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Evan Turner named Big-Ten Player of the Year

Thad Matta named Big-Ten Coach of the Year

 

Evan Turner, who led Ohio State to a share of its third Big Ten championship in five years, was the consensus choice of coaches and the media as the Big Ten player of the year.  Turner led the Big Ten in scoring (20.1 points per game), rebounding (8.3) and steals (2.0) and finished second in assists (5.9) in conference play. 

 

Turner is the only player to finish in the top two in scoring, rebounds and assists since assists became an official statistic in 1983.  After he returned from a back injury, the Buckeyes won 13 of their last 14 Big Ten games and are the No.1 seed in the conference tournament that starts Thursday in Indianapolis.

 

Ohio State coach Thad Matta was voted coach of the year by the media.  Matt Painter of Purdue received the nod from his fellow coaches.  Ohio State and Purdue shared the regular-season title with Michigan State.  Matta also won the award in 2006 and 2007.  He has been voted coach of the year five times in 10 years as a coach in three conferences.

 

FULL ARTICLE: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2010/03/09/driven-to-the-top.html

Currently on ESPN's home page is Ohio State's dramatic win over Michigan in the Big Ten Conference quarterfinals. 

 

One Not Done: The Buckeyes' 1-seed hopes live after a long buzzer-beater by Evan Turner

Evan Turner's buzzer beater was crazy! Evan Turner>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>everybody else in college basketball

dude's legit!

Dangit streaming video blocker!  I want to see this!

OSU won the B10 tourney by routing Minnesota today.

OSU had one great conference tourney.  First, the nailbiter win over Michigan.  Then, the 2OT win over Illinois.  And finally today's 29 point blowout win over Minnesota.

 

OSU ended up making the NCAA tournament as a #2 seed.  They will play the #15 seed UC Santa Barbara on Friday at Milwaukee.

GO BUCKS!!!

I think they got jobbed by being placed in the ultra-competitive Midwest region, but I still like their chances to get to the Final Four.  Would have rather seen them in either region with Duke or Syracuse.  Oh well...

 

GO BUCKEYES!

I'll honestly admit I've got a bad feeling about the NCAAs ... we've just been so charmed for so long.  In the tournament, if we get ourselves into situations like we faced with Michigan and Illinois, well, if Turner's buzzer-beater hadn't fallen against Michigan, we'd never have seen the 2OT win vs. Illinois or the walkover of Minnesota; we'd be talking about how we blew a 14-point lead and lost to an unranked team on the eve of the tournament.  That magic may abandon us at an inconvenient time in the tournament.  The Michigan and Illinois games were great for highlights--but I'd feel better if the margins of victory had been just a little bit wider.

Ohio State doesn't have a chance against Ohio! The Bobcats are going to steamroll the Buckeyes in the Sweet 16.

 

Who said LSD doesn't impact perception?  Just Joshin' C-Dawg!

 

That being said whats up with the Midwest Bracket?  Clevelander17 pointed it out already but after we pummel UCSB, we get Ga Tech or Ok St. (Ga Tech will beat Ok St. I don't care if its a 10 seed vs 7 seed) and then either G-Town (which will SMACK Ohio, sorry C-Dawg,) or Tenn (which had some STELLAR RPI victories this year...) after which point, Kansas.  Thats whack, the NCAA always drops the soap in front of the ACC re: Duke.  I hope we get to the finals against Duke and molly-whop them. 

 

Note: Since my dad is a Georgetown Alum I would love a match-up with them.  Does anyone else recall when Oden went airborne over Green??  I do, if he would have made that dunk I would have been stupified to this day.

 

I know there is a better picture of the dunk attempt, but I can't find it right now.

Check out this collage of angles I found... I WANT A POSTER OF THIS

 

Sounds like everyone's getting worked up for The Big Dance!  Thanks to C-Dawg for keeping it entertaining, as usual.  :wink:

The heavily favored Buckeyes took care of business against the UCSB Gauchos and advance to the second round.  Ohio State will face Georgia Tech on Sunday.

Hopefully Turner gets out of his scoring funk... 2/12 from the field?  YIKES.  Diebler looking like a sniper out there... looked good having just come off the flu.

Men's basketball: OSU puts away Georgia Tech

 

MILWAUKEE -- Georgia Tech lost track of the Ohio State men's basketball team in transition in the second half and the Buckeyes made Tech pay, connecting on six three-point baskets to pull away for a 75-66 victory today in the second round of the NCAA Midwest regional in the Bradley Center.

 

Jon Diebler had four three-pointers and a three-point play as the Buckeyes' increased a two-point halftime lead to 15 with 4:56 left.  The Buckeyes had to survive a last-ditch run by Tech, which cut its deficit to 65-61 with 1:47 left. 

 

Turner scored 24 points to lead Ohio State (29-7), the No.2 seed in the region.  Diebler added 20 points and David Lighty 18 for the Buckeyes, who will play #6 seed Tennessee in a regional semifinal Friday night in St. Louis.

Way to go Buckeyes!  I never really expected this team to be this good, but holy smokes, they are solid, and if things fall into place, they have a shot at winning it all!

Way to go Buckeyes! I never really expected this team to be this good, but holy smokes, they are solid, and if things fall into place, they have a shot at winning it all!

 

D'oh!  Now you've gone and jinxed us! :-P

 

Tennessee is a solid team, too; they're 27-8 coming out of a tough league.

 

It's also a shame that if we win and MSU wins against Northern Iowa, we're going to have to play each other to get to the Final Four rather than playing each other *at* the Final Four.

This team is very good and very vulnerable at the same time.  One cold shooting night from the outside and it will be back to Columbus.

Yup but to be honest I wouldn't be THAT upset... hear me out!  ET said if we don't go far enough he would strongly consider coming back for this Sr. year... he is the type of kid that would.  Only met him once but he was not arrogant at all and seemed like a real down to earth guy that enjoyed school.  His family isn't rich but they aren't poor so he doesn't have 50 relatives that need him to make the jump... or pressuring him to do so at the least.

 

Combine that with the #2 recruiting class in the nation next year for Thad Matta with highschool Player of the Year Jared Sullinger among others... WATCH OUT.  Leadership/Raw Talent/Skill/Veteran Experience?  MMMMm

I am not as high on Sullinger as most are.  I actually think the kid from Indiana is better.

I think it would be a big mistake for Turner to stay in school. He's pretty much maxed out his draft value. He's one awkward landing away from losing millions in guaranteed money.

I think it would be a big mistake for Turner to stay in school. He's pretty much maxed out his draft value. He's one awkward landing away from losing millions in guaranteed money.

 

Much as it pains me to say this, I agree.  Plus, if we do in fact have a class that highly ranked coming in next year (I didn't even know that), might as well give some playing time to the younger up-and-comers.

If we beat the Vols, he is going to the league, no doubt.  If we lose to the vols its a coin flip.

 

Gramarye check this out, if interested.  (im a huge recruitment follower, more so football)

 

http://scouthoops.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p=9&c=14&cfg=bb&yr=2010

 

@Hts, DeShaun is a beast, no doubt!  Sullinger just gives us depth at center we need.  Lauderdale is a role player but he is by no means a beast.

Not bad ... and only two schools got more 5-star players than us (Memphis and UNC).

 

I'm always skeptical of both basketball and football recruiting class rankings because quantity can skew the numbers upward even in the absence of quality--which is particularly relevant in basketball, since you can only have 5 guys on the floor.  Still, it looks like we've got solid people coming in at the positions we're going to need to cover.

This team is very good and very vulnerable at the same time.  One cold shooting night from the outside and it will be back to Columbus.

 

I feel the same way about this team.  They are very capable of reaching the Final Four - especially now that two of the strongest teams (Kansas & Georgetown) have been eliminated.  But they do have vulnerabilities.  The starting five are a tight group led by Evan Turner.  But the Buckeyes only go six deep (Turner-Lighty-Diebler-Buford-Lauderdale/Madsen).  Early foul trouble could cause the team problems. 

 

And although Evan Turner is undoubtedly the team's best all-around player, I think the team rises or falls with the outside shooting of Jon Diebler.  When Diebler hits his 3-pointers, the interior opens up for Turner and Lighty to effectively drive the basket.  Which then helps open up the outside shots for the entire offense.  If not, the defense can pack inside the paint and OSU's offense can struggle.

I think it would be a big mistake for Turner to stay in school. He's pretty much maxed out his draft value. He's one awkward landing away from losing millions in guaranteed money.

As great as it would be to have Evan Turner stay for his senior year, most people expect either Turner or Kentucky's Wall to be the #1 pick.  You can't risk that kind of future security to play one more year in college.  Especially after the scare he got this season when he fractured his back. 

 

Also, here's some breaking news about Evan Turner.  The U.S. Basketball Writers Association just named Turner their player of the year. (link below)

 

OSU men's basketball: Turner is basketball writers' player of the year

I highly, highly doubt that Turner will go ahead of Wall.  He MAY go #2, depending on who has the #2 pick and that team's need for a swing player of Turner's skill set.  But, if I was a betting man, I would put him in the 4-10 range, behind Wall, Cousins and Favors.  Turner should lead the conversation after them, but may face some competition from Patterson, Henry, Johnson, maybe Davis and Aldrich, and possibly Monroe.

Right now, the 2010 NBA Mock Draft consensus is #1 Wall and #2 Turner. 

 

According to the following:

http://espn.go.com/nba/draft

http://www.nbadraft.net/2010mock_draft

http://www.mynbadraft.com/2010-NBA-Mock-Draft

http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-mock-draft/2010/

I'm more worried about Tennessee than the NIU/MSU winner.  If MSU can beat NIU, I think the Bucks match up very well with a Spartans team that is without Lucas. 

^Without a doubt!  The Vols are the gate keeper to the Final Four.  Period. 

http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=5018942&name=nba_draft&action=upsell&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fespn%2fblog%2findex%3fentryID%3d5018942%26name%3dnba_draft

 

Teams have good reason to take Turner No. 1

 

Tuesday, March 23, 2010 | Print Entry

 

Posted by David Thorpe

 

Through much of the college season, it seemed that John Wall was the only guy worthy of being taken with the top pick. Some people even called this draft a "draft of one." The early calls could ultimately be accurate. But drafts rarely go as expected.

 

 

While this may indeed turn out to be a draft of one, Evan Turner could end up going No. 1 overall.

I'm more worried about Tennessee than the NIU/MSU winner. If MSU can beat NIU, I think the Bucks match up very well with a Spartans team that is without Lucas.

 

Yeah, that's too bad about Lucas...for them at least.

While this may indeed turn out to be a draft of one, Evan Turner could end up going No. 1 overall.

 

I really like how Evan Turner plays, but he needs to work on his shot if he's going to be successful in the NBA.

Especially from three range.  Highly doubt hell play PG in the league.

Somewhere I heard Turner being compared to Pippen.  It's obviously far too early to know how good he'll be in the NBA, but I definitely see the resemblance in the style of his game.  Definitely won't be a PG in the NBA, I see him playing SF or maybe SG.

Northland's Sullinger named Ohio's Mr. Basketball

 

Northland High School star Jared Sullinger, a 6-foot-9, 260-pound forward-center, was named Ohio's Mr. Basketball for the second straight year by the Associated Press.

 

Sullinger, who will play at Ohio State next season, was a unanimous choice of a statewide media panel after he averaged 23.0 points and 11.4 rebounds while shooting 76 percent from the field.  He finished with 1,910 career points.  The Vikings won the Division I state title last year but suffered a stunning 71-45 defeat to Gahanna in a regional final Saturday.

 

FULL ARTICLE: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2010/03/24/mr-basketball.html?sid=101

76% from the field... thats a lot of dunks.

76% from the field... thats a lot of dunks.

No doubt about it!

Has he trimmed up at all?  Last I saw him (last yr's State final), he looked a little on the porky side.

I kind of wish Ohio State didn't have the play Tennessee tonight.  One, because this will be the third time in the last four years that the Buckeyes have faced Tennessee in the tournament.  In 2007, the Oden-led Buckeyes defeated the Volunteers to reach the Final Four.  Tennessee returned the favor in 2008 with a win over OSU. 

 

But mostly I wish Ohio State didn't have to beat Tennessee because I like their head coach, Bruce Pearl.  Pearl is one of great coaching characters in college basketball.  He is always a great interview.  Sometimes he dons a bright "Tennessee Orange" sportcoat on the sideline.  He even attended a Lady Vols game, shirtless, with his upper body painted orange, among a student section that spelled out "V-O-L-S" (Pearl was the "V").

 

But even though Coach Pearl is a "character", he has also shown character this year.  On Jan. 1, four Tennessee players, traveling in the same car, were pulled over for speeding and subsequently charged with various misdemeanors, ranging from possession of a firearm to marijuana possession and having an open container of alcohol.  He expelled one player, who was probably the team's best player.  He suspended the other three players.  All this one week prior a game against Kansas.  Tennessee ended up playing Kansas with only 6 scholarship players and 3 walk-ons - and won!  The 3 suspended players since has been reinstated to the team.

 

I do still want my alma mater to win tonight.  But I only wish the Buckeyes didn't need to defeat Tennessee to advance.  Still, I'm looking forward to a great game tonight.

Win or lose, it should be a good one ... though better if "win." :-)

Win or lose, it should be a good one ... though better if "win." :-)

No doubt about it!  :-D

I kind of wish Ohio State didn't have the play Tennessee tonight.  One, because this will be the third time in the last four years that the Buckeyes have faced Tennessee in the tournament.  In 2007, the Oden-led Buckeyes defeated the Volunteers to reach the Final Four.  Tennessee returned the favor in 2008 with a win over OSU. 

 

But mostly I wish Ohio State didn't have to beat Tennessee because I like their head coach, Bruce Pearl.  Pearl is one of great coaching characters in college basketball.  He is always a great interview.  Sometimes he dons a bright "Tennessee Orange" sportcoat on the sideline.  He even attended a Lady Vols game, shirtless, with his upper body painted orange, among a student section that spelled out "V-O-L-S" (Pearl was the "V").

 

But even though Coach Pearl is a "character", he has also shown character this year.  On Jan. 1, four Tennessee players, traveling in the same car, were pulled over for speeding and subsequently charged with various misdemeanors, ranging from possession of a firearm to marijuana possession and having an open container of alcohol.  He expelled one player, who was probably the team's best player.  He suspended the other three players.  All this one week prior a game against Kansas.  Tennessee ended up playing Kansas with only 6 scholarship players and 3 walk-ons - and won!  The 3 suspended players since has been reinstated to the team.

 

I do still want my alma mater to win tonight.  But I only wish the Buckeyes didn't need to defeat Tennessee to advance.  Still, I'm looking forward to a great game tonight.

 

I don't think as highly of Pearl, I've heard some bad things about him, but I respect him for disciplining those players.

 

Also, I don't believe that Ohio State played Tennessee in the tournament in 2008.  That may have been a regular season game.  Ohio State was in the NIT in 2008, in fact they won it that year.

Also, I don't believe that Ohio State played Tennessee in the tournament in 2008.  That may have been a regular season game.  Ohio State was in the NIT in 2008, in fact they won it that year.

You're right.  After checking the schedules, it was a regular season game in 2008 where Tennessee beat Ohio State.  I must have mis-read the local article that I cribbed for some information.

:cry:

Well, that was a bummer. 

 

Ohio State's tournament run ends with a 76-73 loss to Tennessee.  After a promising start, Lighty gets two early fouls and has to sit out most of the first half.  Turner scores 31 points but the rest of the offense never got on track.  OSU never could hit their 3-point shots with any consistency.  Tennessee really couldn't either, but they made up for that with a big advantage in points in the paint.  Turner had a chance to tie with a 3-pointer on OSU's last possession.  But there was to be no last second game saving shot this time.

It was a great season!

:(