It was another one of those games where I thought we were dead to rites and I was already mentally preparing a synopsis eulogy after the end of regulation.  The first half was grim.  Very grim.  The statistic that stands out is obviously the six and a half minute scoring drought, where a 15-7 lead became a 21-15 deficit.  In fact, minus some meager shooting by team leader Demetri McCamey, the Illini did almost everything it wanted on offense.  Dribble drives set up Mike Tisdale for his perimeter jump shots and freshmen DJ Richardson and Tyler Griffey (!!) were hot from outside.  The Illini started the game 1/7 from the field and with four turnovers, in many ways saving the Buckeyes from falling behind further.  The Illini shot over .500 the rest of the way through the half, taking (only) a six point lead into intermission.

It did not get much better in the second half, at least initially.  The Buckeyes made strides very early, but turnovers and stellar play from the Illini pushed the deficit up to nine, and eventually 11.  I thought that was basically it.  The Buckeyes may make some strides, cut it closer, but not really take over the game.  Fortunately, an Evan Turner baseline three pointer precipitated the Buckeyes going bonkers from the 13 minute mark to around the six minute mark.  Ohio State suddenly was firing on all cylinders.  The full court pressure resulted in turnovers, the Illini fell behind in their offensive sets, resulting in more turnovers, fast break points, an intentional foul and some three pointers.  All told, a 20-0 run (!!) turned an 11 point deficit into a nine point lead with under six minutes remaining.  Exciting, but the Buckeyes followed that with some regrettable play that resulted in a 10-1 run that made everything essentially level.  Some Les Miles-inspired clock management for the Illini in the second half fortunately took us into overtime.

The first overtime was a level matchup, with both teams exchanging blows.  I feared the Illini had the momentum after storming back to send the game into overtime.  Demetri McCamey took over for the Illini, scoring at will while the Buckeyes struggled to get a stop, or a defensive rebound.  However, Evan Turner took his teammates on his back for the first overtime, scoring the final six of the Buckeyes’ eight overtime points.  The only other two came early into the first overtime period on a William Buford putback of a Jon Diebler missed three pointer.  The Illini, though, had the possibility to win the game at the end of the first overtime, but, again, Bruce Weber and company channeled their inner-Les Miles to squander the opportunity.

The second overtime belonged to the Buckeyes.  Jon Diebler started the festivities with a three pointer and Evan Turner followed with a layup.  DJ Richardson responded on the other end, but the Buckeyes kept a two-possession lead most of the way through.  Even as Evan Turner fouled out with a minute remaining on a Tyler Griffey putback opportunity (again: boxing out), Griffey missing the front-end kept Ohio State’s lead at three.  With Turner out, old man David Lighty showed his leadership on a dribble drive and layup.  The Buckeyes had a five point lead with the shot clock off.  PJ Hill came in for Jeremie Simmons (who, in turn, came in for the departing Turner), who poked the ball out on a vital possession for the Illini.  The Illini recovered on their end of the floor, but the resulting confusion allowed David Lighty to pick the ball and fastbreak for a layup and a seven point lead that was ultimately the final score.  A weird game when all is considered, but the Buckeyes advance.

Miscellany

• Jeremie Simmons played 10 minutes in the first half after Jon Diebler got in early foul trouble.  Some bad misses from him showed how so few minutes can matter here.
• I can’t stress enough PJ Hill’s role in breaking down the Illinois’ last meaningful possession.
• Evan Turner played the first half like the hype got to his head.  He gets a lot of praise but it’s necessary to call attention to stuff like this.  He was forcing passes into tight spots, “arm punting” (in Penn State fan parlance) on fast break opportunities that just weren’t there and wantonly dribbling into trouble as if (so it seems) he just expected he would wiggle out of it.  He concluded the game on fire in the overtime period, finishing with 31 points and 10 rebounds… and 10 turnovers.  After the Buckeyes put together a 20-0 run, Turner made one really bad passes and committed two really unncessary fouls within a minute of each other to be playing with 4 fouls the rest of the way through.  The obvious problem is that, with a 6 man rotation where Lighty, Diebler, Buford and Turner will play all 40 minutes under ideal circumstances, there is absolutely no margin for error.  Some decisions from him must not be duplicated later in March.
• This is the first time in awhile (that I can think of) where Kyle Madsen played disproportionately more than Dallas Lauderdale.  Dallas was really ineffective this game, not boxing out, not going up for rebounds, among other discretions.  We really need more from him if this team is going to return to Indianapolis.

Finally, to lighten up, I remember many days where I wondered if Thad Matta’s whiteboard on the bench read “give the ball to Sylvester” when a timeout was called.  Similarly, we learn that this was on Matta’s whiteboard today.

The ferrari really ties the play together.

From the post in question:

This game plan works about 75% of the time. I’m not sure what the Ferrari is all about. It was really thoughtful of him to draw the sun in there, though.

The Buckeyes play in the tournament finale, held tomorrow, 3:30 ET on CBS.

Evan Turner is a son of a bitch.

The first half was a punch-counterpunch tale. Michigan was strong on offense, getting key contributions in jumpshot form from Stu Douglass and Zack Novak while Deshawn Sims contributed with fadeaways from the baseline. Michigan jumped out to the early 9-point lead. Expressed in the parlance of a boxing match, Michigan got their best punch in early in the first half. Ohio State responded with repeated kicks to the jimmy. The Buckeyes closed out the first half 25-6, taking a 10 point lead into intermission.

This mostly held in the second half. Even when Michigan would nominally make the right decisions, or Ohio State would make bad ones, Michigan would get within four and Ohio State would respond back. This changed as Michigan got in the bonus. Empty possessions for Ohio State resulted in free throws for Michigan, who ultimately turned the course of the game. A double digit lead became only a four point deficit. Michigan made the right decision to ride Manny Harris the rest of the way, who ultimately hit what would have been the game winner with 2.2 seconds remaining.

But Evan Turner: Evan Turner is a son of a bitch.

Turner, relatively quiet on the scoreboard (but with 8 assists), took the inbound pass and let a long three pointer fly with a tenth of a second remaining. He sank it, winning the game and, hopefully, vanquishing Michigan from the public consciousness forever. The Buckeyes advance to the semifinals, facing the winner of today’s 4-5 game tomorrow (Wisconsin or Illinois).

For those who did not watch the game, you can relive it here in all its glory.

I don’t claim to be a fitness expert, so I can’t really speak to any possibility that what you’re seeing in the video is something new, or some a twist on normal workouts aimed at maximizing fitness for the upcoming fall.  The layman in me on these matters can say, with certainty, that I got tired just looking at it.  More to the matter of “who looked good and who didn’t”, here’s what I’ve been able to gather in what I watched and so on.

• Terrelle Pryor was not favoring the leg on which he recently had surgery.  However, you can tell in further video of him in this workout that he was positively gassed.  This makes sense, after all.  The procedures on the leg have not allowed him to do conditioning drills and maintain endurance.  It showed.  Not a biggie, but worth noting.
• I think Jaamal Berry was wearing a brace of some kind on his right ankle.  It was either some kind of brace or a bulky sock.
• Tyler Moeller was in and running well, actually.  This surprised me as I was expecting him to be showing some of the same fatigue that Pryor showed, but this appeared to come only at the very end of the workout.  FWIW, Moeller was running with the safeties.
• Jake Stoneburner owned the long hair look (see above).  On this, I wholeheartedly approve.  Ken Guiton has a bit of a ‘fro going.  Marcus Hall was rocking the mohawk and Donnie Evege was looking spectacular, as always, with his mane.  This concludes the hair commentary part of this post.
• Chimdi Chekwa and Andrew Sweat are the only other players (other than Pryor) that were doing sideline stuff while everyone else went through the routines.  I know Sweat is coming off surgery (as his roommate Pryor).  Chekwa appears to have some kind of minor injury, as I don’t recall him going into surgery after the season.
• Most of the offensive linemen stood out to me in what I was able to watch.  They all look noticeably leaner and seemed to run very well.  The obvious exception appears to be Justin Boren.  It’s not that he’s unhealthy, just that his frame is what it is.
• Devon Torrence universally stood out as a workout warrior.  I think he was paired with Donnie Evege on the piggyback drills and, together, they both were working it.
• Cam Heyward seems to be taking his role as a senior leader seriously.  He was very visibly the pack leader of the defensive line in drills and seriously chewed out Keith Wells for doing a drill incorrectly.
• There was a tug-of-war drill between Adam Bellamy and John Simon where, poor Adam Bellamy, he just didn’t stand a chance at winning that.  John Simon is an anthropomorphized mule.  Pulling people around is kind of a natural function.

The Spring Game is a little over six weeks away.  Hopefully even just 10 minutes of watching the Buckeye football players piggyback each other and chase each other through circle-eights got you that much more excited.

1. So I can’t watch… balls…

Evan Turner was appropriately recognized for having a standout season, in which the 6′7 point guard/forward lead the conference in scoring in points per game, rebounds per game, was second in assists and was fifth in steals.  Turner was the only unanimous selection to the Big Ten first team, appearing in all the coach and media ballots.  With such a spectacular season, he was a runaway selection for Big Ten Player of the Year.  The Buckeyes’ first conference player of the year since Terrance Dials, Turner was the unanimous media choice.

Further, Thad Matta pleasantly surprised me by picking up his third Big Ten Coach of the Year Award.  I assumed that, in a year without a spectacular coaching story within the conference, that Matt Painter of Purdue would claim that award.  He actually did, taking the honor as voted by his peers.  Thad Matta got the media vote.

Meanwhile, other members of the Ohio State starting five were given recognition for their play through the course of the 2009-2010 season.  William Buford appeared on both the media and the coaches’ All-Big Ten Third Team.  David Lighty was on the media’s All-Big Ten Third Team, but was honorable mention in the coaches’ vote.  Jon Diebler was given honorable mention as well.  Dallas Lauderdale also appeared on the All-Defensive Team.  Lastly, Kyle Madsen was given a sportsmanship award.

All told, a very good season for the Buckeyes has resulted in the appropriate recognition for everyone involved.  The Buckeye team, however, no doubt has their eyes set on bigger goals at the moment.  For the meantime, congratulations are definitely in order.

Height: 6′2
Weight: 220lbs
40: 4.55
High School: Fork Union Military Academy; Fork Union, Virginia

His Recruitment: The earliest a college football prospect can receive a written scholarship offer is on September 1st of the prospect’s junior year. Therefore, having a breakout sophomore season is the perfect way to establish a groundswell of interest from fans and college coaches alike.  Jamel Turner accomplished exactly this after his sophomore season in 2007 that saw him tally an outstanding 23 sacks.  Far be it from me to attribute causality to any one person, place or thing, but I really think the corollary video from Scouting Ohio — the “23 sacks video” — played a large role in this groundswell of interest, at least at the level of the fans.

This sack tally and the manner by which he could attack downhill generated a lot of curiosity about Turner.  This was only his sophomore year, but it was also his first full year of of high school football (he was injured midway through his freshman year).  Moreover, Jamel demonstrated incredible prowess in track and field.  In only his first go-around with hurdles, Jamel picked up a silver medal in the state meet with a time of 14.95 in the 110 hurdles… while running at 6′2 and 215lbs.  As such, Jamel Turner was a topic for Buckeye fans interested in college football recruiting as it appeared that, with such amazing athleticism and still two years left of HS football, Jamel Turner may develop into the best in the state of Ohio.  Interest in him began to accumulate from college football programs as well.  Aside from the obvious MAC-school interest, programs like Notre Dame, Illinois, Michigan State and Wisconsin were interested and extended verbal offers through the summer and early fall.  The Buckeyes, who long knew about Jamel, extended a verbal scholarship offer in July 2008.  As such, Jamel Turner was the first scholarship offer extended by the coaching staff for the class of 2010, preceding JT Moore who was the first commitment of the class.

The offer was one that Jamel Turner always wanted.  While most recruits play a poker face, are courteous, and say they are “wide open” to people who ask them about nascent preferences, Jamel had made other pronouncements during 2008 that indicated Ohio State was his first preference.  However, with a busy schedule in the fall of 2008, Jamel decided to not put too much emphasis on recruiting.  That said, he did manage to sneak a visit to the 2008 Penn State game¹.  The Buckeyes lost that game, the first home loss to Penn State since the Nitts joined the Big Ten, but the visit strengthened the interest in the Buckeyes.  Jamel managed to see some other places throughout 2008, including Illinois, Penn State, Notre Dame and Wisconsin, but the atmosphere at that game made a strong impression.  Things remained relatively quiet as Jamel’s Ursuline Fighting Irish focused on their undefeated 2008 season, which culminated in a Division V state championship over Findlay Liberty-Benton.  In the aftermath of that game, Jamel gave the following interview that should have left little doubt about where Jamel wanted to play college football.

His Commitment: Jamel’s school announced there would be a press conference on December 16, 2008.  Therein, Jamel would announce his college choice.  It was not surprising that the selection made was Ohio State.  In fact, Jamel had made the decision weeks earlier but remained mum on the topic.

“I decided a few weeks back and I told my football coach and he said he would call the meeting and we would do it today… I had my mind made up before. I just wasn’t telling anybody,” he said. “I wanted to wait for the right time, and I felt that right time was now.”

The reasoning behind the decision is largely standard fare for Ohio kids who commit so early into the process.

“It’s just that I’ve been to a number of places in the past season and through the summer and Ohio State was just the best feel for me,” he said. “That’s pretty much why I chose them. I have a good relationship with the coaches, and then the fact that this is my home school and I feel more at home at the campus than any of the other ones I went to.”

With his future destination set, Jamel now had ample time to play basketball and run hurdles for his high school.   The second commitment of the 2010 class, Jamel Turner’s decision had Buckeye fans thinking they had likely the state’s top prospect in his class all locked up.

A Detour to Fork Union: Jamel’s story does not end there, however.  Message board chatter in the spring of 2009 intimated that Jamel Turner was in serious jeopardy of having his scholarship pulled at Ohio State.  Duane Long thought Jamel would never suit up in scarlet and gray because of it.  Details were hard to come by (and still are), but gradually we learned that Jamel’s troubles were multifaceted.  In the academic realm, he was not showing up for classes and not completing assignments.  In the other (but related) behavioral realm, he had developed a serious attitude problem that made him insufferable to the high school basketball coach.  All told, the consequences were staggering: he was kicked off the basketball team by his head coach and lost all eligibility to play sports in the state of Ohio.  A silver medalist in hurdles, he was not allowed to compete in track and field as a junior.

Ken Gordon’s article on the matter, just linked, mentions some of the details at this crucial juncture.

“Sometimes in life, you have obstacles,” Turner said. “We all make bad decisions and make mistakes, but it’s what you do after that.”

Neither Turner nor those around him will discuss his family situation in any detail, but it is clear that he never had a strong father figure, and there were other negative influences, as well.

Instability at home manifested itself in immaturity and fits of temper, even as he led Ursuline to the 2008 Division V state championship, following up his 23-sack season in 2007 with another 18 sacks.

In December 2008, he became the first player to commit to Ohio State’s 2010 class. But a month later, Ursuline basketball coach Keith Gunther had had enough of Turner’s attitude.

“There were a couple incidents — nothing criminal, but when things didn’t go his way, he would react very emotionally and just go off,” Gunther said. “At the time, Jamel was living with me, he was basically like a son to me [emphasis mine]. And I told him, ‘I’m going to treat you as if you were my own son,’ and I kicked him off the team.

“The biggest reason I did it was Jamel was a big-time football player who probably thought he was bigger than life. I wanted to wake him up.”

Said Turner: “That hurt a lot, but he did what he had to do.”

By spring, Turner’s grades had declined to the point where he could not play sports in Ohio the next fall.

Importantly, Ohio State had not yanked their scholarship offer to him.  However, a scholarship offer from Ohio State would serve little purpose if Jamel did not make some serious adjustments to the present situation.  The obvious solution appeared to be one of the military prep schools.  All hope was not lost, but Jamel was clearly behind the 8-ball.  Attending a school like Valley Forge or Fork Union would serve wonders should Jamel capitalize on the opportunity that such a rigid structure and emphasis on focus, discipline can afford.  Initial speculation had him enrolling at Valley Forge, but the decision was eventually made for Fork Union.

It appears that the decision was the right one for everyone involved.  Enrolling in a military academy out of state allowed Jamel to continue playing football while instilling in him a strict regimen in order to make sure his priorities were in order at all times.  Jamel explains:

“Fork Union definitely helped me out as far as grades-wise and school and they also helped me out in putting me in an environment to where I can focus in on the things I have to do in the real world… Fork Union brought a lot of the real world characteristics into my life because next year I’ll have to be doing a lot studying and getting used to a whole new life on campus that I’ve never experienced before. Fork Union is just a small preview of that… We get up at 6 every morning and on the weekends we get up at 7. You start early and you don’t go to sleep till 10.”

It appears that Jamel is on his way to actualizing his goal of being a Buckeye, which is in large part possible because of the work that Jamel and his support system of coaches (at Ursuline and Fork Union) have put into him as well as the coaching staff’s continued blessings.  While I believe, or at least have reason to believe, the Ohio State coaching staff indicated that there was much work to be done by Jamel, they never once unconditionally withdrew their offer.  As such, Jamel remained committed to Ohio State as they remained committed to him.  Other suitors entered the fray very late in the game, hoping that Jamel may have wavered on Ohio State.  This was not the case.

“(Coach Jim) Tressel is a good man, and he stands by his word.  So I’m going to stand by my word, and we’re going to get it done.”

Jamel eventually made good on his December 2008 verbal commitment by signing his letter of intent last month.  Presently, it seems all is set for Jamel to enroll at Ohio State.

Where He Excels: Jamel was being discussed as one of the state of Ohio’s elite talents in the 2010 class before being detoured to Fork Union.  Rivals.com lists him as the 11th best talent in the state of Virginia (where Fork Union is) for the 2010 class, which falls short of expectations that developed around him after his sophomore season.  Still a 4-star, I wonder if the relatively meager hype around him nowadays belies just how much he is capable of accomplishing at Ohio State.  For example, Rivals.com bumped Jamel Turner from his spot in their top 30 nationally and did so explicitly because of his off-the-field problems.  In fact, they appeared to remove him their top 250 outright.  In some sense this appears reasonable.  Jamel’s predicament that emerged in May 2009 does not facilitate entry into summer football camps and advanced camps, which is where a college football hopeful can receive some quality instruction, generate more intrigue and better his lot when it’s time to sign a letter of intent.

Jamel may be a 5-star in athletic prowess alone.  “Freak” is probably a cliché in discussing high school football stars with great athletic abilities, but it seems appropriate for Jamel.  After all, he was a runner-up in state meets in hurdles, after never having attempted hurdles, while measuring 6′2 and over 200lbs.  Further, the 4.55 40 time listed by Bucknuts does not appear to be a misprint.  The sophomore season highlight clip highlights what’s possible for the young man who played most every position conceivable for him at Ursuline and Fork Union.  At Ursuline, he was a defensive end, tight end and wide receiver.  At Fork Union, he was a linebacker and safety.  In all occasions, on defense, he demonstrated a great acceleration.  As soon as the ball is snapped, he is flying to the quarterback.  Further, he demonstrates a very good lateral agility and ability to make his second move before the offensive lineman in question has made his first.  A great closing speed allows Jamel to move in for the kill, underscoring how he can tally over 40 sacks in two years at Ursuline even when teams would double or triple team Jamel (especially in his junior year).

All considered, I really think Jamel would thrive more as a jack linebacker in a 3-4 system.  Knowing that Ohio State only runs a wrinkle of that, it seems apparent to me that Jamel is more the LEO-type defensive end (Thaddeus Gibson’s position) than JT Moore.

Must Work On: There is not a lot I can contribute here since, as far as I know, there is no film available of Jamel Turner playing football at Fork Union and I do not know the caliber of competition for Fork Union.  Most everything I’ve read about Jamel says he’s a combination of coachable and raw, even offering seemingly contradictory statements about him on that topic.  Since Jamel lost time to injury as a freshman, lost valuable camp time in the summer of 2009 (I think), and spent much of his one year at Fork Union playing more than 10 yards from the line of scrimmage, there will probably be a learning curve playing for Jim Heacock at Ohio State.

Redshirt? Jamel says that he is not approaching his freshman year like it is a redshirt year.  He hopes to earn the immediate playing time that every incoming college football player desires.  However, considering the depth chart on the defensive line and Jamel’s backstory, I think a redshirt could do a lot of good for him.

Highlights: As far as I know, nothing is available from his senior season at Fork Union.  The sophomore clip was made available above and the following is a junior year video from when he was still at Ursuline.

Miscellany:

• Missing Jamel Turner may have been a big blow for the Ursuline Fighting Irish, but they did repeat as state champions in 2009.
• I have not seen a box score of the 2008 state championship game aganist Findlay Liberty-Benton, but I believe the quarterback that Jamel was terrorizing was Aaron Craft.  Craft, a standout football player for that Liberty-Benton team, may be a name more familiar with those who follow Ohio State shooty hoops.  He is part of the Super Six recruiting class for Thad Matta, forgoing his senior year of football at Liberty-Benton to focus on basketball.  This article seems to coincide with my hunch.
• I am feeling a little lazy and do not want to look through the past recruiting classes to confirm this, but I think he is the last recruit from Ursuline since… wait for it… Louis Irizarry.  Jamel did have a teammate named Nico Irizarry.
• Technically, Jamel is not a “recruit from Ursuline” since he finished at Fork Union, but I couldn’t resist.
• Jamel prefers the number 11 in part because of his twin brother, Jamal.  Believing that both are number in the world, together, the juxtaposition of those “number ones” results in the number 11.  That said, it is not a big issue for Jamel and Jamel wore #9 for Fork Union.
• It may be fair to wonder if Jamel will slip back into bad habits outside the military academy setting.  Fork Union’s coach believes otherwise:

“He has not had a (behavior) demerit since he has been here. He is now a cadet non-commissioned officer in our corps. He has been a leader off the field. He’s doing the tough things really well right now.

“The kid is really smart. When you’re in a situation where somebody is maybe not telling you to go to school or do your work and you’re 16 or 17 years old, that can be a bad situation for you. We want to get him out of school, get him his diploma, get him eligible and get him to Ohio State. I think he will do fine there.”

• Jamel resumed running hurdles at Fork Union.  Therein, he ran a 7.83 in the 55 hurdles in the league championships.  According to his high school football coach, who doubles as Fork Union’s athletic director, Jamel clocked the ninth-fastest time in the 55 hurdles in the entire country.  I’m not sure if that time is it, but still.  Yowza.
• Jamel remarked how surreal it was to be in a place so remote that the football field is adjacent to a grazing pasture for cows.  Amidst the change in scenery, Jamel developed a curious habit that I am absolutely thrilled to read.

“I keep my face in a book. For some reason I’ve developed a lust for reading. I love to read. I’ll read anything. I love to read, that’s probably the biggest attribute I gained down here.”

• Pre-compiled stats, courtesy of Bucknuts.

As a senior, he helped Fork Union post a 7-4 record as he played at linebacker, defensive end and safety. He had 66 tackles with two sacks and two interceptions in earning all-state honors. In two previous years at Ursuline, he notched 40-plus sacks, including 23 as a sophomore. As a junior, he helped lead Ursuline to a 15-0 record and the Division V state title. He had 7-1/2 tackles and 1-1/2 sacks in the title game. He projects as a defensive end or outside linebacker at OSU. He also placed second at the state track meet in the hurdles as a sophomore.

I think Jamel Turner is now better known.

The More You Know

I think it would be appropriate to put him on the board.

1. He also visited Notre Dame when they hosted Michigan in September 2008.

Two really forgettable turnovers, quickly capitalized for points by Iowa’s Kachine Alexander, foreshadowed just how ugly the game was for the Buckeyes in the first half.  With 14 minutes remaining, an 11-0 run for Iowa put the Buckeyes behind big, and early.  A mini-run came to cut into that margin, but an 11 point deficit plagued the Buckeyes for almost all of the first half before a Tayler Hill 3 point jumper and a defensive stand from the team kept the deficit at eight at intermission.  Perhaps more troubling than the actual deficit was the foul trouble and poor play from Samantha Prahalis and Jantel Lavender.  The heroes of the game against Wisconsin, both struggled in the first half.  Prahalis had the worst of it.  I don’t think I can fault Lavender for her early foul trouble, since it seems everything was a foul this game.  Prahalis, on the other hand, made bad decisions, committed bad turnovers, struggled on defense and struggled with her shot.  With eight minutes remaining in the first, she made the regrettable decision to reach for the ball after Iowa had gathered and was appropriately called for a foul.  The ensuing outburst in light of her frustrations should, in all fairness, have resulted in a technical foul.  Fortunately, one was not called and Jim Foster kept her on the bench for the remainder of the first half.

It did not seem the Buckeyes could recover in the second half.  Rather than chip into Iowa’s lead, the same problems manifested again and resulted in a 16 point deficit.  However, a 9 minute field goal drought for Iowa changed the course of this game.  The Buckeyes had finally cut off the penetration that worked so well for Iowa (22 points in the paint in the first half, and I think 0 in the second half).  Meanwhile, Jantel Lavender took over.  She had 12 first half points, but dominated the second half, finishing with 35 points and 10 rebounds.  Two free throws from her with 3:51 remaining gave the Buckeyes their first lead since 6-4 in the first half.  Later, with under  two seconds remaining in the game, she drew a foul, sank both free throws that were ultimately the difference in the 66-64 outcome.  As a result, the Buckeyes repeat as tournament champions in spite of everything in this game that would’ve suggested the opposite outcome.

The obvious hope is that the victory here, in front of  Evan Turner, Dallas Lauderdale and PJ Hill (who all made the trip), sets up a similar feat from the men’s team in the Big Ten Men’s Tournament, which begins March 11th.  For the meantime, the Buckeyes celebrate this victory and await their selection into the (UCONN Is Not Losing The) NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament.  Therein, the Buckeyes are in very good position for a 2 seed.

While the Buckeyes got their championship moment, at home, and gave an appropriate send-off to people like Kyle Madsen, Jeremie Simmons, Danny Peters, PJ Hill and Mark Titus¹, it was a trying game there for stretches.  Evan Turner did not have a banner day.  He finished with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists, but had a few unsightly turnovers (4 in total) and it looked the Illini had him bottled up and were going to take away his opportunities to attack the basket.  Further, Dallas Lauderdale looked like he was playing with cement hands for most of the game.  However, David Lighty and Jon Diebler deserve praise for having kept the Buckeyes afloat through critical stretches of the first half when the Illini were sinking their shots and when Demetri McCamey was too much for the Buckeyes to handle.  Jon Diebler was 7/14 from 3, finishing with 21 points.  David Lighty, on the other hand, played like a man possessed.  Much of his 15 points came from attacking the basket, drawing fouls and finishing strong.

There were times where it looked difficult, but the Buckeyes made the relevant adjustments and played strong on defense in the second half.  Eventually, the Illini ran out of steam.  Now, the Buckeyes celebrate clinching a well-earned share of the Big Ten championship (1-1 against Purdue, won lone meeting against Sparty (at Sparty), 1-1 against Wisconsin).  The Buckeyes next tip off in the Big Ten tournament, more than a week from now.

For the meantime, let’s party Columbus.

1. …whose senior day introduction was touching.

Thad Matta hates his bench, or so I’m inferring, but the point distribution from this game is still amusing.  Buford led all scorers with 24, going 9/15 from the field.  Much of his points came at opportune times, either during a mini-run from Michigan or were baseline three pointers aimed at breaking the spirit of the Wolvereenies.  Therein, he was a perfect three for three from behind the line.  He also crashed the boards, tallying nine and adding four assists to boot.  Evan Turner put up the aggregate numbers that will buttress his claim for the Naismith Award.  He even played admirably in light of acquiring 3 fouls early in the second half, for which he took only a 44 second breather before a TV timeout.  This was our lone introduction to PJ Hill.  Nevertheless, he finished with 18 points (8/11 shooting), 11 rebounds and seven assists.  He was three assists and two turnovers away from a quadruple Turner double.  His four blocks amounted to a career high.  Lastly, Dallas Lauderdale played strong around the rim.  He had a career high 14 points off 7/9 shooting.  One of the better sights in Buckeye shooty hoops has been how well Turner and Lauderdale have been able to interact with each other on the court.  Lauderdale is not exactly the guy you give the ball to on a post-entry pass and expect for him to do his thing.  At best, he’s active on the offensive side of the ball and Turner has done a great job at drawing his defender away and feeding the ball to Lauderdale for easy baskets.

Combined, Buford, Turner and Lauderdale accounted for 56 of the Buckeyes’ 66 points for the game.

There’s probably some hesitation about the team going forward.  The Wolvereenies made shots in the first half that they were not able to do in the second half, including a paltry seven minute field goal-less stretch, broken only in the final minute and with the result certain.  However, the active defense played _ichigan resulted in numerous turnovers on which the visitors capitalized.  The Buckeyes seemed to struggle here, looked lethargic and invited questions about just how taxing a 5.5 man rotation is on the starters entering March.

The Buckeyes finish the regular season at home with Illinois on March 2nd.  You are instructed to go to that game if you live in Columbus.  As it stands, the Buckeyes are .5 behind Purdue and need the Boilermakers to drop a game if the Buckeyes are to claim any part of the Big Ten championship.  Again, the most likely candidate is tomorrow, as the Hummel-less Boilermakers play host to Michigan State.  Purdue finishes with Indiana and Penn State, not exactly difficult games.

Buford’s response was two-fold.  First, he diligently drew attention to the scoreboard, articulating the point that in a relativistic society with no absolute moral imperatives and preconceived notions of value in a modern society, the scoreboard is our only reliable indicator of right and wrong.  Second, Buford let the Bryce Jordan Center crowd know that he had a lingering itch… in deez nutz.

I’m a bad person.  So, while Thad Matta takes the obvious route and says that Buford acted inappropriately, I’m inclined to cite the sage of our times, Ricky Bobby, in saying that William Buford is a winner.  Winners get to do what they want.

Nevertheless, the 75-67 victory at Penn State last night keeps the Buckeyes afloat in the Big Ten championship race.  They need Purdue to lose, which almost happened last night against Minnesota after Robbie Hummel left the game to injury.  The Buckeyes next host _ichigan on Saturday.

Really though, this week was an important one for the men’s basketball team.  The conference slate started off rough.  Evan Turner’s early season back injury put the Buckeyes behind the 8-ball early into conference play.  The losses to Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin in light of the stellar play of Michigan State and Purdue seemed to doom the Buckeyes from the start.  The first two losses seem particularly avoidable if Turner had been playing and, in the second case, had been playing full speed.  However, the Buckeyes got major help.  Purdue started the festitivities by Purdue-ing itself, losing 3 straight including a home choker to the Buckeyes.  Later, Michigan State had its football-inspired Sparty NO moment, dropping three straight and suddenly creating a four team logjam at the top of the Big Ten (including Ohio State and Illinois).  Ohio State took care of Illinois, essentially dropping them from the race.  This past week, the Buckeyes had a golden opportunity to drop Purdue and Michigan State from the race as well.  They hosted Purdue and finished at East Lansing on Sunday.  The Buckeyes finish the regular season with manageable games at home w/ Michigan, on the road at lowly Penn State, and a final tilt against Illinois.  This last one is no gimme, but it is at home.

It’s therefore a little disconcerting that the Buckeyes dropped the first game to Purdue, serving as some kind of redemption for the Boilermakers displeased with how the second half of the January game unfolded.  This game started in a manner very similar to the earlier game in West Lafayette.  Poor shooting and a litany of turnovers put the Buckeyes down early.  Unlike the earlier game in West Lafayette, the Buckeyes were never able to recover and eek out a victory.  With it, it seemed to me that the Buckeyes were done for in the Big Ten championship race.  However, the Buckeyes rebounded and posted an impressive victory in Breslin.  Herein, the Buckeyes got key contributions from all the starters.  Diebler hit 4 of his 10 three point attempts, finishing with 12 points.  Lighty, Lauderdale and Buford hit the glass hard.  Combining for 27 rebounds, the last of the three getting 10 and the double-double, all three made significant contributions on offense.  Buford and Lighty finished with 17 points and 13 points respectively while Lauderdale’s eight points on 4/6 shooting is essentially what we want/expect from him for every game.  As for Evan Turner? Well, having demonstrated a proficiency at the shooty hoops, he finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists en route to a record 9th career Big Ten Player of the Week Award.

The mixed result for the week means the Buckeyes are now tied with Sparty at half a game behind Purdue, who is now in the lead for the Big Ten championship.  At an initial glance, it seemed that dropping the game to Purdue was crucial.  Should they have won that, the Buckeyes would be a full game up on second place as I type.  It’s not over, but the Buckeyes will need Purdue to Purdue itself one final time.  The most likely candidate is against Michigan State, this coming Sunday.  Purdue and Michigan State play one final time, this time in West Lafayette.  However, Purdue won the first leg of that game in East Lansing, as part of Michigan State’s Sparty NO treatment.  The Buckeyes will have to win out, in all likelihood, and they have a manageable slate of games for doing just that.  If Purdue loses one final game, it means the Buckeyes and Boilermakers will likely share the Big Ten trophy.  If that loss is to Michigan State, Sparty gets a share as well.

Regardless, the Buckeyes have rebounded much better than I would have anticipated in January and seem to be making the most of the new life given to them by Purdue and Michigan State’s respective 3 game setbacks.  The team is rounding into form at the right time, hopefully setting us up for a March run.