Bulls looking forward to Big East Play

USF has now matched it’s win total of last year just twelve games into the season. The Bulls also went 2-0 in the Holiday Hoops Classic, something they haven’t done since 2003 when they beat southern Alabama and New Orleans.

The Bulls beat San Francisco on Saturday 69-49 and then turned around and beat San Diego 69-60 today. The Bulls got a well-rounded scoring effort from the starters in both games as they acclimated without Augustus Gilchrist.

Jarrid Famous, Dominique Jones, Chris Howard and Mike Mercer look poised to fill the shoes of the injured Gilchrist during the start of conference play. Gilchrist who’s expected to return late January or early February will be a welcome addition for the last half of the season.

Dominique Jones is averaging 18.6 points and 5.8 rebounds a game. Jarrid Famous has stepped up with the increased minutes and is averaging 10.8 points and 7.5 rebounds. Chris Howard averages 10.0 points and 4.2 assists a game. Mike Mercer’s 6.3 points an 3.5 rebounds a game have come at key times for the Bulls so far this season.

Even without Gilchrist this Bulls team will challenge their upcoming Big East foes with their run and gun style of play. USF has steadily improved it three-point percentage, which currently is 41 percent. The Bulls are shooting 45 percent from the field and 68 percent from the charity stripe.

An area that needs immediate improvement is the Bulls 14 turnovers a game. Dominique Jones is responsible for three of these turnovers himself every game, and also leads the team with 32 on the year. Augustus Gilchrist is second averaging 2.4 turnovers a game and has 25 on the year. Many of these turnovers have come in the second half. The Bulls have turned the ball over more in the second half compared to the first half in all but one game this season.

The Bulls, now 10-2, will begin the tough uphill climb that is Big East conference play. Louisville will host the Bulls on December 30^th at 7pm for their first conference game. It won’t get any easier as the next three games include Notre Dame, Syracuse, and West Virginia.

The Ohio State Buckeyes All Decade Team: 2000-2009 Edition

The Ohio State Buckeyes have had a far better decade during the 2000-2009 years than they did in the 1990-1999 campaigns. This turnaround is mainly due to the increased recruiting ability of Thad Matta over Randy Ayers. Jim Obrein, who’s coaching tenure, spanned both decades brought in both elite talent and NCAA sanctions keeping the Buckeyes out of post-season play in 2005.

Ohio State has NCAA Tournament appearances from 2000-02, 2006-07, and 2009. The Buckeyes’ also made NIT tournament appearances in 2003 and in 2008 when they were crowned NIT Champions. Overall from 2000-2009 the Buckeyes are 169-80 with a .679 winning percentage.

Here’s a look at the starting lineup and the reserves for the Ohio State Buckeyes All Decade Team from 2000-2009.

STARTERS

PG Jamar Butler (2004-08): Butler’s career 1,313 points came from clutch shots when the team needed them most. Butler is Ohio State’s all time leader in assists with 517 total.

SG Michael Redd (97-00): Redd averaged 19.6 points in 2000 and was the leading scorer on the team. He finished with 1879 career points finishing fifth in Buckeye History.

SF Evan Turner (2007-Present): Turner was averaging 17.3 points a game and 7.1 rebounds before breaking vertebra in his back. He has been Ohio States leader scorer the last two seasons and is the only player in Buckeye history to record two triple doubles.

PF Terrance Dials (2002-2006): Dials averaged 11.6 points for his career at OSU and has 1,566 total points. His 875 career rebounds are fifth on the list all time.

C Greg Oden (2007): Oden’s 501 career points finish third in top performances by freshman. He missed a large part of the start of the season with a wrist injury and could have easily broken this record. He averaged 15.7 points 9.6 rebounds and 3.3 blocks in his lone year as a Buckeye.

RESERVES

PG Scoonie Penn (1998-00): Penn teamed with Redd to lead Ohio State to a Final Four appearance that later had to be vacated, but it doesn’t take away from the importance of the players. Penn finished with 1076 career points and a 16.3 points a game average with 4.3 assists a game in 2000.

SG Michael Conley (2007): Conley was part of the “Thad 5” that led OSU to a NCAA Title game showdown with Florida. His 87 steals as a freshman are tops in the record books for the Buckeyes.

SF Brent Darby (2001-03): Darby averaged 11.2 points a game as a Buckeye and has 1384 career points. He led the team in 2004 in assists with 141 and a 4.4 assists a game average.

SF Brian Brown (1998-02):  Brown averaged 10.7 points a game and had 1384 career points during his stint as a Buckeye. He led the team in points, steals and assists in 2001.

 C Ken Johnson (1997-01): Johnson was a defensive presence a twice had 11 blocks in a game, a team record. He also owns the season record and career record for blocks. He led the team in blocks every year he was a Buckeye and averaged 4.4 blocks a game in 2000.

Honorable Mentions:

SG Sean Connolly (2000-03): He was a three-point assassin for the Buckeyes and currently sits third all time in three-point percentage and total made.

SF Daequan Cook (2007): Cook was another member of the “Thad 5” and averaged 10.7 points and 4.5 rebounds in his lone year as a Buckeye. He owns the record for most three-point shots made by a freshman with 54.

The Buckeyes have risen from the fires of probation an mediocrity to become a very competitive team on the college basketball landscape this decade. With Thad Matta at the helm and recruits like Jared Sullinger already committed for 2010 the upward trend looks to continue into the next decade for the Buckeyes.

USF-CMU: Chippewas scalp Bulls without Gilchrist

USF has already shown it desperately misses the services of its star Center Augustus Gilchrist during its 59-56 loss to Central Michigan in the Sun Dome. Gilchrist who is sidelined with an ankle injury will be out for the next six to seven weeks. He is going to be reevaluated over the next month to determine when his exact return will be known. Until then the Bulls will eagerly await his return.

Dominique Jones can only do so much without his partner in crime, and even a 24-point game wasn’t enough to get a win at home against a struggling Chippewa team. Jones was a perfect 8-8 from the charity stripe and shot 7-18 from the field including a 2-5 performance from behind the arc.

Chris Howard was the only other Bull in double figures with 13 points. The rest of the team struggled through both halves shooting 38 percent from the field and 26 percent from three-point range. The Bulls were out rebounded 30-25, most of which happened in the final minuets of the second half as Central Michigan sealed the game giving the Chippewa’s’ a rare road victory.

Robbie Harman led the way for Central Michigan with 14 points and Jordan Bitzer added 12 points as the only other Chippewa in double figures. Central shot 37 percent from the field, but went 40 percent from three-pint range. They dominated the bulls in the paint on both ends. Leading in rebounds, blocks, and steals.

USF (7-2) will have to pick up the pieces before their next game against in state rival UCF (7-2).  The Bulls need to get more bench production along with some scoring from their big men, Jarrid Famous and Toarlyn Fitzpatrick. Both players had five points apiece and were in foul trouble early in the second half. Stan Heath and crew have a long way to go before they will be ready for Big East play with efforts like the one today.

BG-Can: Falcons Shake off Rust in 58-54 win over Golden Griffins

Bowling Green (5-3) shook off the rust as it got back into action against Canisius (4-4) last night. The Falcons held on for a 58-54 win on the Golden Griffins home court after being off for a week during exams.

Dee Brown had 16 point for the Falcons including five free throws within the last thirty seconds to help seal the win. He was the game’s leading scorer but had a supporting cast with Otis Polks 13 points and seven rebounds, and Scott Thomas’s 10 points and eight rebounds.

The Falcons shot 40 percent from the field and 33 percent from behind the arc, both are the lowest percentages they’ve shot in a win this season. Bowling Green led in both rebounding 34-30 and assists 14-11 over Canisius.

The Golden Griffins were led by Julius Coles’s 17 points and six rebounds, Frank Turner chipped in 12 points and 6 assists. No other Canisius player was in double figures. The shooting woes continued against the Falcons, putting up 30 percent from the field and 29 percent from three-point range.

The Falcons will continue their five game road trip as they travel to Detroit (6-3) next Saturday at 3:30pm. Last season Bowling Green rolled the Titans in a 58-38 victory in Bowling Green.

OSU-BUT: Buckeyes Lack of Leadership Evident in Loss to Bulldogs 74-66

Ohio State had a long hard look at how the next eight to ten weeks of its season will be. The Buckeyes struggled without injured Evan Turner on both sides of the court and it was clearly obvious his leadership is sorely missed.

Turnovers and fouls didn’t help the Buckeyes, but shooting 29 percent from three and 49 percent from the field really hurt in the second half. On the game, Ohio State had 11 turnovers to match the three Buckeye starters in foul trouble.

Jon Diebler, a player expected to step in Turner’s absence had seven points. His lack of production was accentuated with a brick late in the second half putting him at 0-5 from the field. He finished 2-7 from the field and 1-4 from three-point range.

David Lighty had a solid game with 16 points and seven rebounds, as did William Buford who added 20 points and seven rebounds. Buford has continued to play well in these last few games and hopefully continues to peak with his increased playing time.

Dallas Lauderdale was and enforcer in the paint, but still gets unnecessary fouls for being too aggressive.  His 12 points and 4 rebounds were a highlight his four personal fouls in the second half were a lowlight.

The point guards, PJ Hill and Jeremie Simmons struggled as well against the stifling Bulldog defense. Simmons had 11 points, but it was after Butler already had the game in hand. Hill on the other hand had a game he’d rather forget with one turnover and no points. Ohio State needs these two to step up and performances like these will hinder the struggling Buckeye offense every time.

Butler had four starters in double figures with Gordon Hayward with 24 points and eight rebounds. The Bulldogs shot 42 percent from the field and 38 percent from behind the arc. They owned several double-digit leads over the Buckeyes in both halves.

Butler is a good team, as is Ohio State, but Butler outplayed them today. Ohio State will continue to struggle until either Diebler, Lighty, or even Buford steps up to be the new team leader. Thad Matta will have his hands full for the rest of the season either way, as it only gets harder once Big Ten play begins in a few weeks. One thing Matta can be proud of is that even in a loosing effort when his team played poorly they never gave up and kept clawing the entire game.

Ohio State (7-2) will try and pick up the pieces against Presbyterian (2-7) on Wednesday at 7:00pm. This should be a perfect time for the Buckeyes to gain some renewed confidence and allow for a easy win in front of the home crowd.

Depth Finder: A Look at the Post-Evan Turner Buckeyes

The Buckeyes were dealt a serious blow last weekend when they lost Evan Turner for eight weeks with a broken back. He was averaging 18.9 points and 11.4 rebounds a game and was having a terrific first half of the season for OSU.

Last year, David Lighty went down with a season ending injury, but this year he’ll be expected to help carry the Buckeyes through a very difficult first half of conference play. So far this season, Lighty has been in Turner’s shadow, but any more it’s his time to shine. This season he’s averaged 11.9 points and 5.2 rebounds.

Jon Diebler will be another Buckeye called upon to step up in the absence of their team leader. The sharpshooter has been shooting 50.2 percent from the field and 52.3 percent from behind the arc this season.  His 17.1 points a game average with 2.6 assists will need to increase, along with Lighty’s, if the Buckeyes are going to keep the pace they’ve set this season.

The point guards have been a bright spot for the Buckeyes this season. PJ Hill and Jeremie Simmons both have played exceptionally well so far. Both will see more time, and that’s a good thing considering the production they’ve shown in the action they’ve seen so far. With the loss of Turner, don’t be surprised to see both on the court together for large parts of the game while the Buckeyes attempt to run and gun.

The bench will also be called upon to increase scoring and defense. Mark Madsen and Nikola Kechman will become key players in rebounding for the Buckeyes, along with starter Dallas Lauderdale.

William Buford could benefit the most from the absence of Turner. His shooting struggles have hindered him this season, but this increase in playing time should help his confidence along with his scoring average. In his last few games he has broken through his shooting woes and had several successful games.

Ohio State, even without Evan Turner, is still a very competitive team and should do well without its star player. Turner should be back in action sometime in late January or early February for the Buckeyes. That will leave several important conference games, along with the Big Ten Tournament and the NCAA Tournament, still to play.

Injuries, Transfers, and Suspensions: USF Begins Early Season Tailspin

USF’s Basketball has had several issues arise this week with out having to even play a game. Their best player this season Augustus Gilchrist is nursing an ankle injury, Jordan Dumars has transferred, and the status of Anthony Crater.

Augustus Gilchrist has arguably been the best player for the Bulls this season and his services will be greatly depended upon during conference play. Unfortunately he won’t be available until late January or early February. This is a huge loss for a program already in turmoil.

Toarlyn Fitzpatrick will replace Gilchrist, but his 18 points and eight rebounds a game will be hard to replace so easily. Jarrid Famous and Dominique Jones will be asked to step up on the scoring and rebounding fronts while Fitzpatrick acclimates himself to his new starting role. “Toarlyn will have to step up.” quoted head coach Stan Heath

If depth problems weren’t already a problem the announcement of Jordan Dumars transfer didn’t help matters. Dumars who played in six of the Bulls eight games cited homesickness as the main reason for transferring. USF has several guards that can step up and take Dumars minuets, but with Jones’s added minuets considering the Gilchrist injury the timing isn’t good for the Bulls or Coach Heath. Heath said of the transfer, “He just wants to be closer to home.”

Anthony Crater’s status with the team is still undetermined at this time. Stan Heath was quoted as saying, “His status will be more defined next week in terms of when he can join our team.”  Crater has failed his second drug test during his short tenure as a Bull, which has led to this indefinite suspension.

During his Wednesday press conference Stan Heath was finally asked about the upcoming opponent for the Bulls in Central Michigan.” They are a very physical basketball team” He said of the Chippewa’s. He was also very optimistic with the status of the team in light to the recent developments. “We have been off to a good start. This is another phase of our season. There are four more games until we start conference play. We need to be progressing towards playing some of our best basketball to get ready for that." Heath stated.

USF will have to continue this uphill battle dealing with transfers, injuries, and possible season ending suspensions. It’s going to be a trying season in what started out very positive for the Bulls who are now 7-1 on the season. They will tip off with Central Michigan (3-5) on Sunday at 2:00pm.

The Terrible 10: College Football's Biggest Disappointments (Dec. 6)

10) Carlos Dunlap DE Florida Gators

Who gets blasted on a Monday night? Carlos, I think one of the biggest games of your career was this weekend, wait you weren’t playing because you’re an idiot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-iV_LhgaJQ&feature=fvsr

9) Mack Brown in the final seconds of the Big 12 Championship Game

Mack did his best impression of Les Miles last night and Colt played with fire in that final second, as the Longhorns lucked out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Mir-il11Gs

8) San Jose State (2-10)

Another successful year for the Spartan football program, considering they managed two wins instead of one this year.

7) Vanderbilt (2-10)

They’re 0-8 in the SEC, with their only wins coming over powerhouses Rice and Western Carolina.  Nice season, Vandy.

6) Ball State (2-10)

The Cardinals finished up by squeaking out a win against Western Michigan.

5) Washington State (1-11)

The once proud Cougars are little more than house cats these days.

4) New Mexico (1-11)

They finished strong by loosing to TCU 51-10.

3) Miami Ohio (1-11)

The Redhawks have finished a dreadful season with their only win being a 31-24 game against Toledo. The bad news for next season is that they scheduled Florida for the first game.

2) Western Kentucky (0-12)

They did all they could to unseat EMU, but in they end they just get edged out, maybe next year guys. 

1) Eastern Michigan (0-12)

EMU is crowned as the first Terrible Ten Champion, and looks to repeat next year as the schedule and roster seems very favorable for them.

The Way I See It: A Look at College Football's Top 25 (Dec. 6)

1. Alabama 13-0

Can the Tide win lucky number 13 in Pasadena?

Next: Texas BCS Title

2. Texas 13-0

Mack Brown what were you doing at the end of that game?

Next: Alabama BCS Title

3. Florida 12-1

I’m not impressed with Cincinnati’s performance, nor TCU’s schedule so the Gators stay ahead of them.

Next:

4. TCU 12-0

They’re waiting to see whom they play in a BCS bowl.

Next: Bowl Game

5. Cincinnati 12-0

They played a sloppy game that almost cost them a BCS bowl.

Next:

6. Boise State 13-0

They got another win over a bad team, now they get to play some talent.

Next: Bowl Game

7. Ohio State 10-2

Can OSU’s Defense shut down the Ducks?

Next: Oregon Rose Bowl

8. Oregon 10-2

The Ducks are the exact opposite of the Buckeyes on offense, this should be a good one.

Next: Ohio State Rose Bowl

9. Iowa 10-2

They won an ugly game and now wait to see if they can get a BCS at large bid.

Next: Bowl Game

10.  Penn State 10-2

The Nittany Lions looked very impressive during their 42-14 win

Next: Bowl Game

11.  Virginia Tech 8-3

The Hokies crushed the Cavaliers after a rough first half.

Next: Bowl Game

12. BYU 9-2

It took an overtime, but they beat Utah and improved bowl positioning.

Next: Bowl Game

13. Georgia Tech 11-2

The Yellow won a wild one in Tampa to become ACC Champions.

Next:

14.  LSU 9-3

The Tigers had better have some offense or this will get ugly.

Next: Bowl Game

15.   Miami 9-3

A bowl victory will go a long way for the Hurricanes preseason ranking next season.

Next: Bowl Game

16. West Virginia 9-3

This is team shows it can be extremely explosive, and will be a tough opponent.

 Next: Bowl Game

17.  Pittsburgh 9-3

They’d be in a BCS bowl if they had some defense in the second half.

Next: Bowl Game

18.    Nebraska 9-4

The Huskers Black Shirt D is back and not to be underestimated.

Next: Bowl Game

19.  Utah 9-3

If the Mountain West wants some respects it’d better show up this bowl season

Next: Bowl Game

20.    Oklahoma State 9-3

The Cowboys can end on a high note after a rocky 2009 season.

Next: Bowl Game

21.    Stanford 8-4

The Pac 10 did very well last year in the bowls, that trend might continue this year as well.

Next: Bowl Game

22.  USC 8-4

Who would have thought USC wouldn’t be in a BCS bowl this year.

Next: Bowl

23.  California 8-4

The Bears will need all the help they can get in this game.

Next: Bowl Game

24. Houston 10-3

The Cougars couldn’t even win Conference USA this year, being bested by ECU.

Next: Bowl Game

25.  Wisconsin 9-3

Wisconsin’s running game will be tough to stop even for an SEC defense.

Next: Bowl Game

Here's a look at the Terrible 10:

The Way I See It: The Big East's Power Rankings (Dec 6.)

Over the next few weeks the Big East will begin to separate as the cream rises to the top and the duds sink like the bricks they put up every game. There’s still some very interesting nonconference games left before conference play beings so stay tuned Big East fans it’s going to be another wild ride.

1.) Syracuse (8-0):

They get a shot at the No. 17 Florida Gators this week.

2.) Villanova (7-0):

The Wildcats are dealing with some depth issues right now.

3.) West Virginia (5-0):

The Mountaineers enjoyed a few days off this week.

4.) Cincinnati (5-1):

The Bearcats have their eyes on the upcoming Xavier game this week.

5.) Connecticut (6-1):

The Huskies just managed to squeak by Harvard this week.

6.) Georgetown (6-0):

Butler will be a good test this week for the Hoyas.

7.) Pittsburgh (7-1):

The Panthers needed an overtime to get past an average Duquesne team.

8.) Notre Dame (8-1):

The Irish get two more cupcakes before taking on UCLA.

9.) South Florida (7-1):

The Bulls seems to have more off court issues than on court issues this season.

10.) Louisville (5-2):

Loosing to Charlotte really put them behind the eight ball.

11.) Marquette (6-2):

The Golden Eagles are currently in a two game loosing streak, both against ACC teams.

12.) St. Johns (6-1):

They played Duke tough, but still came up short.

13.) Seton Hall (6-0):

We really wont know how good this Pirate team is until conference play.

14.) Rutgers (5-2):

For Rutgers’s Standards it got two solid wins this week

15.) DePaul (5-2):

They got beat soundly by Vanderbilt this week

16.) Providence (5-3):

This is going to be a long season for the Friars

Ohio State Sets Scoring Record, but loses Turner in win over EMU

hio State (7-1) cruised to a 111-60 victory over Eastern Michigan (5-3), going over the century mark for the third time this season.  Jon Diebler led the way for the Buckeyes with 21 points. He was one of the five Buckeyes in double figures.

Noticeably absent was Evan Turner who landed awkwardly on his back after a dunk in the first half. Has was taken to University Medical Center for x-rays and his status is unknown at this time.

Ohio State didn’t need its leader today however, tickling the twine at a rate of 63 percent including the 55 percent from behind the arc. The Buckeyes also out rebounded the Eagles 32-25 and had the turnover advantage with 24 to the Buckeyes 10.

Brandon Bowdry was the lone bright spot for the Eagles with 24 points and 10 rebounds. The Eagles shot 43 percent and 28 from three-point range.  They we’re outscored 62-25 in the first half but managed to keep it closer in the second half scoring 35 to the Buckeyes 49.

PJ Hill had 18 points and Jeremie Simmons had 17 as Ohio State continues to get excellent production out of their dual point guard threat. PJ Hill was noticeable absent from the Florida State game but made sure he was noticed today as he split time with Simmons.

William Buford finally found his groove with 16 points after struggling most of the season. He was the Big Ten Rookie of the year last year, but has been in a sophomore slum until today.

The largest crowd reaction in the second half was when Mark Titus came in with two minuets left in the game. He has become a crowd favorite with his blog Club Trillion.

Ohio State set a building record today scoring 111 points, breaking the old record of 110. Ohio State will take on No. 21 Butler (5-2) next Saturday at Noon. This will be the Buckeyes last road test before taking on Wisconsin for the start of conference play.

Buckeyes Clinch Big Ten/ACC Challenge Championship for the Conference

Ohio State has had a rough history lately in the Big Ten/ACC challenge, but that all changed last night with it’s 77-64 victory over Florida State. The Buckeyes have had to play North Carolina the last two seasons in the challenge, but got that hurdle out of the way a few weeks ago in Madison Square Garden.

They once again lost to the Tar Heels, and it looked like they would once again struggle in the upcoming game with Florida State in the challenge.

Evan Turner proved the critics wrong once again last night during his 25 point 13 rebound double double, showing the nation that Ohio State shouldn’t be underestimated. Sharpshooter Jon Diebler gunned down 22 points several coming off Turner’s assists.

Jeremie Simmons chipped in 14 points off the bench and was the only other Buckeye in double figures.

Soloman Alabi had 21 points for the Seminoles and was aided by Derwin Kitchen’s 12 points and Michael Snaer’s 10 points. The Seminoles shot 41 percent, but had 20 turnovers that eventually doomed any chance of a second half comeback. Once again, Ohio State proved itself as the nation’s leader in defense.

The Big Ten clinched the championship with OSU’s win over Florida State with a record of 6-5 over the ACC. The players weren’t focused on the challenge fore league supremacy, but more on the challenge on the court in the form of the Seminoles.

“We didn’t really focus on the showdown between conferences; we just wanted to close out our game.” Diebler said when interviewed in the post game press conference.

Even Thad Matta was reserved about winning the challenge and focused on another impressive stat for the Buckeyes. “I’m proud of our guys that on Dec. 2 we’ve played three teams ranked in the Top 25.” The Schedule doesn’t get any easier for the Buckeyes who still have No. 20 butler on the schedule before begging a grueling start to Big Ten play.

Ohio State (6-1) will get back into action on Saturday against Eastern Michigan (5-2) at noon.