Tag: Ohio

Categories
Basketball

Ohio State aims to shake things up against No. 20 Michigan in Columbus

Michigan (NCAAB)

Even casual fans know that records don’t matter when Ohio State and Michigan face off in any sport.

Just a few months ago, the unranked Michigan football team, a three-touchdown underdog, surprised the Buckeyes in Columbus, Ohio. After that, the Buckeyes went on to win four straight games, all by double-digit margins, securing the College Football Playoff title.

This Sunday in Columbus, a similar situation will play out on the basketball court, as unranked Ohio State (15-10, 7-7 Big Ten) will try to upset No. 20 Michigan (19-5, 11-2) and spoil their surprising hopes for the conference title.

“I don’t believe in minimizing that game and this rivalry,” said Ohio State coach Jake Diebler. “We’ll certainly talk, and there’s even an educational component to this game to make sure our guys understand the history of this game.”

He continued, “There’s no minimizing it. There’s more to it, certainly in this time of the year and all of that, but make no mistake. This is a rivalry game, and we’ll embrace everything that comes with that.”

The Wolverines took over the top spot in the conference on Tuesday with their fifth straight win, a 75-73 victory over No. 7 Purdue, as first-year coach Dusty May tries to lead the team from worst to first. Michigan finished last in the conference last season (8-24, 3-17 Big Ten) under Juwan Howard.

“We’ve got some tough games in front of us,” May said. “But this is exciting to be in mid-February playing extremely meaningful games, competing for a championship with programs, coaches, and players that are at the top of college basketball.”

May and Michigan junior guard Roddy Gayle Jr. add an extra layer to this rivalry. May was rumored to be a leading candidate for the Ohio State job after Chris Holtmann was fired in February 2024 and Diebler took over as interim coach.

Ohio State (NCAA)

After Diebler led the Buckeyes to a 6-2 record, including a strong Big Ten tournament showing, he was named permanent coach on March 17. About a week later, May left Florida Atlantic to take the Michigan job.

One of May’s first transfers was Gayle, who played two seasons for the Buckeyes and will likely face a tough reception from Ohio State fans.

Gayle started the first 21 games for Michigan but was moved to a reserve role two games ago. He responded with 14 points against Purdue, his highest total since scoring 15 against Washington on Jan. 12. He is averaging 10.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.8 assists.

“Obviously everyone has seen that Roddy hasn’t been as good as we know he is,” said Michigan center Danny Wolf. “I don’t want to say slump, but everyone goes through it throughout the season. The way that guy’s bounced back, it makes me so happy, and we know that Roddy is someone you want to have in your locker room.”

The Buckeyes are relying on a transfer as well. Former San Diego State guard Micah Parrish followed a career-high 30 points at Nebraska on Sunday with 21 points in a 93-69 win over visiting Washington on Thursday, marking the first time in his 159-game collegiate career that he posted consecutive 20-plus point games.

“When we recruited Micah, we really wanted him to have a good opportunity (offensively),” Diebler said. “I think that is what made Ohio State special for him. Sometimes when you transfer to a new program, it takes some time to settle in. We’re starting to see that now. He’s playing confident, and we have great confidence in him.”

Categories
FEATURED

Ohio State aims to avenge its loss against No. 18 Maryland in Columbus

Ohio State (NCAA)

In early December, Ohio State faced a tough start to its Big Ten season with a heavy 83-59 loss at Maryland, where they trailed by as much as 40 points.

Two months later, the Buckeyes (13-9, 5-6) are looking to show how much they’ve improved when they host No. 18 Maryland (17-5, 7-4) on Thursday night in Columbus, Ohio.

“Make no mistake. We haven’t forgotten about that. I think it’s certainly in the back of my mind,” said Ohio State coach Jake Diebler about the blowout loss.

Since then, Ohio State has made a lot of progress. The Buckeyes have pulled off big wins over then-No. 4 Kentucky, 85-65, and then-No. 11 Purdue, 73-70.

Of Ohio State’s five Big Ten losses, all but the Maryland game have been by eight points or fewer, with four of those losses coming against ranked teams.

“We’ve got some quality wins,” Diebler said. “We’ve played an extremely tough schedule, and we have a lot of quality-win opportunities in front of us.”

One of those opportunities comes on Thursday, as Maryland enters the game on a four-game winning streak, which includes road victories over Indiana and then-No. 17 Illinois.

The Terrapins’ recent success comes after two straight Big Ten losses early in the season. This is the first time Maryland has been ranked in the Top 25 since the 2022-23 season.

“They could have let a lot of negativity affect them,” said Maryland coach Kevin Willard. “Their attitude has been just phenomenal. I think that’s the biggest thing. They’ve been really resilient.”

During the Terrapins’ winning streak, Ja’Kobi Gillespie has averaged 17.8 points and 6.8 assists, while Julian Reese has contributed 15.8 points and 11.3 rebounds.

No. 18 Illinois and Ohio State (NCAAB)

Reese, a 6-foot-9 forward, teams up with Maryland’s top scorer, 6-10 Derick Queen, who averages 15.0 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. Together, they give Maryland a strong inside presence that Ohio State will struggle to match.

“We’re gonna need everybody with size ready to go,” Diebler said. “(Maryland has) maybe the best frontcourt in the league.”

In addition to their inside game, the Terrapins are dangerous from outside. In their last two games, they’ve made 12 of 24 attempts from 3-point range, led by Rodney Rice, who has hit 8 of 13 (61.5 percent), and Selton Miguel, who has made 7 of 11 (63.6 percent).

Ohio State will counter with strong perimeter play from Bruce Thornton, who leads the team in scoring (17.1 points per game) and assists (4.2), and John Mobley Jr., who averages 13.0 points per game.

Both are threats from beyond the arc, with Thornton hitting 45 three-pointers at a 45.9 percent clip and Mobley connecting on 52 at 41.6 percent.

Devin Royal has also stepped up, scoring 29 points in Ohio State’s 87-79 loss at then-No. 18 Illinois on Sunday. The loss came after the Buckeyes had won three straight games.

“We’re so different than when we went there,” Diebler said of the first Maryland game. “We’ve grown so much. This is really a huge opportunity for us that we need to take advantage of. That’s gotta be the focus.”

Maryland has lost the last four games played in Columbus, including a 79-75 double-overtime loss last year, where Thornton scored 24 points.

The Terrapins lead the all-time series 12-11.

Categories
FEATURED

No. 18 Illinois rallies in the final moments to defeat Ohio State 87-79 in Champaign

Illinois Fighting Illini guard Kasparas Jakucionis drives to the basket during the first half against the Ohio State

Will Riley scored 24 points, and freshman Morez Johnson Jr. contributed 14 points and a career-high 15 rebounds as No. 18 Illinois overcame an 11-point second-half deficit to defeat Ohio State 87-79 on Sunday in Champaign, Illinois.

Kylan Boswell added 14 points, and Tomislav Ivisic, returning from illness, had 12 points for Illinois (15-7, 7-5 Big Ten). This victory came after the Illini had lost four of their last six games.

Devin Royal led Ohio State (13-9, 5-6) with 29 points, including 19 in the first half, and Bruce Thornton scored 22. Ohio State’s three-game winning streak was snapped with the loss.

The Buckeyes extended their six-point halftime lead to as much as 52-41 with 15:53 left on a 3-pointer from Thornton. However, Illinois fought back and tied the game 56-56 on a Riley 3-pointer with 11:22 remaining. Riley scored 20 of his 24 points in the second half.

Illinois took its first lead at 70-68 with 6:04 left after a layup and free throw by Boswell. The Illini then went on a 15-0 run, making it 78-68 with 2:45 remaining. Ohio State never got closer than six points after that.

No. 18 Illinois and Ohio State (NCAAB)

The Illini had struggled in two of their last three games without Ivisic, the 7-foot-1 sophomore center, who had been out with mononucleosis. Ivisic made an impact early in this game. Ohio State had a 14-13 lead when Ivisic hit a 3-pointer from several feet beyond the arc. He followed that with a dunk, drawing a foul and completing the 3-point play to tie the game at 16-16.

Royal helped Ohio State build a 42-36 lead at halftime, making 8 of 12 shots, including 3 of 5 from 3-point range. Ohio State shot 54.5% from beyond the arc in the first half, while Illinois struggled, going just 3 of 15 from 3-point range.

The first half featured six lead changes and three ties. Illinois went on a 10-0 run early, only for Ohio State to answer with a 10-0 run of its own to lead 29-23. Illinois then had another 10-0 run, capped by a Boswell 3-pointer, to go up 35-34 before Ohio State finished the half on an 8-1 run.