Men’s Basketball Hosts Virginia Tech at Nationwide Arena – Ohio State Buckeyes
12/5/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 5, 2003
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Date Dec. 6, 2003
Opponent Virginia Tech
Site Nationwide Arena (19,700)
Game Time 2 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 (2-3)
G 2 – Brandon Fuss-Cheatham, 6-1, Jr.
G 10 – Tony Stockman, 6-1, Jr.
G 0 – J.J. Sullinger, 6-5, So.
C 14 – Velimir Radinovic, 7-0, Sr.
F 34 – Terence Dials, 6-8, So.
Virginia Tech
Probable Starters (3-2)
G 24 – Markus Sailes, 6-5, So.
G 2 – Jamon Gordon, 6-3, Fr.
G 1 – Zabian Dowdell, 6-2, Fr.
F 25 – Philip McCandies, 6-9, So.
F 22 – Bryant Matthews, 6-7, Sr.
Nationwide Welcomes Buckeyes, Hokies
Ohio State (2-3) battles Virginia Tech (3-2) Saturday at Nationwide Arena in downtown Columbus. The game will be a preview of the first and second rounds of the 2004 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, which will be played at Nationwide March 19 and 21. Ohio State will serve as the host school for both the Virginia Tech game and the NCAA tournament games. The Buckeyes also will play host to the first and second rounds of the 2004 Women’s NCAA Basketball Tournament. Those games will be played at St. John Arena March 20-23. Stockman, Sullinger Pace Buckeyes
Junior Tony Stockman leads Ohio State with an average of 15.8 points a game. He has connected on 93 percent of his foul shots (14-15). With a total of 13 steals, Stockman leads all Big Ten players with an average of 2.60 thefts a game. Sophomore J.J. Sullinger averages 12.2 points a game, second on the team, and is the squad leader from 3-point range with a .500 shooting percentage (8-16). He also is connecting on 56 percent of his field goal attempts (23-41).
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 a near double-double with 9.6 points and 9.4 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 22-of-30 attempts (.733). His seven assists rank third (tie). Among Big Ten players, Dials ranks fourth in rebounding.
Noting the Georgia Tech Game
Ohio State senior captain Velimir Radinovic blocked three shotsagainst Georgia Tech, tying his career high and setting a newseason-high for the Buckeyes. Radinovic had three blocked shots intwo previous games, most recently at Michigan Feb. 15, 2003.Buckeye sophomore J.J. Sullinger, playing his first home game as aBuckeye, grabbed seven rebounds against Georgia Tech to tie hiscareer-high, which he had accomplished twice before, most recentlythis season against San Diego State Nov. 24 in Maui. Ohio State isnow 86-19 (.819) all-time in home openers. In home openers playedin Value City Arena, the Buckeyes are now 4-2. Prior to the loss toGeorgia Tech, Ohio State’s only home opening loss in VCA came inthe 1999-00 season when unranked Notre Dame topped No. 4 OhioState, 59-57, in the Preseason NIT. Ohio State is 1-2 in the threeyears they have participated in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.Previously, Ohio State defeated N.C. State in 2001 in Value CityArena and fell to Duke last year in Greensboro, N.C. Ohio State is128-205 all-time against ranked opponents. A total of eight teamson the Buckeyes’ 2003-04 schedule are currently ranked or receivingvotes in the AP or ESPN/USA Today polls. Ohio State leads theall-time series against Georgia Tech 10-3. The Yellow Jackets alsowon the last contest, a 72-58 victory in Atlanta in the 2003Postseason NIT. The Buckeyes are now 5-1 against the Yellow Jacketsin Columbus. The Buckeyes are 32-17 all-time against teamsrepresenting the Atlantic Coast Conference. When playing in ValueCity Arena against opponents ranked in the Associated Press Top 25,Ohio State is now 13-4. When playing non-conference opponents inValue City Arena, Ohio State is now 38-5. Against Georgia Tech, theBuckeyes converted on a season-high .792 (19-for-24) of their freethrow attempts.
Harris Gets First Start
Freshman McDonald’s All-American Ivan Harris started his first career game for the Buckeyes against Central Michigan in the second game at the Maui Invitational. Freshmen started a total of 61 games in Jim O’Brien’s first season in Columbus (1997-98). Since that first year, freshmen have made a total of 66 starts over the last six seasons. No freshman started during the 2001-02 campaign for Ohio State.
Hokies Open Season 3-2
Virginia Tech started 2-0 with wins over New Hampshire (79-49) and Western Carolina (61-59) at home before a loss at Virginia (80-65). The Hokies returned to the win column with a 76-66 win over Morgan State Monday. Tech then lost an overtime game to Old Dominion Thursday 94-92 before traveling to Columbus for the game at Nationwide Arena.
Pair Top VT Offensive Attack
Bryant Matthews leads the Hokies with an average of 27.4 points a game this season. Jamon Gordon follows with 14.4 ppg. Two other players, Zabian Dowdell and Philip McCandies, each upped their scoring averages to double digits at 10.6 ppg. and 10.0 scoring averages, respectively, after the overtime loss to Old Dominion.. Matthews, who has scored 36 and 37 points in his last two games, also is the team’s leading rebounder with 10.8 caroms a contest. He has had three games with 10 or more rebounds this season, including 12 vs. ODU Thursday.
Hokies Hit the Glass
Behind the 10.8 rebounds per game recorded by Bryant Matthews, Virginia Tech has outrebounded foes by 10.0 a game. Of VT’s 200 total rebounds, 100 have come on the offensive end of the court. Matthews leads the team with 28 offensive rebounds. He has 54 total boards this season.
Greenberg in First Year at VTU
Seth Greenberg is 3-2 in his first season at Virginia Tech. For his career, which includes stops at South Florida (108-100) and Long Beach State (105-70) as a head coach, he is 216-172. As an assistant, he worked at Long Beach, Miami, Virginia, Pittsburgh and Columbia. Two if his teams have advanced to NCAA tournament play while three others have participated in the NIT.
The Buckeyes vs. Virginia Tech
The Buckeyes and Hokies have met four times in history with VTU winning all four previous meetings. The teams have not met since a Dec. 4, 1976 battle at Virginia Tech. The teams first met Dec. 18, 1972 in Columbus, a 67-61 Hokies’ victory.
Ohio State vs. the Big East
The Buckeyes have a 53-38 record against teams representing the current alignment of Big East teams after defeating Villanova 67-66 in the final game of the 2003 EA Sports Maui Invitational. Virginia Tech (0-4) and Providence (0-1) are the only Big East teams without a loss to the Buckeyes.
On This Date, OSU 9-5
Ohio State is 9-5 in games played on Dec. 6 and have won four of the last five games on this date.
12/6/32 W @Toledo 64-10 12/6/48 W Marquette 72-47 12/6/50 W Butler 72-50 12/6/52 W St. Louis 81-71 12/6/58 L St. Louis 68-77 12/6/61 W @Pittsburgh 99(1)-79 12/6/63 L vs Duke 75(7)-76(4) 12/6/65 L North Carolina 72-82 12/6/68 L UCLA 73-84(1) 12/6/69 W @Butler 112(18)-89 12/6/71 W Utah State 71(5)-60 12/6/80 W Colgate 77(9)-58 12/6/86 W Ohio University 96-75 12/6/97 L South Florida 49-67
Ohio State is 86-19 in Home Openers
Ohio State opened its 105th season of men’s basketball with a loss at San Francisco. The Buckeyes are 82-23 (.781) all time in season openers. Ohio State is 86-19 (.819) in home openers. In the first road game of the year, Ohio State is 49-55 (.471). The Buckeyes did not play a road game in 1900-01.
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 69-14 (.831) 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.
Four Games Away From Columbus to Start Season a First Since 1988
Prior to this season, Ohio State had not opened the regular season with four games away from Columbus since the 1988-89 season when the Buckeyes played their first three games at the Maui Invitational and then traveled to face Western Michigan on the road. The Buckeyes opened at San Francisco this year before traveling to Maui, Hawaii, for three games.
O’Brien Names Captain
Senior Velimir Radinovic will serve as team captain for Ohio State in 2003-04. The 7-foot center was named following a vote of his teammates. He is serving his first season as an OSU captain.
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 10-3 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.
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.
Lefty Luxury
The Buckeyes feature four left-handed players on the 2003-04 roster. Junior Brandon Fuss-Cheatham, sophomores J.J. Sullinger and Charles Bass and freshman Ivan Harris all are southpaws.
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.
