Buckeyes Open Friday vs. UMass-Lowell – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/13/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 13, 2014
| Thad Matta begins his 11th season in Columbus and 15th as a head coach in 2014-15. |
Ohio State Notes | UMass-Lowell Notes | Big Ten Notes | 2014-15 Schedule
Preview: Coach Matta | Preview: Amir Williams & Marc Loving
Purchase Online | Ohio State Men’s Basketball | OhioStateHoops | @OhioStateHoops
@JeffBoals | @Greg_Paulus | @CoachCSpartz | @CoachJDiebler
@DRich111 | @OSUADAthComm
No. 20 Ohio State Buckeyes (0-0) vs. Univ. of Masschusetts-Lowell (0-0)
| Date: | Nov. 14, 2014 |
| Site: | Value City Arena (18,809) |
| Game Time: | 7:05 p.m. ET |
| Television: | BTN Plus |
| Talent: | Ryan Reese (Play-By-Play) Matt Slyvester (Expert Analysis) |
| Radio: | OSU-IMG Sports Network (56 stations) |
| Satellite Radio: | Sirius 132/XM 195 |
| Local Radio: | WBNS FM-97.1 AM-1460 |
| Radio Talent: | Herb Howenstine (play-by-play) Ron Stokes (expert analysis) |
Buckeyes Have Most Home Wins Since 2010
Ohio State has more home wins nationally with an 88-8 (.917) record since the 2009-10 season. Wisconsin is the next best Big Ten team at No. 18(t) with a 75-11 record (.872). Going back to the 2008-09 season to the present and the Buckeyes are tied for the national lead in home victories with Memphis at 103 wins over 114 games (103-11). The Buckeyes also have played the second-most ranked teams in the country during the Thad Matta era (2005-present). Ohio State has played 104 opponents ranked among the Associated Press Top 25 since Matta became head coach. That total trails only Michigan State (108) during that span (see page 7 for more information).
Home Wins From 2009-10 to 2013-14 (as of 11/12/14)
Rk. Team Gms Ws Ls W %
1 Ohio State 96 88 8 .917
2 Syracuse 94 85 9 .904
3 Kansas 88 84 4 .955
Memphis 95 84 11 .884
5 Kentucky 87 83 4 .954
6 Missouri 89 82 7 .921
7 Louisville 94 81 13 .862
8 Arkansas 99 80 19 .808
Duke 83 80 3 .964
Notre Dame 92 80 12 .870
Source: Stats, Inc.
Buckeyes Cruise in Exhibition Win
Freshman D’Angelo Russell scored a game-high 17 points on 5-of-13 shooting from the field and a 4-of-8 effort from 3-point range in Ohio State’s 77-37 win over Walsh Nov. 9. The Buckeyes connected on a 53 percent clip in the first half (19-36) to end the first 20 minutes with a 48-19 advantage. Senior Sam Thompson tallied 13 points ahead of 12 from sophomore Marc Loving and 10 by rookie Jae’Sean Tate. Russell and Tate each had eight rebounds to lead the team while Russell equalled senior Shannon Scott’s team-high six assists.
Scouting UMass-Lowell
The University of Massachusetts-Lowell finished the 2013-14 season with a record of 10-18 in its first season as an NCAA Division I member. The River Hawks were 8-8 in the American East Conference a year ago, their first year as a conference member. UMass-Lowell played its first game as a Division I member vs. Michigan, falling to the Wolverines 69-42 in Ann Arbor. Senior Chad Holley is the team’s top returning scorer at 10.3 points per game. Classmate Kerry Weldon is the squad’s top returning rebounder with an average of 5.4 boards a game. The River Hawks are coached by Pat Duquette, now in his second year with the program.
River Hawks Picked Ninth in America East
The UMass-Lowell men’s basketball team was selected to finish ninth in the 2014-15 America East Preseason Coaches Poll. Second-year head coach Pat Duquette returns five from the 2013-14 team, in addition to nine newcomers, including one graduate student and one redshirt-freshman. The River Hawks open the 2014-15 season with five consecutive road games beginning at Ohio State.
The Ohio State vs. UMass-Lowell Series
The Buckeyes and River Hawks will be meeting on the basketball court for the first time. The Buckeyes are 5-1 all-time vs. American East Conference members with a pair of wins vs. the University of Maryland-Baltimore County, single wins vs. Albany and New Hampshire and a 1-1 record vs. Vermont. The last time Ohio State faced an American East Conference member was Nov. 11, 2012 in the season opener vs. Albany in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic at Value City Arena. Ohio State, ranked No. 4 nationally in that game, won 82-60. Current seniors Shannon Scott (9 points), Sam Thompson (4 pts.), Trey McDonald (2 pts.) and Amir Williams (2 rebs.) saw action as rookies in that Albany victory.
Buckeyes Picked 3rd in Preseason Media Poll
Media covering Big Ten men’s basketball tabbed Thad Matta’s Buckeyes in the No. 3 spot in the preseason poll, announced at the league’s annual media day Oct. 16 in Chicago. The Buckeyes followed No. 1 Wisconsin and No. 2 Michigan State. Entering his 11th season in Columbus, Matta has led the Buckeyes to five regular-season Big Ten titles (2006-07-10(t)-11-12(t)) and four postseason conference tournament crowns (2007-10-11-13).
Ohio State Opens Season No. 20 in Both AP and Coaches Polls
Nationally, coaches voting in the 2014-15 ESPN/Coaches Poll selected the Buckeyes in the No. 20 spot nationally in the preseason rankings, released Oct. 17. Ohio State has been a mainstay in the national rankings under Thad Matta. The Buckeyes, also ranked No. 20 in the preseason Associated Press preseason poll (Oct. 31) are 201-46 (.813) when carrying a Top 25 ranking into competition during the Thad Matta era.
For More on the Buckeyes click on the Ohio State Notes link above.
