 Ohio State
1-0, 0-0 Big Ten
Roster | Schedule
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November 24, 2008 8:00 PM ET - BTN —— The Schott Columbus, OH |
 Bowling Green
3-1, 0-0 MAC
Roster | Schedule
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While we wait to see where the football Buckeyes will be playing come January, Thad's boys will help ease the wait time, taking on Bowling Green in their second game of the season tonight.
The Buckeyes easily took down Delaware State 70-42 on Thursday night, while the Falcons have 4 games under their belt already, including a 2-1 record in the NABC classic.
Ohio State only has a 3-2 record in this series, with a 59-50 defeat coming the last time these two teams faced off in 1994. The Buckeyes haven't beaten their instate rival since 1992.
| # | Name | PTS | REB | ASST | POS | # | Name | PTS | REB | ASST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Jeremie Simmons | 10.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | G | 1 | Brian Moten | 15.3 | 2.8 | 1.8 |
| 33 | Jon Diebler | 9.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | G | 14 | Joe Jakubowski | 12.3 | 3.3 | 3.8 |
| 23 | David Lighty | 13.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | F | 2 | Darryl Clements | 14.8 | 4.5 | 4.8 |
| 21 | Evan Turner | 8.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | F | 34 | Erik Marschall | 11.0 | 7.3 | 0.8 |
| 52 | Dallas Lauderdale | 7.0 | 1.0 | 0.00 | C | 50 | Marc Larson | 4.3 | 4.3 | 1.3 |
Opponent
Bowling Green is a veteran team, starting 2 seniors, 2 juniors and a sophomore. They've have beaten three cupcakes by an average of 18 points, but lost to Minnesota 68-61. In that loss, the Falcons shot only 35%, including 3-16 from downtown. They committed 14 turnovers, against 11 assists, but still managed to snag 9 steals, leading to 16 Gophers miscues.
BG will employ a 7 man rotation for the most part, with Nate Miller and Otis Polk factoring in. Polk may actually get the start over Larson, but since there isn't a MAC TV network, I have yet to catch the Falcons in action. You can take a look at BG's overall stats here, at the great Statsheet.com website.
As indication by the series record, for some reason Bowling Green seems to give OSU fits, but this team went 13-16 last year and needed an overtime buzzer beater to take down Georgia Southern in their first game. It will be up to the Falcons ball handlers and inside defense, as to how long they can stay in this game.
Buckeye Breakdown:
OSU will play their first game at the Schott, after taking a back seat to Reba on Thursday night and playing in their only game this season at St. John Arena. Delaware State was not a good team and the Falcons should bring a stronger test, but I thought the Buckeyes looked good in their first game and I don't see any reason why they should lose tonight.
Dallas Swatterdale had a strong opening game with 7 blocks and 7 points, besting the debut from BJ Mullens, who took only 2 shots en route to 7 points and 3 boards. These two are going to have a decisive height advantage tonight and need to assert that from the beginning. It will get then by against lesser opponents, but the Bucks are going to need more than 14 points and 4 rebounds a game from this duo.
While the stat sheet doesn't display it, Jeremie Simmons and Anthony Crater played well in their debuts, seeing split time at the point and displaying two different styles of play. Simmons surprised me with his stroke from outside. He made 3-6 and none of those attempts were forced or early in a possession. He only registered 1 assist, but didn't have a turnover and displayed a veteran knowledge of the offense.
Crater reminds me a bit of Conley. He isn't quite the scorer yet, but his quickness saved a few loose balls, harassed the top of the zone and moved the ball around with great crispness. You can tell he is a true unselfish point guard, an aspect OSU missed last year.
William Buford looks to be the best freshman on this team, leading the Bucks with 13 points off the bench. He showed an ability to score from inside or out and might be more of a one year risk than Mullins. Lighty and Turner played as expected, scoring 13 and 8 respectively, while combining for 4 rebounds, 5 steals and 6 assists.
Surprisingly, Diebler lead the team in minutes, with 28 and nailed 3 of 7 from beyond the arc, to finish with 9. He still didn't drive the ball too often, but it is one step towards redemption for last season.
Etc
- OSU is 48-12 all-time against the MAC.
- The Buckeyes have won 51 straight games in Columbus against unranked opponents.
- Gus Johnson and Jim Jackson will call the game tonight. Johnson was signed in the off season and is one of the best in the business.
