Men’s Basketball: Butler Closing on Ohio State Assist Record – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/12/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Date: Feb. 13, 2008
Opp.: Northwestern (7-14, 0-10)
Site: Welsh-Ryan Arena (8,117)
Game Time: 9 p.m. ET
Television: Big Ten Network
TV Talent: Tom Hamilton (P-by-P), Rich Zvosec (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
A LOOK AT NORTHWESTERN
Northwestern opened the 2008 Big Ten Conference season Jan. 2 against Penn State in Evanston. The Wildcats completed its non-conference schedule with a 5-4 record, including a stretch of four-consecutive victories to end 2007. Sophomore Kevin Coble leads the team with 16 points a game in 12 appearances. He also leads the squad wiht 5.8 rebounds a game. Junior Craig Moore contributes 13.6 points while freshman Michael Thompson adds 12.5 ppg. Thompson leads the Big Ten in minutes played with 36 a contest. Nine Wildcats have made at least two 3-pointers on the season with Moore leading the way with 68 made and 174 attempted treys. Ten Buckeyes have made a 3-pointer this season. Jamar Butler leads the way with 65 makes and 163 attempted.
BUTLER LEADS BUCKEYES VS. NU
Jamar Butler is the most experienced Buckeye in the Northwestern series with six games played. He averages 9.0 points with an average of 33 minutes a game. In the earlier meeting this season freshman Kosta Koufos scored 17 points and grabbed 12 rebounds while classmate and Chicago native Evan Turner contributed 16 points. Rookie Jon Diebler also helped with 15 points.
THE NORTHWESTERN SERIES
Ohio State is 104-44 all-time vs. Northwestern with a 62-14 record in Columbus and a 42-30 advantage in Evanston. The Buckeyes won the earlier meeting this season 62-51. The Buckeyes have won the last 16 games in the series, including the last seven in Evanston. Ohio State has won the last 24 in Columbus. All the recent Ohio State win streaks are the longest for the Buckeyes in the all-time series.
BUTLER ON VERGE OF ASSIST RECORD
Senior Jamar Butler is nearing the career assist record at Ohio State. He is currently No. 2 with 511. The record is 516 held by Kelvin Ransey from 1977-80. Butler needs six assists to claim the record outright. He currently averages 6.3 a game. Butler has connected on 203 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 (542) and No. 8 in career 3-point shooting percentage (203-542/.375).
MATTA CLOSING ON 200 WINS, 100 AT OSU
Thad Matta has guided the Buckeyes to 97 victories in 127 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 199. 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).
BUTLER 12TH NATIONALLY IN ASSISTS, TEAM DEFENSE IN TOP 10
Senior Jamar Butler rates No. 12 nationally in assists per game (6.3 apg./151 total). As a team, Ohio State is among the Top 10 defensive teams in the country. Ohio State is No. 6 in field goal percentage defense (.376) and rates No. 1 in fewest personal fouls committed per game (14.0).
BUTLER REACHES 1,000, FREE THROW STREAK SNAPPED
Senior Jamar Butler scored a game-high 21 points at Michigan State Jan. 15 to reach 1,000 career points as a Buckeye (1,103). He became the 43rd Ohio State men’s basketball player to reach the milestone. Brent Darby was the last guard to reach 1,000 points for the Buckeyes. He did so from 2000-03 and stands No. 21 on the all-time scoring list with 1,368 career points. Butler moved to the No. 35 spot in career scoring at Ohio State with four in the recent outing vs. Indiana. Next up is No. 34 Ron Sepic (1965-67) with 1,107. Curtis Wilson (1984-88) is No. 33 with 1,120 points. Butler made the first four foul shots against Minnesota Jan. 26 before a miss ended a school-record streak at 38-consecutive foul shots, which broke the Ohio State record for consecutive makes set by Sean Connolly as a sophomore (25) in 2000-01. He has made his last seven attempts.
Butler’s Made FT streak
| Coppin State (12/10/07) | 1-2* |
| Presbyterian (12/15/07) | 1-1 |
| Cleveland State (12/18/07) | 0-0 |
| Florida (12/22/07) | 2-2 |
| UMBC (12/29/07) | 9-9 |
| at Illinois (1/3/08) | 8-8 |
| Northwestern (1/6/08) | 0-0 |
| Iowa (1/9/08) | 0-0 |
| at Purdue (1/12/08) | 4-4 |
| at Michigan State (1/15/08) | 6-6 |
| at Tennessee (1/19/08) | 3-3 |
| Illinois (1/22/08) | 0-0 |
| Minnesota (1/26/08) | 5-7# |
*Made second attempt // # missed fifth attempt
BUTLER, TERWILLIGER ON PACE TO SET SENIOR CLASS WINS RECORD
Jamar Butler has played in all but one game in his Ohio State career, a total of 126. Senior classmate Matt Terwilliger has made 105 appearances during his career. The pair could go down as the winningest Buckeyes all-time and Butler is on pace to appear in more games than any other Buckeye in history. Seniors on the 1963 team finished with 98 career wins, three NCAA championship game appearances, the national title in 1960 and four Big Ten titles, which includes three outright titles from 1960-62. Seniors on the 1964 and 1992 teams each finished their careers with 89 victories. The 1964 seniors also had four league titles (two outright in 1961 and ’62) to go with two NCAA title game appearances those same years. The 1992 veterans had two Big Ten titles (one shared) and made three NCAA tournament appearances. To date, Butler and Terwilliger have back-to-back outright league championships and two NCAA tournament appearances, including an NCAA title game experience and school-record 35 wins a year ago.
| Total Wins | Career 4-year | *Seniors |
| 98 | 1960-63# | Richard Reasbeck, Douglas McDonald |
| 97 | 2005-08 | Jamar Butler, Matt Terwilliger |
| 89 | 1961-64# | Donald Flatt, LeRoy Frazier, Donald DeVoe, Gary Bradds |
| 89 | 1989-92 | Jamaal Brown, Steve Hall, Chris Jent, Bill Robinson |
#Freshmen were not eligible during period
*4-year players in Ohio State program (Freshman and Varsity rosters)
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’s 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.
BUTLER’S DOUBLE-DOUBLE A FIRST
The Buckeyes have had at least one player record a double-double in seven games this season and are 6-1 in those games. Ohio State is 525-248 all time when a player records any combination of 10 or more points, rebounds, assists, steals or blocks. Ohio State is 128-50 in games when at least two Buckeyes manage a double-double (3x this year vs. Northwestern, UMBC and Tennessee) and 14-1 when three Buckeyes do so in a single game (once this year vs. UMBC). Senior Jamar Butler handed out 11 assists and grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds in the Northwestern win Jan. 6 (62-51). It is the first time an Ohio State player recorded a double-double without scoring 10 or more points.
DOUBLE-DOUBLES LEAD TO SUCCESS
In four seasons at Ohio State, Thad Matta’s Buckeyes have had at least one player record a double-double in 46 games. Ohio State is 40-6 in those games, including victories in 31 of the last 33. Two players managed double-doubles three times vs. Davidson in 2006 in the opening round of the NCAA tournament when J.J. Sullinger (13 pts./13 rebs.) and Terence Dials (19/13) led Ohio State to a 70-62 victory and this season against Northwestern (Jan. 6) when freshman Kosta Koufos (17/12) and Jamar Butler (11 assts./10 rebs.) helped secure the victory (61-52) and most recently at Tennessee (Othello Hunter 17 pts./14 rebs; Evan Turner (21/10). Ohio State had a rare outing vs. UMBC earlier this year when three Buckeyes (Hunter, 13/10; Butler, 22/12 assts.; Koufos, 22/12) recorded double-doubles in the same game, a feat accomplished just 15 times in OSU history (14-1 rcd.).
BUTLER’S EFFORT EXTRAORDINARY
Jamar Butler turned in one of the better individual performances in Ohio State history with his 32 points, a career high, at Illinois Jan. 3 in a 74-58 Ohio State victory. He scored 15-consecutive points in the second half to turn an Ohio State deficit (37-36) into an insurmountable lead (51-39). Butler’s 15-consecutive points scored in a game are the most since Michael Redd scored 17-consecutive points in a 30-point effort at Wisconsin Jan. 2, 1999, a 78-74 Ohio State victory. Butler followed the Illinois effort with an 11-assist, 10 rebound double-double in the home win (62-51) vs. Northwestern Jan. 6.
MATTA OWNS TOP WIN PERCENTAGE AMONG OHIO STATE COACHES
Thad Matta, now in his fourth season as head coach of the Buckeyes, has an overall win percentage of .764 (97-30) after 127 games at Ohio State. That winning mean is the highest among the 11 head coaches in the history of the Ohio State men’s basketball program with three or more seasons on the sidelines. Matta’s 42-17 record in Big Ten regular-season play (.712) also has produced the highest winning percentage in conference play among any previous Ohio State coach. Fred Taylor (1959-76) is second in both overall win percentage (.653/297-158) and Big Ten win percentage (.608/158-102) in 18 seasons.
BUTLER CLIMBS STATISTICAL CHARTS
Jamar Butler is the first Ohio State guard to reach 500 assists (511), 200 made 3s (203/school record) and 100 steals (124). He reached 1,000 career points (1,103) and became Ohio State’s 43rd player in the 1,000-point club with a 21-point effort at Michigan State Jan. 15. He currently is No. 35 all-time in career scoring.
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.
NOTING THE INDIANA GAME
The attendance at the Ohio State vs. Indiana game was 19,049, marking the sixth sellout crowd and fourth-consecutive for Ohio State this season. The Buckeyes are 4-2 in sellouts this season and 43-9 all-time in VCA sellouts. Ohio State has won 20 of the last 22 games that VCA has sold out.
Ohio State is 36-14 against Big Ten opponents in Value City Arena since its opening in 1998. The Buckeyes are 87-18 in the VCA overall.
The Buckeyes last loss against a Big Ten opponent at home against Michigan State Jan. 15, 2006 when Ohio State lost 59-62 in double overtime. The Indiana loss ends a streak of 19-consecutive Big Ten home wins.
Ohio State dialed up the 3-point defense in the first half as Indiana only shot 30.0 percent (3-10) from behind the arc. Only one Hoosier (Eric Gordon) connected on a first half 3-point attempt. In the second half, the Buckeyes held Indiana to only one 3-point field goal and 12.5 percent (1-8) from behind the arc. For the game the Hoosiers shot 22.2 percent (4-18) from the 3-point line.
The Buckeyes tightened up the defense down the stretch and did not allow Indiana to hit a field goal in the final 2:36.
After a slow start, the Buckeyes heated up in the second half as they shot 46.2 percent (12-26) from the field. The hot shooting was fueled by the bench as Ohio State’s reserves outscored Indiana’s 16-11.
Freshmen Kosta Koufos and Jon Diebler combined for 32 points Sunday marking the fourth time this season they have combined for 30 plus and the seventh time this season an Ohio State freshman pair has gone for 30 or more.
Senior Jamar Butler continued to climb the Ohio State record books. With his six assists, Butler is now only five behind Kelvin Ransey for the No. 1 spot on the career assist chart. With his four points, the Lima, Ohio, native also moved to 35th on Ohio State’s all-time scoring list. Butler is now only four points behind Ron Sepic for 34th on the all-time scoring list.
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. 26, 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 Nov. 26. 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.
EIGHT BUCKEYE 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 (19,049), Illinois (19,049), Minnesota (19,049), Michigan (19,049), Indiana (19,049), Wisconsin and Michigan State have been sold out. Tickets are in short supply for Purdue as well. 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.
EIGHT OPPONENTS RANKED HIGH
Ohio State opponents North Carolina (No. 5 in ESPN/USA Today and No. 5 in the AP polls), Tennessee (4/4), Indiana (12/13), Michigan State (9/10), Wisconsin (14/15), Butler (10/9), Texas A&M (16/16) and Purdue (23/19) give the Buckeyes one of the strongest schedules nationally to date. Florida is receiving votes in both polls.
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 10 SEASONS AS HOME OF THE BUCKEYES
More than 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 54 home wins in the last four 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, Thad 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.
TRAVEL INDIANA
Ohio State will make four trips to the state of Indiana in 2007-08. Traditional trips to West Lafayette and Bloomington to take on Big Ten foes Purdue and Indiana, respectively, will be supplemented by a pair of trips to Indianapolis against Butler (Dec. 1) and to participate in the Big Ten tournament in March (13-16). Indianapolis will be the host city of the annual league postseason tournament for the next five years.
