Tag: ohio state basketball

Ohio Against The World: Buckeye hoops joins football on exclusive list

The Ohio State Buckeyes made history Monday, with both football and basketball ranked nationally in the Top 3

Monday, it was announced that the Ohio State men’s basketball team moved up to No. 2 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, after blowing past then No. 7 North Carolina in Chapel Hill and a feisty Penn State squad in Columbus.

At 9-0 overall and 1-0 in conference play, Christ Holtmann’s bunch has joined Ryan Day’s football team in the Top 2, just six weeks into the rankings.

The Buckeyes began the season ranked No. 16 in the nation with just 280 votes, but quickly climbed their way into the Top 10, then the Top 6 and now the Top 2 at 717 votes.

Not only is Ohio State the top-ranked team in the Big Ten for football and basketball, but also the most impressive program since 2015. What are we referring to here you may ask?

Michigan State was the last program to hold a Top 5 spot in both the AP and USA TODAY polls at the same time for each sport, all the way back in 2015.

For reference, the Buckeyes are No. 2 in football and No. 3 in this week’s basketball AP Poll. Meanwhile, the Spartans were ranked No. 3, fresh off a conference championship win over Iowa on the gridiron and ranked No. 1 on the court by December 7th, 2015.

As impressive as Michigan State’s feat was, the Buckeyes have already upped it, winning a conference championship of their own, while going undefeated and ranking in the Top 3 for both sports in each poll.

Now, we know what you’re probably thinking. The last time the Buckeyes were this good in their highest revenue sports, they lost two national championship games to Florida in the same athletic year.

No need to worry, every other program in the College Football Playoff is unranked in basketball at the moment and far from a championship contender right now. In addition, the Buckeyes are the fourth team to win two games over AP Top 10 teams by 20+ points in a regular season. The previous three went on to cut down the nets, and oh by the way, it’s only December.

That 2006-07 Florida program we mentioned above? The Gators were ranked No. 2 in football and No. 7 in basketball after the 2006 SEC Championship Game. So yeah, one could say the Buckeyes are on pace to do big things.

Even whackier? Florida and Ohio State’s next football game in 2006-07 was in Phoenix at the Fiesta Bowl (Championship) and the basketball Final Four was in Atlanta.

You might want to go ahead and book those flights and hotels for New Orleans and Atlanta, but remember, you didn’t hear it from us.

As great as it is in Columbus right now, the future looks even brighter.

(Ok, we’re probably getting ahead of ourselves here, but…. No. 2 in football, No. 2/3 in hoops, reigning Big Ten Tournament Champions in baseball, No. 7 in wrestling, No. 6 in hockey… Geesh) 

What a time to be a Buckeye.

Ohio State basketball beats Penn State: 3 Things we learned

Ohio State welcomed Big Ten foe Penn State to the Schott and routed the Nittany Lions. Here’s three things we learned.

Let down. What let down? Ohio State came back from an impressive beat down of North Carolina earlier this week and had to welcome in a good Penn State team for its first conference game of the year.

It took a minute to get in sync, but once the Buckeyes did, they put on a clinic for the ages. The shots were falling, the defense was making stops, and Ohio State showed it can play a fast-paced game as a part of what it has in its tool chest as well.

This team is surprising everyone with blowing the roof off the expectations coming into the year, and who knows what the future holds. One thing is certain, the sky appears to be the limit.

Here’s three things we learned about the 106-74 blow out of the Penn State Nittany Lions.

Next … Weapons loaded

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Ohio State basketball beats North Carolina: 3 Things we learned

Ohio State rolled into Chapel Hill and put on a display that’s going to turn heads. Here’s three things we learned.

There’s no doubt Ohio State thought it had its toughest test of the year in 2019 Wednesday night. It traveled to play one of the blue bloods in the sport in a hostile environment against a very athletic team.

North Carolina might still be trying to find itself a little bit early on in the year, but it was still a good test to go against a team that offers so many challenges across the board.

In the end, it was a great resume building blowout win of a Power five basketball power, and one that went a totally different direction than anyone thought. It was blowout city — a 74-49 victory.

Here’s three things we learned.

Next … Turnovers have to get better

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Ohio State vs. North Carolina 2019 basketball game preview and prediction

Ohio State is all set to take on a top ten ranked North Carolina team in the Dean Dome. Here’s our preview and prediction for the game.

The Ohio State basketball team has had a fantastic start to the 2019 season. It sits undefeated at 7-0 with wins over Cincinnati and Villanova and now sits in the top ten of the AP Poll, moving all the way up to No. 6 after the latest release.

But now it gets real.

It’s time for the annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge and the Buckeyes are tasked with traveling to Chapel Hill to take on one of the blue bloods of the sport, the North Carolina Tar Heels.

UNC lost one game already to Michigan, but still figures to be in the running for big things as usual in 2019. It’ll be a tall task to be a deep and talented Tar Heel team in their building, but this team seems to be coming together. A win would be yet another resume builder early in the season.

Records

Ohio State 7-0,  North Carolina 6-1

All-time series record

11-1 North Carolina leads

Last meeting

North Carolina won 86-72 in 2017

Broadcast, TV, Game Time

Date: Wednesday, December 4
Game Time: 9:30 PM
Venue: Dean Smith Center, Chapel Hill, NC
Network: ESPN

Ohio State has looked fantastic to start the season, but it gets a real test on Wednesday. North Carolina is comfortable running up and down the court and going deep into the bench — especially at home.

Ohio State is a deep team too, but this will be the most hostile environment it has faced on the young season. Can the Buckeyes continue its forward momentum and pull off the mild upset on the road, or will the Tar Heels continue to own this series and remind Ohio State that’s its simply not in the same category as the bluest of blue bloods?

Next … The Ohio State Game Plan

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Buckeyes Wire has a forum now! Join in.

We now have a message board at Buckeyes Wire. Join in on the fun.

You’ve been following us for awhile now (hopefully), and I’m sure you’ve wanted to debate certain things that are out there, or just start a conversation about anything related to Ohio State. Well, we have good news for you then.

Buckeyes Wire now has a message board for fans to gather, discuss, debate, or just flat out make fun of Michigan. You can get in on the action by going to the Buckeyes Wire message board and signing up to start dropping your knowledge on any and everyone that needs to know about what’s been swimming around in that head of yours.

It’s live now. You’ll see our most recent articles linked to the site and you can comment on current topics or create your own.

So what are you waiting for? Sign up, share and impress others with your knowledge today. Or, take some time to revel in That Team Up North’s struggles.

Ohio State basketball climbs in latest AP Poll, but how high?

Ohio State has made a further climb towards the top in the latest AP Top 25 Basketball Poll.

The Ohio State basketball team is getting ready for a Lord of the Rings journey to the Dean Dome in Chapel Hill, North Carolina to take on the Tar Heels. But first, it’s basking in the glow of its new ranking in the AP Top 25 Basketball Poll that was just released.

The Buckeyes remain undefeated at 7-0 and have two already impressive wins over Cincinnati and Villanova. It has yet to really be challenged.

As a result, the AP voters have taken note and moved the Buckeyes all the way up to just outside the top five at No. 6.

Ahead of Ohio State is Louisville (1), Kansas (2), Maryland (3), Michigan (4), and Virginia (5). North Carolina, Kentucky, Gonzaga, and Duke round out the top ten.

The Big Ten and ACC both have four teams inside the top eleven just before the annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge kicks off this week. No other Big Ten team is currently ranked aside from the very top-heavy four already mentioned.

Here’s the complete top 25:

1. Louisville
2. Kansas
3. Maryland
4. Michigan
5. Virginia
6. Ohio State
7. North Carolina
8. Kentucky
9. Gonzaga
10. Duke
11. Michigan State
12. Arizona
13. Oregon
14. Auburn
15. Memphis
16. Seton Hall
17. Florida State
18. Baylor
19. Dayton
20. Colorado
21. Tennessee
22. Washington
23. Villanova
24. Butler
25. Utah State

Ohio State takes on North Carolina Wednesday night 9:30 PM.

Ohio State basketball stays undefeated by beating Purdue Fort Wayne

The Ohio State basketball team crushed the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons to improve to 5-0 Friday night.

The Ohio State basketball team put it on the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons Friday night 85-46 to run its record to 5-0.

The scoring started early and continued right throughout with a lot of Buckeyes getting in on the act as head coach Chris Holtmann emptied the bench in the second half.

Purdue Fort Wayne began the game with some decent shooting of its own to keep things tight in the first few minutes, but the floodgates opened up soon enough. Ohio State went into the break up 42-25 and never looked back.

Junior forward Kaleb Wesson led the Buckeyes with 15 points and 7 rebounds on 4-9 shooting. Freshman point guard D.J. Carton chipped in 13 points and had a couple of highlight reel plays once again. C.J. walker was the only other Buckeye in double figures with 11 points, but 11 of 13 Ohio State players got in the scoring column.

Senior guard Marcus Deberry led the Mastodons with 16 points.

The Buckeyes will next be in action Monday against the Kent State.

ESPN’s basketball analytics is underrating Ohio State, too

ESPN’s BPI does not yet think Ohio State is one of the best teams in the country. That will change soon.

The Ohio State Buckeyes have opened the men’s basketball season in impressive fashion. The Buckeyes are 4-0, and have a notable blowout win over Villanova. That win propelled the Buckeyes into the Top 10 of the major rankings.

Much like in football, though, ESPN’s analytics are slow to catch up.

Much talk was made this football season, especially early, about where FPI ranked the Buckeyes. I explained, multiple times, that it had a very reasonable explanation. Justin Fields and Ryan Day were unproven, and therefore there were a lot of potential variance in how the season would go. As Ohio State performed well, FPI reverted to the top-end possibilities, and now Ohio State is setting records in FPI.

The exact same is true in basketball. ESPN’s BPI ratings currently put Ohio State at No. 21, with a projected record of about 21-10. The reason for this is clear, though. The Buckeyes have two good wins (which is why BPI’s resume has the Buckeyes at No. 6), but the overall SOS is No. 144 so far, while the remaining SOS is ranked No. 28.

BPI has not yet had the chance to learn to trust Ohio State. The Buckeyes played two great games, but were still unproven coming into the season. Much like FPI, BPI simulates games and seasons to get a bearing on teams. Ohio State’s simulations had high-end and low-end estimates. The Buckeyes are clearly performing at (or above) the high-end estimates so far. However, with so many new faces in key spots (and old faces that were very good but not elite in previous years), it makes sense that BPI still has the low-end possibilities dragging Ohio State’s ranking down.

As Ohio State keeps impressing–and overperforming its BPI estimates (something the Buckeyes have done in all four games so far this year)–that BPI number will skyrocket. Just how high is the limit will take time to tell. We might even have to wait for the December trip to Chapel Hill to face North Carolina in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge.

Ohio State currently has four of its athletic teams in the top 10 rankings nationally

Ohio State has a large and highly successful athletic department. It’s flexing its muscle with four teams currently ranked in the top ten.

It’s good to be great at one sport, especially when that sport brings in revenue to support some of the other non-traditional money generating ones. It’s even better to have an athletic program that can compete at a high level across multiple sports.

And that’s just what we’ve seen from Ohio State over the years. It is historically good in football and basketball, but it’s one of the best all-around athletic departments out there for its ability to be a national player in multiple sports.

That takes us to today. As it stands right now, the Buckeyes are a top ten squad in four different sports. You of course know about football where they are currently ranked as the College Football Playoff Committee’s No. 2 team.. You also likely know that the men’s basketball team has just entered the top ten in both the Associated Press and USA TODAY Polls.

However, that’s not all. The wrestling team checks in at No. 6, and the women’s hockey team is off to a great start and currently ranked No. 7. See the graphic below shared by the official Twitter feed of the Ohio State Buckeyes and feel free to beat your chest a little and rub it in to other programs not so fortunate.

Wouldn’t it be great if this trend continued and Ohio State ends up competing for some pretty special things nationally in all four?

Ohio State basketball beats Stetson: 3 Things we learned

Ohio State decimated an overmatched Stetson squad. Here’s three things we learned from the action.

It wasn’t expected to be much of a test, but some of these early non-conference games are invaluable opportunities to get some of the young guys playing time. It also provides a chance to further cement roles and the culture of a team still trying to figure itself out.

Ohio State did that and then some Monday night against Stetson, winning easily and thoroughly by a score of 86-51. There will ultimately be bigger fish to fry for this Buckeye squad, but there’s still plenty to learn and observe anytime the bright lights go on.

As we do after every Ohio State basketball game, we give you three things that stood out.

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Next … D.J. Carton’s athletic ability

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