Ohio St

Cheerleader of the Day: Ohio State #2

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 06:00:15 -0700

Cheerleader of the Day

Thanks to our friends over at Icon Sports Media, we have access to thousands of great college & NBA basketball photos to use on the site. Each day, along with our Picture of the Day, we'll be featuring a Cheerleader of the Day. After a brief mid-summer run of NBA dancers, we're back with college girls..

Ohio State: Archived

- Check out past Cheerleaders of the Day!

- Also check out the Picture of the Day!

Rise and Fall: Big Ten Program Review

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 19:54:32 -0700

Like civilizations, all great basketball programs eventually fall.. replaced by an upstart newcomer. In this week's Rise & Fall series, we'll take a look at which BCS programs are rising, falling, or merely treading water. Up today, the:

BIG TEN

ILLINOIS - DECLINING (SLOWLY )

From a sky-high RPI of 2 in 2005, its been all downhill to 103rd last year. Another blah season should be expected as Pruitt & Randle depart, and there's no real incoming class to speak of. Its not all bad though, as the Illini have some serious talent lined up for 2009 (and 2010 if Crandall Head continues his speedy development).. but in the meantime, another sub-.500 conference record should be expected.

INDIANA - DECLINING (QUICKLY)

Not much to say here. Y'all know the Hoosiers situation as well as I do. If you want a good laugh, head over to IUHoosiers.com to check out their roster for 08-09..

IOWA - DECLINING (QUICKLY)

While the Illini's drop from 2 to 103 looks bad, how about Iowa's tumble from 7th to 193rd in just three seasons. The transfer of Tony Freeman to SIU was just one of many recent blows, and its going to take awhile to turn this ship around. Players like Cole, Tate, and Kelly are alright talents who should improve, but "alrights" won't get it done in the Big Ten. And while this year's deep recruiting class looks promising on paper, it lacks that one wow talent that can get things rolling along quickly. Todd Lickliter deserves patience to turn things around, but 2010 is the earliest any real results should be expected.

MICHIGAN - STATUS QUO

Michigan hasn't really been good since before this website even existed. Last year's horrendous season was an aberration against a long line of mediocre NIT-level teams. Now that talents like Harris, Sims, and Grady are a year older.. getting back to that 70ish RPI, fringe-NIT team range is probable (though losing Udoh was a blow since he had serious potential.) Luckily for John Beilein, half the conference is in rebuilding mode, so the current mediocrity will fit right in.

MINNESOTA - RISING (SLOWLY)

Tubby Smith never got the credit he deserves, but he might finally get that credit in a few years if Minnesota improves as expected (or at least as I expect). While last year's 20-win season is a bit misleading because the Gophers barely beat any top-150 teams.. there's definitely some positive momentum brewing. This year's recruiting haul is better than recent seasons, and local product Royce White joins the program in 2009.

MICHIGAN STATE - STATUS QUO

While there haven't been any remarkable MSU teams in recent seasons, Tom Izzo has still been churning out Top 25 clubs. This year's crew could be the best since 2001 (not even taking the welcome additions of Roe and Lucious into account), as it has legitimate Elite Eight potential. Neitzel's impressive career is over, but he handed over the torch to the new era early in his senior season.

NORTHWESTERN - STATUS QUO

If anything, the program is somehow on the downwards turn as last year's 7-22 debacle was an embarrassment to major-conference basketball. (I guess not on the level of Oregon State though..) This year's recruiting class, mediocre by usual Big Ten standards, is actually the Wildcats best of the new millennium. The problem is that serious improvement, ie a 20 win season, might not come until the next millennium..

OHIO STATE - RISING (SLOWLY)

After hyper-speed, supersonic growth in 2006 & 2007, the Buckeyes are back to your normal garden-variety type of improvement. An underrate senior (Butler), and an overrated freshman (Koufous) depart, clearing the way for another monster recruiting class. If Mullens and/or Buford go pro after next season, major gains could once again be retarded.

PENN STATE - STATUS QUO

A program perpetually on the verge of getting decent, but who never manages to put it all together. The Lions have easily been the worst program in the Big Ten for the last 8-9 seasons or so.. occasionally managing to make Northwestern look like All-Stars.

PURDUE - RISING (QUICKLY)

Last year's big national surprise should once again be good.. but I'm not sure if the Boilers will be that much better. The Big Ten was simply bad last year and Purdue feasted on a lot of struggling teams that will be better this time around. In fact, the 25 wins only yielded a mediocre RPI of 45 (though an AP ranking of 20th). So while the computer ranking should jump into the high 20's, it might not be the super-breakthrough many fans are expecting. The loss of Scott Martin to ND was a small crack in the armor, and this year's class doesn't add much to the mix. Still, you can't argue that things are heading in the right direction.

WISCONSIN - STATUS QUO

Bo Ryan is consistently the most underrated coach in the country, and last year's surprise 31 win season was just another in a long string of good years. Losing Brian Butch, who came up clutch in some late-season wins, hurts.. but its nothing that won't be overcome. There's no reason to expect anything less than the now expected push for the Big Ten title.. right there with Michigan State.

- up next is the Pac-10 -

Siegel's Take: 2008 Center Analysis

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 11:37:56 -0700

This is the last of five Siegel's Take articles analyzing the 2008 NBA Draft prospects. Today's focus is surprisingly solid set of big men.

As I say every year, its important to note that I'm not as kind as most Draft analysts out there. The reality of the NBA Draft is that only a few guys will be stars, a handful more will be starters, a dozen guys will be career reserves, and the rest will all fizzle into nothingness within a couple of seasons.

On with the fun. Players are ranked by their NBA potential:

1) Brook Lopez - C - Stanford - Lopez was everything Cardinal fans hoped for in his second go-around, scoring with ease and improving on the defensive end. The issue is whether that inside scoring ability will translate to the NBA, where he loses the great size advantage and will be overmatched physically at times. To his credit, Lopez got bigger and stronger last year, and does a great job using his size to finish in the post. Despite the associated assumption of Stanford intelligence, Lopez isn't necessarily the smartest ballplayer or creative ballplayer. Defensively, though Robin gets the plaudits, Lopez shouldn't be a major detriment. While he'll never be an all-star, the sophomore has the best overall package of size, athleticism, rebounding, and scoring ability of any big.

2) Kevin Love - C - UCLA - I'm going to keep it somewhat short on Love, because he's a player that most college basketball fans saw repeatedly. Still, I think he's an underrated talent and that the worries about his lack of athleticism are overdone. It seems though that front-offices are beginning to agree, as he seems to be picking up some good momentum. Outside of Beasley, Mayo, Bayless, and Danilo Gallinari, Love might be the best offensive talent in the Draft.

3) Kosta Koufos - C - Ohio State - In the final weeks of the season, Koufos finally showed signs of stardom after a long string of middling performances. The best word to describe Koufos is finesse as he plays without force. The problem though is that this is not merely a lack of athletic explosion, but a lack of emotional spark or passion. If Aaron Gray can average 10 mpg as a rookie, then Koufos can definitely find his way as a long-time reserve in the league.

4) Alexis Ajinca - C - HTV - Going purely on hearsay, Ajinca intrigues me. He basically seems to be the International version of DeAndre Jordan, a crazy long (7'9" wingspan) and solid athlete that has yet to put it together. Ajinca isn't nearly as strong and thick as Jordan by comparison, but he's longer and more athletic. Honestly, who knows?

5) Marreese Speights - PF/C - Florida - Speights has been generating some good buzz in recent weeks due to some good workouts and measurements. The one measurement that worries you is his height, because his size is more suited to being a power forward. But I've lumped him into the Center ranking because it matches his offensive skill set. After blossoming in his sophomore season, Speights showed off decent post moves and an ever-improving jumper. The success of Al Horford, with the Gator pedigree and similar frame, will only add to his growing rep.

6) DeAndre Jordan - PF/C - Texas A&M - Its amazing Jordan is still considered to be a Top 20 pick considering just how useless his freshman season was. While he showed some promise against lesser competition, he was virtually nonexistent in Big 12 play. While the offensive woes aren't terribly surprising, its worrisome that he's not a good one on one defender yet. If you're overmatched by Oklahoma, I'm not sure how you'll cut it as a pro. Like Ajinca, he has the length of an airplane, as well as a mature frame, but it will take a couple years for him to develop.

7) Robin Lopez - C - Stanford - The less talented Lopez is either underrated or overrated depending on who you ask. Some feel that his defensive prowess is overrated, and that he's hopelessly inept on the offensive end. Others see him as a raw talent akin to the European prospects, who improved substantially in the past year and would be more highly rated if not for his older brother's shadows. I tend to fall in the latter camp, who can't help but be intrigued by a mobile 7-footer with length, that can block shots, and has improved every year.

8) Roy Hibbert - C - Georgetown - I've never been a huge fan of Hibbert, and nothing changed after a solid but unspectacular senior season. There will no doubt be a place on the end of someone's bench for a sure-handed good guy with a 7'2" frame, but I never see him being anything more than a career reserve. For the 8th best center that's not a bad thing, but he lacks the starting potential of other guys higher on this list.

9) Joey Dorsey - PF/C - Memphis - You never hear much about Dorsey in Draft circles, because he's ancient (24), undersized (6'9"), and has virtually no offensive game. Still, he's a presence blocking shots, especially from the weak side, and could find a place in the league now that zone has taken over.

10) DeVon Hardin - PF/C - California - Last year, I had Hardin 8th in my Center rankings before he withdrew. A year later, and there's been virtually no improvement on his part. He's basically the same intriguing body and athlete that he was then, just a year older. If Hardin was 18 or 19, he'd be a legit top 20 pick, but now there's little reason to think he'd be a productive pro.

Summary: I don't see any future all-stars in this group, and its conceivable that not one of these guys ever even makes it as a long-time starter. Still, there's also a lot of solid reserves and role players in this mix and Hardin is a better prospect than the #10's at other positions.

Last Year's Siegel's Take - SF Ranking
1) Greg Oden
2) Spencer Hawes
3) Tiago Splitter
4) Ante Tomic
5) Sean Williams
6) Aaron Gray
7) Marc Gasol
8) DeVon Hardin
9) Stanko Barac
10) Kyle Visser

Unsubstantiated Speculation: NBA Draft Links & Rumors

Jason Tomassini — Tue, 27 May 2008 09:19:59 -0700

Nothing about the NBA Draft makes any sense. GMs intentionally lie about who they want to confuse the rest of the league, agents pull players out of workouts to manipulate their value and the Milwaukee Bucks continue to pretend they are trying to win. Mock drafts are always way off, the rumored trades never go down and the ones that do are always out of left field. There is no rhyme. There is no reason. And that is exactly why it is so great. Sports fans love to speculate, and the NBA Draft is 90 percent speculatastic. So in an exercise of almost certain futility, I bring you Unsubstantiated Speculation, a column containing all the relevant, completely false draft news links from around the Intertubes. Look for this once or twice a week leading up to the draft. Believe nothing.

Beasley/Rose
- Chad Ford looks at the Rose/Beasley pick, which is somewhat uninforming. I think Ford is great but I have a BIG problem with him continuously questioning Beasley's character and depicting Rose as squeaky clean. He has never backed up his questioning of Beasley besides that "he ran into trouble from time to time with practical jokes, pranks and general troublemaking," which is wildly vague and mildly defamatory. Both Rose and Beasley had very shady recruitments (Beasley with the Huggins thing, Rose with the Worldwide Wes thing) but neither had academic or legal troubles in college or high school. So based on, you know, actually important factors, it still remains a difficult decision. I think as a player Beasley should be the pick, but maybe there is a vagrant he killed that only Chad Ford knows about.

- For what it's worth, Bulls GM John Paxson has said it will be Rose or Beasley. Obviously not a surprise.

-This guy, who might be an idiot, thinks Rose.

- This was a pretty interesting piece from the Chicago Tribune where the reporter, KC Johnson, spoke with Blazers GM Kevin Pritchard and Magic GM Otis Smith about selecting first. There's a very good chance Smith only still has his job because he picked Dwight Howard over Emeka Okafor (the guy did pay Rashard Lewis 8 gillion dollars) and Pritchard still gets an "incomplete" on his. Obviously Paxson cannot blow this (and it's going to be very difficult to blow it). By the way, this KC Johnson fella appears to be the go-to reporter for the draft this year, much like John Canzano of The Oregonian was last year. In this notes column, he has the scoop on Avery Johnson possibly being the next Bulls' coach. Let me go on record and say that would be a disaster for both Chicago and Derrick Rose, who I bet Avery would pick. Avery is exactly like Scott Skiles, except more Katt Williams-ish.

- NBADraft.net's Aran Smith has Rose No. 1 in this mock draft but that's not the real news. No, the real news is that -- and I'm not sure how this is relevant to anything ever -- that Michael Jordan's Marcus and Rose are dating Chicago-area twins. I do not want to know how Smith obtained this info, but man that guy is good at his job.

- Everyone in Chicago has an opinion on this, including this Sun Times blogger, who is promptly assaulted in the comments section.

ESPN Coverage
- Let's knock out all the ESPN.com items now because ESPN has already done a great job covering the draft this year (yes, I said it).

Within the same Chad Ford Beasley/Rose thing from before, he suspects DeAndre Jordan has received a top five promise because his agent has declined some workouts or something. This is exactly the type of blind speculation I live for. And drafting DeAndre Jordan in the top five is exactly the type of thing that gets a GM fired. Which is coincidentally exactly the type of thing Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace thrives at.

- Here are a bunch of draft-related videos they have up there. Important things within: Kevin Love is no longer fat and has been hitting NBA threes and should be moving up draft boards; Bill Walker will stay in the draft is he thinks he is a first-rounder; Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni played with Danilo Gallinari's dad, meanwhile, Isiah Thomas likes spaghetti; OJ Mayo will never say anything interesting again; Marrese Speights and Joe Alexander look much better in workouts than in college.

- Ford takes a look at Walker, Brandon Rush, CDR and Jeremy Pargo at the A.T.T.A.C.K. gym in Chicago. He also loves Joe Alexander, which concerns me. Alexander seems exactly like the type of guy that looks way too good in individual workouts. And he thinks Chase Budinger is a lottery pick, which concerns me for many of the same reasons. (by the way, Chad Ford has roughly 36 players in his lottery.)

- JaVale McGee is the son of a WNBA player, which could not be more perfect. NEVER draft a skinny big man who was birthed from a WNBA player. I believe Red Auerbach first formed that rule.

- Gene Wojciechowski continues to write about controversial topics and a nation continues to be indifferent.

- Good to see Dana O'Neill is still writing even with the college hoops season over. She turns in another good piece on one-and-doners for next year.

Other Things Besides The Already-Redundant No. 1 Pick Debate
- Here is the first list of guys who will be at the Orlando Pre-Draft camp next week... but only to be interviewed.

- Memphis' Antonio Anderson has decided to go back to school, before participating in the draft process at all. I'm pretty convinced Anderson just declared for the draft to get out of Coach Cal's spring practice, headed to Cancun and then withdrew when he got back. Genius.

- Jerel McNeal is going back to Marquette, which is smart, but disappointing. I think McNeal can be a pro with his defense and athleticism. So what if he is a bit undersized and can't shoot, you only need to do one thing well to find a spot as a role player in the NBA (see: Varejao, Anderson).

- Josh Carter going back to Texas A&M, Alonzo Gee back to Alabama. That didn't take long.

- It appears Marrese Speights will stick in the draft, which is good news for teams in the 10-20 range who need a really good power forward. Apparently Speights has slimmed down and is routinely knocking down 18-foot jumpers. I think I'd rather have him than Joakim Noah at this point. Although Noah does bring other qualities to the table.

- Here's a good feature on Ryan Anderson, who I feel is being underrated by all the draft pundits. The guy is 6-10 and can score like crazy. And while he cannot guard anybody, neither can many NBA forwards. Again, the way role players work in the NBA (and all but about 6 or 7 players in this draft will basically be role players) is you fill a certain need for a team. Look athe Lakers, Jordan Farmar plays defense and hits open shots, VladRad shoots, Turiaf rebounds and acts like a crazy person, Vujacic shoots, defends and annoys people, Luke Walton passes and shoots. All of those guys were late picks that are incredibly effective in their specific role. And since there aren't going to be all-around studs around in the 20s, you might as well take a guy who can score off the bench and spot up on the perimeter like Anderson, defense be damned. He's only gonna play 20 minutes a game, tops, anyway... OR, just take Bill Walker or something.

- Speaking of Anderson, the blogger at BMac's Blog (presumably BMac himself) agrees with me, writing that Anderson's biggest draft flaw is not being European.

- Great interview from the great DraftExpress with CDR, who doesn't appear to be entertaining any idea of going back to school. (by the way, for everything you need on the draft, just go to DraftExpress, they are outstanding... but, uh, still read this site! hehe). With his handling, size and defensive ability, the first up-tempo team outside the top 10 should really consider taking CDR. Golden State at No. 14 would be crazy to pass on him.

- This Portland Tribune writer thinks the Blazers should trade the No. 13 pick (and so do I). With Oden coming in and Spaniard Rudy Fernandez coming over, Portland already has a full rotation of promising young guys. If they can turn the pick and one of the young guys for a solid point guard (Andre Miller, TJ Ford/Jose Calderon, Andre Miller), they should be a legit playoff team next year. Although, this guy thinks with a good number of lottery teams looking to trade (he cites "reports" on this, but that's a bit vague), the Blazers might get more talent by just keeping the pick. They need a shooter and unless Eric Gordon falls to No.13, there are really any shooters worth taking there.

- Some guy in Minnesota wants the T'Wolves to trade the pick because they suck at drafting players. Little does this man know, the Wolves are also very bad at trading for players. He claims there are no stars at No. 3, to which I ask: Why would a team trade you a star for a pick that cannot be used on one? Ugh, just take Mayo or Lopez.

- Here's a decent scouting report on Kosta Koufos except the writer says Koufos is soft because he is polite to people and that Daequan Cook is a prime example of self-assurance. I realize Cook was decent for Miami last year, but that comparison is completely insane. He also questions Koufos perimeter game, which we all know is nuts. I actually think Koufos' best skill is his ballhandling for a 7-footer, which he didn't get to show in college. I'd take him top 20. There's also a possibility he will play for Greece in the Olympics.

- And finally, George Hill, Pride of Ooey Pooey, is going to Disney World.

Kosta Koufos: NBA Draft Profile

Jeff Fox — Tue, 06 May 2008 07:55:32 -0700

Kosta Koufous

College: Ohio State

Class: Freshman

Position: PF/C

Height: 7’0”

Weight: 265lbs

Accolades: NIT Championship MVP (08), Third Team All-Big Ten (08), Big Ten All-Freshman Team (08), McDonald’s All-American – high school (07), Greek Under-18 National Team (07), Under-18 European Championship MVP (07), Third Team All-American – Parade – high school (07).

Scouting Report: A highly skilled big man with high-level international experience.

Strengths: Big, strong frame. Along with 7-foot height he has a long wingspan. Hard worker – a gym rat. Good hands. Able to put the ball on the floor to score. Uses the glass wisely on jump shots. Tough rebounder. Possesses three-point range on his jumper. Great face up shooter. Soft touch down low. Great shot blocker. Was the best player at a high-level international tournament last summer. Seems to play better in big games.

Weaknesses: Not super fast or athletic. Tends to face-up to the hoop more than post up. Can drift out to beyond the arc too often. Still inexperienced – big guys tend to need more time to develop. Does he have the foot speed to guard mobile NBA big men?

Projected 2008 Draft Range: Mid first round pick.

Consensus: Players with Kosta Koufos’ size and skill package don’t come along too often, so his decision to enter the draft shouldn’t come as a surprise. While he would probably benefit from at least another year in college, Koufos should be an early pick this year and could pan out to be an above-average pro.

Stats: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/player/profile?playerId=36133

More 2008 NBA Draft Profiles

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CHN's Six-Star Ranking System

= Superstar/All-NBA Potential

= Potential NBA All-Star

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= Career Reserve

= Fringe NBA Player/12th Man

0 stars = Life in the Minor Leagues

NIT Finals Prediction: UMASS vs Ohio State

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 15:31:03 -0700

UMASS (25-10) vs Ohio State (24-13)

7:00 PM ESPN

On the most part, this year's NIT has been relatively bland with home teams and favorites winning most of the games. UMASS is somewhat of a surprise since they did have to win a road team to get to the semifinals (Syracuse) and then knocked off a BCS favorite at MSG (Florida). While the Minutemen have had a nice run.. Ohio State is my choice to win the title. The Buckeyes were CHN's favorite to win the tourney to begin with, so I'm sticking with them. One simple reason is that though UMASS beat Syracuse & Florida to get here, OSU had no problems with those teams earlier in the year, beating Florida by 13 and Syracuse by 14. Ohio State is a better team now as they've found a condensed rotation (ie, not as much Diebler Terwilliger) and more consistent play from their leaders. Kosta Koufous is shooting an impressive 69% over the last 5 games. For UMASS, they haven't been winning with the ease of OSU, but the emergence of Dante Milligan (in the final weeks of his career no less) has helped overcome some offensive struggles by leader Gary Forbes. Ohio State is 3.5 point favorites, and I like them straight up and against the line.

Prediction: Ohio State

Previous Game of the Night (Predictions, 110-66)

April 1st - UMASS vs Florida (2-0)

March 24th - Dayton at Illinois State (3-0)

March 23rd - Davidson vs Georgetown (2-1)

March 21st - Davidson vs Gonzaga (0-3)

March 19th - New Mexico at California (1-2)

March 18th - Mt St Mary's vs Coppin State (2-1)

March 14th - Kansas vs Texas (2-1)

March 14th - St. Joseph's vs Temple (1-2)

March 13th - Ohio State vs Michigan State (2-1)

March 12th - Arizona State at USC (2-1)

March 12th - Syracuse vs Villanova (2-1)

March 11th - IUPUI at Oral Roberts (3-0)

March 10th - Gonzaga at San Diego (1-2)

March 9th - Florida at Kentucky (1-2)

March 8th - UNC at Duke (2-1)

March 5th - Tennessee at Florida (2-1)

March 4th - UNLV at New Mexico (3-0)

March 3rd - Texas Tech at Kansas (3-0)

March 2nd - Clemson at Maryland (1-2)

Game Predictions: NIT Semifinals

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 12:10:24 -0700

A companion to our daily Three Stars of the Day, we present the top three Games of the Night.

UMASS (24-10) vs Florida (24-11)

7:00 PM ESPN2

You have to respect these teams for making to the Garden by actually winning road games. The win at Syracuse wasn't shocking for UMASS as they already beat the Orange at the Carrier Dome and generally had a better season. Florida's win was a bit more surprising considering the final 70-57 margin wasn't even close, it was across multiple time zones, and ASU had been very successful at home. UMASS will need a big effort from CHN Fourth Team All-American Gary Forbes, who has struggled during the NIT run. He's just 6-24 over his last two games, which won't cut it against a Billy Donovan team. The Gators are favored by 4 but I like the Minutemen.

Prediction: UMASS

Ole Miss (24-10) at Ohio State (23-13)

9:00 PM ESPN2

Ole Miss hasn't been very good away from home this season, but they did have to beat Virginia Tech in Blacksburg to get here. I don't put much stock into that win because I have little respect for the Hokies talent. Tonight should be a big challenge for the Rebels against an OSU team that returns to the Garden after playing here in the Preseason NIT. Unlike VT, Ohio State has similar strengths (PG & C) as Ole Miss. The individual Chris Warren vs Jamar Butler and Dwayne Curtis vs Kosta Koufous matchups should be worth watching.

Prediction: Ohio State

There's a CBI finals game tomorrow night, but really, does anyone care?

Previous Game of the Night (Predictions, 108-66)

March 24th - Dayton at Illinois State (3-0)

March 23rd - Davidson vs Georgetown (2-1)

March 21st - Davidson vs Gonzaga (0-3)

March 19th - New Mexico at California (1-2)

March 18th - Mt St Mary's vs Coppin State (2-1)

March 14th - Kansas vs Texas (2-1)

March 14th - St. Joseph's vs Temple (1-2)

March 13th - Ohio State vs Michigan State (2-1)

March 12th - Arizona State at USC (2-1)

March 12th - Syracuse vs Villanova (2-1)

March 11th - IUPUI at Oral Roberts (3-0)

March 10th - Gonzaga at San Diego (1-2)

March 9th - Florida at Kentucky (1-2)

March 8th - UNC at Duke (2-1)

March 5th - Tennessee at Florida (2-1)

March 4th - UNLV at New Mexico (3-0)

March 3rd - Texas Tech at Kansas (3-0)

March 2nd - Clemson at Maryland (1-2)

Today's Top Game Predictions: Ohio St vs Michigan St

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 10:06:38 -0700

A companion to our daily Three Stars of the Day, we present the top three Games of the Night.

Ohio State (19-12) vs #19 Michigan State (24-7)

2:30 PM ESPN2

If the season ended last night, Ohio State may well be in the field of 65. But realistically, they need to beat MSU in the Big Ten quarterfinals. Neither of these teams are good away from home (combined 27-2 at home, but 8-14 on the road), but that evens out since the games are in Indianapolis. To be honest, Michigan State has really disappointed me this season.. but they still have more talent than then the Buckeyes. MSU also has a lot on the line considering OSU recently beat them and they're in danger of dropping to a weak 7 seed.

Prediction: Michigan State

Saint Joseph's (20-11) vs #12 Xavier (27-5)

6:30 PM

St Joe's might have been the biggest beneficiaries of yesterday's pathetic bubble losses. Suddenly they have a great shot once again of making the field, and you have to figure a win today over Xavier would be enough to impress the committee. These two teams split their previous meetings, and there's a lot of talk in A10 circles how the Hawks match up better with Xavier than anyone else in the league. Considering how much is on the line for SJU.. their my pick, especially against a 6.5 point spread.

Prediction: Saint Joseph's

#21 Washington State (24-7) vs #11 Stanford (25-6)

11:30 PM

While there's no bubble implications here.. tonight's late Pac-10 semifinal features two ranked teams looking to move up the tournament bracket. Stanford particularly, could very well lock up a 3 seed if they advance to the title game. Stanford's the slight 2 point favorites, thanks to being ranked higher and because the Cardinal won both previous meetings. It's tough to beat the Cougars three times in a season, so I'll take WSU

Prediction: Washington State

Previous Game of the Night (Predictions, 95-55)

March 12th - Arizona State at USC (2-1)

March 12th - Syracuse vs Villanova (2-1)

March 11th - IUPUI at Oral Roberts (3-0)

March 10th - Gonzaga at San Diego (1-2)

March 9th - Florida at Kentucky (1-2)

March 8th - UNC at Duke (2-1)

March 5th - Tennessee at Florida (2-1)

March 4th - UNLV at New Mexico (3-0)

March 3rd - Texas Tech at Kansas (3-0)

March 2nd - Clemson at Maryland (1-2)

CollegeHoops.net Player of the Week: Jamar Butler

Jeff Borzello — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 18:38:49 -0700

This year has seen a number of trends, the latest one being bubble teams constantly losing when they have a chance to make a statement to the committee and potentially improve their resume enough so that it is NCAA Tournament-worthy. It seemingly happens every week, and this week was no different. UAB lost by 48 to Memphis; Illinois State by 30 to Drake; Florida lost two games this week; Virginia Tech gave up two late free throws to fall to Clemson by one; Southern Illinois lost to Northern Iowa – the list is endless. One team that made a move in the right direction this week was Ohio State. The Buckeyes knocked off Purdue and Michigan State in back-to-back games, and may have worked their way into the field. If they do make the Tournament, they will have to thank Jamar Butler for his outstanding week.

Heading into the season, Butler knew he was going to have to take on yet another role this season; with such a young team, Butler had to be the elder statesman and become more of a leader. This week epitomized the transformation that Butler has undergone. He scored 25 points against Purdue earlier this week, and followed it up with a 20-point, four-rebound, two-assist performance in the Buckeyes’ win over Michigan State on Sunday. He shot 7-for-12 from three-point range, hitting 11-of-18 from the field overall. Butler was also perfect from the free-throw line, hitting all 16 foul shots he took. On the season, the senior guard is averaging 14.5 points and 6.0 assists per game.

Ohio State heads into the Big Ten Tournament with plenty of momentum off of its two big wins this week. Ironically, the Buckeyes will face Michigan State again in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament – a game they might have to win in order to feel safe about their chances come Selection Sunday. However, they wouldn’t even be in this position without Butler’s huge week.

2007-08 Collegehoops.net Players of the Week
March 2nd - Robert Vaden, UAB
February 25th - Al Fisher, Kent State
February 18th - Chris Douglas-Roberts, Memphis
February 11th - Tyler Hansbrough, UNC
February 4th - Ryan Anderson, California
January 27th - Jerryd Bayless, FR, Arizona
January 20th – Davon Jefferson, FR, USC
January 13th – Michael Beasley, FR, Kansas State
January 6th - Shan Foster, SR, Vanderbilt
December 30th - Brian Butch, SR, Wisconsin
December 23rd - Dwayne Curtis, SR, F, Mississippi
December 16th - Gary Forbes, SR, F, UMASS
December 9th - Joe Alexander, JR, F, West Virginia
December 2nd - Jerryd Bayless, FR, G, Arizona
November 25th - DJ Augustin, SO, G, Texas
November 18th - Jon Brockman, JR, F, Washington
November 11th - Michael Beasley, FR, F, Kansas State

Three Stars of the Day: Weddle, Butler, Giddens

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 09:51:15 -0800

We handpick the best performances of the day, whether it be stat lines that make you drool, or clutch performances. Either way, its our way of showing the love:

Marquis Weddle - Tennessee-Martin

In a triple-OT OVC tourney thriller, Weddle scored 39 points and hit big ft's down the stretch to seal the win

Jamar Butler - Ohio State

The Buckeyes needed all 25 of Butler's points as they beat Purdue in OT

JR Giddens - New Mexico

Had 17 points, 15 boards, and 5 assists in a rare Tournament-quality victory over UNLV

Other Top Performers

Michael Beasley - Kansas State - Just another ho hum 33 point, 14 rebound effort from the Beast

Bruce Carter - Murray State - The Racers advance din the OVC Tournament behind the senior's 24 & 12

Scott Cutley - Fullerton - His 8th double-double included 23 points and 11 boards

Previous Stars of the Day

March 4th - Joe Alexander, WVU

March 3rd - Kevin Love, UCLA

March 2nd - Tyrese Rice, BC

February 28th - Rob McKiver, Houston

February 26th - Shan Foster, Vanderbilt

February 25th - DJ Augustin, Texas

February 20th - OJ Mayo, USC

February 19th - Blake Griffin, Oklahoma

February 18th - John Bryant, Santa Clara

February 17th - Johnson/Teague, Wake Forest

February 15th - Tyrese Rice, Boston College

February 12th - J'Nathan Bullock, Cleveland State

February 10th - Tyler Hansbrough, UNC

February 9th - Hasheem Thabeet, UCONN

February 7th - Ronald Ramon, Pittsburgh

February 6th - Michael Beasley, Kansas State

February 4th - Todd Golden, Saint Mary's

February 3rd - Tyler Hansbrough, UNC