Columbus may be all-time host of the Final Four after Arike Ogunbowale daggered UCONN and Mississippi State in 48 hours:
Can't do anything but doff the cap to the Irish. Let's hope Brian Kelly didn't glean any tips.
ICYMI:
- Teradja Mitchell could make a move with Tuf Borland sidelined.
- Urban Meyer needs a quarterback, but also a leader.
- Potential transfer targets for Chris Holtmann.
- Reserve your (or your business’) spot next to the life-size statue of Woody Hayes coming to Newcomerstown!
Word of the Day: Cotillion.
NOT HERE FOR A B1G TITLE. Back in the day, winning the Big Ten was akin to a national champion. That's not the case anymore, which is odd considering we live in the conference championship game era.
Under Urban Meyer, there is no such thing as a rebuilding year. It's championship or bust. And finishing short of that goal last season helped the Buckeyes retain Ryan Day for this season after Mike Vrabel tried to poach him.
From Tim May of The Columbus Dispatch:
Day, with young children, had moved his family over four years from Boston College to the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles to the San Francisco 49ers before coming to Ohio State. When new Titans coach Mike Vrabel, a former Ohio State star and assistant coach, offered to make Day his offensive coordinator, Day decided that staying in one place for a while was more appealing, especially after Meyer upped the ante.
“There’s unfinished business here,” said Day, also the quarterbacks coach. “We didn’t win the whole thing (last season). And I didn’t come here to win the Big Ten. I came here to win a national championship. ... Growing up, that’s what I wanted to do, I wanted to get to a place where I can win a national championship.
“I’m here, so now I’m gonna leave? No, I’m not doing that.”
You know who doesn't get enough credit? The family of assistant coaches. I'm exhausted from just thinking about moving from Boston to Philadelphia to San Francisco to Columbus in four years.
Credit to Meyer for keeping Day in the fold. He knew the importance of continuity in the quarterback room. At this point, you could talk me into all three QBs leading the Buckeyes to a championship. Love April, baby.
MEYER AND BURROW HAVE TALKED TRANSFER. Joe Burrow may have backed up J.T. Barrett last season before breaking his hand. He's still fighting for the starting job, but it's not guaranteed.
Being able to transfer after graduating in May is a wrinkle to watch. Will he stay and compete through the fall if he doesn't win the job in the spring? Meyer and Burrow have already discussed possibilities.
From 247sports.com:
But in the end, to transfer or not is Burrow's decision to make.
While Meyer is under no obligation to name a starter until he is ready, the head coach is aware of Burrow's situation and wants to help his quarterback.
"Without getting too deep, we've had conversations with his family," Meyer said of Burrow. "But we try to be as transparent with you guys without getting too nose deep into our meetings, but the answer is probably yes. My first obligation is Ohio State. But not far below that is the player and the family."
There's a lot of internet smoke about Scott Frost's interest in Burrow.
As a guy that makes a living on clicks, I would not be angry if Burrow comes back to Columbus on Nov. 3rd leading the Cornhuskers against Haskins or Martell. The takes would be hot enough to heat the city for the winter.
GET DUMPED THEN, MICHIGAN. Well, it happened. Michigan trampled an 80-year-old nun (perhaps its stiffest competition of the tournament) en route to another national championship game.
We all know the stakes. Nothing good can befall Michigan. All our hopes fall on Jay Wright's Villanova Wildcats, whom we hope emulate the Golden State Warriors once again. If they do, Michigan won't be be able to compete.
From si.com:
With all due respect to Virginia, Villanova has been the best team in the country all season, largely on the strength of its offense, which as detailed above is elite by any and all measures, both traditional and newfangled. As good as Michigan is on the defensive end, it might not be possible to slow down the Wildcats—or, perhaps more accurately, it might not be possible to slow them down to a point where they feel threatened.
Case in point: Villanova’s Elite Eight win over Texas Tech. The Red Raiders, which still sit fourth in kenpom.com’s adjusted defensive efficiency, forced the Wildcats into their worst offensive game of the year just one week ago. They scored just 71 points in that game, making four of their 24 attempts from behind the arc and shooting 33.3% from the field. Jalen Brunson was 4-for-18 from the floor, and Mikal Bridges was 3-for-10. They scored 1.08 points per possession, which is fine for most teams, but nowhere near their standards. In short, Texas Tech held Villanova as close to in check as is realistically possible—and still lost by 12.
If Michigan is going to pull off the upset, it will have to follow that same script, only with a better performance on the offensive end.
That game starts at 9:20 p.m. for some reason (closer to 9:38 factoring in the inevitable pregame media orgy of human interest stories and corporate ads) on TBS.
Sportsbook.com currently lists the Wildcats as seven-point favorites. I hope Michigan gets smacked in a way that has their fans thinking it would have been more honorable to lose in the previous round on a buzzer beater from Sister Jean.
THOSE WMDs. Redemption of a lost prodigy... Fire makes us human... Food truck builder scams customers nationwide... Death of an improv theater... When bail feels more like extortion.
