Buckeyes Hit The Road To Face Seton Hall – Ohio State Buckeyes
12/18/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 18, 2003
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Date Dec. 20, 2003
Opponent Seton Hall
Site Contintental Airlines Arena (20,029)
Game Time Noon (EST)
TV ESPN Plus
Local TV WBNS 10 TV
TV Talent Tom Hamilton (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 (5-3)
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.
Seton Hall Pirates
Probable Starters (4-2)
G 12 – Andre Barrett, 5-10, Sr.
G 32 – John Allen, 6-5, Jr.
C 33 – Andre Sweet, 6-6, Jr.
F 13 – Marcus Toney-El, 6-6, Sr.
F 41 – Grant Billmeier, 6-10, Fr.
Stockman Leads Four in Double Figures in Win Over Furman
Tony Stockman scored Ohio State’s last six points and the Buckeyes trailed for most of the game before beating Furman 70-68 Wednesday. Stockman, who scored 21 points, broke a tie at 66 on a 3-pointer with 46 seconds left. After Moussa Diagne hit a layup with nine seconds left, Stockman made the front end of a double-bonus with 7.7 seconds left to give Ohio State a 70-68 lead. The rebound of Stockman’s second free throw bounced out to the perimeter and a long pass ended up in the hands of Maleye Ndoye, but his driving layup with two seconds left bounced around the rim and fell off. The Buckeyes’ J.J. Sullinger grabbed the rebound as time expired. The Paladins hit 12 3-pointers – just one off the school record – in 22 attempts. Freshman Eric Webb came off the bench to make 6 of 8 3-pointers for a career-best 20 points. Ndoye added 11 points and Tony Carter had 10 for Furman. Brandon Fuss-Cheatham scored 13 points and Terence Dials and Sullinger each added 12 for the Buckeyes. O’Brien Win Percentage Soars When 70 Points Reached
In Jim O’Brien’s seven seasons in Columbus the Buckeyes have won nearly 82 percent of their games when scoring 70 or more points. Ohio State is 3-0 this season when the 70-point mark is reached. The Buckeyes were 4-7 when scoring 70 points in O’Brien’s first year in 1997-98. Since that season, Ohio State has been successful 87 percent of the time when scoring 70 or more points.
Rcd. when Win Year Scoring 70+ Pct. 1997-98 4-7 .364 1998-99 21-5 .808 1999-2000 15-2 .882 2000-01 12-1 .923 2001-02 19-3 .864 2002-03 10-1 .909 2003-04 3-0 1.00 Totals 84-19 .816
Sylvester Suspended One Game
Ohio State sophomore forward Matt Sylvester was suspended for one game by head coach Jim O’Brien for his involvement in an on-court incident in the win over Furman. Sylvester hit Furman’s Nick Sanders with a flagrant elbow in the second half while lined up for a free throw. Sylvester will not travel for the Seton Hall game.
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 16.3 points a game. He has connected on 86 percent of his foul shots (19-22). With a total of 17 steals, Stockman is fourth among Big Ten players with an average of 2.12 thefts a game. Sophomore J.J. Sullinger averages 13.5 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 56 percent of his field goal attempts (41-73).
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 9.4 points and 8.0 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). Among Big Ten players, Dials ranks fifth in rebounding.
Noting the Furman Game
* Ohio State set season highs in both steals and field goal attempts. The Buckeyes tallied nine steals and 57 field goal attempts.
* Ohio State outscored Furman in the paint 40-14.
* The Buckeyes also held a 21-8 advantage in points off turnovers. Ohio State turned the ball over 10 times, while forcing 16 by Furman.
* The leading scorers for both teams came off the bench. Ohio State’s Tony Stockman led the Buckeyes with a game-high 21 points, while Furman’s Eric Webb led the Paladins with a career-high 20 points.
* For the first time in three chances this season, the Buckeyes overcame a halftime deficit to claim victory. Ohio State trailed Furman 36-32 at intermission. In addition, for the first time in four chances this season Ohio State was victorious despite trailing with five minutes remaining. The Buckeyes were trailing 62-60 at that point.
* The Buckeyes trailed Furman 34-42 at the 17:36 mark in the second half before going on a 16-2 run over the next five minutes and 19 seconds en route to taking a 50-44 lead at the 12:03 mark.
* The game Wednesday marked the first meeting between Ohio State and Furman. With the victory, Ohio State improved to 10-4 against teams from the Southern Conference. Prior to the game with Furman, the last time Ohio State had faced a Southern Conference opponent was in the 2002 NCAA Tournament when the Buckeyes defeated Davidson, 69-64.
* In their sixth season in Value City Arena, the Buckeyes now own a 71-14 (.835) record. The Buckeyes now are 2-1 this season at home.
Ohio State Player Notes
* After setting his career high with 11 points in Ohio State’s 80-62 win against Samford last Saturday, Ohio State junior guard Brandon Fuss-Cheatham set a career high with 13 points vs. the Paladins. It is the first time in his career he scored in double figures in back-to-back games.
* With 18 field goal attempts, Ohio State junior guard Tony Stockman tied a career high and set a season high.
* Stockman accounted for 21 points on the night, which served as the third highest output this season by the junior guard. Stockman previously scored 23 points vs. Villanova and 22 vs. San Francisco.
* After scoring two points in four minutes of play in the first half, Ohio State sophomore Terence Dials tallied 10 points and six rebounds in the second half on 5-of-7 shooting from the field, while grabbing six of his seven rebounds on the night.
Noting the Buckeyes
Sophomore Ricardo Billings has been making the most of his opportunities at the foul line this season. He is playing just under 16 minutes a game and has stepped to the foul line 22 times, connecting on 17 shots for a 77 percent accuracy rating. Redshirt sophomore Terence Dials has been known for his scoring touch around the basket. In 46 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 over 29 minutes a game this year and his assist to turnover ratio also has improved. He has dished out 29 assists while turning the ball over 15 times for a respectable 1.9 A/T ratio. He has set career highs in scoring in each of the last two games with 11 and 13 points, respectively, vs. Samford and Furman. Senior captain Velimir Radinovic reached 500 career points (516) for his Buckeye career with a game-high 19 points vs. Samford. He’s averaged 5.8 points a game in 89 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 73 percent of his shots (22-30). For his career, he has connected on 178-327 shots (.544). 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 (2.75). Junior Tony Stockman is closing on 1,000 career points. He eclipsed the 800-point mark with 14 against Virginia Tech (846). 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 19-22 shots (.864) in the early going this year. He’s made 78 percent of his free throw attempts for his career (100-128). 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 56 percent (41-73) 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 12 Big Ten players in scoring during the early going this season. Stockman is No. 5 at 16.3 ppg. Sullinger is No. 12 at 13.5 ppg., No. 10 in 3-point shooting percentage (.417) and No. 8 in field goal percentage (.562). Stockman is No. 1 in 3-pointers made per game (2.62), No. 4 in steals (17/2.12) and No. 3 in foul shooting (19-22/.864). Terence Dials rates as the No. 5 rebounder in the Big Ten with 8.0 a game. He also is No. 6 in defensive rebounds (5.38) and No. 8 in offensive rebounds (2.62).
Pirates Play Host with 4-2 Record
Seton Hall has won two of its last three games heading into the matchup with Ohio State. The Pirates opened the season with a win over Morgan State (89-62) before going 2-1 at the Great Alaska Shootout. Wins there came against Alaska Fairbanks (62-57) and Liberty (65-47). The loss was to Purdue (75-63). Louisville defeated Seton Hall in a road game for the Pirates, 80-71, before SHU downed St. Peters at home, 91-62.
Offensive Distributed Well on Pirates Squad
Four Seton Hall starters average 9.8 points or more with another, reserve J.R. Morris pitching in with 10.7 points a game. Senior guard Andre Barrett leads the team offensively with 18.8 points a game. He is followed by juniors John Allen (12.0 ppg.) and Andre Sweet (11.2 ppg.). Senior forward Marcus Toney-El is close to double digits with 9.8 ppg. Sweet is the team’s leading rebounder with 7.5 ppg.
Orr in Third Year Steering Pirates’ Ship
Louis Orr, a 1980 graduate of Syracuse, is in his third season at Seton Hall and his fourth as a head coach. At SHU, Orr has compiled a record of 33-33. He was 20-11 in one season at Sienna before taking over at Seton Hall. His career as an assistant coach took him to Syracuse, Providence and Xavier.
The Buckeyes vs. Seton Hall
Ohio State owns a 3-1 record all-time against Seton Hall, which includes a 71-54 win over the Pirates Dec. 21 of last year in Columbus. The series began with an Ohio State win (97-57) in the ECAC Holiday Tournament Dec. 27, 1960 in New York. Seton Hall’s lone victory in the series came in 1992 in New Jersey, 68-64. The last two meetings took place in Columbus. The Buckeyes won a 1995 meeting 105-96 and then the game last year at Value City Arena.
Ohio State vs. the Big East Conference
Seton Hall will be the third Big East member for the Buckeyes on the 2003-04 schedule. Ohio State downed Villanova in Maui, Hawaii, earlier this year, 67-66, and then handled Virginia Tech 62-57 earlier this month at Nationwide Arena in Columbus. Ohio State is 54-38 against teams making up the current alignment of the Big East Conference. Ohio State has won at least one game against every member of the league with the exception of Rutgers (0-1).
On This Date, OSU 9-5
Ohio State is 9-5 in games played on Dec. 20 and has won its last two games on this date following a four-game losing streak from 1980-88.
12/20/47 W Texas A&M 54-40 12/20/52 W Pittsburgh 76-70 12/20/58 L vs Oklahoma State 59-63 12/20/65 W Iowa State 87-70 12/20/66 W Texas Christian 84-78 12/20/69 W @Alabama 96-68 12/20/71 W Brown 62(10)-56 12/20/75 W Davidson 94-65 12/20/80 L @Arizona St. 58(7)-71(14) 12/20/83 L Bowling Green 64-70 12/20/86 L !vs Florida 72-82 12/20/88 L @S. Carolina 68(12)-74(18) 12/20/97 W USC 79-73 12/20/00 W Robert Morris 88-46
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 71-14 (.835) 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 the 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 8.0 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.
