Hello folks, and welcome to the Skull Session. Today’s big story is the basketball game against Michigan tonight, wherein both Ohio State and Michigan are ranked for the sixth consecutive game.
The Buckeyes are a slight favorite, and a win here would claw the Buckeyes a little closer to the top of the Big Ten standings. Think Leonel Salamanca dragging himself toward Walter White in the hospital.
EAT TACOS FOR THE CHILDREN. Four years after Mark Titus left Ohio State, there may be a worthy successor in both fun and popularity to Club Tril: Taco Tuesday.
Aaron Craft and his roommates came up with the Taco Tuesday idea years ago, but it wasn't until winter break that they had the idea of turning it toward a charitable cause, with Club Tril as an inspiration.
The Taco Tuesday promotion will be in effect for the Michigan game to promote OSU LiFE Sports, which The Lantern says is "a program that allows underprivileged kids to participate in athletic camps on campus during the summer." Aaron Craft and company hope the event sticks:
Craft said he hopes for Taco Tuesday to become an annual event.
“I have a baseball roommate and a golfer so, maybe at a baseball game sometime this spring and then beyond when I’m here … you can have an annual taco night or something just to continue hopefully helping the kids and everything,” Craft said.
This is a silly promotion, but keep in mind that the perpetually silly Club Tril has raised thousands of dollars in charity and you still see its T-shirts at basketball games. For anyone who wants to contribute, there will be stands for tacos and T-shirt sales outside the student entrance of the Schottenstein Center.
FREEZING FOR PRIORITY. Speaking of the Schott, at least 12 tents worth of people in Mattaritaville persevered freezing temperatures on Monday night to earn priority seating. Fortunately for the huddled masses, coaches and former administrators were looking out for them.
Assistant coach Jeff Boals ordered Pizza Rustica for the campers, which came in handy later for pizza box sledding. Ben Jay, Hawaii athletic director and former OSU assistant athletic director, brightened the evening with six dozen pieces of love:
Thanks for the donuts, @HawaiiManoaAD!! #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/RVuHyJ3D60
— *attaritaville (@Mattaritaville) February 11, 2014
Back in my day, we only had rocks to eat on camping trips. And we liked it!
Another happy side note: Big Nut, one of Ohio State's several jowly, attention-loving superfans, has been denied priority seating in the student section. If he wants the premium Nuthouse seats, he'll have to camp out like everybody else.
LOVING SUPPORT. The saga of Malik McDowell's recruitment is the strangest of 2014. It now appears that McDowell will be taking an unofficial visit to Ohio State, and that the weirdness could continue for another seven weeks.
On National Signing Day, five-star DE Malik McDowell committed to Michigan State over Ohio State and several other schools. For some nebulous reason, his parents refused to sign a NLI that would bind him to the school, and he's still being recruited by four schools.
The Michigan State affiliate for Rivals, SpartanMag.com, made contact with Malik's father Greg to try to clarify the situation. When asked where things stood, Greg McDowell suggested that some unscheduled unofficial visits were in the works.
"I know he is open to taking some unofficials to Florida State and Ohio State," Greg McDowell said. "We plan on doing some unofficials and see if he and his mom can resolve this. It's possible she'll be open to Michigan State as well, so we'll have to see."
Greg McDowell praised Ohio State, Florida State, and Michigan for checking up on the family and not just for recruiting, implying by omission that Michigan State was not interested in the family, just recruiting. According to Mr. McDowell, the family has until April 1 to make a decision, and they'll take their time to make an evaluation.
Can we wash our hands of this already? Sure, Ohio State would benefit from having McDowell's commitment; I don't care anymore. He chose Michigan State, and his high school coach says Michigan State is still his school of choice. That's where he ought to go.
Imagine being put through the wringer like this as a high school student, and having to face up to seven more weeks of public pressure. How on earth does this seem like a good idea? Why would the McDowells put their child through this?
This is such an uncomfortable situation – more so than a recruit sending three schools an NLI – joining Durell Price, Seantrel Henderson, and Terrelle Pryor as the weirdest recruiting stories involving the Buckeyes.
POW. This was an excellent week for Ohio State basketball's 2010 recruiting class. First Aaron Craft was named Big Ten player of the week, and then Jared Sullinger was the Eastern Conference Player of the Week.
Sullinger helped the Celtics to a 2-1 week, which included wins over the Philadelphia 76ers and Sacramento Kings. He averaged 20.3 points, 12.7 rebounds and 1.67 blocks. Sullinger posted a point-rebound double-double in all three games, including a 31-point, 16-rebound effort on Feb. 7, when the Celtics topped the Kings 99-89 at TD Garden.
A bunch of NBA teams are feeling foolish about passing on him because of back concerns; for example, the Cavaliers were willing to take a flyer on Andrew Bynum but not Sullinger. D’oh.
LINKS AHOY. The Pac-12 wants fewer night football games from ESPN... Rick Reilly is mailing it in, part 705... The IOC forbids "propaganda" like honoring a fallen friend... Ohio State-Johns Hopkins lacrosse highlights... The intense flagrant fouls at the end of Iowa State-West Virginia... Tom Izzo points a finger at Twitter for making the fan-athlete relationship more hostile... Grand Rapids resident shoots up a McDonald's after a wrong order... Brookhaven snaps Northland's 118 game City League winning streak... Nice try, incognito Illinois students... Older Euro soccer fans are hardcore too... Team Canada's smart refrigerator... and get in the Olympic spirit with a figure skating piledriver.
