Buckeye 50
Ohio State Basketball
2006-07
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Random thoughts as the dust settles on our basketball season...
April 3, 2007 10:45 pm EST
I for one am disappointed in the outcome of the national title game against Florida (basketball), because we always want to win every contest. However, I am ever so proud of our team and coaches. We had a fantastic year, winning the Big Ten outright, the Big Ten Tournament, and making it all the way to the title game. All done with a very young team and only two seniors.
To be honest, we were cold, Florida was hot, and let's just face it - Florida is a great team and better than we were last night. However, I am proud of our gameplan, the effort and desire by our team and coaches. Each player totally left it on the court. We lost fair and square while giving a good accounting of ourselves. I can live with that. A big thanks and congratulations should go out to all of the coaches, their families, the team and their families. This is a program headed for more greatness and pride. I personally think that Thad Matta will over achieve in whatever he does, with whatever players he has. He has shown he can, and will, make good players better, and great players into champions. - Pat
Buckeyes Warm-up for Final Game
April 2, 2007 4:23 pm EST
The men's basketball team prepares for the last game of the season. If they are reading the local newspapers here in Atlanta, they might as well not even bother to show. They are no match for the Gators says the media experts. The O-H I-O cheer is being responded to by Gator fans with 4-1 1-4, which of course was the score of a football game back in January. And we might as well not play Oden, since the officials will have him in the bench before the 16:00 time-out in the first half.
But if Conley does what he can do, and Harris and Lewis provide the senior support we need, and Butler can bring the defensive support and stroke a 3-pointer or two, and Lighty can provide the bench spark necessary and Hunter and Tewilliger can give some quality minutes against Harford and Noah, don't be surprised if there is a different outcome than the December match-up between these two teams.
But expect early foul calls on the Buckeyes, expect Noah to make a fool of himself, and expect Coach Donovan to yell at the refs the first time we get a lead. After all, aren't they supposed to be given the title the Atlanta Journal is already running a picture of the Florida team hoisting the trophy, merchandise shops are already selling Gator Champions shirts and hats.
Let's hope we can win and make those items a mere novelty item. Go Bucks! - Gregg
To Stay, or NOT to Stay - another update
April 2, 2007 1:05 PM EST
Bruce Hooley, sports announcer for 1460 THE FAN radio here in Columbus, had a personal interview with Mike Conley yesterday -
Rather than a link, here it is verbatim - enjoy! - Pat
"Spielman isn't going to like this, but OSU point guard Michael Conley is coming back to school next year. He said so Sunday in as definitive a fashion as can be. I asked Jamar Butler if the Buckeyes players talk NBA among themselves, if they are NBA fans, since no one else in Columbus -- besides Ronnie Stokes and me -- appears to give a whit about The Association. JB said the fellas closely follow NBA basketball, but not because they're curious about whether they are ready for the pros themselves.
"It's more about, 'Did you see what Kobe did last night. Did you see (Tracy) McGrady? Did you see Tim Duncan?' It's more of that talk," Butler said. Then, without provocation, Butler added:
"I don't say much to Greg (Oden about the NBA). Greg is in a different situation. You're talking about the number-one pick. If it was me, I'd probably leave, too. Me and Mike joke all the time. I tell Mike I'm not letting him go until I leave. He's going to stick it out with me for another year."
So now I'm curious, because Butler brought it up, about whether Conley is staying at OSU or going to the NBA.
"I believe there is a question," Butler said. "He's the best point guard in the nation...the way he's running the team, I think NBA scouts see that. I think his stock is really rising right now."
That, I figure, will get Spielman to reading between the lines again. (And, before I go any further, who knew Spiels could even read the lines, let alone between the lines.) Well, save it, 36. Conley stomped the speculation flat when Jason Lloyd of the Morning Journal in Lorain caught him in the hallway as the Buckeyes headed out to the floor to practice. Jason -- who's a regular on The Writers' Roundup on The Big Show during football season, and who every major newspaper in America is missing out on by not hiring him away from Lorain -- told Conley what Butler said about having questions whether No. 1 is really coming back for his sophomore year.
Conley said, “I’m absolutely set. I know what I want to do and that’s come back and play another year.”
Jason followed up with, "Even if you win tomorrow and Greg declares (for the NBA draft), you’re coming back?"
"Yep," Conley said.
Book your reservations for Indianapolis, site of the 2008 Final Four, right now."
Taken directly from; "The Bruce Blog from Atlanta" Monday, April 2
Mike Conley Jr and Greg Oden going Pro?
March 28, 2007 1:05 pm EST
As the Buckeyes prepare for the Final Four and Georgetown, ESPN is reporting that 'several sources' have indicated both Greg Oden and Mike Conley Jr will be leaving for the NBA at the end of this season. Chad Ford covers the NBA draft and is reporting with 99% certainty they will leave, regardless of whether or not Ohio State wins the National Championship. Many have speculated that Greg Oden would leave and be one of the top two picks in the draft. But as recently as last week, Mike Conley Sr, Mike's father reported that his son would return for next season. Ford has project Conley to be a top 10 pick in the draft if he were to leave college this season. As Buckeye fans, we can only hope this story will not be a distraction for the team. Mike Conley Sr. has again come out and says these stories from ESPN are untrue, I guess we will all know this time next week. Stay tuned! - Gregg
Mike Conley Jr Declares he Will be Back for his Sophomore Season
March 21, 2007 8:05 am EST
We are not sure yet what Greg Oden will do next year, go pro are stay in school. But his long time teammate Mike Conley Jr. has told Todd Jones of the Columbus Dispatch that he will be back for another year. He has started all 35 games for the Buckeyes this season and leads the team with 79 steals (OSU Freshman record), and a school-record 218 assists. He will have at least one more game to add to those totals. Conley and Oden have been teammates since sixth grade, perhaps when can get at least one more year of them together?!?
Conley's father, Mike Conley Sr, has created Mac Management Group and is expecting to learn in a few weeks if the NBA Player Association will certify him to be a players agent. - Gregg
OSU Recruits Earn State Honors
March 20, 2007 9:15 am EST
The 2007 AP Division I and Division II All-Ohio boys basketball teams have been announced and a couple of OSU recruits are on the list. Kostas Koufos and Jon Diebler were both named to 1st team. Koufos, was named player of the year in Division I, averaging 25.9 points a game. Diebler continues to add to his Ohio state scoring mark, now over 3,000 points. He is averaging 41.6 points a game. Both will get an early look at Value City arena as each of their teams will be competing at the state tournament this weekend. B.J. Mullens of Canal Winchester, will also be playing on the home floor of the Buckeyes as his team competes in the state championships as well. Mullens is part of next year's recruiting class. - Gregg
Matta Money Matters
March 19 2007 10:20 pm EST
At this stage of Coach Matta's multi-year deal, he makes $1.75 million a season. But the Buckeye trip to the Sweet 16 is extra sweet for Matta's wallet. In addition to his base salary, he earned an additional $20,000 for winning the Big Ten Championship, $40,000 for winning the Big Ten Tournament, $40,000 for qualifying for the NCAA tournament and $20,000 for reaching the Sweet 16. He can earn and additional $20,000 for reaching the Final Four and $70,000 for winning the National Championship. He also received an additional year on his contract (which now goes out to the 2015-16 season) for winning the Big Ten. Not a bad three weeks! - Gregg
Buckeyes Defeat Badgers Again and are Big Ten Champs Again
March 11, 2007 5:15 pm EST
OSU and Wisconsin have proven all season long that they are two of the top teams in the country. It was no surprise to anyone when they squared off for the Big Ten Tournament Championship. As they met for the third time this season, the Buckeyes were up for the challenge and made a strong statement going into the NCAA tournament.
A big key was the Buckeye defense which forced Wisconsin into 12 first-half turnovers. They needed them all as the scarlet and gray were without their 7 foot center who was on the bench with two fouls. The No. 1-ranked Buckeyes built an early lead and never trailed in a 66-49 victory. The win should insure a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for Ohio State (30-3).
The Buckeyes, who reached the final for the second year in a row by beating Michigan on Friday and Purdue on Saturday, became the third team to win the regular-season championship outright and the tournament. Michigan State did it in 1999 and Illinois in 2005.
Greg Oden, who only played six minutes in the first half, finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots and was voted the tournament’s most outstanding player. Kammron Taylor led Wisconsin (29-5) with 15 points, and limited Big Ten player of the year Alando Tucker to 10 points, three in the second half.
Win Over Boilermakers Puts Buckeyes in Championship
March 10, 2007 4:00 pm EST
Freshman center Greg Oden led the Buckeyes in their 63-52 win over Purdue with 17 points but that was not his biggest accomplishment of the game. He had 19 rebounds to set a Big Ten tournament record including 9 offensive boards, yet that was not how he provided his greatest lift for his team. You can also admire his 4 blocked shots but that is not what meant the most for his team. Late in the second half, he slammed home a putback for a monster dunk to give Ohio State (29-3) an 11 point lead and followed it with a show of emotion that has been missing the entire season. If he can carry that into their game against Wisconsin Sunday afternoon, there is no doubt who will win the game.
Purdue (21-11) led a few times during the first half and gave the Buckeyes a good run, but could not finish the job. Now they will wait to see if the NCAA committee feel they did enough to earn a spot in the big dance.
Seniors Ron Lewis and Ivan Harris also made huge contributions scoring 13 and 11 points respectively. Mike Conley Jr did not have one of his stronger games but did add 6 rebounds which was good enough for 2nd on the team. The Buckeyes will now face the Wisconsin Badgers in a rubber match of sorts, who earned their spot in the championship round by defeating a tired Illinois team 53-41. - Gregg
Oden Named Co-Player of the Week in the Big Ten
February 26, 2007 7:15 pm EST
Greg Oden was awarded the Big Ten player of the week honor for the second time this year. He was recognized along with Drew Neitzel of Michigan State, both players helped their teams defeat then #1 ranked Wisconsin. For the week, Oden scored a total of 28 points, had 19 rebounds and 7 blocked shots. That does not include the total number of piggy-back rides he gave his defender as he was jumped, mauled and attacked while trying to score. - Gregg
Buckeyes Defeat #1 Wisconsin - Win Big Ten
February 25, 2007 9:30 pm EST
Ohio State will finish the regular season in 1st place in the Big Ten all by themselves. The Buckeyes (26-3, 14-1) have finished on top the standings only 16 times in their history, seven of those came under the leadership of Fred Taylor. Outside of that, the basketball program has not seen the success experienced by the football program. So you would think this would be a big deal, unfortunately now that we are in the days of post season tournaments, all this does is give them a #1 seed in the Chicago next week and they have to beat everyone all over again. But Coach Matta has a great thing going and we can all look forward to more seasons like this as long as he is around. In his 7 sevens as a head coach, he has won his conference 5 times.
Ron Lewis and Ivan Harris played their final game in Columbus and went out strong. Harris lead the team in scoring with 13 points including 3 for 6 from behind the 3-point line. And Lewis blocked the last second shot attempt by Wisconsin (25-4, 12-3) which would have given the Badgers the victory. - Gregg
Final Game: April 2, 9:20 pm EST
vs. Florida (Championship)
06-07 Season
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