for Ohio State.
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 will next travel to Carver-Hawkeye Arena to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes Feb. 16 in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes are 4-6 in conference play and 15-9 overall. The Buckeyes won the first meeting between the two teams this year, downing the visiting Hawkeyes, 72-62, on Jan. 5.
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 87 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 three wins away from his fourth-consecutive 20-win season.
