Men’s Basketball Travels to East Lansing to Open Conference Play – Ohio State Buckeyes
1/7/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 7, 2003
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Opponent No. 25 Michigan State
Site Breslin Center (14,759)
Game Time 7 p.m. (EST)
TV ESPN2
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 (7-4, 0-0)
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. 25 Michigan State Spartans
Probable Starters (8-4, 0-0)
G 23 – Kelvin Torbert, 6-4, So.
G 5 – Chris Hill, 6-3, So.
C 40 – Paul Davis, 6-11, Fr.
F 25 – Aloyisus Anagonye, 6-8, Sr.
F 15 – Alan Anderson, 6-6, So.
Spartans Own 9-Game Edge in Series
Michigan State has won 54 games in the series with Ohio State. The Buckeyes have been victorious in 45 contests. The Spartans are 36-13 in East Lansing and 18-32 in Columbus. The two teams battled in a pair of hotly-contested games a year ago. MSU won 67-64 in East Lansing and 81-76 in Columbus. Michigan State has been successful when carrying a Top 25 ranking in the Associated Press Poll against the Buckeyes. In 18 previous meetings against ranked Spartan teams, the Buckeyes are 5-13 all-time. Ohio State Facing 5th Ranked Foe, 4th Away From Home
Ohio State will be playing its fifth ranked opponent of the season when the Buckeyes travel to play No. 25 Michigan State. 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 last Saturday, 72-64.
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 50-40 (.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.
Ohio State vs. Ranked Opponents
The Buckeyes are 125-197 all-time against opponents ranked in the Associated Press Top 25. In the last five years, Ohio State has won 21 of 38 (.553) games against ranked foes.
Spartans Entertain Buckeyes with 8-4 Non-Conference Record
Michigan State enters the Big Ten Conference schedule on a two-game losing skid after suffering losses to Toledo (81-76) at home and Oklahoma (60-58) in a neutral-site game. The Spartans also lost back-to-back games earlier in the year to Villanova (81-73) and Oklahoma State (64-61). Both games were played in Anchorage, Alaska, in the Great Alaska Shootout. Notable wins this season have come against Virginia (82-75) in East Lansing and on the road at Kentucky (71-67).
Hill Lone Scorer in Double Digits for MSU
Sophomore guard Chris Hill leads the Spartans with 16.0 points per game this season. He is the only Spartan averaging in double figures. Four players averaged just over eight points a game for MSU. Senior forward Aloysius Anagonye is the team’s leading rebounder with 6.0 a contest.
Oklahoma Holds off Spartans
In a matchup of two rugged defensive teams, No. 10 Oklahoma made just a few more plays than 14th-ranked Michigan State. Quannas White forced a turnover in the closing seconds, spoiling the Spartans’ chance at a tying or winning basket, as Oklahoma won 60-58 in the All-College Classic last Saturday. Ebi Ere scored 21 points and Hollis Price had 19 for the Sooners. Chris Hill and Maurice Ager scored 12 points each for Michigan State. The Spartans struggled to get the ball to Hill on their final possession and White was able to knock it away as the final seconds ticked off. Both teams wound up going 21-for-47 from the field. Michigan State outrebounded the Sooners 34-28 but committed four more turnovers and Oklahoma outscored the Spartans 15-11 from the foul line.
Izzo Has 175 Wins on MSU Sidelines
Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo has a record of 175-65 in his eight seasons as head coach at Michigan State. The Spartans are 8-4 this season.
Fuss-Cheatham Back in Double-Digit Minutes vs. Louisville
Sophomore Brandon Fuss-Cheatham played less than 10 minutes the three games before battling Louisville Jan. 4. Against the Cardinals, he played 21 minutes. He totaled 20 minutes vs. Radford (6), Tennessee State (9) and Hampton (6). He is still recovering from a knee injury which caused him to miss the first four regular-season games.
Darby, Connolly Get Little Pine Time
Senior guards Brent Darby and Sean Connolly have little experience watching game action this season. Connolly averages 38.6 minutes a game. Darby plays 37.6 minutes a contest. Both played the full 45 minutes of action in the overtime loss to Louisville Jan. 4. Both players averaged about 25 minutes a game entering this season.
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 23 of 27 foul shots for a free throw shooting percentage of .852. He is a career 81 percent shooter from the foul line (153-190), which includes a subpar 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 four games this season. In those four games, he has made 42 of 50 free throws (.840). He leads Ohio State in free throws made (61) and attempted (76). As a team, Ohio State has connected on 198 of 275 free throws for a .720 accuracy rating. Opponents have taken only 10 more free throws (208) than Ohio State has made (198) this year.
Statistically Speaking, Darby and Connolly Nearly Identical
Seniors Brent Darby and Sean Connolly are tied with 305 career field goals made in their careers. Connolly has taken nine more shots to lead 735-724 in that category. Darby leads 983-926 in career points scored. He has made 98 more free throws over his career. Connolly owns the edge with 173 made 3-pointers. Darby has 122. Connolly played one season a Providence before joining the Buckeyes in 2000.
Radinovic Putting Points on the Board
Junior center Velimir Radinovic entered this season with just two games in double figures offensively. In the last five games, he has scored 10 or more points four times, including a career-high 19 points in the win over Radford Dec. 23. He has started seven games this year. He has made improvement at the foul line connected on 76 percent of his free throws this year (38-50). He made 63 percent as a freshman (20-32) and 70 percent as a sophomore (30-43).
Williams Leads Buckeyes vs. MSU
Senior Brent Darby has played the most against Michigan State but junior Zach Williams is the leader offensively against the Spartans. Darby, a native of Detroit, Mich., has played six games against Michigan State, the most of any of the currently Buckeye players. He averages 5.5 points in 22.0 minutes per game vs. MSU. Williams averages 8.7 points and 3.5 rebounds against the Spartans in four games.
Ohio State vs. the Big Ten Conference
Ohio State has a winning record against the Big Ten Conference overall 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 67-94 Iowa 63-68 Michigan 82-67 Michigan State 45-54 Minnesota 71-51 Northwestern 101-44 Penn State 13-12 Purdue 70-77 Wisconsin 79-55 Totals 650-617
This Date In History
Ohio State is 18-5 in games played on Jan. 9. The Buckeyes have won the last five games and nine of the last 10 on this date. The last Ohio State win on this date was at Massachusetts (70-62) in 2001.
OSU on Jan. 9 1/9/03 W Otterbein 74-10 1/9/08 W Otterbein 35-16 1/9/14 L Purdue 17-19 1/9/21 W @Michigan 25-22 1/9/25 W Purdue 28-25 1/9/36 W !vs N.Y. University 39-32 1/9/42 L @Indiana 37-45 1/9/49 W @DePaul 70-62 1/9/53 W Purdue 91-74 1/9/55 L Iowa 73(10)-88 1/9/59 W Indiana 96(7)-95(11) 1/9/60 W Evansville 86(1)-59 1/9/64 L @Purdue 64-71 1/9/70 W @Iowa 97-76 1/9/81 W Wisconsin 66-59 1/9/84 W Wisconsin 99-88 1/9/85 W @Wisconsin 78-61 1/9/87 L @Wisconsin 63-64 1/9/88 W Radford 108(14)-61 1/9/92 W Iowa 92-81(22) 1/9/98 W Indiana 73(21)-56(13) 1/9/99 W Minnesota 71(13)-63 1/9/01 W @Massachusetts 70-62
No. 24 Louisville Regroups to Claim Overtime Win Over Ohio State
Bryant Northern and Reece Gaines scored all 32 of their points in the second half and overtime as No. 24 Louisville rallied from a 14-point halftime deficit to beat Ohio State 72-64. Northern hit a jumper with 3:15 remaining to give the Cardinals the lead for good at 60-58. After Zach Williams made one of two free throws to pull the Buckeyes within one, Gaines hit an off-balance 12-foot jumper to make it 62-59. Marvin Stone, the Cardinals’ leading scorer at 18.7 points a game, failed to score before fouling out with 58 seconds left in regulation. He went 0-for-5 from the field and didn’t get to the foul line. The Cardinals scored just two points in the game’s first seven minutes and 10 through 17 to fall behind 27-10. Ohio State led 32-18 at halftime by holding Louisville to 6-of-26 shooting from the field. The Buckeyes were 6-of-21 in the second half as Louisville slowly trimmed its deficit behind Gaines. Brent Darby made two free throws for the Buckeyes with 6.5 seconds, sending the game to overtime tied at 57. Darby led Ohio State with 24 points and played all 45 minutes. Connolly had 13 points in 45 minutes. Velimir Radinovic added 13 points and nine rebounds and Williams scored 11 points for the Buckeyes.
Noting the Game Against Louisville
The Ohio State-Louisville series now spans eight games with theseries tied at four wins each. This was the third game to be playedin Columbus and Louisville’s first win on the road in the series.Louisville holds a 3-2 edge in the series in games played inFreedom Hall. The Buckeyes now own a 42-26 record againstConference USA teams. This was the first overtime game of theseason for both teams and Ohio State’s first OT game in Value CityArena. Ohio State is now 35-48 all-time in overtime and 17-18 athome. The last overtime game at home was in the 1997-98 season, thefinal game in St. John Arena, on Feb. 28, 1998, an 89-85 loss toPenn State. The Buckeyes are 7-1 in Value City Arena this seasonand have posted a 65-9 record since it opened. Louisville is the14th ranked opponent OSU has faced at VCA, with a record of 11-3.Overall this year, Louisville is the fourth ranked team OSU hasfaced. Ohio State is now 6-1 this year in games when leading at thehalf. Ohio State overcame a halftime deficit (33-28) to post a winfor the first time this year in the 70-62 win over Hampton Dec. 30.The 28 free throws made and 40 attempts are both season highs. The45 rebounds is the second highest total this year. The 29 defensiverebounds equals the season high total (29 vs. Tennessee St.).Senior Sean Connolly is moving closer to 1,000 career points. With13 points, he now has a total of 606 as a Buckeye. With 330 pointsat Providence as a freshman, his career total now stands at 936. Hehas scored in double-digits in 10 of the 11 games this year.Connolly now has 109 3-point field goals as a Buckeye, which tieshim for 8th-place on the career list. Connolly notched 64 in hisone season at Boston College. Connolly has now made a 3-pointer in12-consecutive games dating back to last season Senior Brent Darbyplayed in his 101st game, with 59 starts. Connolly played his 104thgame and now has 56 career starts. With two 3-point field goals,Darby upped his career total to 122, which is sixth all-time. Heneeds three to move into fifth place and four to tie for fourth.Boban Savovic is currently fifth (125) and Michael Redd is fourth(126). Jamie Skelton is third with 144 and Scoonie Penn is thecareer leader with 153. Darby’s 24 points gave him 983 for hiscareer. He needs 17 points to become the 41st player at Ohio Stateto reach 1,000 career points. This was his 10th career game with 20or more points. Darby’s 15 free throw attempts is a season high.His 12 free throws made is the second-best effort of the year (13v. Duke). Velimir Radinovic matched his career high for free throwsand free throw attempts with his 9 of 11 effort. He also had acareer-best 9 rebounds.
Four Non-Conference Foes Among Top 20 Teams in Associated Press Poll
Ohio State is scheduled to play seven teams and nine 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. 4/4 Alabama, No. 6/5 Pittsburgh, No. 10/11 Illinois, No. 15/15 Indiana, No. 19/25 Louisville and No. 25/20 Michigan State all battle the Buckeyes this season. With games against Alabama, Duke, Pittsburgh and Louisville in the books, Michigan State is up next for 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. Wisconsin, Minnesota and Purdue received votes for Top 25 consideration this week.
Trio of Buckeyes Miss Games with Injury
Brandon Fuss-Cheatham, a sophomore point guard, Shun Jenkins, a junior forward, and Terence Dials, a sophomore center, have missed game action recovering from injuries. 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 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 five 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 Most Consistent Buckeye
Senior Sean Connolly has reached double figures offensively in 10 of 11 games this season. He scored in double-digits in the first nine games before having his streak snapped against Hampton. He tallied 13 in the overtime loss to Louisville. 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 109 of 273 (.399) 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 and another two vs. Louisville places him tied for eighth all-time in made 3-pointers at OSU. Connolly is 10th all-time with 273 attempts from 3-point range. His .399 shooting percentage ranks No. 9 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 (4.91), No. 3 in scoring (18.3 ppg.), No. 5 in steals per game (1.82) and in 3-point shooting percentage (.436/24-55) and No. 10 in 3-pointers made (2.18 per game). Connolly is No. 5 in 3-pointers made (2.55 pg.), No. 4 in free throw percentage (.852/23-27), No. 10 in scoring (15.4 ppg.) and No. 9 in 3-point shooting percentage (.418/28-67).
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 74 at Ohio State. Brent Darby as played in 101 games as a Buckeye with 59 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 nine games in Columbus. 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 opener at Michigan State. 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 has 983 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 936 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.
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 11 games with three starts. He has connected on 7 of his last 15 3-point attempts and has 15 assists as a Buckeye at the third guard spot.
Winning Percentage Soars for O’Brien in Last Four Seasons
Jim O’Brien has won more than 72 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 100-39 (.719) in the 139 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).
Value City Arena Serves Buckeyes Well
The Buckeyes began their fifth season in Value City Arena in the 2002-03 home opener against Coppin State. Ohio State is 65-9 (.878) in games played on the home floor since the building opened for the start of the 1998-99 campaign.
