Well, it happened again. Ohio State's tournament hopes were scuttled by Michigan State on Tuesday night, 81-62. The Buckeyes held tough without Jae'Sean Tate (out for season due to a left labrum tear), but Sparty blew them out down the stretch.
In better Buckeye basketball news, the No. 5 women's team plays Minnesota in Minneapolis at 8:00 p.m. on BTN Plus.
HELLO THERE, VONN. Vonn Bell hasn't been as active with the media as other Buckeye draftees, but he's been on his grind in Boca Raton, Florida, training in part with Michael Thomas, Braxton Miller, and Joey Bosa.
ESPN.com caught up with Bell before the NFL Combine opens on Wednesday morning:
Was there one thing that tipped the scales and in the end told you this was the right decision?
Bell: At the time, I had really accomplished almost everything I wanted to do in college. Winning a national championship, being an all-American, being a part of that brotherhood at Ohio State and the camaraderie that we had, being around some great coaches and playing for a great university, I did all that and accomplished a lot of things. It meant a lot to me and my family, and I really felt like I did almost everything I needed to do. I guess it was just the right time for me to go out.You said "almost" a couple times. What did you not do?
Bell: Win the Thorpe Award. That was it. I was a semifinalist, but it happens. That's really the only missed goal I had.
I'm sad Bell didn't mention the Tennessee fan's life he ruined with his commitment ceremony, but not as sad as I am about that video getting deleted from the internet. (For those unfamiliar, the YouTube video ended with an incredulous Vols fan chain-smoking.)
Still, that's a helluva career. He lived up to all five stars in his high school rating.
MAYOCK TALKS DRAFT. NFL analyst Mike Mayock—a guy I like, to Hell with the haters—held court on Tuesday and dished his #takes on various draft entrants.
You might be shocked to learn he had some praise for former Ohio State players.
Mayock says he doesn't think #OhioState WR Braxton Miller is a 1st-round pick. Expects him to go in 2nd round.
— CollegeFootball 24/7 (@NFL_CFB) February 23, 2016
NFL Network's Mike Mayock said Ohio State's Michael Thomas and TCU's Josh Doctson would be logical WR targets for #Browns in second round.
— Nate Ulrich (@NateUlrichABJ) February 23, 2016
Mayock: Ezekiel Elliott will probably be only 1st-round RB. Says people will either love Derrick Henry or not like him very much.
— CollegeFootball 24/7 (@NFL_CFB) February 23, 2016
Mayock: #OhioState LB Darron Lee has gained steam in past month. He's a (pick) 20-32 guy for me.
— CollegeFootball 24/7 (@NFL_CFB) February 23, 2016
Mike Mayock says Nick Vannett is probably a better pass catcher than most people think, and could go in the first three rounds.
— Lori Schmidt (@LoriSchmidt) February 23, 2016
Would be cool to see Vannett, like Heuerman, slip into the third round without industrious college production. Would definitely help eat away at the negative recruiting Ohio State routinely faces at the position.
Mayock, however, didn't have all good words for Ohio State prospects:
Mayock: Stunned that Jalin Marshall came out. Think he made a mistake from a football standpoint
— Jay Morrison (@JayMorrisonCMG) February 23, 2016
The good news for Marshall is it only takes one team to fall in love with him. Some may question him from a football standpoint, but football isn't the only thing that goes into these kinds of decisions.
FAVE THIS TWEET: COWBOYS GOING 5-11 IN 2016. Ohio State's Senior Bowl players were on the North, which was coached by the Dallas Cowboys' staff. The North got throttled 27-16, and it may have to do with the fact their players were never given a playbook.
From foxsports.com:
"You could see the facial expressions when we were in the meetings and (the Cowboys coaches) said, ‘We’re not giving you playbooks. Take some notes,’” Martinez said. “It was like, ‘Oh … I’ve never done that before.’
“I feel like it was one of those things where a lot of guys maybe at the beginning struggled but as the week went on they learned or looked at other guys to see how it’s done and what they needed to do. That kind of showed a type of player, a professional player, from that standpoint -- finding a way to get that done whether it’s a weakness or strength.”
Among the top prospects on the North squad the Cowboys coached at the Senior Bowl were North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz, Ohio State wide receiver Braxton Miller, Indiana tackle Jason Spriggs and Louisiana Tech running back Kenneth Dixon. Dallas holds the No. 4 overall pick in this year’s draft.
Guess that's one benefit to coaching the Senior Bowl: You can tank the game in exchange for an inside glimpse into prospects' mental toughness.
I hope the Cowboys don't win a game in 2016.
GATEWAY DOESN'T SEEM SO BAD NOW. The South Campus Gateway is an abominable wasteland of generic corporate trash (shoutout to the movie theater, though, which is nice!).
But in comparison to what it used to be—a good place to get shot, apparently—then perhaps it is progress after all:
The South Campus that was, Summer 1999. pic.twitter.com/ALuvhi8CN9
— Univ Dist History (@UDHCMH) February 23, 2016
THOSE WMDs. Every plane flight in the world over 24 hours... Cancer cons, phony accidents and deaths: The life of an internet hoax buster... Placebo effect getting stronger—but only in America... Astronaut's photos from the international space station... Five fork lifehacks.
