Men’s Basketball Travels to No. 18 Indiana – Ohio State Buckeyes
1/20/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 20, 2003
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Opponent No. 18 Indiana
Site Assembly Hall (17,456)
Game Time 7 p.m. (EST)
TV ESPN
Local TV None
TV Talent Dave Barnett (P-by-P), Bill Raftery (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 (8-7, 1-3)
G 4 – Brent Darby, 6-1, Sr.
G 3 – Sean Connolly, 6-5, Sr.
C 14 – Velimir Radinovic, 7-0, Jr.
F 50 – Shun Jenkins, 6-6, Jr.
F 33 – Zach Williams, 6-7, Jr.
No. 18 Indiana Hoosiers
Probable Starters (13-3, 3-1)
G 4 – Bracey Wright, 6-4, Fr.
G 3 – Tom Coverdale, 6-2, Sr.
G 32 – Kyle Hornsby, 6-5, Sr.
C 5 – George Leach, 6-11, Sr.
F 50 – Jeff Newton, 6-9, Sr.
Indiana on Top in Series
Indiana has an all-time record of 94-68 against Ohio State in the all-time series. The Buckeyes have won five of the last seven games and own a 47-33 advantage in games played in Columbus. The Hoosiers are 57-21 at home in Bloomington, Ind. Ohio State has a record of 20-28 against Indiana teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll, which includes an 81-69 win over the Hoosiers Jan. 11 in Columbus. Ohio State Facing 7th Ranked Foe, 5th Away from Columbus
Ohio State will be playing its seventh ranked opponent of the season when the Buckeyes visit No. 18 Indiana. 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 game of the non-conference season. No. 24 Louisville downed the Buckeyes in overtime , 72-64, Jan. 4. Ohio State fell at No. 25 Michigan State, 66-55, Jan. 9.
Ohio State vs. Ranked Opponents
The Buckeyes are 126-198 all-time against opponents ranked in the Associated Press Top 25. In the last five years, Ohio State has won 22 of 40 (.550) games against ranked foes.
Buckeyes Look for 1st Road Win Over Ranked Opponent Since 2001
The Buckeyes last defeated a ranked opponent on the road Feb. 7, 2001 at Iowa. Ohio State downed the Hawkeyes, ranked No. 14 at the time in the Associated Press Poll, 69-68. The last time the Buckeyes defeated a ranked Indiana team in Bloomington was Feb. 19, 2000 when No. 7 Ohio State defeated No. 10 Indiana 82-71. The last time an unranked Ohio State squad won over a ranked IU team was Feb. 23, 1959, a 92-83 victory over the No. 19 Hoosiers.
Indiana Improves to 13-3 Since Loss to Ohio State in Columbus
Indiana ended its non-conference season with a record of 10-2 with losses to Kentucky and Temple. The Hoosiers have won several key games against Gonzaga, Virginia and Maryland. The Hoosiers opened Big Ten play at home against Penn State with a win (78-65) before a loss to Ohio State (81-69) in Columbus. The Hoosiers then went 2-0 against Northwestern (71-57) and Illinois (74-66).
Illinois Falls to Indiana Inside Game
Jeff Newton scored a career-high 28 points, grabbed eight rebounds, blocked five shots and come up big every time No. 18 Indiana needed him in a 74-66 victory over No. 8 Illinois in Bloomington, Ind. Newton shot 9-of-17 from the field and 10-of-13 from the foul line. He had three steals, limited Illinois’ Brian Cook to 15 points – 10 fewer than his average – and joined Alan Henderson as the only two players in school history to block 200 shots. With leading scorer Bracey Wright out for the second straight game because of a pinched nerve in his lower back and Tom Coverdale and Kyle Hornsby combining for only seven points, the Hoosiers went to their power game and won.
Freshman Guard Leads IU in Scoring
Freshman guard Bracey Wright leads the Hoosiers and is second in the Big Ten with a scoring average of 19.1 points per game. Wright is scoring on 45 percent of his shots from the field and 81 percent of his foul shots. Senior forward Jeff Newton is the team’s leading rebounder with 9.8 caroms a contest. He also is the second leading scorer with 14.8 points a game. Senior guard Tom Coverdale leads the team in assists with 79 and is third in scoring with 12.9 points per game.
Davis in Third Year at IU
Indiana head coach Mike Davis is in his third season at Indiana. He guided the Hoosiers to the NCAA title game a year ago with a 25-12 record. Overall, he has compiled a 59-28 mark at Indiana.
Darby Top Scorer vs. Hoosiers
Following a 28-point effort Jan. 11 in Columbus, senior Brent Darby upped his average scoring effort against the Hoosiers to 11.4 points a game in five career meetings. His is the highest offensive output of OSU players with more than one game against the Hoosiers. Junior Shun Jenkins poured in 22 points and grabbed seven rebounds in his first effort vs. Indiana earlier this year. Junior Zach Williams averages 9.5 points and 5.8 rebounds in four games against Indiana.
Darby Reaches 1,000 Points vs. Indiana, Connolly Closing
Senior guard Brent Darby became the 41st player at Ohio State to score 1,000 career points during his 28-point effort against Indiana (1/11). Darby has 1,049 career points and is No. 38 all-time on the Ohio State scoring chart. Sean Connolly has scored 952 career points, which includes 330 while a freshman at Providence. At least one player has reached 1,000 points in each of the last five years at Ohio State. Michael Redd (5th/1,879) and Jason Singleton (40th/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, Opponents Close in Numbers
The Buckeyes and their 15 opponents have each scored 333 field goals this season. Ohio State has taken 782 shots while foes have attempted 783. Shooting percentages differ by just .001 (.783-.782). Both Ohio State and opponent are connected on .353 of 3-point attempts (79-224 for OSU/104-295 for opponents). Ohio State is outscoring opponents 67.3-65.3 and have a 33.5-30.2 edge in rebounds. Only .006 separates OSU and its foes in foul shooting. The Buckeyes are shooting 264-362/.729 while opponents have made 209-289/.723. Ohio State has made 55 more free throws and opponents have made 25 more 3-pointers on the year.
Darby, Connolly Among Best 3-Point Shooters in Buckeye History
Sean Connolly has made 111 of 286 (.388) career 3-pointers in three seasons as a Buckeye. He is tied at No. 2 all-time in 3-point shooting percentage among players with more than 200 career attempts. He is No. 8 in made and No. 9 in attempts as well. Senior Brent Darby is No. 5 in 3-point shooting percentage (.380) and is No. 4 in made (130) and No. 5 in attempted (342) 3-pointers.
Value City Arena Serves Buckeyes Well
The Buckeyes are in the fifth season at Value City Arena. Ohio State is 66-11 (.857) in games played on the home floor since the building opened for the start of the 1998-99 campaign.
Salley Added to Buckeye Roster
Nate Salley, a freshman safety on the Ohio State football team, joined the men’s basketball team Jan. 7. Salley took three days off after helping the football team win the national title before donning basketball practice gear and working out with Jim O’Brien’s squad this week. Salley, a 6-foot-3-inch, 195-pound guard, averaged more than 19 points a game as a senior at St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He wore the No. 21 on the football field and will do same as a member of the basketball team. On the gridiron, he played in all 14 games, primarily on special teams, recording six total tackles and three solos. He scored on his only shot from the field in Ohio State’s loss at Michigan State Jan. 9.
Darby, Connolly Get Little Pine Time
Senior guards Brent Darby and Sean Connolly have little experience watching game action this season. Connolly averages 38.7 minutes a game. Darby plays 37.8 minutes a contest. Both played the full 45 minutes of action in the overtime loss to Louisville Jan. 4 and then all 40 minutes in the win over Indiana Jan. 11 and vs. Michigan Jan. 15.
Three Buckeyes Playing More than 34 Minutes Per Game
Jim O’Brien has not had three players log more than 35 minutes per game until this season. Seniors Sean Connolly (38.7) and Brent Darby (37.8) along with junior Zach Williams (34.6) all have trouble finding time to rest this season. The Buckeyes have used seven different starting lineups because of injuries but Darby, Connolly and Williams remain the anchors of the Buckeye lineup. No Buckeye in O’Brien’s six years has averaged as many minutes as Connolly or Darby since Michael Redd played 37.9 minutes a game as a freshman in 1997-98. Three other players averaged 30 or more minutes that season, but not more than 34 a contest.
Connolly’s Line Time Increases
Sean Connolly did not take a free throw attempt in the first three games of the season. He has since connected on 25 of 30 foul shots for a free throw shooting percentage of .833. He is a career 80 percent shooter from the foul line (155-193), which includes a sub-par junior year in which he shot just 65 percent (28-43).
Darby Leading Ohio State to Team Foul Shooting Mark of 72 percent
Brent Darby has been to the foul line 10 or more times in five games this season. In those games, he has made 51 of 60 free throws (.850). He leads Ohio State in free throws made (87) and attempted (107). As a team, Ohio State has connected on 264 of 362 free throws for a .729 accuracy rating.
Buckeye Success at Foul Line Best Since 1990-91 Season
Ohio State has not shot a better percentage from the free throw line since the 1991-92 season when the Buckeyes connected on 506-702 foul shots for a .721 shooting percentage. Ohio State has made 264-362 (.729) free throws this year. The last time the Buckeyes finished the season above .700 at the foul line was in 1999-00 when the Buckeyes knocked down 443-629 free throws (.704). Ohio State is on pace to make over 500 foul shots for the second-consecutive season. The last time an Ohio State team made 500 or more foul shots in back-to-back seasons came in 1990-91 (551-778/.708) and 1991-92 (506-702/.721).
Ohio State vs. the Big Ten Conference
Ohio State has a winning record against the Big Ten Conference overall and has a winning mark all-time against five league members. This is the 91st season Ohio State has been affiliated with the Big Ten Conference. The Buckeyes have won or shared 17 league titles, including the 2001-02 co-championship.
OSU vs. the Big Ten Illinois 59-95 Indiana 68-94 Iowa 63-68 Michigan 82-68 Michigan State 45-55 Minnesota 71-51 Northwestern 101-44 Penn State 13-12 Purdue 70-77 Wisconsin 79-56 Totals 651-620
This Date In History
Ohio State is 12-11 in games played on Jan. 21. Ohio State is 3-3 in the last six outings on this date. The last win was in 1991 at Indiana.
OSU on Jan. 21 1/21/99 L Urbana 6-10 1/21/05 W Purdue 26-23 1/21/11 L @Oberlin 17-19 1/21/13 L @Wisconsin 11-22 1/21/18 W Michigan 37-7 1/21/24 W Iowa 43-28 1/21/28 L Chicago 21-25 1/21/35 W Chicago 37-21 1/21/39 W @Army 48-39 1/21/46 W @Purdue 48-38 1/21/50 L @Illinois 50(11)-66 1/21/52 W Minnesota 59-58 1/21/56 L @Purdue 69(11)-70 1/21/57 W @Wisconsin 67(17)-64 1/21/61 W Minnesota 75(1)-56 1/21/67 L Minnesota 60-67 1/21/82 L Purdue (ot) 60-66 1/21/84 W @Michigan State 82-68 1/21/87 W @Minnesota 93-78 1/21/91 W @Indiana 93(4)-85(3) 1/21/95 L @Purdue 66-92 1/21/98 L @Purdue 71-82(12) 1/21/01 L @Michigan State 56-71(3)
Buckeyes Fall to Wisconsin, 53-52
Kirk Penney scored on a shot inside with 7.4 seconds left and Alondo Tucker blocked an Ohio State shot in the final seconds as Wisconsin beat the Buckeyes 53-52. Ohio State trailed by 11 points with just over 5 minutes left but took the lead at 52-51 with 37.7 seconds remaining when Brent Darby fed Velimir Radinovic and his shot rolled around the rim before falling in. Wisconsin calmly brought the ball down the court and isolated Penney who was being guarded by Sean Connolly. From the left wing, Penney drove through the heart of the lane and avoided heavy traffic to put up a hanging shot that went in. The Buckeyes hurried down floor with Darby driving the right side as time melted away. His off-balance shot went up with 2 seconds left and several Badgers tried to block it, Tucker getting a hand on it to swat it away as the final horn sounded. Tucker led the Badgers with 15 points. Shun Jenkins had 16 points and 11 rebounds for Ohio State. Darby had 10 points and five assists.
Noting the Game vs. Wisconsin
Ohio State has posted a 79-56 record all-time againstWisconsin. The Buckeyes are 63-57 all-time in one-point games,including a 32-24 mark when playing at home in such games. OhioState is 8-3 in Value City Arena this season and 66-11 since itopened in 1998. The loss to Wisconsin was the second consecutivesetback at home for the Buckeyes, who had not lost back-to-backgames in Value City Arena. Ohio State had not lost consecutivegames at home since the 1998 Big Ten season (Indiana/Penn State).The Buckeyes have led at halftime in each of its 10 home games thisseason and are 7-3 overall when leading at the break. Junior ShunJenkins recorded his second double-double as a Buckeye inback-to-back games for Ohio State. Jenkins finished the night with16 points and 11 rebounds against the Badgers. He also netted 12points and 10 boards against Michigan Wednesday (1/15). The lasttime a Buckeye recorded back-to-back double-doubles was Ken Johnsonduring the 2000-01 season. Johnson scored 15 points and pulled down11 rebounds in a loss against Illinois Jan. 6 and had 24 points and10 boards versus Penn State Jan. 10 despite a losing effort by theBuckeyes. With one 3-point field goal against Wisconsin, seniorSean Connolly is currently eighth on the Ohio State list, netting111 baskets from behind the arc in his collegiate career. ChrisJent (1989-92) is seventh on the list with 112. With 10 pointsagainst the Badgers, senior Brent Darby has totaled 1,049 pointsthus far in his career as a Buckeye. He is currently 38th on OhioState’s career scoring list. Jamie Skelton (1991-94) and KenJohnson (1998-01) are tied for 36th place on the list with 1,055career points. Darby has scored at least 10 points innine-consecutive games for the Buckeyes.
Four Non-Conference Foes Among Top 20 Teams in Associated Press Poll
Ohio State is scheduled to play six teams and seven games against teams currently ranked in the Associated Press Top 25. Another four games are on tap against teams receiving votes in either the AP or ESPN/USA Today polls. No. 1/1 Duke, No. 3/3 Pittsburgh, No. 8/8 Illinois, No. 9/10 Alabama, No. 15/18 Louisville and No. 18/17 Indiana all battled the Buckeyes this season. The Hoosiers are the next ranked team on the OSU schedule. Indiana and the Buckeyes play twice in a span of 11 days beginning with the home win last Saturday and ending with a road contest Jan. 21. Ohio State travels to Illinois Feb. 9. Michigan State, Iowa, Minnesota and Purdue received votes for Top 25 consideration this week.
Key Buckeyes Miss 24 Games to Date With Various Injuries
Brandon Fuss-Cheatham (6 games), a sophomore point guard, Shun Jenkins (8), a junior forward, Terence Dials (9), a sophomore center, and senior guard Sean Connolly (1) have missed game action recovering from injuries. Fuss-Cheatham, who started both exhibition contests and then missed the first four regular-season games and two contests in Big Ten play, went down with an injury to his left knee in an exhibition game against the Harlem Globetrotters. The injury, a partially torn lateral meniscus, required arthroscopic surgery Nov. 25. Jenkins suffered a broken little finger on his left hand against the Globetrotters. 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. Dials has missed the last eight games with a stress fracture in his lumbar spine (level 2). He is expected to miss up to six weeks. He last played against Pittsburgh Dec. 18. Connolly did not play at Michigan State while recovering from a left ankle sprain sustained Jan. 4 against Louisville.
Darby Among Big Ten Leaders
Senior Brent Darby is among the Big Ten leaders in several categories. He is ranked No. 3 in scoring (17.8 ppg.), No. 6 in assists (4.47), No. 7 in steals (1.60) and No. 9 in 3-point percentage (32-81/.395) and 3-pointers made (2.13).
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 77 at Ohio State. Brent Darby has played in 105 games as a Buckeye with 63 career starts.
Buckeyes Prepare for Road Trips after 8 of 9 Games at Value City Arena
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 ended an 8-of-9 game stretch in Columbus against Wisconsin (L 53-52, Jan. 18). Five games, vs. Seton Hall (W 74-51), Radford (W 96-80), Tennessee State (W 94-73), Hampton (W 70-62) and Louisville (L 72-64, ot) were played at home before the Big Ten road opener at Michigan State (Jan. 9). The Buckeyes defeated Indiana (81-69) Jan. 11 and fell to Michigan (61-50) Jan. 15. The Buckeyes hit the road for six of their next eight games, including a pair of three-game road stretches against Indiana, Iowa and Purdue and then vs. Illinois, Penn State and Michigan.
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.
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.
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.
Jernigan Beginning to Make Adjustment to Ohio State
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. He has played in all 15 games with three starts.
Winning Percentage Soars for O’Brien in Last Four Seasons
Jim O’Brien has won 71 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 101-42 (.706) in the 143 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 season titles (2000 and 2002) and a claiming one Big Ten tournament crown (2002).
Buckeyes Fare Well vs. the Ranked at Value City Arena
No. 15 Indiana (W, 81-69) was the 15th opponent to visit Value City Arena with an AP national ranking since the facility opened in 1998. Ohio State has won 12 of 15 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. No. 9 Kansas (2000), No. 12 Iowa (1999) and No. 24 Louisville (2003) are the only ranked teams to claim victory at VCA.
Fans Boost Buckeye Record in Sellouts
Value City Arena has been sold out for 25 games in the last five years since the building opened in 1998. The Buckeyes have won 21 of those games for a winning percentage of .840 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 sold out 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. Ohio State is 1-0 this season.
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 49-54 (.476) 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 50-41 (.549) in conference openers, 62-29 (.681) in league home openers and 34-57 (.374) in the first road game of the season in Big Ten play.
