Buckeyes Return to the Court to Face Gardner-Webb – Ohio State Buckeyes
12/27/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 27, 2005
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Date Dec. 28, 2005
Opponent Gardner-Webb (5-3)
Site Value City Arena (18,500)
Game Time 8 p.m. EST
Television ESPN Plus
Local TV WBNS 10 TV
TV Talent Tom Hamilton (P-by-P), Bill Hosket (Expert Analysis)
Radio OSU Radio Network (59 stations)
Local Radio WBNS FM-97.1 AM-1460
Radio Talent Paul Keels (P-by-P), Ron Stokes (Expert Analysis)
BUCKEYES LOOK FOR 7TH NON-CONFERENCE HOME WIN
Since Value City Arena opened for the 1998-99 season, Ohio State has won at least seven home games vs. non-conference teams in six of seven seasons prior to the start of the 2005-06 campaign. The Buckeyes are 6-0 vs. non-Big Ten foes at VCA this year with three games remaining on the non-conference schedule. Gardner-Webb visits VCA Wednesday followed by LSU Saturday. Florida A&M travels to Columbus Jan. 30, 2006. The Buckeyes have been undefeated in home non-conference games at VCA twice. OSU was 7-0 in 1998-99 and 8-0 a year ago. The Buckeyes were 8-1 for three-consecutive seasons starting with 1999-2000 through 2001-02. Ohio State is 57-6 overall vs. non-conference foes at VCA. Thad Matta is 14-0 as a Buckeye head coach against non-league foes at VCA.
FOSTER LEADS ALL GUARDS NATIONALLY IN SHOOTING PERTENTAGE
Senior Je’Kel Foster is connecting on 67.1 percent of his shots from the field to rate No. 6 nationally in field goal shooting percentage. He is the only guard listed among the Top 26 players in the country in field goal shooting percentage as of the Dec. 19 NCAA statistics report. Foster also rates No. 3 nationally in 3-point shooting percentage, knocking down 58.1 (25-43) percent from long range. Foster leads the Big Ten in both shooting categories and also is the league leader in steals (2.11).
BUCKEYES ENTER BOTH AP AND COACHES POLLS
Ohio State cracked the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time last week since March of 2002 when the Buckeyes finished the season rated No. 14. The Buckeyes are currently No. 21 in the AP poll and No. 20 in the USA Today/Coaches Poll. The Buckeyes are 311-100 (.757) when playing as a ranked team in the AP poll. Ohio State has cracked the poll at least once in 28 seasons since its first appearance in 1948-49. The Buckeyes are 29-4 overall and 9-1 vs. non-conference foes at Value City Arena when ranked by AP. The only loss was a 59-54 setback to Notre Dame in the opening round of the 1999 preseason National Invitation Tournament. OSU was No. 4 in that Nov. 16 game vs. the Fighting Irish.
FOSTER EARNS NATIONAL, LEAGUE HONORS AFTER 3-0 WEEK FOR OSU
Senior Je’Kel Foster averaged 18 points over three wins over Norfolk State (12/12), Belmont (12/14) and Iowa State (12/17) to earn Sporting News national player of the week honors (Dec. 11-17). Foster also was the Big Ten player of the week after knocking down 63 percent of his field goals (17-27) and 58 percent (11-19) of his 3-point FG tries for the week. His 28 points, on 9 of 12 shooting from the field and 6 of 8 from 3-point range, set a career high vs. Iowa State in a neutral-site contest vs. the Cyclones in Des Moines, Iowa. Foster leads Ohio State with 17.1 points a game and is the Big Ten leader in field goal shooting percentage at .683 (41-60) and 3-pointers made per game (3.14). He is second in 3-point shooting percentage at .585, making 22 of 37 attempts. Foster leads the Buckeyes with 14 steals and has made a team best 84 percent of his foul shots (16-19).
BUCKEYES SET 3-POINT SHOOTING RECORD IN WIN VS. IOWA STATE
Ohio State connected on 10 of 22 3-point attempts vs. Iowa State Dec. 17 to give the team 10 or more made 3-pointers in four-consecutive games, a first for the Buckeyes. Ohio State made 10 of 19 vs. Belmont (Dec. 14), 11 of 19 treys at St. Joe’s (Dec. 10) to start the streak and then knocked down 14 of 32 against Norfolk State Dec. 12. Ohio State has made 10 or more from beyond the arc in back-to-back games just six times dating back to the 1986-87 season, the first campaign for the 3-point shot. Opponents have connected on 10+ treys in three-consecutive games or more twice, with both streaks coming during the 1997-98 season. USC (13 of 33), Chattanooga (11 of 25), Kansas (10 of 25) and New Mexico State (16 of 39) set the record with four-consecutive games with 10+ 3-pointers vs. the Buckeyes between Dec. 20 and Dec. 29, 1997. Michigan (10 of 21), Iowa (10 of 24) and Penn State (10 of 22) turned in a streak of three games later that season between Feb. 11 and Feb. 16, 1998. Ohio State and opponents have hit 10 or more 3s in the same game on four occasions. Belmont connected on 10 of 18 in the loss to the Buckeyes Dec. 14. Ohio State is 3-1 in those games. In all, the Buckeyes are 26-5 in the 31 games when scoring on 10 or more 3s while opponents are 29-28 in 57 games with double digits treys made.
OSU 3-pt. Shooting Streak
| Opp. | 3 FG-A | Pct. | W/L, Score | Date |
| St. Joe’s | 11-19 | .539 | W, 81-74 | 12/10 |
| Norfolk St. | 14-32 | .438 | W, 92-59 | 12/12 |
| Belmont | 10-19 | .526 | W, 85-75 | 12/14 |
| Iowa St. | 10-22 | .455 | W, 70-67 | 12/17 |
| Totals | 45-92 | .489 |
LEWIS GIVES BUCKEYES OFFENSIVE SPARK OFF BENCH
In the first eight games, Ohio State has had 33 double figure games for an average of 4.1 players per game with 10 or more points. Ron Lewis and Je’Kel Foster have scored in double digits in seven of eight games this season to lead the Buckeyes in double-digit outings. Lewis has scored 10 or more off the bench five times this season.
MATTA’S BUCKEYES ALREADY TAKING OVER 3-POINT SHOOTING RECORDS
In less than two full seasons as head coach of the Buckeyes, Thad Matta has put his mark in the OSU record book. Six of the Top 10 team 3-point shooting performances have been established in the last two years, including the Top 4 performances. Ohio State knocked down 18 treys in a double overtime loss at LSU last year to set the record for 3s made in a game at Ohio State. The Buckeyes made 17 vs. Chattanooga last November and then knocked down 15 at Clemson in early December a year ago. The No. 4 effort was put in the books last Monday when the Buckeyes connected on 14 of 32 3-point attempts. Ohio State made a dozen 3s vs. Iowa last year, the eighth most made in a game and the 11 made last Saturday at St. Joe’s ranks 10th. The 32 attempts vs. Norfolk State rank No. 3 all time for 3-pointers attempted by the Buckeyes in a game. Matta’s teams own eight of the Top 10 spots for 3-pointers attempted in a game at OSU. His teams have made 10 or more 3s in a game 13 times and have a 10-3 record in those games. Matta’s opponents at Ohio State have made 10 or more just three times and are 1-2 in those games.
BUCKEYE OFFENSE CLICKS EARLY, FOUR AVERAGE DOUBLE DIGITS
Ohio State is averaging 78.9 points in the first eight games of the season, including the most recent win, a 74-65 win vs. Tennessee State. Opponents average 64.6 ppg. The Buckeyes have made nearly 50 percent of their field goals (208-420), while allowing opponents to make just 42 percent (200-476). From the foul line, Ohio State has taken 196 shots, making 144 (.735), while foes have gone to the line 96 times, making 61 (.635). The Buckeyes own the rebound advantage (35.4-30.1). Balance has been the norm with four players averaging 10 or more points a game. Je’Kel Foster, fresh from a career-high 28 points against Iowa State, leads the team with 17.4 points a game. Ron Lewis (12.0 ppg.), Terence Dials (12.5 ppg.) and J.J. Sullinger (10.9 ppg.) all follow. Sullinger averages 8.5 rebounds a game to pace the squad.
MATTA IMPROVES TO 19-3 IN NON-CONFERENCE GAMES AT OSU
Ohio State won 11 of 14 non-Big Ten Conference games in 2004-05, the first season at OSU for head coach Thad Matta. With the 8-0 start to date in non-conference action in 2005-06, Matta improved to 19-3 against non-league foes. The Buckeyes are 15-0 in Columbus and 14-0 in Value City Arena under Matta’s direction. Ohio State defeated Chattanooga 84-67 in St. John Arena, the former home of the Buckeyes on the OSU campus, a year ago. Ohio State is 8-1 in the month of November with Matta at the helm and 11-1 in December.
OHIO STATE LOOKS TO MOVE TO 9-0
The Buckeyes, off to an 8-0 start, face Gardner-Webb with the chance to move to 9-0 for the first time since the 1990-91 season when the Buckeyes started the season 17-0 before a loss at Michigan State (1/31/91). Ohio State has been 9-0 on three occasions all-time.
HOT-HANDED GUARDS
The overall play of the four-man guard rotation has been consistent throughout the early going for the Buckeyes. Je’Kel Foster, Ron Lewis, Jamar Butler and Sylvester Mayes have made 106 of 202 shots from the field (.525) and 47 percent of their 3-point attempts (55-116). Foster leads the way making 67 percent of his field goals (47-70) and 58 percent from long range (25-43). From the foul line, the group is making 80 percent of their free throws (89-111). The group also accounts for 81 of 126 assists and 44 of 67 steals to date.
DIALS CLIMBING SCORING CHART
Senior Terence Dials has 1,178 career points, good for the No. 28 spot all-time in scoring at Ohio State. He scored 509 points a season ago and with a similar season in 2005-06, Dials has a chance to crack the Top 10 all-time in career scoring. Robin Freeman (1954-56) scored 1,597 career points during his Ohio State career and is 10th all-time in OSU scoring annals. Dials needs 419 or more points to reach the Top 10. The most recent Buckeye to crack the Top 10 was Michael Redd, who currently plays for the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks. He finished his OSU career in 2000 with 1,879 career points.
DIALS CLASE TO 700 CLUB
Senior Terence Dials is on track to become one of Ohio State’s Top 10 rebounders of all time. He has 673 boards and will become one of just 12 Buckeyes to reach the 700 mark with 27 more rebounds this season. If he reaches the 253 total rebounds he grabbed as a junior, he will tie for the No. 5 spot all time with Clark Kellogg (1980-82) with 872. There are four players with 900 or more rebounds in Ohio State history led by Jerry Lucas (1960-62) with 1,411, a total reached in just three seasons. Herb Williams (1978-81) is No. 2 with 1,111. Perry Carter (989, 1988-91) and Bill Hosket (910, 1966-68) are the only other two players to record 900 or more career rebounds. Hosket’s total also was recorded in three years.
1,000 X 3
Ohio State’s roster could soon contain three players who have scored 1,000 or more points in their collegiate careers. Terence Dials already has accomplished the feat. His total stands at 1,178 points scored to date, good for 28th on the all-time list at OSU. Senior J.J. Sullinger has scored 973 career points. He played one season at Arkansas, scoring 273 points in 2001-02, and now is in his third year at Ohio State. Junior Ron Lewis, who transferred to Ohio State with 877 points to his credit after two seasons at Bowling Green, has a career total of 973, which includes 96 scored as a Buckeye.
BULLDOGS START SEASON WITH 5 of 7 GAMES ON ROAD
Gardner-Webb began the season with four-consecutive games away from home, winning two, a 77-72 victory at East Carolina and a 73-72 win at Minnesota. The Bulldogs fell 83-80 at North Carolina to open the season and then dropped a 70-43 decision at Auburn. Gardner-Webb won back-to-back home games against Stetson (Dec. 3/70-68) and Mercer (67-58 OT/Dec. 5) before a 76-68 loss at UNC Greensboro Dec. 11. The squad played at Western Carolina Dec. 22, winning in overtime 90-83, before facing the Buckeyes. In all, the Bulldogs will play nine of 11 road contests before a Jan. 6 meeting with Kennesaw State in Boiling Springs, N.C.
AUSTRALIAN GUARD LEADS GWU
Senior center Simon Conn, a three-year letterwinner from Melbourne, Australia, averages a team-high 16.1 points per game for Gardner-Webb. He also is the team’s leading rebounder with 8.0 a game while shooting 56 percent from the field. Forward Brian Bender, a senior from Lawrenceville, Ga., is second on the team with 13.8 points and 7.0 rebounds a game.
OHIO STATE ON THIS DATE
The Buckeyes are 21-16 in games played on this date. Ohio State has won the last three games on this date and seven of the last eight games. Ohio State has scheduled a game on this date in each of the last four years.
| Date | W/L | Opponent | Score |
| 12/28/16 | W | vs. Westinghouse | 38-18 |
| 12/28/19 | W | @Youngstown Duq. | 35-18 |
| 12/28/29 | W | Notre Dame | 29-22 |
| 12/28/32 | W | Notre Dame | 30-24 |
| 12/28/34 | L | @Temple | 24-28 |
| 12/28/36 | W | @California | 30-28 |
| 12/28/40 | L | Princeton | 31-40 |
| 12/28/41 | L | @California | 38-50 |
| 12/28/43 | W | @Norfolk Navy | 62-54 |
| 12/28/44 | W | @Michigan State | 67-31 |
| 12/28/46 | L | @California | 32-48 |
| 12/28/49 | W | vs. Cornell | 43-42 |
| 12/28/51 | L | @Washington | 43-78 |
| 12/28/55 | W | DePaul | 83-72 |
| 12/28/56 | L | vs. Manhattan | 67-82 |
| 12/28/57 | L | vs. UCLA | 78-98 |
| 12/28/59 | L | @Kentucky | 93-96 |
| 12/28/61 | W | vs. UCLA | 105-84 |
| 12/28/63 | L | @Utah State | 66-79 |
| 12/28/64 | W | Dartmouth | 90-59 |
| 12/28/65 | W | Wake Forest | 88-81 |
| 12/28/70 | L | vs. Stanford (ot) | 74-78 |
| 12/28/74 | L | vs. Indiana | 71-102 |
| 12/28/75 | L | vs. Tulane | 65-80 |
| 12/28/76 | L | vs. Princeton | 62-67 |
| 12/28/77 | L | vs. Georgia(ot) | 80-84 |
| 12/28/82 | W | Eastern Michigan | 58-54 |
| 12/28/84 | W | vs. Stetson | 73-67 |
| 12/28/86 | L | vs. Arkansas | 94-97 |
| 12/28/89 | W | vs. New Orleans | 74-66 |
| 12/28/90 | W | vs. Miami (Ohio) | 85-67 |
| 12/28/92 | W | vs. Oregon State | 85-77 |
| 12/28/95 | W | vs. Eastern Kentucky | 92-88 |
| 12/28/97 | L | vs. Kansas | 56-69 |
| 12/28/02 | W | Tennessee State | 94-73 |
| 12/28/03 | W | Dartmouth | 71-58 |
| 12/28/04 | W | New Hampshire | 77-59 |
THE GARDNER-WEBB SERIES
This is the first meeting between Ohio State and Gardner-Webb.
OHIO STATE VS. THE ATLANTIC SUN CONFERENCE
The Buckeyes have met current members of the Atlantic Sun Conference on nine previous occasions, all Ohio State wins. The Buckeyes last played a representative of the Atlantic Sun Dec. 14, an 85-75 win vs. Belmont in Columbus.
| Belmont | 1-0 |
| Campbell | 0-0 |
| East Tennessee St. | 2-0 |
| Florida Atlantic | 1-0 |
| Gardner-Webb | 0-0 |
| Jacksonville | 1-0 |
| Kennesaw State | 0-0 |
| Lipscomb | 0-0 |
| Mercer | 1-0 |
| North Florida | 0-0 |
| Stetson | 3-0 |
| Totals | 9-0 |
DIALS, FOSTER SCORE 19 EACH IN WIN vs. TENNESSEE STATE
Je’Kel Foster continued on his scoring tear with 19 points and No. 24 Ohio State rallied down the stretch to beat Tennessee State 74-65. Terence Dials also scored 19 points for the Buckeyes. Jamar Butler added 10 points and seven assists. Wayne Arnold was 7-of-8 from 3-point range and scored 23 points for the Tigers, while Bruce Price had 14 points and seven assists and Reiley Ervin added 12 points. The Buckeyes trailed 55-52 with 10:43 left after Tennessee State’s Kareem Grant scored inside off an assist from Price. But the Tigers didn’t score again for the next 7 1/2 minutes. Foster hit a jumper and then tossed a lob pass inside to Dials for a layup to give the Buckeyes the lead for good at 56-55 with 9:10 left. Dials then hit a free throw, Ron Lewis made two, Foster hit one and Lewis another before Butler scored off a backdoor pass from Foster and Foster then hit a baseline drive to make it 65-55. Tennessee State, which missed nine shots from the field and two free throws during its drought, finally broke through on Ervin’s 3-pointer at the 3:17 mark. The Tigers never got closer than five points again.
NOTING THE TENN. ST. GAME
* This was the third meeting between Ohio State and Tennessee State. Ohio State won the previous two, both in Columbus, the last coming by a 94-73 score, Dec. 28, 2002.
* Ohio State improves to 17-0 all-time against opponents from the Ohio Valley Conference.
* With the win, Ohio State remained one of 12 undefeated teams in Division I. The other 11 are Illinois (12-0), Duke (11-0), Florida (11-0), Washington (9-0), Clemson (11-0), Pittsburgh (8-0), Connecticut (8-0), George Washington (8-0), Villanova (8-0), Texas A&M (8-0) and Indiana State (8-0).
* With the win, Ohio State improves to 311-100 when playing as a ranked team in the AP Poll, including a 9-1 mark against non-conference opponents at VCA.
* With the win, Ohio State improves to 8-0 for the first time since the 1990-91 season when the Buckeyes started 17-0. The 8-0 start is only the fourth for the Buckeyes since the 1905-06 season.
* With the win, Ohio State improves to 14-0 in non-conference games at Value City Arena under Thad Matta. The Buckeyes are 19-3 overall in non-conference games under Matta.
* With the win, Ohio State improves to 57-6 all-time in non-conference games at VCA.
* Ohio State has held opponents under 50 percent shooting in each game this season.
* Jamar Butler tied a career-high with seven assists, a mark he set twice earlier this season against Norfolk State and Belmont. Butler has notched at least five assists in each of the last four games.
* Ohio State went on a 19-2 run covering 5:12 from 9:11 to 3:59 to take a 35-28 first-half lead.
* The Buckeyes are now 16-2 when Je’Kel Foster hits three or more 3-pointers and 17-1 when he reaches 10 or more points. Foster hit three 3-pointers and had 19 points in the game.
* Ohio State’s 40 first-half points marked the third time this season the Buckeyes have scored at least 40 in the first-half. The Buckeyes scored 40 against Chicago State and 46 against Virginia Tech.
BUCKEYES CLOSE ON 100 Ws AT VCA
Ohio State is playing in its eighth season at Value City Arena in 2005-06. Since the facility opened for the 1998-99 campaign, the squad has won 97 of 119 games (.815).
SEVEN ESPN PLUS OHIO STATE GAMES TO APPEAR ON ESPNU
ESPNU, an ESPN cable property which televises a variety of college sporting events, will carry seven Ohio State men’s basketball games this season, the Big Ten announced Nov. 22. The games will be produced by ESPN Regional Television and will be carried locally in Columbus on WBNS 10 TV as an originally scheduled ESPN Plus telecast. ESPN Plus games are typically carried by WOIO (CBS) or WAOH (independent) in Cleveland, Ohio; WHIO (CBS) or UPN 17 in Dayton, Ohio; and WYTV in Youngstown, Ohio, in addition to WBNS (CBS) in Columbus. The Buckeyes’ games added to ESPNU are Norfolk State (W 92-59, Dec. 12), Belmont (W 85-75, Dec. 14), Tennessee State (W, 74-65, Dec. 23), Louisiana State (Dec. 31), at Penn State (Jan. 21), Florida A&M (Jan. 30) and Purdue (March 5).
DON’T TOUCH THAT DIALS
Senior center Terence Dials is the top returning scorer for the Buckeyes. He led the team with nearly 16 points and eight rebounds a game a season ago. He was able to post those numbers despite Ohio State setting numerous Top 10 individual and team 3-point shooting records. Dials has improved his scoring and rebounding numbers in each of his seasons at Ohio State. He reached 500 points and 250 rebounds for the season as a junior and eclipsed 1,000 points and 600 boards for his career.
RANKED TEAMS ABUNDANT ON OSU SCHEDULE IN 2005-06
The Buckeyes are scheduled to face several teams ranked in the USA Today/ESPN and the Associated Press polls this season. Michigan State (No. 9 in USA Today/No. 9 in AP), Illinois (6/6), Wisconsin (22/24 and Indiana (17/17) will face the Buckeyes, who are in the Top 25 rankings in 20th place (USA Today) and No. 21 in the AP Top 25. Other teams receiving votes in the polls scheduled to face Ohio State this year are: Michigan, Iowa and Iowa State.
A PAIR OF FIRST TEAMERS
Sylvester Mayes was a National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) First Team All-American for Redlands Community College as a sophomore. He shot 51 percent from the field (201-397), 42 percent from 3-point range (68-164) and 77 percent from the foul line (139-181) in leading Redlands to a 27-4 record in 2004-05. He is one of two first team NJCAA All-Americans on the Ohio State roster. Je’Kel Foster earned the same recognition before joining the Buckeyes a year ago. Foster played at Chipola (Fla.) Junior College. Last year, Foster averaged 7.7 points a game for Ohio State while knocking down 43 percent of his 3-point attempts (62-145). He added 78 assists and 43 steals as well. He also grabbed 104 rebounds. His all-around effort earned him a starting spot the final 12 games of the season, helping Ohio State to a 20-12 overall record.
TOP 5 OF 6
Though Matta is looking forward to the newcomers and their possible contributions, he has not overlooked the return of five of the top six scorers from last season. Senior Terence Dials, a candidate for first team All-Big Ten honors this year, is the top returning scorer at 15.9 points a game. The 6-9 center also is the team’s top returning rebounder with an average of 7.9 a contest. Also back are senior guard J.J. Sullinger (9.7 ppg./5.4 rpg.), senior wing Matt Sylvester (8.0 ppg.), senior guard Je’Kel Foster (7.7 ppg.) and junior wing Ivan Harris (7.3 ppg.). In all, Ohio State returns 74 percent of its offense and 81 percent of its rebounding.
MATTA GOES FOR 6TH 20
Thad Matta doesn’t know what it’s like to end a season with fewer than 20 wins during his head coaching career. The second year Ohio State coach came to the Buckeyes with a streak of four 20+ win seasons at Butler (24 wins in 2001) and Xavier (26 in all three years from 2002-04). With 20 victories a year ago at Ohio State, Matta is one of two coaches nationally to record 20 or more wins in the first five seasons of his coaching career. Mark Few of Gonzaga is the other with 20+ in all six years with the Bulldogs.
CLOSING ON 2 MILLION
For the seventh-consecutive season, all of which played at Value City Arena, Ohio State finished among the Top 18 teams nationally in average attendance in 2004-05. The Buckeyes averaged 13,850 fans in 16 home games at VCA. Overall, in 119 games at VCA, a total of 1,930,177 fans, 16,219 per game, have helped the Buckeyes to a record of 97-22 at the facility. Ohio State will exceed the 2 million mark in home attendance at VCA during the 2005-06 season when fan No. 146,962 enters the building. The Buckeyes have won 14 or more home games in five of the seven years at VCA and 11 or more in six of seven.
OHIO NATIVES DOMINATE BUCKEYE ROSTER
Eight of the 11 players on the roster this year chose to stay in state, play for the Buckeyes and pursue their education in Columbus. Seniors Terence Dials (Youngstown), Matt Sylvester (Cincinnati), J.J. Sullinger (Columbus); juniors Ron Lewis (Columbus) and Ivan Harris (Springfield); sophomores Jamar Butler (Lima) and Matt Terwilliger (Troy) and freshman Samuel Payne (Columbus) all played high school basketball for their hometown teams in Ohio.
BUCKEYES LOOK TO ELDERS
Terence Dials, J.J. Sullinger and Matt Sylvester are the Top 3 returning scorers for Ohio State. The three have been in Columbus a combined total of 14 years entering the 2005-06 season. All were fifth-year seniors when school started in September. Both Dials and Sylvester have spent all five years at Ohio State with each missing a season with injury. Dials sat out most of the 2002-03 season with a back ailment while Sylvester missed the majority of 2001-02 with leg and back injuries. Sullinger played one year at Arkansas before leaving for Ohio State. He sat out the 2002-03 season to satisfy NCAA transfer rules. In addition to these three, Je’Kel Foster again will be a significant contributor in 2005-06. He too is a senior with three years playing experience, two at the junior college level and one season in Columbus.
2007 NCAA TOURNAMENT RETURNS TO COLUMBUS
The NCAA tournament will return to Columbus for the opening rounds of the 2007 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, the organization announced in July 2004. Ohio State played host to the first and second rounds in March 2004, as it will in 2007. Games were played at Nationwide Arena in downtown Columbus, which will again be the site of the event in 2007.
