Florida Up Next for Buckeyes in NIT – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/17/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 17, 2016
Ohio State Notes | Florida Notes | Big Ten Notes | 2015-16 Schedule
Preview: Coach Matta | Preview: Marc Loving and Kam Williams
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No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes (20-13) vs. No. 6 Akron Zips (28-8)
2016 National Invitation Tournament Bracket
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| Date: | March 20, 2016 |
| Site: | Value City Arena (19,049) |
| Game Time: | Noon |
| Television: | ESPN |
| Talent: | Dave Lamont (Play-By-Play) Dan Dakich (Expert Analysis) None (Sideline) |
| Radio: | OSU-IMG Sports Network (56 stations) |
| Satellite Radio: | None |
| Local Radio: | WBNS-FM 97.1, AM-1460 |
| Radio Talent: | Paul Keels (Play-By-Play) Ron Stokes (Expert Analysis) |
Ohio State NIT History
The Buckeyes are playing in the National Invitation Tournament for the ninth time. The Buckeyes are 19-7 all-time in the event with a pair of championships (1986, 2008). The Buckeyes are 11-2 at home in the NIT, 3-2 on the road and 5-3 at Madison Square Garden in New York in neutral court competition. Thad Matta’s Buckeyes are 6-0 in the NIT, including a 4-0 home record and a 2-0 record at MSG. The Buckeyes have played an Ohio team in seven of nine years in the event and own a 5-2 record in those games.
Ohio State Game by Game in the NIT
Date W/L Opponent Score
3/7/79 W 1-St. Joseph’s 80-66
3/12/79 W 2-@Maryland 79-72
3/19/79 L 3-vs. Indiana 55-64
3/21/79 L 3-vs. Alabama 86-96
3/15/84 L 4-@Xavier 57-60
3/14/86 W 5-@Ohio University 65-62
3/17/86 W 1-Texas 71-65
3/21/86 W 9-Brigham Young 79-68
3/24/86 W 7-vs. Louisiana Tech 79-66
3/26/86 W 7-vs. Wyoming 73-63
3/16/88 W 1-Old Dominion 86-73
3/22/88 W 6-Cleveland State 86-80
3/25/88 W 8-@New Mexico 68-65
3/29/88 W 7-vs. Colorado State 64-62
3/30/88 L 7-vs. Connecticut 67-72
3/15/89 W 1-Akron 81-70
3/20/89 W 6-Nebraska 85-74
3/23/89 L 9-St. John’s (ot) 80-83
3/17/93 L 1-Miami (O.) 53-56
3/19/03 L 10-@ Georgia Tech 58-72
3/18/08 W 1*-UNC Asheville 84-66
3/24/08 W 11-California 73-56
3/26/08 W 9*-Dayton 74-63
4/1/08 W 7-vs. Mississippi 81-69
4/3/08 W 7-vs. Massachusetts 92-85
3/15/16 W 1*-Akron (ot) 72-63
3/20/16 11*-Florida
1-NIT 1st Round, St. John Arena, Columbus, Ohio/1* Value City Arena
2-NIT 2nd Round, College Park, Maryland
3-NIT Semifinals and 3rd-Place game, New York
4-NIT 1st Round, Cincinnati, Ohio
5-NIT 1st Round, Athens, Ohio
6-NIT 2nd Round, St. John Arena, Columbus, Ohio
7-NIT Semifinals, Championship Game, New York
8-NIT 3rd Round, Albuquerque, New Mexico
9-NIT 3rd Round, St. John Arena, Columbus, Ohio/9* Value City Arena
10-NIT 1st Round, Atlanta, Georgia
11-NIT 2nd Round, St. John Arena, Columbus, Ohio/11* Value City Arena
Ohio State NIT Rankings
After the opening round of the 2016 National Invitation Tournament, the Buckeyes are No. 2 in free throw percentage (21-23/.913); No. 3 in field goal percentage defense (23-70/.329); No. 3 in 3-point field goal percentage defense (9-42/.214); No. 1 in rebounding (57); No. 5 in rebounding margin (57-43/+14); No. 1 in offensive rebounds (18) and defensive rebounds (39). Individually, Kam Williams and Marc Loving each have played the most minutes (45) followed by JaQuan Lyle with 44. Lyle (14) and Loving (13) are among the Top 5 in total rebounds. Lyle is second and Loving fifth.
Ohio State vs. Florida Series
Ohio State owns the series lead with the Gators 8-4. The Buckeyes have won the last three games following the 2007 NCAA Championship game meeting April 2, 2007 in Atlanta, an 84-75 win for Florida. The Buckeyes are 4-0 in Columbus, 2-2 in Gainesville and 2-2 on neutral courts.
Date W/L Score(AP)
12/22/81 W Florida 61-58
12/3/82 W @Florida 80-74
12/3/85 W Florida 80-73
12/20/86 L 1-vs. Florida 72-82
12/30/86 W 2-vs. Florida 88-84
12/16/87 L @Florida 69-102(11)
12/27/88 W 3-vs. Florida 93(15)-68
12/23/26 L @Florida 60(3)-86(5)
4/2/07 L 4-vs. Florida 75(1)-84(6)
12/22/07 W Florida 62-49
11/16/10 W 5-@Florida 93(4)-75(9)
11/15/11 W 6-Florida 81(3)-74(7)
1-Gator Bowl Classic, Jacksonville, Fla.
2-Rainbow Classic, Honolulu, Hawaii
3-ECAC Holiday Festival, New York
4-NCAA Final Four, Atlanta
5-Global Sports Invitational, Gainesville, Fla.
6-Global Sports Shootout, Columbus
Last Time vs. Florida
The Buckeyes and Gators last played Nov. 15, 2011 in Columbus. The Buckeyes, behind a game-high 21 points from William Buford, won 81-74. Jared Sullinger added 16 points ahead of Deshaun Thomas with 15 and Aaron Craft with 13 and seven assists.
Scouting the Gators
Florida travels to Columbus with a 20-14 overall record after finishing 9-9 in the Southeastern Conference. The Gators finished tied for eighth in conference play. Florida is led by senior Dorian Finney-Smith, a 6-8 forward from Portsmouth, Virginia. Finney-Smith, who transferred to Florida after his freshman year at Virginia Tech in 2011-12, averages 14.9 points and 8.2 rebounds for the Gators. Sophomore center John Egbunu, a Bauchi, Nigeria, is the team’s second-leading scorer with 11.5 points a game. He was lost for the remainder of the season with a hand injury following Florida’s 2016 NIT opening win over North Florida (97-68). Freshman KeVaughn Allen, a freshman guard from Little Rock, Arkansas, contributes 11.4 points a game.
For more on the Buckeyes click on the Ohio State Notes link above.
