G'morning. How is everyone? Good? Sounds good. Ohio State is playing in its fifth straight B1G TEN Tournament championship game, solidifying Thad Matta's status as "Mr. B1G TEN Tournament." It's not only his fifth straight conference tournament championship game, but his seventh in nine years as well. For the record, Matta's been in Columbus for nine years.
I'm pretty sure yesterday the Goodyear Blimp spelled out "Thad Matta's a pimp" over the United Center.
It was a good day.
BRACKETOLOGY? BRACKETOLOGY. Would you guys begrudge me if I peek ahead to our possible bracket that will be announced later today? Ohio State still has the conference tournament finale left to play, but our tournament fate — and seemingly our seeding — doesn't hinge on the outcome.
Ohio State won't be a #1, and frankly doesn't deserve it. I'm not sure anyone deserves a #1 seed for this year's NCAA Tournament, which will hopefully be the first seeded from 2-17 or feature eight 2-seeds. However, Ohio State's barnstorming this month seems to have vaulted the Buckeyes from a potential #4 at the end of February all the way to a #2.
Joe Lunardi, as of writing right now, has Ohio State as a #2 in the West Regional, opening its weekend games in Dayton, Ohio. This is a minor change from Friday's mock bracket, which had Ohio State as a #2 seed in the East Regional. Lunardi's bracket of March 16 also removed Florida from the #3 seed in Ohio State's region, as well as Butler waiting there at the #7. Butler got manhandled by Saint Louis on Saturday, but its quality of play should give Ohio State fans room for pause.
Ohio State's West Regional (of right now), would feature Gonzaga as the #1 and Syracuse and Kansas State as the #3 and #4. Should Ohio State prevail over Florida Gulf Coast (ideally) in the 2-15 game, it would await the winner of the Memphis-Colorado game. Not bad. Some Dayton magic should propel the Buckeyes to Los Angeles in that scenario.
Meanwhile, Jerry Palm's bracket has Ohio State as #3 in the South Regional, starting its opening games in Kansas City. It would play #14 Davidson, which has not lost since January 14. The winner of that game would face the winner of the 6-11 game between Pittsburgh and Boise State. That regional has Duke, Kansas, and Marquette as the regional's #1, #2, and #4 seed, respectively. It sounds much less inviting than Lunardi's projection.
Again, my position is that the location of the opening round games are usually preferable to the seeding. Playing in Dayton sounds very inviting right now. It would provide Ohio State fans the opportunity to travel to Dayton and drown out the opposition's supporters. Whether Ohio State is a #2 or #3, or playing in Los Angeles or Arlington is inconsequential. Everything evens out in regionals, for all intents and purposes.
One development I did find interesting is the fate of Michigan. According to Lunardi's latest projections, Michigan's run of play of late has led them off the potential #3 seed for a regional whose opening round games are in Auburn Hills. Lunardi has Michigan opening in Kansas City. Palm has Michigan as a #2 seed in the West Regional opening in Auburn Hills, because obviously.
In each case, the B1G TEN seems set on having seven teams in the NCAA Tournament. Iowa is on the outside looking in, despite having a better conference record than both Illinois and Minnesota.
WHITHER JEFF BOALS? One benefit of having Thad Matta for nine years in Columbus, beyond the conference accolades, first-round NBA Draft selections, and two Final Fours, is the coaching tree he has developed. Really, it looks like his "tree" as well. Alan Major is doing great in Charlotte, though their recent A-10 Tournament loss to Saint Louis seems to have them scheduled for the NIT. Illinois' John Groce is NCAA Tournament-bound again, as is Arizona's Sean Miller. Archie Miller should have Dayton ready for the NCAA Tournament next year as well.
It is with that in mind that Matta may actually have some coaching staff shakeup again. In particular, some MAC schools are apparently very interested in Ohio State's recruiting ace and Twitter hero, Jeff Boals.
Still, Boals’ name has resurfaced. According to a well-placed source, Ball State athletic director Bill Scholl is very interested in interviewing Boals and is likely to do so in the coming weeks.
Boals has not commented on the overtures but the source said he is aware of them and is flattered.
Ball State announced that six-year head coach Billy Taylor would not be returning after posting a mark of 84-99 in that span including a record of 44-52 in the Mid-American Conference. Taylor led the Cardinals to a break-even (15-15, 8-8) mark this season.
“We will begin a search immediately for our next head coach,” Scholl said. “The expectations of our men’s basketball program include being competitive in the MAC and challenging for conference championships. Our primary concerns are the well-being of our student-athletes and what is best for the future of Ball State basketball.”
It's conceivable that Chris Jent may get a few looks as well, but I think he's happy in Columbus in his current role. I'm not sure of the interest in Dave Dickerson, even though Dickerson has Gary Williams' bona fides in addition to head coaching experience at Tulane.
It would be unfortunate to lose Boals because he's so accessible to Ohio State fans, but that type of promotion, of sorts, would be earned.
Much of this discussion is preliminary at this juncture. Boals has also given indications that he's happy in his current role in Columbus and would consider only the "right" head coaching opportunities.
Damon Webb throwing his O's up. DAMON WEBB STILL SOLID ON OHIO STATE. Ohio State's recruiting efforts have stumbled a bit of late, though it's obviously no reason for concern right now. Jalen Hurd, a Buckeye lean, committed to Tennessee this week. Quin Blanding, another prospect once high on the Buckeyes, recently committed to Virginia. Soon after pledging to Ohio State, Lawrence Marshall decommitted and looks to play Ohio State versus Michigan for his services.
And still, the second commitment in our class, Damon Webb, is as solid as ever.
In a recent interview at a Next Level Athletics 7-on-7 camp, Webb reaffirmed his pledge to Ohio State. He reiterated just how sold he was on Ohio State when he and his parents visited the campus, coinciding with his verbal commitment. In addition, he talked about the level of communication he has had with the three other commitments for the 2014 recruiting class, including Parris Campbell, Marcelys Jones, and Kyle Trout.
On that note, he talked about wanting to coordinate with his other classmates to do their part in recruiting the best the country has to offer to Ohio State, continuing the momentum Ohio State has from its 2013 recruiting class. While much work remains to be done to that end, it's at least reassuring to hear a recruit, especially one from the Mitten State, talk about going the extra mile for the Ohio State football program.
MISCELLANY. Steve walks warily down the street with the brim pulled way down low... The NFL: still in love with outdated technology... Answer: yes... USC's Silas Redd just tore his meniscus and won't be ready for USC until fall... Could you name the five teams to never make it into the NCAA Tournament, despite being Division I for the past 75 years... Enough is enough... Tanganyika laughter epidemic.
