Buckeyes Seek to End 2003 on High Note – Ohio State Buckeyes
12/29/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 29, 2003
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Date Dec. 30, 2003
Opponent Maryland-Baltimore Co.
Site Value City Arena (19,200)
Game Time 8 p.m. (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 (7-4)
G 24 – Shaun Smith, 5-10, Sr.
G 13 – Ugo Nwankwo, 6-2, Jr.
G 12 – Nick Dials, 6-1, Fr.
C 14 – Velimir Radinovic, 7-0, Sr.
F 34 – Terence Dials, 6-9, So.
Maryland Baltimore-County
Probable Starters (3-5)
G 33 – John Zito, 6-6, So.
G 10 – Rob Gogerty, 6-1, Jr.
C 52 – Andrew Feeley, 6-9, Jr.
F 22 – Seth Davis, 6-8, So.
F 12 – Chris Pugh, 6-2, Fr.
Buckeyes Seek to End 2003 on High Note
Ohio State is on a four-game win streak in the final game before celebrating the start of a new year. Since joining the Big Ten for the 1912-13 season, the Buckeyes are 47-41 in the final December game of the season. Radinovic One of Big Ten’s Most Consistent Shooters
Following a combined 7-of-8 shooting effort in wins over Eastern Illinois (6-7) and Dartmouth (1-1), senior Velimir Radinovic improved his field goal shooting to 72.1 percent (31-43). He led all Big Ten Conference players in that category heading into the Dartmouth game but fell below the necessary average of 3.0 made field goals a game with just one made basket vs. the Big Green. He averages 2.8 field goals made per game.
Two Non-Conference Games Remain Before Start of Big Ten Season
Ohio State entertains two more non-conference opponents prior to the start of the 2004 Big Ten Conference season, which starts for the Buckeyes Jan. 7 on the road at Illinois. Maryland-Baltimore County (Dec. 30) and Texas Tech (Jan. 4) round out the non-league portion of Ohio State’s schedule this year.
Starters, Bench Reverse Roles, Again, in Ohio State Win over Big Green
Tony Stockman came off the bench to score 15 points and lead a balanced attack in Ohio State’s 71-58 victory over Dartmouth. Once again Ohio State coach Jim O’Brien shuffled his lineup, starting three former walk-ons and getting substantial contributions from several players who barely played earlier in the season. J.J. Sullinger had 10 points for the Buckeyes with Nick Dials and Ivan Harris each adding nine points. Ten players scored and nine saw at least 10 minutes of action. Steve Callahan scored 13 points and Michael Lang had 12 for the Big Green. Dartmouth hung around with the Buckeyes until midway through the second half. Callahan hit a 3-pointer with 16:39 remaining to pull Dartmouth to within 37-34, but then the Buckeyes sprinted away. Stockman hit a 3-pointer before Nick Dials popped in another. After the Big Green missed their second shot in a row, Harris hit a rebound follow to make it 45-34. The Buckeyes later went on a 9-0 run to build the lead to 57-38. They never led by fewer than 12 points again. Ohio State hit half of its 48 shots from the field, including 8 of 17 3-pointers, and held a 35-21 edge on the boards.
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 4-0 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 4-0 1.00 Totals 85-19 .817
Stockman, Sullinger Pace Buckeyes
Junior Tony Stockman leads Ohio State with an average of 14.6 points a game. He has connected on 88 percent of his foul shots (22-25). With a total of 18 steals, Stockman is among Big Ten leaders with an average of 1.64 thefts a game. Sophomore J.J. Sullinger averages 11.5 points a game, second on the team. He also is connecting on 53 percent of his field goal attempts (48-91).
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 8.5 points and 7.3 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 36-of-49 attempts (.735).
Noting the Dartmouth Game
* The starting lineup combination of Nick Dials, Ugo Nwankwo, Velimir Radinovic, Shaun Smith and Terence Dials is the fifth different starting lineup combination this season. T. Dials started his 10th game this season, marking the only change from the starting lineup Dec. 23 against Eastern Illinois when Matt Marinchick started in the front court.
* With the win, the Buckeyes continue to have a perfect record, 6-0, when they lead their opponents at the half. OSU also is 6-0 when it leads with five minutes remaining in the game.
* Scoring on 24-of-48 field goal attempts, the Buckeyes improve to 4-0 when they shoot 50 percent or better. Ohio State held the Big Green to 46.7 percent shooting on 21-of-45 field goal attempts. The Buckeyes now are 4-4 when the opponent shoots less than 50 percent.
* With Ohio State out-rebounding Dartmouth, 35-21, the Buckeyes improved their record to 6-2 when out-rebounding opponents this season. The last team the Buckeyes out-rebounded was Seton Hall Dec. 20, 2003. Separately, Ohio State’s 14-rebound margin is the largest this season.
* Ohio State outscored Dartmouth in several categories including points in the paint (22-18), points off turnovers (18-12), second chance points (18-9).
* The Buckeyes also held a decided edge in bench points at 42-26. Both of Ohio State’s leading scorers, Tony Stockman (15) and J.J. Sullinger (10) came off the bench. Stockman and Sullinger were the only Buckeyes to score in double figures. The Duo combined for 25 points in the game.
* The win marked the third-consecutive game in which 10 or more Buckeyes recorded points.
* Ohio State held Dartmouth’s second leading scorer, Michael McLaren, to two points in the game Sunday. McLaren was averaging 10.4 ppg.
* The Buckeyes had a 15-5 run in the first five minutes of the second half.
* Ohio State’s 10 turnovers Sunday tied a season-low. The Buckeyes had 10 turnovers against Furman (Dec. 17) and Eastern Illinois (Dec. 23).
* The victory Sunday improved the Buckeyes’ record to 34-18 all-time against teams representing the Ivy League. Ohio State leads the all-time series 4-1 against Dartmouth. The game marked the first meeting between the teams since 1973. The Buckeyes defeated the Big Green, 85-80, at the Kentucky Invitational in Lexington, Ky.
* The 71-58 victory marks the fourth Buckeye win this season when the 70-point mark is reached.
* In their sixth season in Value City Arena, the Buckeyes now own a 73-14 (.839) record. The Buckeyes now are 4-1 at home this season.
Ohio State Player Notes
* Senior guard Shaun Smith scored his first three-point basket of the season. His last three-pointer was against UNC-Wilmington Dec. 2, 2001.
* Starting only his second game as a Buckeye, Nick Dials played a career-high 33 minutes, set career-highs with three steals, three assists and tied a career-high with nine points.
Noting the Buckeyes
Sophomore Ricardo Billings has been making the most of his opportunities at the foul line this season. He is playing 15.5 minutes a game and has stepped to the foul line 30 times, connecting on 23 shots for a 77 percent accuracy rating. He also has made four of his last five shots in wins over Eastern Illinois and Dartmouth. Redshirt sophomore Terence Dials has been known for his scoring touch around the basket. In 49 career games, he has made 130 of 234 shots from the floor for a shooting percentage of .556. He has improved his foul shooting this year as well, hitting on 74 percent (36-49) of his shots. In the last four games, Dials has connected on 13-23 shots from the field (.565). He has grabbed five or more rebounds in 10 of 11 games this year. Junior Brandon Fuss-Cheatham’s playing time is up to 27 minutes a game this year. He has set career highs in scoring twice this season with 11 and 13 points, respectively, vs. Samford and Furman. He has 98 career assists, which includes 34 this season, a season best total. Senior captain Velimir Radinovic reached 500 career points (544) for his Buckeye career with a game-high 19 points vs. Samford. He’s averaged 5.9 points a game in 92 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 72 percent of his shots (31-43). For his career, he has connected on 187-340 shots (.550). Junior Tony Stockman is closing on 1,000 career points (877). He eclipsed the 800-point mark with 14 against Virginia Tech. 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 22-25 shots (.880) in the early going this year. He’s made 79 percent of his free throw attempts for his career (103-131). With four more field goals, Stockman will reach 300 made for his career. Of his 296 made shots for his career, 182 have come from 3-point range (61 percent). 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 53 percent (48-91) of his field goals as a Buckeye and 39 percent (11-28) of his 3-point attempts. He was a 42 percent shooter, 20 percent from long range, at Arkansas as a freshman. With 10 points against Dartmouth, Sullinger reached 400 career points, which includes 273 scored as a freshman at Arkansas. Nick Dials has made the most of his minutes this season. The New Haven, Ohio, native has made 9-of-18 shots from the floor (.500) and 7-of-13 3-pointers (.538). He also has eight steals and six assists in 70 minutes of game action. He averages just one turnover for every 35 minutes played.
The Bucks in the Big Ten
Ohio State guard Tony Stockman rates among the Top 10 Big Ten players in scoring during the early going this season. Stockman is No. 9 at 14.6 ppg. J.J. Sullinger is No. 8 in field goal percentage (.527). Stockman is No. 3 in 3-pointers made per game (2.45) and No. 2 in foul shooting (22-25/.880). Terence Dials rates as the No. 6 rebounder in the Big Ten with 7.3 a game. He also is No. 6 in defensive rebounds (4.91).
Ohio State Plays Last Game of 2003 vs. Retrievers
The University of Maryland-Baltimore County provides the competition in the final game of the 2003 portion of the Ohio State schedule this season. The Retrievers are 3-5 following an overtime loss at Santa Clara Dec. 22. UMBC opened the season with back-to-back victories over Loyola (Md.) and at Towson State. Losses then came against Princeton, Delaware and Miami, Fla. Another win over Towson preceded losses at San Francisco and Santa Clara.
Zito Tops UMBC Scorers
Two players average more than 10 points a game for UMBC. Sophomore guard John Zito tops his teammates with nearly 11 points a game. His running mate at the guard position, junior Rob Gogerty is next with just over 10 points a contest. Cory McJimson is the team’s top rebounder with 5.8 rebounds a game.
Sullivan in 10th year at UMBC
Tom Sullivan has 10 seasons under his belt as head coach of the Retrievers. He has compiled a record of 102-130 at UMBC and an overall record in 19 seasons as a head coach of 256-255. The 1972 Fordham graduate also was the head coach at New Hampshire College, where he compiled a record of 152-99 from 1976-1985. He also was the head coach at Manhattan College for one season and assisted P.J. Carlesimo at Seton Hall.
The Buckeyes vs. UMBC
Maryland-Baltimore Country is 0-1 against Ohio State. The two teams met Dec. 22, 1987 in Columbus and the Retrievers fell, 77-68.
Ohio State vs. the America East Conference
OSU has met members of the America East Conference just five times and have won three of those games. Wins came against Albany (1-0) and Vermont (2-1). Northeastern is 1-0 vs. the Buckeyes. Other league members include SUNY-Binghampton, Boston Univ., Hartford, Maine, New Hampshire and Stony Brook.
On This Date, OSU 11-23
Ohio State is 11-23 in games played on Dec. 30. The Buckeyes have won their last two games on this date.
12/30/15 L @Ottawa 18-48 12/30/19 L vs Goodyear 24-26 12/30/21 W Dartmouth 24-23 12/30/22 W Vanderbilt 28-20 12/30/25 L Cornell 15-23 12/30/33 L @Pittsburgh 18-27 12/30/37 W @USC 40-38 12/30/38 L @California 42-45 12/30/39 L Pittsburgh 30-34 12/30/40 L Pittsburgh 34-48 12/30/42 L @Rochester 52-53 12/30/44 W @Michigan (ot) 44-41 12/30/50 L vs Penn State 58-67 12/30/54 W Oklahoma City 72(20)-61 12/30/61 W vs USC 76(1)-66 12/30/64 L Duke (2ot) 89-94(8) 12/30/66 L vs North Carolina 82-105(3) 12/30/67 L @Hawaii 76-80 12/30/68 L Washington 59(16)-64 12/30/70 L vs Indiana 77-85(14) 12/30/71 L @UCLA 53(6)-79(1) 12/30/72 L @Creighton 71-79 12/30/74 L vs Villanova 86-87 12/30/78 L vs Rutgers (3ot) 96-97 12/30/80 W West Virginia (2ot) 70-67 12/30/82 W South Alabama 79-74 12/30/83 L @Santa Clara 69-71 12/30/85 L vs Nebraska 66-69 12/30/86 W vs Florida 88-84 12/30/93 L West Virginia 82-87 12/30/94 L @West Virginia 69-79 12/30/97 L vs Brigham Young 65-72 12/30/00 W Coppin State 80-42 12/30/02 W Hampton 70-62
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 73-14 (.839) 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 7.3 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.
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.
