June 18, 2013

Report: Former Buckeye William Buford to work out for Chicago Bulls

July 2, 2012 by 1 Comment

From Bob Baptist-

Buford was ranked 51st by Draft Express, but was not one of 60 players to hear their name called on draft night. Meanwhile, former teammate Jared Sullinger was introduced as a Boston Celtic today. Sullinger will wear number 7 for the Celtics and Danny Ainge said Sully will play some center as well as power forward for the Celtics.

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Deshaun Thomas Announces Return to Ohio State Basketball Team

April 6, 2012 by 3 Comments

The Ohio State University formally announced today that forward Deshaun Thomas will return next year for his junior season for the men’s basketball team. Thomas, a 6-foot-7 starter, blossomed in February and March for the Buckeyes on the team’s path to the Final Four. He is expected to be a key offensive option for head coach Thad Matta next year after sophomore forward Jared Sullinger announced his departure for the NBA earlier this week.

Thomas averaged 15.9 points on 52 percent shooting with 5.4 rebounds in starting all 39 games this past season. He averaged 19.2 and 7.4 during the final 13 games of the season. However, he struggled with just 9 points and 4 rebounds in OSU’s national semifinal loss to Kansas on March 31, his first single-digit scoring game since a Feb. 11 loss to Michigan State.

Senior guard William Buford is the other notable departure from this year’s team. Also returning next season will be two other starters, guards Aaron Craft and Lenzelle Smith Jr. The Buckeyes are expected to begin the season ranked in the top 25, but likely not in the top 5.

Source: [Ohio State athletics]

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Jayhawks End OSU’s Final Four Journey

April 1, 2012 by 13 Comments

In the first half, the Buckeyes were in complete control and the Kansas Jayhawks had no answer for their shot-making and defensive ferocity. The problem? The Buckeyes’ momentum and edge stayed in the halftime locker room as the Jayhawks came back from 13 down to pull out a 64-62 victory to advance to the Championship Game Monday night against the Kentucky Wildcats in New Orleans. The Bucks shot just 24% in the second half and their dynamic post duo of Sullinger and Thomas shot a combined 8-for-33 from the field. The Buckeyes were offensively ineffective for the last half of the game, and because of it, Kansas seized the momentum and were able to make more plays late. Ohio State had this game won, and yet they’re going home. That’s the hardest part to swallow out of all of this.

This game could not have started any better for the Buckeyes. The slumping shooting guard, William Buford, hit his first shot, and you a had a feeling that he would be much more engaged in the game. The Buckeyes forced the Jayhawks into 9 first half turnovers, and they were able to convert in transition. Meanwhile, the Jayhawks had 0 transition points in the first half and shot just 37%. Deshaun Thomas covered Robinson and held him to 8 points. Jared Sullinger finished a few shots over the top of the shotblocker Jeff Withey. The Buckeyes were setting up for charges (Craft took two) and blocking shots (Sam Thompson had three). Lenzelle Smith Jr. hit some big shots, and the starting five each had 5 points or more at the break. In short, the Buckeyes looked unstoppable. [Read more...]

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While We’re Waiting… Appreciating Ward, Ubaldo’s velocity and free agent WR available (Update: Phil Taylor Trolls the Air!)

March 23, 2012 by 18 Comments

While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.

“At 36 years of age, Cleveland Browns fans know Ward all too well. Perhaps not as well as Keith Rivers or Ed Reed or Daven Holly or Bart Scott, but the 14-year relationship with Ward is one of many memories, some better than others. Upon their return in 1999, the Browns were greeted by their bitter rival. Some homecoming that turned out to be; the final score was a 43-0 shellacking in front of the lakefront crowd. Ward, making up for lost time in the wake of the Browns’ absence, hauled in three passes including one touchdown, his first of many against the Cleveland Franchise. His 1,000th and final NFL reception, fittingly, occurred within the confines of Cleveland Browns Stadium. ” [Scott/Still WFNY] [Read more...]

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The Sweet Sixteen and the NBA Draft: Cuse, OSU, Marquette, and Baylor

March 22, 2012 by 5 Comments

With the Sweet 16 upon us and the end of the NBA season rapidly approaching (didn’t it seem like this season last like a month?), this will be your (and NBA scouts for that matter) last few chances to see some of the top prospects play real competition. I have never been a “workout” guy. I go by what I see on the court.

With 16 teams left, I thought it would be a good time to take a look into who is left in terms of NBA prospects the Cavaliers could be interested in with four draft picks this June (two first rounders and two second rounders). If the season ended today, the Cavs would have the eighth worst record in the NBA. So unless they essentially end up losing out the rest of the way, they will be picking somewhere between sixth and ninth with their first selection.

The first part of this series, we looked at the #1 Kentucky Wildcats. We followed with the UNC Tar Heels.  This piece will focus on the prospects of Syracuse, Ohio State, Marquette, and Baylor. [Read more...]

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Buckeyes Have A Tough, But Navigable Road

March 14, 2012 by 2 Comments

They didn’t meet expectations in the regular season or in the conference tournament. They’ve accumulated seven losses and more close calls because of a lack of offensive consistency. This team lacks an identity at times, and their depth remains an issue. When they run up against someone that can guard Jared Sullinger 1-on-1, they’ll probably be going home. In the last two tournaments, Matta’s teams have failed to meet the expectations of their high seeds, and those teams had far more upperclassmen leadership. Their three-point shooting is streaky at best, and they do not get the ball into the post with enough regularity or ease. The Buckeyes won’t make it past the Sweet 16.

–

This team is hitting its stride. They’ve won 4 out of the last 5, and they needed to execute in two straight games with late game heroics to gain a share of the Big Ten regular season conference crown. They have 7 wins against ranked teams. They’re hungry after missing out on the Big Ten Conference Tournament championship, and they’ve had to work a little harder for everything, an edge that other Matta top teams haven’t had. Few teams have a three-man scoring punch quite like Sullinger, Thomas, and Buford. They’re the most defensively efficient team in the nation, and they defend without fouling. As many shortcomings as they’ve had on offense, a lot of the frustration has come from not knowing who will be the go-to guy during their midseason identity crisis. They still rank 7th in offensive efficiency, and they now collectively know that their team will operate through Jared Sullinger. This team may just win it all.

–

I figured I’d start with my two conflicting voices, as this is pretty much what’s been going on in my head not just since the bracket was unveiled, but in the weeks leading up to it when I contemplated how far I thought the Buckeyes could go in March Madness. I’ve been saying it almost since day one this season: this Ohio State team has the talent to win the national championship. As the season progressed, however, issues with consistency and leadership led me to believe the Bucks had too many holes on offense to put up six strong showings in a row. Somewhere along that line, William Buford was going to have a bad shooting night, and the Bucks would be going home. But, the recent run to a share of the Big Ten title and trip to the Big Ten Championship Game have gotten the team’s mind right and rekindled my hopes to a certain extent. [Read more...]

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Wisconsin Wears Out Buckeyes, Sends OSU Into Complete Meltdown

February 27, 2012 by 4 Comments

Throw expectations, conference title talk, and seeding completely out the window, because right now, the Buckeyes just need to stop the room from spinning. For the third time in the last three weekends, the Buckeyes were hit in the jaw by another Big Ten contender.

This time, Bo Ryan and the Wisconsin Badgers sent the Buckeyes to the canvas. Despite outshooting and outrebounding the Badgers and getting a strong performance from Deshaun Thomas, the Buckeyes were careless with the ball in the first half and missed too many free throws and defensive assignments late in the second half, as the Badgers beat the Bucks 63-60 on Senior Day in Columbus.

We learned post-game just how serious the situation is, as Coach Thad Matta kicked his players out of practice Saturday after a lousy showing. He also called out a good chunk of the team, saying his freshmen were the only ones who always came to practice with their all. In the game’s final few minutes, we saw just how disconnected the Buckeyes are on offense and defense. Offensively, the ball stuck, players who were open didn’t want to take charge, and the shot selection late was atrocious. Defensively, there were defensive lapses that led to open buckets. [Read more...]

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The Buckeyes March Forecast: Cloudy

February 22, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Note before reading this…. I don’t consider last night’s thrashing of Illinois any indication of a Buckeye turnaround. The Illini are a sinking ship who are playing like they can’t wait for the season to be over.  

College Basketball starts in November. The National Championship Game in New Orleans is played on April 1st. It doesn’t seem long compared to the NBA, but the way teams evolve over the course of a season, you can make a case that it’s actually three seasons in one; Pre-conference, which is essentially November through the end of the year, Conference, which goes January through the first weekend in March, and Conference Tournament time, which gives every team in the country (not playing in the Ivy League) one more shot to get to the big dance in Mid-March.

Things change. Roles are defined. Rotations come together. Players step forward while others regress. Injuries take place. Some teams grow into prime contenders as the season moves into late February. I’m afraid that one team in particular had that championship look in the pre-conference season and into mid-January, but over the last month has moved in the wrong direction: the Ohio State Buckeyes. [Read more...]

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Buckeyes Rediscover Their Offense, Thump Illini

February 22, 2012 by 1 Comment

It was a typical Tuesday night of late for the Ohio State Buckeyes. The scarlet and gray won their third straight Tuesday night game in as many weeks, following up 87 points against Purdue at home in a three point win and 78 at Minnesota last week in a blowout with 83 last night. The Bucks shot 65% from the field, their second best clip of the season, as they flattened the already deflating Illinois Fighting Illini 83-67, who have now lost 9 of their last 10 games. The win, if anything, slows the bleeding on the Buckeyes’ fall from grace as a result of their pair of losses to the state of Michigan.  The problem for the Buckeyes following their last two Tuesdays? It’s been carrying that offensive efficiency into the weekend.

From the tip, the gameplan was different for Matta’s guys. The ball wasn’t sticking and there was not a reliance on forced and contested jump shots. Instead, there was dribble penetration from Aaron Craft that fueled it all. One of my biggest criticisms of the Buckeye offense in recent games has been their lack of attacking the defense via the dribble drive. Tonight, Craft gave a flashback to late last season when he was consistently in double figure scoring and probing the defense regularly. The sophomore point posted 11 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals. OSU jumped out to a 28-8 lead in the game’s first nine minutes, hitting 11 of their first 12 shots, and the game was never in doubt after that. [Read more...]

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Buckeye Basketball Brief: Bucks open up Big Ten season, dominate Northwestern

December 29, 2011 by 1 Comment

The favorite to win the Big Ten conference opened up conference play last night, and they did not disappoint. Jared Sullinger looked healthier, the three point shots were falling, and that suffocating defense returned to dismantle the 10-2, veteran-led Northwestern Wildcats. In this week’s installment, we’ll focus on what the Buckeyes can use from the past week to build on heading into the Big Ten slate.

1. Leading off, Deshaun Thomas is turning into a star and the best pure scorer on this team. Sullinger’s injury and Buford’s scoring droughts provided a perfect storm where Thomas had to provide a lot of scoring, and in my opinion, he’s never going to look back. With his 19 against Kansas, Deshaun started a stretch where he has scored at least 15 points in six straight games. Thomas added 16 last night on 6-of-13 shooting along with 5 rebounds (4 offensive). There’s a big part of the OSU offense that remains largely untapped, and that’s Deshaun Thomas in the paint. He has shown the ability to collect garbage points around the rim, but in limited opportunities, he has shown he can facilitate high-low post action and nail that 8-foot half hook. Thomas is one of the top two or three outside threats on this team, but he is that much more effective if he is able to give Matta a second legitimate post scoring option. Thomas is no longer a black hole on offense or a liability on defense, because he has worked incredibly hard at both ends to improve.

[Read more...]

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Buckeyes’ four-man attack crushes Duke in top five matchup

November 30, 2011 by 14 Comments

So much for flying under the radar. After being overshadowed by North Carolina and Kentucky in the early part of the season, the #2 Buckeyes made a bold statement on national television against the third ranked (fourth in the Coaches’ Poll) Blue Devils at The Schott. The quartet of Jared Sullinger, William Buford, Aaron Craft, and Deshaun Thomas combined for 76 points and shot just under 60% as the Buckeyes were unselfish and relentless in smashing the Dukies 85-63 to put everyone on notice that this team is a national title contender.

The key factor in this game was from the tip, the Buckeyes created matchup problems for Duke, they repeatedly exploited them, and they were patient and calculated in their approach while remaining aggressive and feeding off the crowd. So many times I’ve watched the basketball teams I follow be forced into altering not just their lineups but also what they do well in order to adjust to the other team’s style. It was refreshing to have the tables turned and see Duke have to try some different lineups to slow the Buckeyes down. [Read more...]

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Young Buckeyes top Gators and pass early season test

November 16, 2011 by 11 Comments

It wasn’t a polished performance, there were defensive lapses, offensive holes, and there wasn’t uninterrupted viewing on ESPN2, but what the third ranked Buckeyes did do last night was survive their first true early season test. The Bucks rallied after falling behind by 8 early in the first half to take a 18-point lead in the second half, led by William Buford’s shooting and closed out by Aaron Craft’s toughness, as Ohio State topped #8 Florida 81-74 to move to 2-0 on the season.

Things did not go OSU’s way at the outset. Gator junior forward Erik Murphy drilled three early three pointers and behind that effort, Florida led 14-6 six minutes in. The Bucks gave up 6 first half trey balls in all as their bigger lineup with either starter Deshaun Thomas or reserve Evan Ravenel had trouble closing out on shooters, allowing open looks.

On offense, the Buckeyes looked impatient and flustered. Ironically, no one played that part more at the outset than the lone senior Buford. At the same time, Buford both kept Ohio State in the game with his made jumpers and held them back from generating a true offensive flow to pull away from Florida. In my view, there’s almost no excuse for Sullinger not to touch the ball on every possession. When Buford gets it on the wing, he rarely find an open man and has the shoot-first mentality. However, Buford was the catalyst of the Buckeye run in the second half, scoring 9 points in less than four minutes and helping to extend the lead to its largest margin (18). William finished as the leading scorer with 21 points on 7-of-15 from the field, adding 6 boards and 3 assists. Ravenel added five straight points in that 27-14 run as well.

[Read more...]

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While We’re Waiting…Tressel’s Reputation, Opening Day Optimism

April 2, 2011 by 2 Comments

While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.

Tressel’s rep plays a role? “A former chairman of the NCAA Committee on Infractions told The Plain Dealer on Friday that Tressel’s positive reputation could help him a great deal when Tressel finally appears before the Committee on Infractions, maybe sometime this summer.  ‘I think if you have a lifelong good record, that should weigh into how things turn out,’ said Gene Marsh, a 1978 Ohio State graduate who was member of the infractions committee for nine years, and its chairman from 2004 to 2006. ‘If it doesn’t, then what is the use of living life right?’” [Doug Lesmerises/Plain Dealer]

[Read more...]

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Buckeyes Plaster Wisconsin to End Regular Season

March 7, 2011 by 3 Comments

Just as I expected, the Ohio State Buckeyes defeated Wisconsin 93-65.  Oh, that’s right.  I didn’t expect that at all.

Granted the Buckeyes were coming into Sunday’s game with a red hot Jon Diebler after he set three point records against Penn State.  Granted the Buckeyes were playing at home and honoring their seniors in front of a completely jazzed crowd.  Still, I never expected to see the blowout that we saw on Sunday.

Diebler was unconscious again.  He went for 27 points and made a sickening seven out of eight from three.  Jared Sullinger fought hard down low all day for his 22 points.  William Buford added 18 and David Lighty added 13, but other than Diebler this game by the Buckeyes seemed most impressive on the defensive end.

It is deceptive in the box score.  The Buckeyes only had two steals.  They didn’t block any shots.  The Badgers only had six turnovers in the game.  The difference?  The Buckeyes were closing out hard on every shot.  They were getting to guys who had been open on skip passes and putting a hand in the face.  The Buckeyes held the Badgers to 41.7% shooting including only 9-24 from beyond the three point line.  That same three point line has been one of the scariest parts of the Buckeyes’ game this season.   [Read more...]

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Buckeyes Coast Past Hoosiers, Re-gain #1 Rank

March 1, 2011 by 2 Comments

With Duke losing to Virginia Tech over the weekend the Buckeyes were able to gain the #1 spot in the polls again.  After storming out to a 24-0 record to start, the Buckeyes suffered a couple tough road losses against Wisconsin and Purdue.  With two regular season games remaining and a 27-2 record on the season the Buckeyes are back on top.  All they had to do was beat up on an overmatched Indiana team 82-61 on Sunday.

Most of the heroism in this game belonged to 6′ 6″ freshman Deshaun Thomas.  He scored a game-high 22 points for the Buckeyes who were struggling with foul trouble in the first half.  Thomas was on fire though, nailing two threes and helping the Buckeyes take a 15 point lead into halftime 38-23. [Read more...]

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Ohio State Rebounds with Win Over Michigan State

February 16, 2011 by 1 Comment

The Ohio State men’s basketball team rebounded from its first loss of the season to defeat the Michigan State Spartans 71-61 last night at Value City Arena. 

It was the primetime game of the night in front of a sellout crowd, the third of the season, as Brent Musburger and Dick Vitale were in the house to call the game.  Coming off their first loss of the season and a subsequent fall from their number-one ranking, it was expected that the Buckeyes would respond at home with a victory over a Michigan State group that has been team turmoil in this entire season.

The preseason second-ranked Spartans had lost five of seven games coming into last night.  With a streak of embarrassing efforts against the bottom of the conference, it appeared that the train had gone completely off the tracks and they had given up on head coach Tom Izzo.  [Read more...]

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Buckeye Hoops Report: OSU Escapes Upset Scares as Schedule Toughens

February 4, 2011 by 2 Comments

Ohio State is 23-0 and off to its best start in the Big Ten in 50 years.  They continue on their course to the NCAA tournament and first weekend protected seed at Quicken Loans Arena.  They enter the toughest portion of their schedule this weekend with a top ranked target on their back.

Ohio State avoided an upset bid by a game Michigan team last night in front of what was the second sellout of the season at Value City Arena.  They trailed the Wolverines for much of the first thirty minutes before building an 8 point with about ten minutes to play.  They never relinquished the lead and went onto a 9 point victory to remain undefeated.  They now enter a brutal stretch of the schedule where they will play all 5 teams at the top of the conference consecutively over the next two weeks.

[Read more...]

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Buckeye Hoops Report: Ohio State Sends Message to Big Ten

January 26, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Ohio State continued its perfect season this week dominating in conference against ranked opponents.  It was the most impressive stretch of play this season as the midway point of conference play approaches.  The No. 1 ranking has only seemed to improve their focus and play.  It’s the best basketball team in Ohio and one that could be destined for big things come April.

This week, the Ohio State men’s basketball team rolled through the toughest stretch of their schedule to date and put a firm hold on the number one ranking heading into a weekend matchup against Northwestern. 

It was the kind of week that put some distance between the Buckeyes and everyone else in the country.  It’s unlikely they will go through conference play unscathed, but the dominance this week will surely keep them in the discussion for top team in the country whenever that first loss does come.

[Read more...]

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NCAA Basketball: Buckeyes Play Down to Iowa, Crush Them Anyway

January 20, 2011 by 5 Comments

Last night the Buckeyes took on a 7-10 (0-5 Big Ten) Iowa team at home in Columbus and seemed intent on playing down to their opponent.  The game wasn’t even close, because the Buckeyes have so much more talent than Iowa, but it wasn’t a performance befitting a number one team.  In the end, the Buckeyes crushed the Hawkeyes 70-48.

Why was I so down on the Buckeyes even as they won big?  The Buckeyes forced 22 turnovers from Iowa.  They looked really unselfish loading up 18 assists in the box score.  The big problem for me was that the Buckeyes committed 20 turnovers themselves.  It was a lot of sloppy passing in transition probably as the Buckeyes were feeling the game was in hand.  Still, bad habits are hard to break.

No player embodied this more last night than Aaron Craft.  Craft was all over the court.  He is an ankle biter and he seemed to be stripping and stealing the ball every other possession for a while there in the second half.  Craft ends up with an amazing seven steals, but he almost matched that with his five turnovers. [Read more...]

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Ohio State Holds On Against Michigan; Positioned for No. 1 with Duke Loss

January 13, 2011 by 4 Comments

While the Cavaliers struggled to avoid being doubled up this week, the second-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes improved to 17-0 last night with a 68-64 win over Michigan at Crisler Arena.

The current undefeated record represents the Buckeyes’ best start since the 1990-91 season.  As has been the case in football this century, Ohio State has dominated the Wolverines on the hardwood, with last night being their 12th win in the last 14 games against UM.

Michigan has an above average team this year at 11-6 with a few quality wins and no terrible losses from a very hard schedule.  The Wolverines, playing the No. 2 team in the nation just a few days after falling in OT to the No. 3 team in the country, showed some impressive fight from the under eight timeout to the final buzzer and gave their fans something to cheer about down the stretch.

One of these fans was new head football coach Brady Hoke.  [Read more...]

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