Tag: Luther Muhammad

Luther Muhammad chooses Arizona State

Ohio State guard Luther Muhammad has announced his intention to transfer to Arizona State.

Former Ohio State guard Luther Muhammad will be transferring to Arizona State he tells 247Sports. The 6-foot, 3-inch guard out of New Jersey spent the last two years playing for Chris Holtmann in Columbus, but shocked everyone when he entered his name into the transfer portal just a week-and-a-half ago.

“I picked ASU because I believe coach [Bobby] Hurley’s a great coach,” Muhammad told 247Sports. “He wants and let’s his guards create a lot, and is a very intense coach that demands the best out of his guys.”

The move away from Ohio state was a curious one because Muhammad logged significant minutes, starting many games last season. He averaged 7.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists on 25.0 minutes per contest in 2019-2021. He was known as the best on-ball defender the Buckeyes had.

However, rumors circulated that Muhammad wanted to be more a part of the offensive side of the ball and perhaps didn’t see that happening at Ohio State. He chose the Sun Devils over Seton Hall, West Virginia, UCLA, and New Mexico.

Under NCAA undergraduate rules, Muhammad must sit out a year before he’ll have two more to use under Bobby Hurley at ASU. That is, unless he obtains a waiver or the NCAA passes legislation that would grandfather him in allowing for a one-time transfer for athletes.

As always, we wish him luck, because once a Buckeye, always a Buckeye.

 

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Luther Muhammad reportedly set to make transfer decision Tuesday

Former Ohio State guard Luther Muhammad will make a decision on which school he will attend this coming Tuesday per reports.

Former Ohio State guard Luther Muhammad is off to perceived greener pastures where he believes he can have a better fit with a new program. And things are moving quickly, very quickly on what that final destination will be.

Muhammad released his final eight schools last week, then quickly doubled-down and trimmed that list to five Saturday. Arizona State, West Virginia, Seton Hall, UCLA, and New Mexico are the schools still vying for the 6-foot, 3-inch guard according to sources close to 247Sports.

Now, according to a report from Evan Daniels of 247Sports — one that has been re-tweeted by Muhammad himself — the decision on which school he will transfer to will be announced this coming Tuesday. We will, of course, be on top of the news when it happens.

 

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Ohio State Basketball transfer Luther Muhammad cuts list from eight to five

Ohio State guard Luther Muhammad entered the transfer portal and now cut his list of schools from eight to a mere five. Who’s on the list.

The Ohio State basketball team had a dynamic start to the 2019 season. They defeated two top-ten teams by 20-plus. It was looking like one of the best teams the Buckeyes fielded this half of the decade.

Well, it didn’t last, and with it, the team’s chemistry seemed to self-implode with it. DJ Carton took a hiatus from the team and eventually transferred after the canceled NCAA Tournament. Forward Alonzo Gaffney also left the program.

Then — shockingly — Luther Muhammad opted to leave Columbus as well. After announcing a final eight schools, he has now cut that down to a mere five.

Those five, according to 247 Sports’ Evan Daniels, are Seton Hall, Arizona State, UCLA, West Virginia, and New Mexico. Keep in mind Muhammad is from New Jersey, potentially giving Seton Hall a leg up in the race. However, there have been other rumors suggesting that Arizona State is the preferred destination. We’ll just have to see how it all plays out.

Muhammad spent two seasons with the Buckeyes, averaging 7.6 points his freshman season and 7.0 in 2019-2020.

Primarily known as a defensive-specialist, Muhammad is likely looking for a larger role in the offense. It’s a big hole to fill, but he should fit in rather well with one of the programs he’s looking at.

We’ll just have to see how it all shakes out.

Luther Muhammad down to eight schools per report

According to a report from 247Sports, Ohio State guard Luther Muhammad has trimmed his transfer list down to eight schools.

Ohio State fans were a bit shocked when the word of Luther Muhammad’s entry into the transfer portal hit the news. After all, he was a starter for several games and expected to be a big part of things in 2020-2021 as well.

But alas, it’s the world we live in today when kids are transferring for all kinds of reasons. There’s still no official word on why the OSU guard decided to move on from the program, but rumors circulate around him wanting to be in a system that used him more offensively.

You can expect things to move pretty quickly I would think with Muhammad. Everyone is trying to figure out the musical chairs of scholarships that are available in the offseason, so time is somewhat of the essence. And sure enough, we’ve gotten a peek into what schools appear to be on the shortlist.

According to a report from Evan Daniels of 247Sports, the six-foot, three-inch guard has trimmed his list of schools down to eight schools. Those programs that sources close to the situation confirm are Auburn, Georgia, Alabama, Seton Hall, Arizona State, UCLA, West Virginia, and New Mexico.

That’s still quite a list, but it seems clear that Muhammad isn’t looking around in the Big Ten. That would be awkward and intriguing all at the same time.

If you take it a step further, there are reports that Arizona State is the preferred school, but these things can change rather quickly. We’ll stay on top of it and continue to wish him well no matter where he lands.

What the loss of Luther Muhammad means for Ohio State

Ohio State released some shocking news Sunday. Starting guard Luther Muhammad will enter the transfer portal. Here’s what it means.

The bad news continues for the Ohio State basketball program. After losing D.J. Carton and Alonzo Gaffney (for different reasons) just after the season, it now has to deal with last year’s starting off-guard Luther Muhammad entering the transfer portal.

I have to admit this one comes as a bit of a surprise because Muhammad had carved out a pretty nice career and niche with the personnel grouping of Ohio State. He was trusted by the coaches to come in and play with extreme effort and shut down opposing guards. But alas, it seems to be the way of big-time college athletics lately.

There are rumblings and rumors that Muhammad wants a more expanded role where he can be more of a scorer, and he doesn’t see that as being his role in the Buckeye program. So okay, here we go. What does it all mean for Ohio State?

Well, for starters, the team has now lost two guards that were bound to get significant minutes. Both Carton and Muhammad were more than likely going to be a big, big part of things this upcoming season. The addition of Seth Towns helps with that, but it’s still a thin group at the guard position.

More than that though, OSU just lost its best on-ball defender, and that has to sting for Chris Holtmann. He prides his teams on playing tough defense, and because of that gave the nod to Muhammad over Duane Washington much of last year. If you aren’t willing to play defense, Holtmann isn’t going to trust you down the stretch of games.

Now there’s a big hole to fill on the defensive end. Both Towns and Justice Sueing have the tools to be good defenders, but they both could be defending the wing and not at the two-guard spot. Now, they’ll more than likely be asked to do both.

It also means the coaches might have to go all-in with Washington. Holtmann has been frustrated often with his shot selection and defensive lapses, but there may not be any other option but to trust him to develop those parts of his game in heart-thumping situations.

Yes, the loss of Muhammad is a puzzling one, but one that the coaches will deal with. Finding someone on the transfer market to add more depth and fill a hole left by the unexpected departure is likely job number one for Holtmann.

Luther Muhammad to enter transfer portal, leave Ohio State program

According to an Ohio State spokesman, guard Luther Muhammad will enter the transfer portal and plans to leave the basketball program.

Well, this is a little shocking. If there’s any player on the Ohio State men’s basketball team you thought would stay away from the transfer portal, Luther Muhammad would be one of the last. Alas, it seems to be true — he will enter his name in and plans to leave the Buckeye program after two years.

The news came by way of an Ohio State spokesman on Sunday, all while Chris Holtmann and staff continue to refine and turn through various transfer candidates. The departures on this year’s team are now becoming more of a trend than exception. Of course, Kaleb Wesson heading to the NBA was not a surprise, but OSU is also dealing with the transfer of D.J. Carton, the loss of Alonzo Gaffney, and now Muhammad’ pending transfer.

The Buckeyes were already thin at the guard spot with Carton deciding to move on, but they do have Musa Jallow coming back from injury, another year of C.J. Walker at the point, and Duane Washington to add some depth. Last year’s sit out transfer Justice Suieng could also be used in a ball-handling capacity.

You never know what’s going on behind closed doors, but the decision is a little baffling for a kid that was a starter for most of last year and should have been a lock for significant playing time — if not a starter again — this coming season. There has been no other information provided by the program, coaching staff, or Muhammad himself, but he and Washington were suspended earlier in the year for reasons never really made known.

At six-foot, three-inches, 185 pounds, Muhammad was well-regarded as the team’s best on-ball defender and gave great effort on a nightly basis. His offensive game was still being honed, but he did show flashes of streaking ability to shoot the ball. He averaged 7.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 25.0 minutes of play per contest in 2019-2020.

Now, it appears, he’ll be spending his last two seasons of eligibility elsewhere. Boy has the management of college basketball rosters changed over the last few years.

Good luck to Muhammad in whatever place he ends up. Once a Buckeye …

 

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Ohio State Basketball: Projecting the 2020-2021 starting lineup

The season has completed prematurely for the Ohio State basketball team. Time to project the starting five and key reserves for next year.

The Ohio State basketball season came to an abrupt end because of the coronavirus measures put in place, so that leaves us no choice but to look ahead to next year. This season feels a lot like an unfinished story with some ups and downs, a little drama, and a cliff-hanger, but that’s what we’re left with.

Part of the drama came after the season with the departures of freshmen D.J. Carton and Alonzo Gaffney. That was offset a bit with the addition of graduate transfer Seth Towns, and that leaves the Buckeyes with thirteen scholarships — right where it needs to be for the 2020-2021 season.

What better time to look at what the projected lineup could be this winter when it appears everything is much more solidified. There’s still word on what Kaleb Wesson will do as far as the NBA draft, but we’ll make a guess on that too.

So here we go. Here’s the projected lineup for Ohio State basketball for the 2020-2021 season, way ahead of time.

Next … Ohio State likely starting five

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Ohio State vs. Michigan 2020 basketball preview, prediction, and odds

The Ohio State basketball team kicks off the stretch run of the season with a matchup against Michigan. How will it play out?

Records

Ohio State 19-9 (9-8), Michigan 18-10 (9-8)

Broadcast, TV, Game Time

Date: Sunday, March 1
Game Time: 4:00 PM
Venue: Value City Arena, Columbus, OH
Network: CBS

Ohio State has officially turned things around after a January to forget, but it’s not over. The Buckeyes are most likely locked into the NCAA Tournament no matter what happens the rest of the way, but it can still play itself into a double-round bye in the Big Ten Tournament, and a better seed in the Big Dance if it can finish with a strong finishing kick to the regular season.

But in the OSU’s way is arch-rival Michigan. The Wolverines have had an awfully similar season to what we’ve seen in Columbus, and they too are looking to put a good finishing touch down the stretch to gain some momentum towards the postseason.

Things may not be as hyped up as what we see on the gridiron, but it’s still a big one at the Schott. The games only get bigger from here on out.

Odds via BetMGM. Access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Sunday at 2:00 p.m. ET. 

Next … The Ohio State game plan

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Ohio State basketball gets big resume building win over Maryland

The Ohio State basketball team won a huge Big Ten contest against No. 7 Maryland Sunday.

Ohio State has been two different teams this year, on a couple of notes. There’s the home Buckeye squad and the road OSU team. There’s also been pre-conference Ohio State and in-conference Ohio State. The good one on both accounts showed up Sunday against Maryland in a 79-72 victory.

It all started with what had been the bugaboo for the Buckeyes, turnovers. Ohio State leads the Big Ten in turnovers during conference play, and it’s resulted in an under .500 record in the league coming into this one — especially because of the issues on the road.

Today though, the Buckeyes had just four turnovers in the first half, and only ten for the game. You’d still like it to be a little better in the second stanza, but it wasn’t a landslide of turnovers like we’ve seen before.

But it was more than that. Ohio State got on the boards — outrebounding the Terps 36-27 (13 on the offensive end), shot the ball well from beyond the arc, and played solid defense against a very athletic and skilled Maryland team. It had five players score in double figures. Heck, it even got some unexpected scoring from an unlikely source.

Luther Muhammad led all scorers in the game with 22 points, well above his 6.3 average for the year. He also played solid defense on Terrapin guard Anthony Cowan and had an all-around solid floor game.

Maryland tightened things up in the second half, but Ohio State never let the lead get closer than three points, and at one point knocked down 21-straight free throws to salt this one away.

With the win, Ohio State improves its record to 18-9, 8-8 in the Big Ten. It’s also a huge, quality Quad 1 win to add to an already impressive collection of wins this year. The bottom line is that the Buckeyes just notched one in their belt that almost locks them into the NCAA Tournament, barring an absolute collapse.

 

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With solid half, Ohio State goes into break leading Maryland

Ohio State leads Maryland by seven at the half, and it has its ability to take care of the basketball as the main reason.

The Ohio State basketball team is doing everything it needs in order to play with a talented Maryland team — at least through one half of play. It’s had hot shooting from beyond the arc (8 of 16), has limited turnovers (just four), and is rebounding the basketball well. The result is a 40-33 lead at the break against the nation’s No. 7 ranked team.

Unfortunately for the Buckeyes, games aren’t won over the first twenty minutes. However, as we’ve seen before, they can be lost, and so far Ohio State is looking like a team much more composed and involved in this game.

Surprisingly, Luther Muhammad leads OSU with nine points on 3 of 4 from beyond the arc. Usually a defensive specialist, he has added a much-needed boost from deep. There has been balanced scoring with the Wesson brothers both chipping in eight, and C.J. Walker and Duane Washington both with six points each.

But this game has been about limiting turnovers so far. The Buckeyes lead the Big Ten in turning the ball over in conference play, and that’s normally the area that determines being in the game, or out of it for the scarlet and gray.

Ohio State has shown it can play with anyone if it uses care with the basketball. So far so good, but it still has to take care of things in the second half.

 

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