Buckeyes Set For Matchup With Louisville – Ohio State Buckeyes
1/2/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 2, 2003
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Opponent: Louisville
Site: Value City Arena (19,200)
Game Time: 2 p.m. (EST)
TV: ESPN
Local TV: None
TV Talent: Mark Jones (Play-by-Play), Larry Conley (Color)
Radio: OSU Radio Network (63 stations)
Local Radio: WBNS FM-97.1 AM-1460
Radio Talent: Herb Howenstine (P-by-P), Ron Stokes (Color)
Ohio State Owns 4-3 Edge Over Louisville
Ohio State owns a slight edge in the all-time series with Louisville. Ohio State has won four of the seven meetings and two of the last three. The Cardinals won last year in the first game of a home-and-home series with Ohio State. Louisville claimed a 66-61 victory Dec. 15, 2001 at Freedom Hall, home of the Cardinals. Five of the games played in the series have been played at Louisville. The Buckeyes have won both meetings in Columbus, the last a 91-88 overtime win over the 10th-ranked Cardinals Feb. 4, 1991.
Buckeyes on 4-Game Win Streak
Ohio State has won its last four games after a loss to No. 4 Pittsburgh on the road Dec. 18. The Buckeyes won five consecutive contests at the end of the 2001-02 season before Missouri knocked Ohio State out of the NCAA tournament in Albuquerque, N.M. March 16, 2002. The Buckeyes also are on a 7-game win streak in Value City Arena, all this season. The Buckeyes opened the 2000-01 season with a 7-0 record before falling to No. 9 Kansas 68-68 Dec. 23, 2000. Ohio State’s longest home winning streak in Value City Arena is a 12-0 game run during the 1999-00 season. The Buckeyes lost the opener to Notre Dame in the 2000 Preseason NIT and then won the next 12 games before a loss to Iowa. Overall, Ohio State is 65-8 in five years at Value City Arena. Ohio State Facing 4th Ranked Foe, First at Value City Arena in 2002-03
Ohio State will be playing its fourth ranked opponent in the pre-Big Ten Conference season when No. 24 Louisville travels to Value City Arena. The Buckeyes have played three teams who were ranked No. 4 nationally by the Associated Press at the time they faced the Buckeyes. Two games, vs. Alabama and Duke, were contested on neutral courts. Ohio State then traveled to Pittsburgh Dec. 18 to play the only true road came of the non-conference season.
Buckeyes Fare Well vs. the Ranked at Value City Arena
No. 24 Louisville will be the 14th opponent to visit Value City Arena with an AP national ranking since the facility opened in 1998. Ohio State has won 11 of 13 previous games against ranked foes at home under head coach Jim O’Brien at Value City Arena. The Buckeyes were 4-1 in 1998-99, 1-0 in 1999-00, 3-1 in 2000-01 and 3-0 in 2001-02 against ranked teams at home. Losses have No. 9 Kansas (2000) and No. 12 Iowa (1999) are the only ranked teams to claim victory at VCA.
Ohio State vs. Ranked Opponents
The Buckeyes are 125-196 all-time against opponents ranked in the Associated Press Top 25. In the last five years, Ohio State has won 21 of 37 (.568) games against ranked foes.
Fans Boost Buckeye Record in Sellouts
Value City Arena has been sold out for 24 games in the last five years since the building opened in 1998. The Buckeyes have won 20 of those games for a winning percentage if .833 when the VCA is sold out. Iowa, Kansas, Indiana and Michigan State are the only teams to overcome the home crowd and the Buckeyes in soldout games at VCA. Jim O’Brien led Ohio State to a 1-0 record in 1998-99, a 11-1 mark in 1999-00, a 3-2 effort in 2000-01 and a 5-1 record in 2001-02 in sold out games at VCA.
Cardinals 7-1 before Ohio State Battle
Louisville’s only loss of the season was to Purdue Nov. 30 at the Wooden Tradition in Indianapolis. The Boilermakers escaped with an 86-84 victory. The Cardinals have won games against Air Force, South Alabama, Seton Hall, Eastern Kentucky, Manhattan, Furman and most recently against Kentucky. The Cardinals downed the Wildcats 81-63 Dec. 28 and have not played since.
Stone, Gaines Lead Cardinals
Senior center Marvin Stone, a transfer from the University of Kentucky, is the leading scorer for the Cardinals at 18.7 points per game. Senior guard Reece Gaines is second at 18.4 points per game. The Madison, Wis., native, leads three other regulars who average in double figures for Louisville. Stone averages 10.3 rebounds a contest in the three games back after serving his time off the court because of the transfer from UK. Junior forward Ellis Myles averages 10.1 rpg to lead the regulars in rebounding.
Stone Leads Louisville over Former Team
Kentucky transfer Marvin Stone scored 16 points and Ellis Myles had 11 points and 14 rebounds for Louisville, which snapped a three-game losing streak to Kentucky following an 81-63 win Dec. 28. Kentucky opened with a fast start, dominating the boards and building a 20-9 lead. The Wildcats got 15 of the first 16 rebounds in the game. The rebounding evened out, and the Cardinals improved their defense. Kentucky had only three baskets in the last five minutes. The Wildcats led 33-30 at halftime, but Erik Brown, who’s from Lexington, made a 3-pointer with 17:03 left to initiate a 17-4 run by the Cardinals. Kentucky opened the game by shooting 9-of-17 from the field, then missed 19 of its next 24 shots, including nine of the first 10 at the start of the second half. Reece Gaines, Louisville’s leading scorer, hit a 3-pointer – his first basket – with 10:18 left to give the Cardinals a 60-47 lead. The Cardinals made five of their first seven shots from beyond the arc in the second half. The Wildcats went more than five minutes without a field goal in the second half and never got closer than 17 in the last five minutes.
Buckeyes Own 42-25 Record vs. Conference USA
Ohio State has played all but three members of the current alignment of Conference USA teams. Only East Carolina, N.C.-Charlotte and Southern Mississippi have never met the Buckeyes. Ohio State has the most wins over St. Louis (11) and has an even or winning record against 10 of the league’s 14 member schools.
Pitino in Second Season at Louisville
Rick Pitino is 26-14 as head coach of the Louisville Cardinals after serving collegiate coaching stints at Boston University, Providence and Kentucky. He also has coached the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics in the NBA. Overall as a college coach, he has a record of 378-138. In 16 years as a college coach, his teams have been to the NCAA tournament eight times, which includes winning the NCAA title in 1996 while at Kentucky.
This Date In History
Ohio State is 11-8 in games played on Jan. 4. Ohio State. The last Ohio State win on this date was against Iowa (72-68) in 1993. The last time the Buckeyes played a non-conference foe on this date was in 1981 against Syracuse, a 67-57 Buckeye win in Columbus.
Buckeyes Use Second-Half Comeback in Win Over Hampton
Brent Darby had 16 points and Zach Williams scored six of his 12 down the stretch as Ohio State rallied to beat Hampton 70-62. The Buckeyes, who trailed most of the way because their outside shots wouldn’t fall, went inside down the stretch to turn their fortunes around. The Pirates then lost track of Ohio State players on two inbounds passes in the final minute. Williams was the beneficiary of the Buckeyes’ changed strategy, scoring six straight on a layup and four free throws to give Ohio State a 57-55 lead with 5:55 remaining. After Hampton tied it at 57 on a Devin Green jumper, Velimir Radinovic scored down low to give the Buckeyes the lead for good. The Buckeyes extended their lead to 62-58 on a Sean Connolly 3-pointer, then put the game away after Hampton missed two chances to score. Green missed two free throws with 1:18 remaining and, after Isaac Jefferson fumbled a potential steal out of bounds, Radinovic got behind the defense for a dunk on the inbounds pass. That gave Ohio State a six-point lead. Emonte Jernigan scored on a similar play in the closing seconds, catching a long inbounds pass and banking in an off-balance 10-footer over a defender. He was fouled and hit the free throw to make it 69-60. Jernigan scored 11 points for the Buckeyes and Radinovic had 10.
Noting the Win over Hampton
With Ohio State’s 70-62 win in the first meeting againstHampton, the Buckeyes are now 9-0 all-time versus teams in theMid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
The Buckeyes are 7-0 in Value City Arena this season and haveposted a 65-8 (.890) record since it opened.
For the first time this year, Ohio State overcame a halftimedeficit (33-28) to post a win. They are 0-3 in games trailing atthe half and 6-0 when holding an edge at the break.
Connolly is moving closer to 1,000 career points. He scored 330 atProvidence as a freshman and has 593 as a Buckeye for a total of923.
Connolly now has 107 3-point field goals as a Buckeye, which tieshim for 9th on the career list with Brian Brown and Doug Etzler.Connolly notched 64 in his one season at Providence.
Senior Brent Darby played in his 100th game tonight, with his 58thstart.
Two more 3-point field goals give Darby 120, which is sixth on theOhio State career 3-point list. He needs five to move into fifthplace and six to tie for fourth. Boban Savovic is currently fifth(125) and Michael Redd is fourth (126). Jamie Skelton is third with144 and Scoonie Penn is the career leader with 153.
Darby’s 16 points give him 959 for his career and needing 41 morepoints to become the 41st player at Ohio State to reach 1,000career points.
Zach Williams’ 8 free throws made is a career high and his 10attempts equals his career high.
Emonte Jernigan is now 7 of 14 on his 3-point field goal attemptsover the last three games. His six attempts vs. the Pirates equalshis high for the year. His 11 points is one less than his OSU high(12) against Radford.
Matt Sylvester, making his fourth career start, notched acareer-high with 9 points.
The OSU starting combination – Darby, Connolly, Sylvester, Williamsand Radinovic – is one of four used thus far by O’Brien. The combois now 3-1 as a starting unit.
Non-Conference Foes go 1-2-3 in AP/ESPN/USA Today Polls
Ohio State is scheduled to play seven teams and nine games against teams currently ranked in the Associated Press Top 25. Another three games are on tap against teams receiving votes. No. 1/3 (ESPN/USA Today) Alabama, No. 2/2 Pittsburgh, No. 3/1 Duke, No. 11/12 Illinois, No. 14/14 Michigan State, No. 17/18 Indiana and No. 24 Louisville all battle the Buckeyes this season. With games Alabama, Duke and Pittsburgh in the books, Louisville is the next ranked team, and the first to play in Columbus, to face the Buckeyes. 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. Ohio State travels to Illinois Feb. 9. No. 15 Michigan State plays host to the Buckeyes Jan. 9 in the Big Ten opener.
Fuss-Cheatham, Jenkins Return to Action
Brandon Fuss-Cheatham, a sophomore point guard, and Shun Jenkins, a junior forward, have missed game action while recovering from injuries suffered Nov. 22 against the Harlem Globetrotters in the final exhibition game. Fuss-Cheatham, who started both exhibition contests and then missed the first four regular-season games, went down with an injury to his left knee. The injury, a partially torn lateral meniscus, required arthroscopic surgery Nov. 25. Fuss-Cheatham returned to action with six minutes of playing time against Morehead State Dec. 14. He made his first career start Dec. 18 vs. Pittsburgh and played 26 minutes. Jenkins suffered a broken little finger on his left hand. He had surgery Nov. 27 and missed the first eight games of the season. He had the pins removed Dec. 19 and played for the first time as a Buckeye against Tennessee State. He played 26 minutes, scored six points and grabbed nine rebounds.
Connolly’s Scoring Streak Halted
Senior Sean Connolly reached double figures offensively in each of the first nine games this season. The streak ended with eight points in the win over Hampton.
Connolly Cracks Top 10 in Career 3-Pointers Made at Ohio State
Sean Connolly has made 107 of 267 (.401) career 3-pointers in three seasons as a Buckeye. He cracked the Top 10 in career makes at Ohio State with a pair vs. Hampton. Brian Brown and Doug Etzler both finished their careers with 107 made 3-pointers, good for the No. 9 spot. Connolly is 10th all-time with 267 attempts from 3-point range. His .401 shooting percentage ranks No. 7 all-time.
Darby, Connolly Among Big Ten Leaders
Seniors Brent Darby and Sean Connolly are among the Big Ten leaders in several categories. Darby is No. 2 in assists per game (5.20), No. 3 in scoring (17.7 ppg.), No. 5 in steals per game (1.90) and No. 7 in 3-point shooting percentage (.440/22-50). Connolly is No. 3 in 3-pointers made (2.60 pg.), No. 5 in free throw percentage (.846/22-46), No. 10 in scoring (15.6 ppg.) and No. 10 in 3-point shooting percentage (.426/26-61).
Connolly, Darby Reach 100 Career Games Played
Sean Connolly reached 100 games played against Seton Hall. Connolly played a total of 30 games at Providence and has appeared in 73 at Ohio State. Brent Darby as played in 100 games as a Buckeye with 58 career starts.
Buckeyes to Play 8 of 9 Games at VCA
After six games in which Ohio State opened the season with a pair of neutral games, one road contest and three home games, the Buckeyes will play eight of the next nine games in Columbus. The next five games, vs. Seton Hall (W 74-51), Radford (W 96-80), Tennessee State (W 94-73), Hampton (W 70-62) and Louisville will be played at home before the Big Ten opener at Michigan State Jan. 9. The Buckeyes will then play host to conference foes Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin.
Darby, Connolly Closing on 1,000 Points
Senior guards Brent Darby and Sean Connolly are inching closer to scoring 1,000 career points Darby also has 959 career points, all as a Buckeye. He is on pace to become Ohio State’s 41st player all-time to reach 1,000 career points. Connolly has scored 923 career points, which includes 330 while a freshman at Providence. At least one player has reached 1,000 points in each of the last four years at Ohio State. 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 provided NCAA 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 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.
