Postgame Notes From No. 1 Ohio State vs. Michigan – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/4/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 4, 2007
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Ohio State head coach Thad Matta set a personal career high forwins in a season with 27 with the victory over Michigan. Matta hadreached 26 wins four times previously. In each of his three yearsat Xavier the Musketeers recorded 26 wins as did the 2005-06Buckeyes. The 27 wins in 2006-07 ties an Ohio State record forvictories in a season. The 1961 Buckeyes finished 27-1. The win atMichigan gave Ohio State a 15-1 record in regular season Big TenConference play. The league win total tied the 1991 and 1992 teamsfor wins in a regular season Big Ten schedule. Both to those teamsplayed 18-game conference schedules (15-3). The league went to a16-game schedule in 1998. The .938 conference win percentage thisseason is the second best in school history behind the 1961 team’sperfect 14-0 record. The 1971 team went through a 14 gameconference schedule with a 13-1 record (.929). The Buckeyes’13-game Big Ten win streak is the second longest in school historybehind the 27-consecutive wins by the 1960-62 teams: 1960 (1), 1961(14), 1962 (12). The current streak is second to the 1961 team’srecord of 14-consecutive wins in a single Big Ten regular season.With the Michigan win, Ohio State is 26-0 on the season withleading or tied with 5:00 to play in the second half. The Buckeyesand Wolverines were tied at 53-all at the 5-minute mark Saturday.Junior Jamar Butler handed out six assists at Michigan. He moved tothe No. 9 spot on the OSU career assists list with 332. He passedJay Burson (1986-89) and currently trails No. 8 Jim Jackson’s 372from 1990-92. The Buckeyes are 33-7 when Butler hands out four ormore assists in a game. Freshman Mike Conley Jr. set the Ohio Statesingle-season assists record with four helpers at Michigan. Histotal of 191 eclipses the 188 tallied by Curtis Wilson in 1998.Freshman Greg Oden set the Ohio State freshman record for blocks ina season with two rejections at Michigan. His single season totalof 80 passes the previous record of 79 set by Herb Williams as arookie in 1978. Ohio State improved to 81-69 all-time against theWolverines and to 34-42 in Ann Arbor. The Buckeyes, ranked No. 1 inboth polls, are 26-4 all-time when ranked in games vs. Michigan.Ohio State has won the last five meetings in the series, all underMatta’s direction. The Ohio State starting lineup of seniors RonLewis and Ivan Harris, junior Jamar Butler and freshmen MikeConley, Jr. and Greg Oden finished the regular season 19-2 overalland 14-1 in the Big Ten. When playing as the No. 1 team nationallyin the Associated Press media poll, the Buckeyes are 50-3 all-time.When playing as the No. 1 team in the ESPN/USA Today coaches’ poll,Ohio State is 3-1 (all this season). Overall, Ohio State is 52-4when ranked No. 1 in one or both polls. Overall as a ranked team,Ohio State is 222-54 as a Top 10-ranked team in the AP poll and321-94 as a Top 25 squad. The Buckeyes have been rated among thenation’s Top 10 in each of its last 37 games (32-5) and as a Top 25squad in the last 55 outings (46-9). The Buckeyes resume the seasonat noon (ET) Friday (ESPN) as the No. 1 seed in the quarterfinalsof the 2007 Big Ten Conference Tournament in Chicago. Ohio Statewill play the winner of the Michigan (No. 8 seed) vs. Minnesota(No. 9) matchup Thursday (Noon ET/ESPN2). The winner of thequarterfinal game Friday will take on either No. 4 Iowa vs. No. 5Purdue game (2:30 p.m. Friday/ESPN) at 1:40 p.m. (ET) Saturday(CBS) in the semifinal round.
