Ohio State Honors Seniors Prior To Final Regular Season Home Game vs. Illinois – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/5/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 5, 2004
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Date March 7, 2004
Opponent No. 18 Illinois
Site Value City Arena (19,200)
Game Time 4 p.m. (EST)
TV CBS
Local TV WBNS 10-TV
TV Talent Gus Johnson (P-by-P), Clark Kellogg (Analyst)
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 (13-14, 5-9)
G 2 – Brandon Fuss-Cheatham, 6-1, Jr.
G 0 – J.J. Sullinger, 6-5, So.
G 10 – Tony Stockman, 6-1, Jr.
C 14 – Velimir Radinovic, 7-0, Sr.
F 34 – Terence Dials, 6-9, So.
Illinois Fighting Illini
Probable Starters (20-5, 11-3)
G 11 – Dee Brown, 6-0, So.
G 5 – Deron Williams, 6-3, So.
C 40 – James Augustine, 6-10, So.
F 43 – Roger Powell, 6-6, Jr.
F 4 – Luther Head, 6-3, Jr.
Six Seniors to Be Recognized In Final Value City Arena Game of 2003-04
Three senior student-athletes and three senior managers will be participating in their final home game Sunday vs. Illinois. Shaun Smith, a Cincinnati native, Shun Jenkins of Albany, Ga., and Velimir Radinovic, an Oakville, Ontario, native will play their final home games for the Buckeyes. Managers Brad Smith (Perrysburg, Ohio), Erik Zadrozny (Hudson, Ohio) and Jordan Warfield (Hudson, Ohio) also will complete four-years careers as men’s basketball managers. Brad Smith with his parents Dave and Marsha, Zadrozny and his mother Ingrid Eisner and Warfield with his mother Linda and grandmother Dominica Harris will be recognized. Shaun Smith will have his mother, Delisa Turner, his grandmohter Rose Smith and his father William Day. Shun Jenkins will be with his mother, Magalene Jenkins, and sister, Subaricca Smith. Velimir Radinovic will walk out with his parents, Rada and Gliso Radinovic.
Stockman Sets OSU Value City Arena Record in Win Over Penn State
Tony Stockman set a Value City Arena record with seven 3-pointers and scored 25 points to lead Ohio State to a 71-64 victory over Penn State. J.J. Sullinger added 16 points, Brandon Fuss-Cheatham had 11 and Velimir Radinovic 10 for Ohio State. Marlon Smith scored a career-high 26 points, Jan Jagla and Aaron Johnson each had 12 and Ben Luber added 10 for Penn State. Stockman hit 7 of 13 3-pointers to break the previous arena record for an OSU player of five 3-pointers set by Sean Connolly three years ago. Ohio State led by 14 points with 5? minutes left but Penn State scratched its way back behind the shooting of Smith, a freshman who came in averaging 12.7 points a game. The Nittany Lions drew as close as 65-61 on Luber’s jumper wih 1:23 left. Fuss-Cheatham then drove the lane and scored on a drive with 53.9 seconds remaining. Smith hit a 3-pointer – he was 6 for 8 behind the arc – with 24.1 seconds left to cut it to 67-64, but Sullinger countered with two free throws with 18.5 seconds left. Fuss-Cheatham then stole the ball near midcourt and Terence Dials threw a long pass to Radinovic for a dunk to close the scoring. Ohio State hit a season-high nine 3-pointers on 20 attempts. Stockman scored all the points as Ohio State broke out to a 10-0 lead. He made his first four 3-pointers and finished the half 5 of 8 with the Buckeyes taking a 35-27 lead at the half.
Stockman Eclipses 1,000 Career Points
Junior guard Tony Stockman scored 16 points against Iowa (2/18/04) to reach 1,000 for his career. A transfer from Clemson, Stockman scored 716 during his two years with the Tigers. He has 372 points as a Buckeye for a career total of 1,088 (12.7 ppg.). He reached 200 career assists with two at Wisconsin (2/14/04). Against Michigan State Feb. 7, Stockman knocked down five 3-pointers to push his career total over the 200 (223) mark. With three rebounds in the most recent win over Penn State, Stockman reached 200 for his career for an average of 2.3 in 86 career games. His next shot attempt will be No. 1,000 of his career (370-999/.370).
The Buckeyes vs. Illinois
The Illini hold a 98-59 advantage in games played against Ohio State since the schools began competition in 1915. The Buckeyes are 21-58 in Champaign, 37-38 in Columbus and 1-2 at neutral sites. The Buckeyes are 10-32 against Illinois teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25. The Buckeyes have won four of the last eight games vs. Illinois. Ohio State’s last win was a 94-88 victory over the No. 10 Illini in the semifinals of the 2002 Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis. The last win in Columbus over Illinois was a 78-67 victory over the No. 12 Illini Jan. 29, 2002. In the 75 games played in Columbus, Ohio State averages a 1.2 points per game margin of victory (61.0-59.2). In the 37 Ohio State home wins, the Buckeyes average a victory margin of 12.7 ppg. (68.6-55.9) while the Illini average an 8.8 ppg. margin of victory in its 38 victories in Columbus (62.4-53.6).
Radinovic Atop Big Ten in FG Percentage
Senior Velimir Radinovic is No. 1 in the Big Ten in field goal shooting percentage, knocking down 64.8 percent of his shots (105-162). He has made 57 percent of his shots for his career (261-459) in 109 games. He has made 63-of-99 (.636) shots in Big Ten play this season. Illinois’ James Augustine is No. 2 among Big Ten players in field goal percentage, shooting 64.4 percent (94-146) on the year.
O’Brien 4th All-Time in OSU Career Wins
Jim O’Brien has won 133 career games at Ohio State in his seven seasons in Columbus. That total is the fourth-most in Ohio State history. Fred Taylor is the career leader with 297 career wins from 1959-1976 (18 yrs.). Harold G. Olsen is No. 2 (260, 1923-46/24) and Eldon Miller is No. 3 with 174 wins from 1977-86 in 10 seasons.
O’Brien 2nd All-Time in Average Wins Per Season at Ohio State
Jim O’Brien has averaged 19.0 wins per year in his seven years at Ohio State, the second-highest average all-time behind the 19.7 wins a year reached by Gary Williams in his three seasons in Columbus from 1987-89. Williams was 59-41 and made the NCAA Tournament once and the National Invitation Tournament twice. O’Brien has taken four teams to the NCAA Tournament and one to the NIT and has one Final Four (1999) appearance to his credit. Following the 8-22 1997-98 season, his first at Ohio State, O’Brien has averaged 20.8 victories a season in Columbus.
O’Brien Win Percentage Soars When 70 Points Reached
In Jim O’Brien’s seven seasons in Columbus the Buckeyes have won 81 percent of their games when scoring 70 or more points. Ohio State is 8-2 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 86 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 8-2 .800 Totals 89-21 .809
Buckeyes’ 38-1 When Shooting 50 percent or Better at Value City Arena
Ohio State has a record of 38-1 (.974) in six seasons under Jim O’Brien at Value City Arena when shooting 50 percent or better. The Buckeyes connected on 53 percent (26-49) of their shots in the most recent win (71-64) over Penn State March 3. The lone home loss when shooting better than 50 percent at VCA was to Penn State Jan. 10, 2001, a 78-75 setback. The Nittany Lions connected on 53 percent (27-51) of their shots while the Buckeyes knocked down 57 percent (31-54).
Overall Shooting 50+% Yr. VCA Rcd. Hm. Rcd. 1998-99 14-1 7-0 1999-2000 15-2 4-0 2000-01 14-3 7-1 2001-02 15-2 9-0 2002-03 11-5 5-0 2003-04 8-6 6-0 Totals 77-19 (.802) 38-1 (.974)
Stockman Paces Buckeyes
Junior Tony Stockman leads Ohio State with an average of 13.8 points a game. With a total of 59 steals, Stockman is among Big Ten leaders (2nd) with an average of 2.19 thefts a game. Senior Velimir Radinovic is the team’s second leading scorer with an average of 10.4 ppg. Stockman leads Ohio State vs. Big Ten competition with 13.5 ppg. Radinovic is a close second at 11.5 ppg. Sophomore Terence Dials is third with 10.9 ppg.
Noting the Penn State Game
* Ohio State’s starting lineup of junior Brandon Fuss-Cheatham, sophomore Ricardo Billings, junior Tony Stockman, senior Velimir Radinovic and sophomore Terence Dials made their first appearance of the season, marking the 11th starting line-up this year.
* With the 71-64 win, Ohio State leads the all-time series with Penn State 15-13. OSU now leads 10-4 in Columbus.
* The Buckeyes opened the game on a 10-0 run over the first 3:48 minutes of the game, forcing Penn State to take a timeout. The run included a 3-for-3 mark from beyond 3-point range. In the first meeting vs. PSU (Jan. 10, 2004) earlier this season, the Buckeyes shot 0-13 from the 3-point range.
* Ohio State held Penn State scoreless over the first 4:55 minutes of the first half, until PSU’s Robert Summers connected from just inside the 3-point line.
* In the second half, the Buckeyes opened on a 12-4 run over the first 5:07, taking their largest lead in the game, 47-31, at 14:53.
* For the game, the Buckeyes shot 9-of-20 from the 3-point range. The nine makes is a season-high for the team, topping the eight 3-pointers the Buckeyes made against Northwestern Feb. 4.
Ohio State started the game 5-for-5 from 3-point range, with junior Tony Stockman hitting three in the stretch. Junior Brandon Fuss-Cheatham and sophomore Ricardo Billings tallied the other two 3-pointers.
* In the first half, the teams combined to shoot 12-of-19 from the 3-point line. In the first meeting this season (Jan. 10), the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions connected on just 3-of-26 from behind the 3-point arc.
* The Buckeyes carried a 35-27 lead at the break to improve their record to 12-1 when leading at the half. Ohio State improved to 12-0 when leading with 5:00 left in the game.
* After the victory, Ohio State is 77-19 in its sixth season in Value City Arena, including an 8-6 mark at VCA this season.
* With a 71-64 win, the Buckeyes improve to 8-2 on the season when scoring 70 points or more. The Buckeyes now are 89-21 under head coach Jim O’Brien when scoring 70 points or more in a contest.
* OSU shot 53.1 percent for the game, improving to 9-0 when shooting over 50 percent. The mark also upped Ohio State’s record under O’Brien to 38-1 when shooting over 50 percent at Value City Arena.
* Ohio State held a decided edge in bench points at 18-4. J.J. Sullinger led the way with 16 points off the bench. Freshman guard Nick Dials accounted for the other bucket, his first score since Jan. 28 vs. Wisconsin.
* Four Buckeyes scored double-figures vs. Penn State, marking the sixth time this season four or more have scored double-digits – Tony Stockman (25), J.J. Sullinger (16), Brandon Fuss-Cheatham (11) and Velimir Radinovic (10).
Ohio State player notes vs. Penn State
* The game marked sophomore Ricardo Billings’ first start since Jan. 10, 2004 at Penn State and his seventh start this season.
* OSU sophomore Nick Dials made his first appearance since Jan. 31 at Purdue. Dials missed seven games because of injury.
* OSU junior Tony Stockman was 5-of-8 from the 3-point line in the first half and set a season-high of seven 3-pointers in the game. The seven 3-pointers is the most set by a Buckeye in Value City Arena. Former Buckeyes Michael Redd and Scoonie Penn held the previous record of six 3-pointers made in a game at VCA.
* With his seven 3-pointers, Stockman improved to third in the Ohio State single season records book in 3-pointers made with 68. He also moved up the records book to third with seven 3-point field goals made in a game. Stockman’s career-high of eight 3-pointers in a single game was set against North Carolina (Feb. 27, 2002).
* Stockman attempted 13 3-point shots in the game, which tied him for second place all-time … he also had 13 attempts the last time out vs. Michigan (Feb. 29). Stockman tied his career-high in field goal attempts with 18. Stockman’s 13 3-point attempts moved him to 191 for the season, which stands third all-time behind former Buckeye Scoonie Penn, who fired over 200 in both 1999 and 2000.
* Stockman finished the night with 25 points, marking his and the team’s season high. J.J. Sullinger held the previous high of 24 points in the opening game this season at San Francisco (Nov. 21). Stockman’s career high in a game is 30 points against North Carolina (Feb. 27, 2002) while playing for Clemson.
* With his three rebounds against Penn State, Stockman set a career mark of 200 rebounds.
* Sophomore guard J.J. Sullinger tied a career best with two blocked shots. He last recorded a pair of blocks against UMBC earlier this season (Dec. 30).
Noting the Buckeyes
Redshirt sophomore Terence Dials has been known for his scoring touch around the basket. In 66 career games, he has made 198-of-373 shots from the floor for a shooting percentage of .531. He has improved his foul shooting this year as well, hitting on 71 percent (75-105) of his shots. He has grabbed five or more rebounds in 18 of 28 games this year. His 19 points vs. Indiana in January pushed him over the 400 mark and his 16 points Feb. 21 eclipsed the 500-point plateau for his career (525). He needs two made field goals to reach 200 for his career, which includes 97 this season.
Junior Brandon Fuss-Cheatham’s playing time is up to 24 minutes a game this year. He has set career highs in scoring three times this season with 11 and 13 points, respectively, vs. Samford and Furman and then a 17-point effort at Iowa. He has 131 career assists, which includes 67 this year, a season best total. He reached 200 career points with 12 at Minnesota (227/2.9 ppg.)
Senior captain Velimir Radinovic reached 700 career points (743) for his Buckeye career. He’s averaged 6.8 points in 109 games at Ohio State. From the field, Radinovic has been much improved. As a senior, he is connecting on 65 percent of his shots (105-162). For his career, he has connected on 261-459 shots (.569). He could reach 500 career rebounds with 35 more this season. Radinovic is tied for the No. 9 spot in career blocks with 59. He is even with Bill Robinson (1989-91) and Dennis Hopson (1984-87). Clark Kellogg is No. 8 with 60 career blocks.
Junior Tony Stockman scored his 1,000th career point (1,088) with 16 vs. Iowa Feb. 18. He eclipsed the 900-point mark with 10 at Illinois. He came to Ohio State with 716 points after two years at Clemson. With five field goals vs. UMBC, Stockman reached 300 for his career. Of his 370 made shots for his career, 223 have come from 3-point range (60 percent). With 68 made 3-pointers this year, Stockman is now No. 3 in the Ohio State record book in single season made 3-point attempts. Stockman also holds down the No. 3 spot in made 3-pointers in a game with seven vs. Penn State March 3. His 59 steals this year are a career high for a single season. He had 84 steals in two years at Clemson. Stockman moved to the No. 8 position at OSU with two vs. PSU. He trails Michael Redd’s 61 in 1998. Stockman’s six steals vs. Northwestern is tied for third for the most steals in a game at Ohio State. Several Buckeyes have recorded six steals in one contest. The last was Brent Darby against Iowa Jan. 25, 2003.
With 14 points at Wisconsin, sophomore J.J. Sullinger reached 500 career points, which includes 273 scored as a Razorback. He has scored 554 career points, including 281 at Ohio State. His career scoring average is 9.7 points per game in 57 career appearances. He is averaging 10.0 points in 28 contests at Ohio State. Sullinger has made 13-of-17 foul shots in the last three games but has struggled for most of the year at the line (57-111/.514).
Nick Dials has made the most of his minutes this season. The New Haven, Ohio, native has 33 assists and 23 steals. Of his 22 field goals, 13 have been from 3-point range. He has connected on 88 percent of his foul shots this year (22-25). He returned to action vs. Penn State March 3 after missing several games with a wrist injury.
Ricardo Billings gives the Buckeyes quickness off the bench, usually in relief of Sullinger at the No. 3 guard spot. Billings averages 15 minutes a game as a reserve and part-time starter (7 gms.). He has demonstrated the ability to get to the basket in traffic with an ability to create shots down low with his slashing abilities along the baseline and in the painted area. He has 10 made 3-pointers, 20 assists and 12 steals on the year.
Ivan Harris is coming along both offensively and defensively for the Buckeyes. The 2003 McDonald’s High School All-American has appeared in 25 games, starting two, for the Buckeyes for an average of just more than 10 minutes a game. He can score in bunches with a soft left-handed jumper from mid- to long-range accuracy. With added size and an increased attention to rebounding and defense, Harris could be a significant contributor down the stretch and in the future for the Buckeyes.
Shun Jenkins is winding down a career as a significant contributor for Ohio State as a backup center and forward. Jenkins, though undersized for work in the painted area, has managed to give quality minutes with desire and hard work. He has played in 27 games to date during his senior season.
The Bucks in the Big Ten
Terence Dials rates as the No. 6 rebounder in the Big Ten with 6.4 a game. Velimir Radinovic is No. 1 in the conference in field goal percentage (.648), No. 3 in offensive rebounds (2.89) and No. 10 overall in rebounding with 6.1 a game. Dials is No. 8 in offensive rebounds (2.54). Tony Stockman is No. 3 in 3-pointers made per game (2.52) and No. 2 in steals (2.19).
Illinois Enters Finale on 9-Game Win Streak
Illinois has won nine-consecutive games in league play to build an overall record of 21-5 and a Big Ten record of 12-3. Illinois was 9-2 in non-conference action.
Four Illini Score 10 or More Points a Game
Four players average in double figures for an offense that is posting nearly 74 points a game on the year. Sophomore Deron Williams tops the Illini with 13.9 points a game. He is followed by Dee Brown (12.9 ppg.), Roger Powell (11.9 ppg.) and Luther Head (10.6 ppg.). James Augustine is the team’s leading rebounder with 7.5 boards a contest.
Weber in 1st Year on Illinois Sidelines
Bruce Weber began his tenure at Illinois this season after five years at Southern Illinois. As the Saluki mentor, Weber compiled a 103-54 record. Weber, a longtime Purdue assistant, is 21-5 at Illinois.
Radinovic, T. Dials Pace Buckeyes vs. the Illini
Senior Velimir Radinovic is the most experienced Buckeye in games vs. Illinois with a total of five played vs. the Illini. Radinovic averages 5.4 points and 2.4 rebounds in games vs. Illinois. Sophomore Terence Dials has three games of experience and averages 5.0 points and 4.0 rebounds against Illinois. Junior Tony Stockman scored 10 points in the earlier meeting this season at Illinois. Dials led Ohio State with 11 points in that game.
Ohio State vs. the Big Ten Conference
Ohio State is playing its 91st season of Big Ten basketball in 2004. The Buckeyes own 17 regular season titles and one postseason tournament championship (2002). Ohio State’s last regular season title came in 2002, as well. The Buckeyes last won an outright title in 1992.
Ohio State vs. the Big Ten Illinois 59-98 Indiana 69-96 Iowa 65-71 Michigan 82-70 Michigan State 46-57 Minnesota 72-51 Northwestern 104-44 Penn State 15-13 Purdue 72-78 Wisconsin 80-58 Totals 666-636
On This Date, OSU 9-9
Ohio State is 9-9 in games played on March 7. The Buckeyes won the first three on this date and five of the last six, with the most recent win being a 93-78 victory over Northwestern in 1992.
3/7/07 – W – Haskell Indians, 50-21
3/7/09 – W – @Michigan, 46-26
3/7/13 – W – @Indiana, 19-17
3/7/14 – L – @Oberlin, 16-24
3/7/25 – W – @Indiana, 28-26
3/7/31 – L – @Chicago, 22-31
3/7/32 – L – @Michigan, 27-30
3/7/42 – L – @Indiana, 33-48
3/7/53 – L – Illinois, 74-93(10)
3/7/59 – L – Purdue, 87-93
3/7/64 – L – Michigan State, 80-81
3/7/66 – L – @Purdue, 86-92
3/7/70 – W – Wisconsin, 96-87
3/7/72 – W – Michigan State, 92-73
3/7/79 – W – St. Joseph’s, 80-66
3/7/81 – W – Iowa, 78-70(8)
3/7/87 – L – @Indiana, 81-90(4)
3/7/92 – W – Northwestern, 93(5)-78
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 77-19 (.802) 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 21-6 record over the last six seasons. The nation’s best teams have also had their troubles with the Buckeyes at Value City Arena. Eighteen teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 have battled the Buckeyes at VCA. Ohio State has turned away 13 of those squads, including eight of nine ranked league opponents.
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.
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. 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 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.
