Congratulations to Ohio State's wrestling team, which captured its first share of a Big Ten title since 1951 yesterday. It led to this stupendous Curt Heinrichs picture of OSU's Tom Ryan (left) and Iowa's Tom Brands (right) awkwardly sharing the Big Ten trophy:
Could you imagine a scenario in which Urban Meyer was expected to share a trophy with somebody like Nick Saban? He'd take off his jacket, throw a bowie knife into the middle of the field, and declare the survivor would be the true champion.
WISCONSIN ROLLS OSU. Well, it happened. Ohio State was mugged by Wisconsin, 72-48, in one of the worst beatings I've seen since the Big Ten Championship's opening quarter. (The highlight of the game, by far, was OSU football hitting the Whip during halftime.)
The Basketbucks now trundle into the Big Ten Tournament as a fightin' six seed.
If you're the type who has your life together to the point you can plot 72 hours in advance: Ohio State will play the winner of No. 11 Minnesota and No. 14 Rutgers on Thursday at 9 p.m. on ESPN2.
Shoemaker has the full breakdown, but here is how the B1G bracket shapes up:
I wish nothing but pain and degradation on Michigan teams, but damn, I'd almost rather the Wolverines win than Wisconsin. I'll admit the 2015 Badgers aren't composed of 13 gravediggers like years past, but they're still as boring as they are insufferable.
And please, don't give me that, "Big Ten pride, man!" when we're talking about the NCAA tournament either. I hope Kentucky turns Wisconsin into a gaping crater.
PATIENT 0 GETS HIS DUE. D'Angelo Russell exited the Schott yesterday in a way that reminded me of LeBron James' acrimonious 2009 exit from Whatever The Hell They Call the Boston Garden Now.
Russell's exit to the NBA wouldn't blindside folks like Lebron's exodus to Miami, but both men gave off the aura of guys who were tired of carrying inferior talent. It's only fun as long as you're winning, after all.
I don't blame him. You can't be a player of Russell's caliber and be satisfied with yesterday's result, and that's the drive that will put him in the NBA as opposed to playing for four years in Columbus.
It might be an indictment of others, but I'll miss watching Russell the most out of anybody on this team. (I tried to talk myself into a possible return — there's a new CBA coming! — but I can't do it.) The young fella brought it every night.
So, it was good to see that Russell is expected to collect some honors tonight. The official All-Big Ten teams and individual awards will be announced at 6 p.m. tonight, but BTN's Tom Dienhart, Sean Merriman and Brent Yarina probably aren't too far off the mark here:
First Team
Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin – 3, 3, 3 (9)
D’Angelo Russell, Ohio State – 3, 3, 3 (9)
Aaron White, Iowa – 3, 3, 3 (9)
Yogi Ferrell, Indiana – 3, 3, 2 (8)
Dez Wells, Maryland – 3, 2, 3 (8)
Player of the Year: Frank Kaminsky (3)
Freshman of the Year: D’Angelo Russell (3)
Coach of the Year: Mark Turgeon, Maryland (2); Bo Ryan (1)
Defensive Player of the Year: A.J. Hammons (2); Frank Kaminsky (1)
Sixth Man of the Year: Gabe Olaseni, Iowa (3)
Remember that week when people thought Maryland's Melo Trimble was better than Russell? Good times.
Gray Box was also kind enough to include a D'Angelo Russell highlight reel in his post, and it'd be lazy for me not to include it as well:
Can Russell carry Ohio State to a B1G title? Maybe. The NCAA title? No. But he should average 40 shots a game in all the remaining games. Just one man's take.
AU REVOIR, CROP TOP. As Jeff Svoboda mentioned yesterday, Ezekiel Elliott's crop top days were numbered. But yesterday, it became official as new rules and "points of emphasis" were passed by the NCAA:
"Officials will treat illegal equipment issues - such as jerseys tucked under the shoulder pads or exposed back pads - by making the player leave the field for at least one play. The equipment must be corrected for the player to return to the game. The player may remain in the game if his team takes a timeout to correct the equipment issue."
At first I was like, "Actually, Zeke's crop top is street legal."
But then I was like, NOOOOOOO:
Barring a loophole, there's no reason to think the crop top will be with us next season. Hell, the Teflon Wizard himself admits it's a competitive advantage.
One Ohio State fan, however, refuses to give up the good fight:
In protest I will wear a #croptop jersey all next SEASON! #InCropsWeTrust #GoBucks @SurvivinAmerica @itz_mizdee @candicenbc4
— Ambassador Elliott (@stacy_elliott) March 9, 2015
This may be the reason why the NCAA made this RULE! This pic speaks a 1,000 words! Embrace #the"Grind"! pic.twitter.com/KT9X5LehhM
— Ambassador Elliott (@stacy_elliott) March 9, 2015
Related: The NCAA also outlawed "overbuilt" facemasks, which I assume bans masks like the one Michael Bennett rocked.FIVE REASONS OHIO STATE IS THE REAL DEAL. If I wrote this article, it would go a little something like this: 1) It's Ohio State and Urban Meyer. 2) It's Ohio State and Urban Meyer. 3) It's Ohio State an Urban Meyer. 4) It's Ohio State and Urban Meyer. 5) It's Ohio State and Urban Meyer.
I did not write this article. J.C. Shurburtt of 247Sports.com did:
4- Roster Assembly (speed, size)
Meyer and his staff have put a premium on speed and athleticism when building this roster. It was obvious in the college football playoffs that Ohio State was second to no one in the quick-twitch athlete category. Alabama has plenty of great athletes, Ohio State took the Tide’s best shot early then rallied to win. The Buckeyes clearly could match Alabama’s talent in the size/speed combination category. Then against Oregon, one of if not the fastest teams in the country, it was clear which team had the better overall talent on its roster and it was not the Ducks.
Ohio State also dispels the myth that fast players can only be found south of the Mason-Dixon line. The Buckeyes do recruit the southeast and Texas and have signed fast players there, but there is speed in the state of Ohio, in neighboring states and in the northeast fourth of the country (Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania) where the Buckeyes recruit heavily. Are there as many speed guys? Probably not, but recruiting as the Buckeyes do, there are enough fast players to stock a roster outside of the southeast.
Perhaps one of the biggest half-truths I hear when asked about Ohio State is "hey, Meyer is going into Florida and getting all of these fast guys because of his connections there"- it's true that Meyer and staff recruit well in Florida and get fast players out of that state. But it's also true that they recruit well elsewhere and get fast players from those regions.
The only thing stopping Ohio State from national championships, at this point, is Ohio State.
And you know how in life, when you look back, monumental losses/setbacks turned out to be a good thing? I think Urban will reap the rewards of suffering through those last days in Gainesville. You don't go through things like that without learning life lessons.
We're entering Urban's fourth year — WHO KEEPS STEALING MY TIME!? — and OSU's gaffer shows no signs of slowing down. That's a scary thought for the competition.
EL GUAPO ON THE CLOCK. Carlos Hyde was unable to supplant Frank Gore in San Francisco last season, which, in retrospect, was a good way to save his body during an otherwise forgettable 49ers season. (Hyde, despite the limited playing time, scored as many touchdowns as Gore, a team-leading four.)
Frank Gore won't be a problem for Hyde this season, however, as the former 49ers talisman is expected to sign with the Philadelphia Eagles when free agency opens this week.
Consider El Guapo is on the clock. From Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com:
Hyde was cryptic on Twitter Saturday night, the evening before news broke of Gore’s decision, tweeting “Damn just like that” and “I’ll still be watching” with an image of a pencil taking notes on a sheet of paper.
Was he referring to Gore’s departure?
It doesn’t really matter, not with Hyde the projected lead back, and Kendall Hunter returning from an ACL injury.
Hyde showed promise and burst as a rookie, averaging 4.0 yards per carry in rushing for 333 yards on the season. But it was a season cut short by injury. A sprained ankle suffered in Seattle in Week 15, when he rushed for a season-high 55 yards on six carries, kept him out the final two weeks.
Hope you were smart enough to stash Gaupo in fantasy leagues, because we all know what happens once teams start giving that young bull the ball.
THOSE WMDs. Iowa fans were jazzed about Nathan Tomasella's B1G title... How the Civil War broke up the Camel Corps... If James Joyce Were Alive He'd be Working for Google... It's true, Yik Yak was co-founded by a man named Brooks Buffington... Stephen Curry is a video game character, basically... The Cost of Paying Attention.
