Saturday Skull Session

The Wrestlebucks are getting after it in the Big Ten tournament today, and Eleven Warriors Worldwide LLC will be publishing updates throughout the day.

THEY SHOULD'VE OFFERED THE MAN NAMED NIGEL. As people know, I'm able to scout a prospect by their name alone. I'm a fan of Marc Loving, no doubt about it. But if I only knew Marc Loving's name, would I choose him over another prospect named Nigel Hayes?

No.

And while I assume Thad Matta's decision was based on more than a name, that's the decision he made not so long ago. Marc Loving ended up in Columbus, and Nigel Hayes developed into a reliable cog for the Wisconsin Badgers.

From Jesse Temple of FoxSports.com:

MADISON, Wis. -- Ohio State coach Thad Matta has said before there is no exact science to recruiting. Projecting the ways in which a talented high school prospect will perform in college can be difficult, and with scholarships at a premium, you'd better be certain he's the correct fit for a system.

That's the rationale Matta gave last year for not pursuing Wisconsin sophomore forward Nigel Hayes more doggedly on the recruiting trail. Hayes, a product of Whitmer High School in Toledo, Ohio, didn't receive a scholarship offer from the Buckeyesuntil just before his senior year. And even then, Matta did not believe Hayes projected as the type of stretch power forward he needed. That is, someone capable of extending defenses with a consistent 3-point shot.

"I guess they were right last year," Hayes said before Friday's practice. "I didn't shoot one. So maybe they were correct last year."

Of course, what went unsaid from Hayes spoke loudest.

Hayes averages a venerable 12 points, six rebounds, and two assists per game after adding a three-point shot to his repertoire. We'll see how he handles his chance to make a statement; personally, I'm just trying to get my mind right for getting pilfered on a Sunday afternoon by a guy named "Frank."

SCHOTT SALES SLUGGISH. It's going to be a crisp 40 degrees — will feel like 72 — on Sunday. If you're around Columbus, there will be tickets available for the 4:30 p.m. contest against Wisconsin.

Checked with OSU: 1,000+ upper-level seats left for #Buckeyes vs Wisconsin. Schott has yet to sell out in '14-15. #buckbk
— Bob Baptist (@BBaptistHoops) March 6, 2015

Schott has had at least one sellout each year since it opened in 1998-99. Average tickets sold this year lowest since 09-10. #buckbk
— Bob Baptist (@BBaptistHoops) March 6, 2015

I don't think those numbers are all that surprising given the championship hangover and pedestrian (at times) performances. Some people get worked up over this kind of thing, but I don't. Ohio State fans will show up if the team wins; it's as simple as that.

R.I.P. KOSTA. Not much to add here, other than I'm glad Kosta Karageorge's family and friends are getting the closure they deserve.

From Misti Crane of Dispatch.com:

The pathologist who examined Kosta Karageorge’s brain found that the Ohio State University football player and wrestler from Worthington did not have chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative disease sometimes found in athletes and others with a history of repetitive brain trauma.

Dr. Norman Lehman, an Ohio State University physician who conducted the neuropathology work, did find evidence of “prior concussive injury” according to a release from the Franklin County Coroner’s office.

Man, that's tough to read.

UPP (NO TYPO) AND COMING. On a lighter note, meet basketball student manager Derek Upp:

OSU.com with the text rundown:

Upp was born a C6-C7 incomplete quadriplegic; he can’t feel anything from the waist down. But unlike complete quadriplegics, he has full use of his left arm and can raise his right one. He’s known nothing else since he was born.

Upp sees it as a reason to work harder. As a student manager for the men’s basketball team, he does it all – from rebounding balls to traveling with the team to keeping stats throughout the games.

When Upp was seven years old, he started out in tee ball in Pleasantville, a small central Ohio village. Then he moved on to bowling in nearby Lancaster. He’s been a fan of IndyCar Racing since he was five years old, and eventually, he moved to wheelchair basketball and football – where he discovered the competitive drive that has helped him succeed at Ohio State.

Life, man. Life.

HE'S ONLY A SIXTH GRADER. What were you doing in the sixth grade? Unless you were LeBron James, I doubt you were this silky.

Via Fox Sports Ohio's Zac Jackson: