Always great to get a leader back.
 #17 Ohio State
1-0, 0-0 Big Ten
Roster | Schedule
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November 12, 2009 7:00 PM ET - BTN —— The Schott Columbus, OH |
 James Madison
0-0, 0-0 CAA
Roster | Schedule
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Fresh off signing the #1 recruiting class in the land yesterday and the 40-point pasting they put on Alcorn State Monday, the Buckeyes have their last tune-up before taking on the Big Boys in NYC next Thursday.
The signing of the Super Six solidifies the direction Thad has this program going, now if only the rest of Buckeye Nation can give notice and show up to the Schott to give their support.
It still blows my mind that there are 55,000 students on OSU's campus and Thad can't get at least 3,000 of them to every game. Perhaps the school should make it a required class, because the turnout for the season opener was pitiful.
| # | Name | PTS | REB | ASST | POS | # | Name | PTS | REB | ASST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | Evan Turner | 14.0 | 17.0 | 10.0 | G | 51 | Pierre Curtis | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 44 | William Buford | 19.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | G | 24 | Darren White | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 33 | Jon Diebler | 22.0 | 4.0 | 2.0 | F | 11 | Andrey Semenov | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 23 | David Lighty | 8.0 | 4.0 | 8.0 | F | 34 | Julian Wells | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 15 | Kyle Madsen | 7.0 | 4.0 | 0.00 | C | 41 | Trevon Flores | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
Opponent
The Dukes have yet to play a game, but are coming off an 21-15 season a year ago. Their roster is supposed to have 3 Columbus natives on it, but Devon Moore of Northland and Eric Beard of Reynoldsburg are both injured, while Trevon Flores, originally from Eastmoor will be playing with a broken nose.
Sophomore Julius Wells was the CAA Rookie of the Year last season and was a teammate of William Buford's in high school. He is the leading returning scorer, averaging 11.6 points and 5.5 boards a game in the 2008-2009 season. It should be fun watching him and Buford go at each other tonight.
The other starters have a combined 17.5 points per game coming back. Flores and White are both freshman, while Curtis dumped in 9.3 and Semenov, 8.2. JMU will be coached by James Brady, in his second year at the helm.
Buckeye Breakdown:
The Buckeyes will have the services of Dallas Lauderdale back tonight. He had an X-Ray this morning and was cleared to play, but no word on how much he'll play. Obviously inside is the only potential weak spot on this team, but with the depth at wings, Thad won't expect much scoring from the bigs.
The triple-double debate has emerged after Turner's feat on Monday night. The record books only have Dennis Hopson pulling it off before ET, but the legend of Bill Hosket is growing. Assists didn't become part of the boxscore until 1973 and Hosket's teammates claim there were a few games where the Big Man would have accounted for at least 10 dimes. Regardless of how many there have been, a triple-double is an awesome accomplishment and with the ease he got it on Monday night, don't be surprised if that becomes The Villian's standard all year.
It will be interesting to see if Diebler and Simmons can hit the open jumpers once again tonight. They were both inconsistent last year and another key to a successful season is getting them to hit around 40% of their 3-ball attempts this year. I'm not expecting a combined 9-14 from beyond the arc every game, but these two can open up the floor and driving lanes for Turner and Lighty, if they become consistent.
Another thing to watch for tonight is any potential improvement from Big Z in the middle. Early reviews are a little stiff, but if he can clog the lane for 10 minutes a game and pull down at least 5 boards, he can serve a huge role for this team.
Etc
- Surprisingly, OSU is 0-1 against JMU, losing 48-55 in the first round of the NCAA Tourney in 1982.
- Two of 11W's favorites, Gus Johnson and Jimmy Jackson will call the game tonight.
- BJ Mullen's Watch: He has yet to dress and play any minutes in 8 OKC games.
