Men’s Basketball: Intrastate Matchup with Cleveland State Up Next for Buckeyes – Ohio State Buckeyes
12/17/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Date: Dec. 18, 2007
Opp: Cleveland State (7-3)
Site: Quicken Loans Arena (20,500)
Game Time: 7 p.m. ET
Television: SportsTime Ohio
TV Talent: Mike Cairns (P-by-P), Franklin Edwards (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)
Sirius Radio: Ch. 130
Tickets Available: Call 1-800-GO-BUCKS
Go online at OhioStateBuckeyes.com
SMITH RECOGNIZED IN HOMETOWN
Gene Smith, Ohio State director of athletics, will be recognized at a luncheon Tuesday by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and the members of the Division I-A Athletics Directors McLendon Minority Scholarship Steering Committee. Smith will be on hand for the inaugural Induction of the Legends Class of Minority Athletics Administrators. The celebration will recognize the Legends Class at Cleveland State University’s Wolstein Center. In addition, the Ohio State game against the Vikings will serve as a fund-raising event at Quicken Loans Arena. The 2007 Legends Class consists of six minority administrators who have left their mark in athletics history. These honorees were the first African-Americans to hold the following positions: NBA general manager, Wayne Embry; NCAA president, Dr. James Frank; NFL general manager, Ozzie Newsome; NACDA president, Gene Smith; NAIA & USOC presidents, Dr. LeRoy Walker; and MLB National League President, Bill White.
BUCKEYES TAKE ON INTRASTATE RIVAL CLEVELAND STATE NEXT
Tickets for Ohio State’s game at Cleveland State (7 p.m./SportsTime Ohio) are available by calling 1-800-GO BUCKS and online at OhioStateBuckeyes.com. The Buckeyes will be playing an intrastate opponent on the road in Ohio for the first time since playing the Vikings in 1994. Quicken Loans Arena is again the site of the game with Cleveland State. It was called Gund Arena in 1994.
FOOTBALL BUCKEYES TO BE RECOGNIZED AT UMBC GAME
The three-time defending Big Ten regular season champion football Buckeyes will be on hand for a halftime recognition Dec. 29 when the men’s basketball team takes on UMBC. That game will tip off at 11 a.m. in Value City Arena. The football team is making its second-consecutive appearance and third overall under the direction of head coach Jim Tressel in the national title game when it takes on Louisiana State at 8 p.m. Jan. 7. Tickets remain for the UMBC game by calling 1-800-GO BUCKS or online at OhioStateBuckeyes.com.
1968 MEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM TO BE HONROED FEB. 10
Members of the 1968 Ohio State men’s basketball team, which starred Big Ten Network analyst Bill Hosket, will be recognized during ceremonies Feb. 10 against Indiana. Ohio State will recognize the 40th anniversary of that team, which tied for the Big Ten championship and advanced to the Final Four under the direction of legendary coach Fred Taylor. The Buckeyes finished 21-8 that season and third in the NCAA tournament after a semifinal loss to No. 4 North Carolina and a win over No. 1 Houston on the consolation game. It was the fourth Final Four appearance for Taylor during his illustrious career, which spanned 18 seasons, five NCAA tournament appearances, an NCAA title in 1960, two runners-up finishes in 1961 and ’62, 297 victories and seven Big Ten titles, including a league record five-consecutive conference crowns from 1960-1964.
UPPER SANDUSKY RETIRES NO. 23 TO HONOR JON DIEBLER
Upper Sandusky (Ohio) High School retired the No. 23 during ceremonies Dec. 8 to honor star guard Jon Diebler, a freshman on the Ohio State men’s basketball team. Diebler led the nation in scoring as a senior in 2006-07 with 41 points a game. He owns the career-scoring record in the state of Ohio with 3,208 career points.
BUCKEYES EARN REST AFTER 5-GAME GRIND VS. NATION’S BEST
Ohio State completed a stretch of playing five games over a span of 11 days at Butler Dec. 1. It started with the semifinals of the Dick’s Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off against No. 21 Syracuse Nov. 21 and No. 16 Texas A&M Nov. 23. The Buckeyes hurried home for a Nov. 25 game against Virginia Military Institute before playing host to No. 1 North Carolina Nov. 28 in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. The Buckeyes traveled to Indianapolis for a Saturday game at No. 16 Butler before a break for final exams Dec. 3-7.
Playing four teams ranked in the AP Top 25 in a span of five games is the first in regular-season play for the Buckeyes since the 1993 Big Ten season when Ohio State took on No. 22 Iowa, No. 23 Michigan State, No. 2 Indiana and No. 5 Michigan from Jan. 9 to Jan. 26. Wisconsin was the unranked team played during that stretch. The Buckeyes played four-consecutive Top 25 teams during the 2007 NCAA Tournament. Ohio State defeated No. 22 Tennessee, No. 5 Memphis and No. 9 Georgetown before falling to No. 6 Florida in the national title game.
BUTLER SETS OHIO STATE RECORD
Senior Jamar Butler has connected on 167 career 3-pointers and owns the Ohio State record for made 3s in a career. He passed Brent Darby (2000-03) and Scoonie Penn (1999-2000) with a 4 of 8 effort from long range against VMI Nov. 25. Butler ranks No. 1 all-time in 3-pointers attempted (443) and No. 8 in career 3-point shooting percentage (167-442/.377). He also is moving up the career assist charts. He is currently No. 6 with 405.
KOUFOS EARNS FIRST POW IN BIG TEN
Kosta Koufos, a freshman forward from Canton, Ohio, led Ohio State to a 2-1 record the week of Nov. 19, which included a win over No. 21 Syracuse at Madison Square Garden in New York. Koufos averaged 18.7 points, 9.3 rebounds and recorded six blocks for the Buckeyes to earn Big Ten Player of the Week honors. He set a career high with 24 points against the Orange and then recorded his first career double-double with 22 points and 14 rebounds in a home victory over VMI at St. John Arena Sunday. Koufos connected on 50 percent of his shots from the field for the week and hit 69 percent (9-13) against the Keydets.
KOUFOS, BUTLER LEAD WAY IN NIT, NAMED TO ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Freshman Kosta Koufos averaged 17 points and 7.0 rebounds in the two NIT Season Tip-Off games in New York. The 7-0 forward also blocked four shots and made 3-of-5 3-pointers. Butler, a preseason All-Big Ten selection, averaged 15.5 points while knocking down 55 percent of his 3-point attempts (6-11). He scored 13-consecutive points for the Buckeyes in the first half vs. Texas A&M Nov. 23 and led the team at the event with seven assists and four steals. Both Koufos and Butler were named to the all-tournament team.
YOUNG BUCKEYES EXPERIENCE HISTORIC VENUES
In an 11-day stretch starting with the NIT Season Tip-Off games in New York, Ohio State’s roster of 13 players played in three of the most storied venues in college basketball history. The NIT games were played in Madison Square Garden, tabbed the world’s most famous arena and the host of countless college basketball games. The Buckeyes next played in St. John Arena, the home of Ohio State basketball from 1956-57 to 1997-98. St. John has hosted 579 Ohio State men’s basketball games in which the Buckeyes have won 428 (.739 winning pct.). After playing No. 1 North Carolina Nov. 28 in Ohio State’s current home, Value City Arena, the Buckeyes took on No. 16 Butler at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The facility was used to film the movie “Hoosiers” and has been the home court for the Bulldogs since 1928.
NOTING THE PRESBYTERIAN GAME
The Buckeyes set an OSU Value City Arena record for FG percentage going 35-49 (71.4 percent) which also ranked second all-time in Ohio State history. The FG mark is tied with a 1984 contest vs. Iowa, when the Buckeyes made 25-35 FG. The VCA record for FG percentage was .638, set twice when the Buckeyes connected on 37-58 vs. both UNC-Greensboro (Dec. 29, 2001) and UT-Martin (Dec. 14, 1998).
Ohio State also shot well from behind the arc going 10-15 (66.7 percent) from 3-point range. This 3-point percentage is the best in Value City Arena history. The Buckeyes made 8-of-14 3 FG (.571) vs. Winthrop Dec. 16, 2000.
Ohio State controlled the painted area outscoring the Blue Hose 34-8 for the game. Senior Othello Hunter and freshman Kosta Koufos dominated inside going 14-17 from the field and scoring 34 points.
After a 3-point by Pat Kiscaden at 11:36 in the first half the Buckeyes trailed 14-11 capping a 9-0 Blue Hose run. Ohio State then ran off 16-unanswered points and turned it into a 27-14 advantage. The run was spearheaded by Koufos, who recorded 9 of the team’s 16 points during the run.
Ohio State opened the second half with a 12-0 run, which was part of a 56-14 scoring advantage after trailing the Blue Hose led 14-11 at the 11:36 mark of the first half.
In the last two games, Ohio State has held its opponents to 20 points or less in consecutive halves. The Buckeyes held Coppin State to 17 in the second half Dec. 10 and the Blue Hose tallied 20 in the first half Saturday.
By holding Presbyterian College to under 40 percent shooting in the first half the Buckeyes have held their last five opponents under 40 percent shooting in the first half.
At the helm of the Buckeyes, Matta is 38-6 in regular-season non-conference games.
Ohio State has held its opponents to 70 or fewer points in 38 of its last 46 games.
With his 21 points Koufos led the Buckeyes in scoring for the fifth time in nine games.
Jamar Butler continues to establish himself as one of the most prolific 3-point shooters in Ohio State history. Butler had another solid game on Saturday going 3-5 from behind the arc. Butler is already the all-time leader in made 3-point field goals and is eighth in career 3-point field goal percentage. Butler is only .002 percent behind Brian Brown (.378, 107-283, 1999-02) for seventh-place all-time.
Ohio State led 30-20 at halftime Saturday. The Buckeyes have won 38 of their last 41 games when leading at halftime and are 75-9 when leading at the halfway mark under Matta.
Butler dished out 8 assists in the contest for a career total of 405, good for No. 6 on the all-time career list. The senior is only 14 helpers behind No. 5 Ron Stokes (1982-85/419) on the career assist chart. Stokes serves as a commentator on Ohio State radio broadcasts. During Butler’s tenure at Ohio State, the Buckeyes are 43-8 when Butler has four or more assists. Butler recorded career assist No. 400 when Koufos hit a 3-point bucket to end the first half.
Butler has scored 10 or more points in eight of nine of Ohio State’s games this season.
All 13 Buckeyes who were dressed for the game saw action and 11 recorded points.
NOTING THE ALL-TIME SERIES
Ohio State leads the all-time series with Cleveland State 5-1. The game Tuesday will be the second played at Quicken Loans Arena, the last was played Dec. 17, 1994, a 75-52 victory when the facility was called Gund Arena. The first meeting between the schools took place in Columbus when the No. 9 ranked Buckeyes handed the Vikings an 89-81 setback Nov. 29, 1980. The teams faced off most recently a year ago when the No. 5-ranked Buckeyes won 78-57 at Value City Arena Dec. 9, 2006.
OHIO STATE VS. THE HORIZON LEAGUE
| Butler | 30-9 |
| Cleveland State | 5-1 |
| Detroit | 2-0 |
| Illinois-Chicago | 1-0 |
| Loyola-Chicago | 4-0 |
| Wisconsin-Green Bay | |
| Wisconsin-Milwaukee | 2-0 |
| Wright State | 2-0 |
| Youngstown State | 3-0 |
| Totals | 49-10 |
FIVE BYCKEYE GAMES SOLD OUT
Tickets to several Ohio State men’s basketball games are sold out for the 2007-08 season. Games vs. North Carolina (19,049), Florida, Indiana, Wisconsin and Michigan State have been sold out. Pairs of tickets vs. Minnesota are in short supply as are single tickets vs. the Golden Gophers. Tickets remain for UMBC (football recognition at halftime), Northwestern, Iowa, Illinois, Michigan and Purdue. To order tickets call 1-800-GO-BUCKS or go online at OhioStateBuckeyes.com.
BUCKEYES EARN 1ST PRESEASON NIT VICTORIES
Ohio State is 3-3 in preseason NIT appearances after the pair of victories in Columbus Nov. 12-13 and a split in New York (11/21, 23) to open the 2007 season. The Buckeyes first participated in 1989. DePaul downed Ohio State Nov. 15, 1989, 71-53. Ohio University defeated the Buckeyes 78-67 Nov. 16, 1994 in Ohio State’s last appearance.
MADSEN READY FOR GAME ACTION
Kyle Madsen, a sophomore from Dublin, Ohio, played in a game that counts for the first time in more than two years. The Dublin Coffman High School graduate played at Value City Arena in the 2005 Ohio High School Boys Basketball Tournament before going to Vanderbilt for the 2005-06 season. He redshirted in his first year in Nashville, Tenn., before transferring to Ohio State, where he had to sit out the 2006-07 season to satisfy NCAA transfer rules. He played in both games Nov. 12-13 in the opening rounds of the NIT Season Tip-Off and scored a career best six points vs. Texas A&M in the finals.
OPPONENTS RANKED HIGH
Ohio State opponents North Carolina (No. 1 in ESPN/USA Today and No. 1 in the AP polls), Texas A&M (12/14), Tennessee (11/12), Michigan State (10/9), Indiana (14/13) and Butler (19/18) all are ranked among the Top 25 teams in both polls. Other teams receiving votes for Top 25 consideration on the Buckeye schedule are Florida, Syracuse, Wisconsin and Illinois.
BUCKEYES SUCCEED IN RETURN TO ST. JOHN ARENA
Ohio State played one game this season in St. John Arena, the home court of the Buckeyes from 1956-57 through 1997-98. Because of a scheduled event over the Thanksgiving weekend at Value City Arena, Ohio State faced Virginia Military Institute (W, 90-57) at St. John in just the second men’s basketball game played at the venue since the opening of Value City Arena for the 1998-99 season. Overall, the Buckeyes own a 428-151 record at St. John for a winning percentage of .739. More than 6.6 million fans have witnessed Ohio State men’s basketball games in the historic venue.
BUTLER PICKED TO PRESEASON ALL-LEAGUE TEAM
Jamar Butler was selected to the 2007-08 Preseason First Team All-Big Ten squad by a panel of 22 media members who regularly cover Big Ten basketball. The honor was announced Oct. 27 at the annual league media day in Chicago. Ohio State was picked to finish third in the league race behind favorite Michigan State and Indiana. The Buckeyes are the two-time defending outright regular season champions and defending postseason league tournament winners.
VALUE CITY ARENA CELEBRATES 20 SEASONS AS HOME OF THE BUCKEYES
Nearly 2.5 million fans have passed through the doors at Value City Arena since the facility opened for business in 1998-99 for men’s basketball. Ohio State fans have ranked among the Top 10 nationally in attendance in five of the nine years the facility has played host to the men’s basketball program. Buckeye fans have been treated to 48 home wins in the last three years under Thad Matta, including a school-record 18-0 campaign a year ago.
SITUATION FAMILIAR FOR MATTA
Thad Matta is familiar with the situation he finds the Ohio State men’s basketball team facing in 2007-08, his fourth in Columbus as head coach of the Buckeyes.
One starter returns from a record-setting 2006-07 season that ended with Ohio State winning a school-record 35 games, advancing to the program’s ninth Final Four, appearing in the NCAA title game, winning its second-consecutive outright Big Ten regular-season title and the program’s first postseason league tournament championship.
Senior Jamar Butler, who guided the Buckeyes to an outright league title as a sophomore in 2005-06, is the lone holdover among the starters from a year ago. He was in a similar position as a junior and will be sufficiently equipped to lead the Buckeyes again this season.
Butler will have support from three other returning letterwinners. Seniors Matt Terwilliger, Othello Hunter and sophomore David Lighty all are back after significant contributions to Ohio State’s run toward the NCAA title a year ago.
THE NEWCOMERS
For the second-consecutive season, Matta has recruited one of the nation’s top incoming freshman classes. Five Buckeyes will be playing as rookies on a college campus. A sixth, sophomore Kyle Madsen, is eligible to compete after spending his freshman season as a redshirt at Vanderbilt and a transfer year at Ohio State a year ago. He will have three years of eligibility in Columbus. Another newcomer, junior college transfer P.J. Hill, also will have three seasons to play as a Buckeye.
Matta attracted a mix of size and skill in the 2007 class.
Jon Diebler, a 6-6 guard from Upper Sandusky (Ohio) High School, is the most prolific scorer in Ohio High School history. He led his team to the state title game as a senior after winning the championship as a sophomore. He scored 3,208 points as a prep standout. His average of just over 41 points a game as a senior not only led the state of Ohio but was the top scoring average nationally a year ago.
Kosta Koufos, a 7-0 post player from GlenOak High School in Canton, Ohio, gives the Buckeyes several options. He can perform well in the paint but is equally comfortable shooting 3-pointers, a rarity for a player of his exceptional size. His rebounding and ability to block or alter shots also will contribute significantly to Matta’s game planning strategy this year.
Dallas Lauderdale will play center at 6-feet-8-inches. His size, strength and general physical build is expected to add depth to the Buckeye frontcourt, which will be much deeper this season. Lauderdale, who competed against Koufos on several occasions while playing for Solon (Ohio) High School, has the size and strength to handle the rigorous Big Ten battles down low.
Evan Turner is a 6-6 guard from Chicago, where he starred for St. Joseph’s High School, one of the premier high school programs in the state of Illinois. With long arms and a wiry frame, he adds rebounding assistance as well as a scoring touch and an ability to get to the basket.
Eric Wallace was the last freshman recruit to commit to the Buckeyes for this season. He is likely to become a fan favorite with his exceptional leaping and acrobatic dunking ability. A native of Winston-Salem, N.C., Wallace also will be looked upon to rebound and contribute defensively. He played at Hargrave (Va.) Military Academy a season ago.
P.J. Hill, a junior college transfer from Minneapolis, joined the Buckeyes during the summer and will have three years of eligibility in Columbus. He played for one season at Midland (Texas) College, the 2007 National Junior College Athletics Association National Champions.
Hill (6-1, 160) was a point guard for the 29-8 Midland squad that won the NJCAA title for the first time since 1982 when Spud Webb played for the Chaparrals. Hill averaged 6.5 points and nearly three assist a game a season ago. He played his high school basketball at Minneapolis North.
LIGHTY THE INTERNATIONAL CAPTAIN
Sophomore David Lighty spent part of last summer playing for the United States Under-19 World Championship team that traveled to Serbia in July. Lighty was named team captain before the team began play in the event. The U.S. squad won the silver medal going 8-1 overall after a loss in the final (74-69) to tournament host Serbia.
Lighty started all nine games, averaged 23.7 minutes, second on the team, and shot 69 percent (31-45) from the field. He averaged 8.8 points and 3.9 rebounds in his first international competition. Lighty is the only sophomore returning from the 2006-07 squad that featured three Ohio State freshmen drafted in the first round of the 2007 NBA Draft (Greg Oden, No. 1/Portland, Mike Conley Jr., No. 4/Memphis and Daequan Cook, No. 21/Philadelphia).
BUTLER FOR 3 … TITLES
Jamar Butler is the most experienced Buckeye on the 2007-08 roster after starting his first three seasons in Columbus in Thad Matta’s multiple point-guard offense. Butler led the Buckeyes to an outright Big Ten title as a sophomore and then teamed with Mike Conley Jr. to repeat the feat in 2007. Butler is among the top returning guards in the Big Ten and will again lead a squad primarily made up of newcomers. In 111 games as a Buckeye, Butler owns 405 career assists and is on pace to become a 1,000-point scorer (888 to date), the 43rd in Ohio State history and first since Terence Dials (1,566 pts. from 2002-06).
MATTA CLOSING ON 200 WINS, 100 AT OSU
Thad Matta has guided the Buckeyes to 87 victories in 112 games at Ohio State. In eight seasons as a head coach, Matta has never failed to reach the 20-wins plateau in one season at Butler (24 wins), three at Xavier (26 wins each year) and three at Ohio State (20, 26, 35). He has averaged 26 wins over his career for a total of 189. Another 20-win season would eclipse the 200 mark for his career and the 100-win mark at Ohio State, a total only four previous head coaches have reached at Ohio State of the 13 who have led the men’s basketball program (Fred Taylor/297, Harold Olsen/260, Eldon Miller/174 and Randy Ayers/124).
MATTA TEAMS PLAY FOR TITLES
Making the NCAA tournament is almost a sure thing when Thad Matta is on the bench. In six seasons as an assistant coach, Matta was part of five NCAA tournament appearances at Miami (Ohio), Western Carolina and Butler. The 1998-99 Butler squad played in the postseason NIT, advancing to the second round. As a head coach, Matta’s teams have played in the NCAA event in six of seven years and every year the teams he has coached were eligible for the annual postseason event. The 2004-05 Ohio State team, Matta’s first in Columbus, was held out of the event by the university but nonetheless finished with a 20-12 record and a win over No. 1 and previously unbeaten Illinois in the regular season finale.
When it comes to conference tournaments, Matta teams regularly play in the title game. As an assistant, Matta helped Western Carolina to the Southern Conference title in 1996 and Butler to the Mid-Western Collegiate Conference championship in 1998 and 2000. As a head coach, Butler won the MCC in 2001 with Matta at the helm. Xavier won the Atlantic 10 in 2002 and 2004 and in three chances at Ohio State, Matta has directed the Buckeyes to the title game twice, winning the 2007 event.
Matta has been associated with nine regular season conference champions, including five as a head coach.
