Updated on-air television power rankings, March 7, 2016:
- Black Sails
- Better Call Saul
- Vikings
These rankings are written in my blood. As always, you are free to disagree as long as you recognize you're wrong.
GET DUMPED THEN, PENN STATE. Barring divine intervention, Ohio State's men's basketball team will watch March Madness from the comfort of their couches. Though the Buckeyes won't be going to the Big Dance, there's still a chance Thad Matta's blood magic will get them to 20 wins.
The lowly Penn State Nittany Lions are the only team standing in the way.
From dispatch.com:
No. 7 seed Ohio State will open Big Ten tournament play at 6:30 p.m. Thursday against No. 10 seed Penn State on ESPN2.
The winner will play No. 2 seed Michigan State, which closed the regular season with a 91-76 home victory against the Buckeyes on Saturday, in a quarterfinal game Friday evening. The Nittany Lions clinched the No. 10 seed and avoided playing on the first day of the tournament with a double-overtime, 86-79 win against Illinois.
In 11 tournament appearances under coach Thad Matta, Ohio State has advanced to the championship game seven times and won four of them. The Buckeyes would have to win three games to reach Sunday’s title game.
Your full B1G tournament bracket is HERE.
This is a win-win in that Ohio State will either win or it won't have to play Michigan State again. I am sick of Michigan State, and honestly want no part of Sparty until November 19.
BUCKEYES ROLLING IN 2017. J.K. Dobbins, a Texan and 2017's No. 2 all-purpose running back, committed to Ohio State on Sunday. (Here's the Lord of Whispers on Dobbins' impact, as well as Dobbins discussing his decision. His highlights are worth watching too.)
It's not even halfway through March, and Ohio State is clowning the competition in 2017 recruiting rankings.
From 247sports.com:
| RANK | SCHOOL | TOTAL COMMITS | FIVe-STARS | FOUR-STARS | THREE-STARS | AVERAGE GRADE | TOTAL POINTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | OHIO STATE | 13 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 93.86 | 248.19 |
| 2 | CLEMSON | 9 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 91.26 | 171.23 |
| 3 | MIAMI (FL) | 10 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 88.40 | 159.94 |
| 4 | FLORIDA STATE | 7 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 92.91 | 150.47 |
| 5 | ALABAMA | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 94.03 | 137.79 |
A prospect like Dobbins is wise in committing early and reserving his spot in what could end up as Urban Meyer's first No. 1 recruiting class at Ohio State.
Some opposing fans might say Ohio State coaches are pressuring players to commit early or get shut out of the class. To which I'd say, no shit? That's called honesty.
While it's a long haul between now and February 2017, it's going to be interesting to see how Ohio State manages the roster numbers after this season.
LOS ANGELES LAKERS: YOUR 2016 NBA CHAMPIONS. While we all enjoy the high times of Buckeye fandom together, only few Buckeye fans know the pain of Los Angeles Lakers fandom.
It's been six arduous years since the Lakers last captured an NBA title. Despite drafting D'Angelo Russell No. 2 in the 2016 draft, they still pay Byron Scott millions of dollars to coach him.
I've pondered laying down my fanship, but I'm glad I didn't because the Lakers won the 2016 NBA championship on Sunday by defeating the Golden State Warriors 112-95.
As it turns out, D'Angelo Russell is good at basketball if he's not benched by his crackpot coach:
Russell finished with 21 points, five assists, three rebounds, and the praise of Steve Kerr:
Steve Kerr on DAngelo: Russells been playing really well. I loved him at Ohio State Hes showing that potential now.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) March 6, 2016
So thankful for the Lakers ending the Warriors' reign of terror. I realize I should be grateful to watch any athletic greatness, but I find them insufferable. It was only right they were humbled by a blue-collar team like the Lakers.
May they never go another six years without a title again.
SPENCE STOCK SLIPPING? Noah Spence is an elite athlete that plays a premium position. But he did drugs, other NFL players have done drugs, and now there's talk Spence's stock is sliding thanks to drug suspensions like the Dallas Cowbows' DE Randy Gregory.
From jsonline.com:
Noah Spence*, DE, Eastern Kentucky: 6-2, 251. Ended up at Eastern Kentucky after being suspended indefinitely at Ohio State for failed drug tests. "Multiple trust things got him kicked out," said one scout. "Some question marks about his character. Pass rushers are a premium, and he is that." Had a strong week at the Senior Bowl. "He could go anywhere from 15 to 35," a second scout said. "It's all on the off-field stuff. All it takes is one team to be OK with it. Especially with guys like Randy Gregory...you get nervous." Played well as an outside linebacker at OSU. Had 11 1/2 sacks in only season at EKU.
From rotoviz.com:
At the time of Gregory's suspension in mid-February, NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah voiced the opinion that it might make scouts and teams weary of Spence. That's apparently come to fruition, as there's been a noticeable shift away from him in draft circles after he had started the process strong with a nice Senior Bowl practice week.
Let's hope Spence ends on a team with solid veteran leadership that won't enable his violation of the league's substance abuse policy on a plane ride to Vegas.
The nasty thing about addiction is it takes one bad decision to torch year's of hard work. I think teams would regret passing on Spence due to the transgressions of others, but I understand the thought process, especially when hiring for a position of that magnitude.
11W NEEDS A FEW GOOD INTERNS. If you're a current Ohio State student and hanging out in a group chat of adult sports fans while marketing the world's best Ohio State website sounds like an idea of good time, please consider applying for one of 11W's two summer marketing internships.
The true benefit will be when Ramzy, a certified business tycoon, writes your letter of recommendation on the back of a Wild Turkey label.
The only downside will be me shoveling shots of tequila and hot sauce down your throat at company functions. (Life advice to everyone else: If a Marionaire ever offers you a Washington Apple it is assuredly not a Washington Apple.)
IS THAT LOVIE SMITH'S MUSIC? Illinois made interim head coach Bill Cubit full-time head coach Bill Cubit by awarding him a two-year contract in November. Illinois fired Cubit on Saturday.
Why in the Hell would the Illini do that? It looks like new AD Josh Whitman (37 years old!) has a replacement in mind.
From jg-tc.com:
CHAMPAIGN – Lovie Smith, an NFL head coach for 11 seasons and with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, will soon be introduced as the new head football coach at the University of Illinois.
Multiple sources confirmed that Smith is the choice to lead the Illini. Ryan Baker of WBBM television in Chicago was the first to confirm.
An announcement is expected, perhaps as early as Monday.
Easy to see why Illinois would make this move: Smith is coming off a 6-10 season, is 89-87 as a head coach in his career, and hasn't coached collegiately in over 20 years. Perhaps most impressively, however, he once lost a Super Bowl with a team quarterbacked by Rex Grossman!
I expect this to end in spectacular failure. But hey, at least Illinois is trying.
THOSE WMDs. A MythBusters supercut... Apple users targeted in first known ransomware campaign... Check in with a raptor at the world's first robot hotel... They're making a SuperSmash Bros documentary... Man arrested after slashing two people and setting a third on fire.
