Buckeyes Welcome Furman To Value City Arena – Ohio State Buckeyes
12/16/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 16, 2003
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Date Dec. 17, 2003
Opponent Furman
Site Value City Arena (19,200)
Game Time 8 p.m. (EST)
TV ESPN Plus
Local TV WBNS 10 TV
TV Talent Mike Gleason (Play-by-Play), Bill Hosket (Color)
Radio OSU Radio Network (59 stations)
Local Radio WBNS FM-97.1 AM-1460
Radio Talent Paul Keels (P-by-P), Ron Stokes (Color)
Ohio State Buckeyes
Probable Starters (4-3)
G 2 – Brandon Fuss-Cheatham, 6-1, Jr.
G 15 – Ricardo Billings, 6-3, So.
G 0 – J.J. Sullinger, 6-5, So.
C 14 – Velimir Radinovic, 7-0, Sr.
F 34 – Terence Dials, 6-8, So.
Furman Paladins
Probable Starters (4-3)
G 4 – Robby Bostain, 6-3, Fr.
G 3 – Tony Carter, 6-0, So.
C 10 – Marigan Pojatine, 6-11, Sr.
F 41 – Nick Sanders, 6-7, Jr.
F 5 – Naleye Ndoye, 6-8, Sr.
Radinovic Leads Five Buckeyes in Double Figures in Win Over Samford
Velimir Radinovic scored 19 points and four teammates also hit double figures in Ohio State’s 80-62 victory over Samford. Tony Stockman came off the bench to score 16 points, J.J. Sullinger had 13, Brandon Fuss-Cheatham added a career-best 11 and Matt Sylvester had 10 for the Buckeyes (4-3), who climbed over the .500 mark for the first time after an 0-2 start. Ohio State came in hitting 44 percent of its shots from the field but made 57 percent against the Bulldogs (2-4). The Buckeyes used a 16-0 run to take a 42-32 lead at the half while hitting 65 percent of their shots. After Samford got to within three points midway through the second half, the Buckeyes pulled away again with an 11-0 spurt. Samford, which is moving up to the Ohio Valley Conference this season, relied on 3-point shooting to get back in the game in the second half. The Bulldogs, who finished 11 of 27 behind the arc, pulled to 52-49 on Phillip Ramelli’s 3-pointer with 12:03 left. Four players scored for Ohio State over the next 5 minutes, led by Radinovic’s four free throws and a 3-pointer by Stockman. The Bulldogs turned the ball over on all four of their possessions during Ohio State’s run which led to a 63-49 lead at the 8:14 mark. J. Robert Merritt had 16 points for the Bulldogs,with Ramelli adding 14. Radinovic hit all six of his shots from the field in the opening half while scoring 12 points and finished the game 7 of 8 from the field and 5 of 6 at the line
Bass Decides to Transfer
Charles Bass, a 6-foot-9-inch sophomore center/forward on the Ohio State men’s basketball team, informed the men’s basketball staff Monday he intends to transfer to another university.
Bass, a native of University Park, Ill., and a graduate of Crete-Monee High School, said he does yet know where he will transfer.
Bass appeared in 17 games as a Buckeye, including two this season. He scored nine points (0.5 ppg.) and grabbed 20 rebounds (1.2 rpg.) in his two seasons in Columbus.
Stockman, Sullinger Pace Buckeyes
Junior Tony Stockman leads Ohio State with an average of 15.6 points a game. He has connected on 88 percent of his foul shots (14-16). With a total of 13 steals, Stockman is sixth among Big Ten players with an average of 1.86 thefts a game. Sophomore J.J. Sullinger averages 13.7 points a game, second on the team, and is the squad leader from 3-point range with a .417 shooting percentage (10-24). He also is connecting on 54 percent of his field goal attempts (35-65).
T. Dials Playing Well Inside at Both Ends
Sophomore center/forward Terence Dials, who missed the majority of 2002-03 with a back injury, is the team’s leading rebounder and third leading scorer. He is averaging 9.0 points and 8.1 rebounds, including a career-high 14-rebound effort in Ohio State’s 77-71 win over Central Michigan at the Maui Invitational. Dials also has been consistent at the foul line, making 31-of-41 attempts (.756). His nine assists rank third. Among Big Ten players, Dials ranks fourth (tie) in rebounding.
Noting the Samford Game
*In the 80-62 win Saturday, the Buckeyes set season highs in points (80), field goal percentage (57.1 percent), field goals made (28), free throw percentage (85.7 percent) and tied a season high in turnovers caused with 16 and team steals with seven.
*Ohio State scored 80 points for the first time this season and the first time since an 83-72 victory over Iowa, Jan. 25, 2002. The 18-point win was Ohio State’s largest of the season.
*The Buckeyes had five players score in double figures. Senior Velimir Radinovic led with 19, followed by junior Tony Stockman (16), sophomore J.J. Sullinger (13), junior Brandon Fuss-Cheatham (11) and sophomore Matt Sylvester (10). This marks the first time since Ohio State’s 96-80 victory over Radford, Dec. 23, 2002, the Buckeyes featured five players scoring in double figures.
*Samford forward Eddie Harper entered the game Saturday with a 14.0-point per-game scoring average, including scoring in double figures in each of Samford’s five games. Saturday, the Buckeyes held Harper to a season-low six points on 2-of-7 shooting.
*The Buckeye bench outscored Samford by a 30-14 figure.
*The Buckeyes trailed Samford 18-12 at the 11:46 mark in the first half before going on a 16-0 run over the next four minutes and 37 seconds en route to taking a 28-18 lead at the 7:09 mark.
*In the first half, Ohio State shot its highest field goal percentage of the season, connecting on 67.9 percent on 19-28 from the field. Both teams combined to make 19 of the first 29 shots in the game.
*The game Saturday marked the first meeting between Ohio State and Samford. With the victory Ohio State improved to 14-0 against teams from the Ohio Valley Conference. Ohio State downed Tennessee Tech 71-64, Dec. 7, 2002, in the last meeting against an Ohio Valley Conference opponent.
*The Buckeyes scored 42 points in the first half against Samford. The 42-point output matches the 42-point first half performance against Central Michigan in the second game of the Maui Invitational.
Ohio State Player Notes
*Ohio State senior center Velimir Radinovic scored the first eight points for the Buckeyes over the initial 4:49 of the game before junior guard Brandon Fuss-Cheatham scored on a follow-up, tying the game at 10-all with 14:20 to play.
*Radinovic was 6-6 in the first half en route to a season-high 19 points in the game, falling one-point shy of his career best 20-point performance against Purdue Jan. 29, 2003.
*With his follow-up dunk at the end of the first half, Radinovic scored his 500th career point at Ohio State.
*The 19-point performance by Radinovic is his 19th career game scoring at least 10 points.
*Radinovic’s 7-8 shooting performance from the field increased his team leading field goal percentage to 83 percent on 19-23 shooting through seven games this season.
*Junior guard Brandon Fuss-Cheatam scored a career-high 11 points Saturday, topping his previous high of eight points against Pittsburgh last season (Dec. 18, 2002).
*Junior guard Tony Stockman’s 16 points served as his second highest total this season. Stockman converted on 4-of-6 attempts from outside the 3-point arc, which served as his season-best shooting performance from 3-point range.
*Stockman has scored in double figures in six of Ohio State’s seven games.
*Ohio State sophomore guard Matt Sylvester scored a season high 10 points, all in the first half. Sylvester was 2-of-4 from 3-point range, which served as his first game with multiple 3-point makes in a single game.
*Ohio State sophomore guard J.J. Sullinger scored 13 points in the game Saturday, serving as his fourth-consecutive game scoring in double figues.
Noting the Buckeyes
Sophomore Ricardo Billings has been making the most of his opportunities at the foul line this season. He is playing just more than 17 minutes a game and has stepped to the foul line 20 times, connecting on 16 shots for an 80 percent accuracy rating. Redshirt sophomore Terence Dials has been know for his scoring touch around the basket. In 45 career games, he has made 117 of 211 shots from the floor for a shooting percentage of .555. He has improved his foul shooting this year as well hitting on 76 percent (31-41) of his shots. Junior Brandon Fuss-Cheatham’s playing time is up to nearly 29 minutes a game this year and his assist to turnover ratio also has improved. He has dished out 25 assists while turning the ball over just 12 times for a respectable 2.1 A/T ratio. He has been charged with a turnover just once for every 16.7 minutes of court time this year. Senior captain Velimir Radinovic reached 500 career points (507) for his Buckeye career with a game-high 19 points vs. Samford. He’s averaged 5.8 points a game in 88 games at Ohio State. From the field, Radinovic has been much improved though he has not been getting many shots per game. As a senior, he is connecting on 83 percent of his shots (19-23). For his career, he has connected on 175-320 shots (.547). He would lead the Big Ten in field goal shooting percentage but has not met the league minimum of three made field goals per game (2.71). Junior Tony Stockman is closing on 1,000 career points. He eclipsed the 800-point mark with 14 against Virginia Tech (825). He came to Ohio State with 716 points after two years at Clemson. Stockman has proven to be a dependable scorer at the foul line, hitting 14-16 shots (.875) in the early going this year. He’s made 78 percent of his free throw attempts for his career (95-122). Sophomore J.J. Sullinger’s move from Arkansas to Ohio State has gone well to date, especially upon examination of his field goal and 3-point shooting. He’s made 54 percent (35-65) of his field goals as a Buckeye and 42 percent (10-24) of his 3-point attempts. He was a 42 percent shooter, 20 percent from long range, at Arkansas as a freshman. Matt Sylvester, a redshirt sophomore, reached double figures with 10 points for the first time this season against Samford.
The Bucks in the Big Ten
Ohio State’s guard tandem of Tony Stockman and J.J. Sullinger rate among the Top 11 Big Ten players in scoring during the early going this season. Stockman is No. 8 at 15.6 ppg. Sullinger is No. 11 at 13.7 ppg., No. 9 in 3-point shooting percentage (.417) and No. 8 in field goal percentage (.538). Stockman is No. 1 in 3-pointers made per game (2.71), No. 6 in steals (13/1.86) and No. 3 in foul shooting (14-16/.875). Terence Dials rates as the No. 4 rebounder in the Big Ten with 8.1 a game. He also is No. 6 in defensive rebounds (5.43) and No. 7 in offensive rebounds (2.71). Velimir Radinovic is No. 7 in blocked shots with an average of 1.3 a contest.
Paladins 4-3 To Start Season
Following a weekend victory over UNC-Asheville Sunday, Furman improved to four wins and three losses in the early portion of its schedule. The Paladins dropped their opener to James Madison (78-72) on the road before wins over Southern Wesleyan (77-53) and Greensboro College (74-49) at home. Furman then began a stretch of five-consecutive road games at Minnesota with an overtime loss to the Golden Gophers (91-84). UNC-Greensboro won the conference opener over the Paladins 73-65 Dec. 3 before Furman got back in the win column at Northern Iowa, 64-55, and UNCG, 60-56.
Paladins Place Three in Double Digits
Senior forward Maleye Ndoye leads Furman with an average of 16.1 points a game. He’s connected on 48 percent of his shots from the field and 33 percent of his 3-point attempts. He also leads the squad at the foul line, making 23-of-31 attempts. A pair of reserves, freshman forward Quan Prowell and freshman guard Eric Webb, also average more than 10 points. Prowell averages 12.9 points while Webb chips in 10.6 ppg. Forward Nick Sanders leads the team with 6.1 rebounds a game.
Davis in 7th Year at Furman
Larry Davis, a 1978 graduate of Asbury College, is a former Big Ten assistant at Minnesota (1993-95) who now is in his seventh season at Furman. Davis has a career record of 80-104 as the Paladins head coach. Prior to his stint at Minnesota, Davis served as an assistant coach at Ball State (1993-94), Wake Forest (1989-93), and Delaware (1985-89).
The Buckeyes vs. Furman
Ohio State will be playing Furman for the first time. The Bulldogs are one of four teams who will take on the Buckeyes for the first time this season. San Francisco, Samford and Texas Tech are the others.
Ohio State vs. the Southern Conference
The Buckeyes take on Furman for the first time this year but Ohio State has taken on members of the Southern Conference 13 times and has posted a 9-4 record against league members. Wins have come against Appalachian State (1), Davidson (2), East Tennessee State (2), UNC-Greensboro (1) and Chattanooga (3). Davidson (3) and Chattanooga (1) own victories over the Buckeyes. Ohio State has not played against Elon, Western Carolina, College of Charleston, Citadel, Georgia Southern or Wofford from Southern Conference.
On This Date, OSU 9-6
Ohio State is 9-6 in games played on Dec. 17 and has won six of the last seven games on this date.
12/17/15 L vs St. Marys 23-24 12/17/21 L Ohio Wesleyan 19-21 12/17/27 W Muskingum 28-27 12/17/28 L Pittsburgh 26-34 12/17/55 W @St. Louis 89-83(17) 12/17/60 W @Wichita St. 93(1)-82(16) 12/17/73 L @Virginia Tech 67-68 12/17/75 W Toledo 76-72 12/17/77 W @Wash. State (ot) 79-73 12/17/83 W Ohio Univ. (ot) 73-69 12/17/88 W @Dayton 104(14)-76 12/17/90 W Tenn. State 103(7)-66 12/17/94 L vs Cleveland St. 73-75 12/17/97 L @SW Louisiana 64-68 12/17/98 W Florida-Atlantic 99-70
The Buckeyes at the VCA
Nov. 5, 2003 marked the five-year anniversary of the opening of Value City Arena. The 2003-04 campaign is the sixth season of basketball in the facility. Ohio State has a record of 70-14 (.833) at the VCA and has ranked among the Top 10 nationally in attendance each year. When all 19,200 seats are occupied, the Buckeyes have responded with a 21-5 record over the last five seasons. The nation’s best teams have also had their troubles with the Buckeyes at Value City Arena. Seventeen teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 have battled the Buckeyes at VCA. Ohio State has turned away 13 of those squads.
Buckeyes Seek 20th 20-Win Season
Jim O’Brien has guided the Buckeyes to 20-win seasons in four of the last five years. Ohio State teams have won 20 or more games 19 times in 104 years of basketball. Ohio State won 20 or more games from 1999-2002 before winning 17 games a year ago. Ohio State has not enjoyed five 20-win seasons during a six-year stretch in history the program.
Dials Back on Court After Year Layoff
Sophomore center Terence Dials returns to the Ohio State lineup after missing the majority of his true-sophomore season with a back injury. Dials played the first six games in 2002-03 before going down for the remainder of the year with the injury. He was awarded a medical redshirt season a year ago and will retain three years of eligibility. The 6-9, 250-pounder from Youngstown, Ohio, set a freshman record at Ohio State with a .620 field goal shooting percentage (86-138). He leads the team with 8.1 rebounds a game this season.
Wait Over for Stockman, Sullinger, Billings in 2003-04
A trio of Buckeyes tasted their first official action as Buckeyes when the regular season opened Nov. 21 at San Francisco. Sophomores Ricardo Billings and J.J. Sullinger along with junior Tony Stockman all were on the Ohio State campus a year ago but did not play in games for the Buckeyes. Both Sullinger and Stockman practiced with the Buckeyes following transfers from Arkansas and Clemson, respectively. Billings sat out the 2002-03 season to concentrate on academics. He did not practice with the Buckeyes last season. Sullinger and Billings will have three years of eligibility with the Buckeyes. Stockman will have two.
Nwankwo Added to Roster
Jim O’Brien added walkon Ugo Nwankwo (OO-go WAN-kwo) to the Ohio State roster in late October. Nwankwo, a 6-2, 185-pound guard, is a native of Ann Arbor, Mich. His brother Ije is a freshman basketball player at Purdue.
O’Brien Welcomes Changes on Staff
Rick Boyages, who originally was on Jim O’Brien’s staff at Ohio State following their move from Boston College in 1997-98, is back with the Buckeyes as the associate head coach. Boyages spent the last three years as the head coach at William and Mary. After the 1999-2000 season, Boyages left Columbus to take over at William and Mary, where he compiled a record of 35-52. Another former Buckeye also returns in 2003-04. David Egelhoff, a former student manager, returns to take over the video operations of the men’s basketball team. He worked in the same capacity a year ago with the NBA’s Orlando Magic.
The Postseason Streak
Ohio State will be looking to qualify for postseason play for the sixth-consecutive season under head coach Jim O’Brien in 2003-04. The Buckeyes made four trips to the NCAA tournament from 1999-2002 before accepting a bid to play in the 2003 National Invitation Tournament a year ago. The current streak is the second longest in school history behind a 12-year stretch (1982-1993) in which Ohio State played in seven NCAA tournaments and made five NIT appearances.
O’Brien is tied with Eldon Miller for the most-consecutive postseason appearances while coaching the Buckeyes. Miller took three teams to NCAA tournament play and two to the NIT from 1982-86.
Ohio Product Joins Buckeye Squad
Nick Dials, a 6-foot-1-inch point guard from New Haven, Ohio, turned down several Division I scholarship offers to walk-on with the Buckeyes in 2003-04. Once on campus, Dials was awarded a scholarship for the 2003-04 campaign. He averaged 27 points and 5.9 assists per game as a senior in high school. Dials made 86 percent of his free throws in high school. He was first-team All-Ohio in Division II as a junior and senior. For his career, he averaged 22.2 points and 5.5 assists per game and helped Willard to an 85-14 record. Dials had 52 points and 11 assists in a high-school game as a senior.
7 Buckeyes Spend Year in Residence
A total of seven student-athletes on the 2003-04 roster have spent a year on the Ohio State campus without playing in games for the Buckeyes. Sophomore Ricardo Billings sat out 2002-03 to satisfy academic requirements for eligibility this season. Sophomores Terence Dials (2002-03) and Matt Sylvester (2001-02) each sat out a season with back injuries but received medical redshirt seasons to retain four years of eligibility. Senior Shaun Smith (1999-00) did not play basketball his first season in Columbus before walking on with freshman eligibility for the 2000-01 campaign. Junior Matt Marinchick (2000-01) decided to redshirt his first year in Columbus to gain strength and experience. Finally, junior Tony Stockman and sophomore J.J. Sullinger both sat out the 2002-03 season to satisfy NCAA transfer rules after leaving Clemson and Arkansas, respectively, following the 2001-02 season.
