Not really a B1G basketball post, but I see that Jim Tressel has taken and administrative job at Akron.
The fact that the Akron administration has strong enough feelings for him to give him a second chance speaks volumes to me about his true character. We all make mistakes in life, some much larger than others. Here's a prime example of a guy who found out that he still has friends who think highly of him.
Interesting career change, but I hope things work out for him. He is a graduate of Akron. (Masters Degree) Jim and Ellen Tressel just sold their home in Upper Arlington for 2.2 million to a local owner of an auto dealership. (Bobby Layman Chevrolet)
Indeed Sid, given the countless testimonials from his friends, assistants, players, professional peers, competitors and what I've heard from people I trust who were in a situation to know, there was never any doubt about the man's character from anybody that would have been in a position to make an informed judgement ....
Buckeyes get past Whisky at Kohl Center 58-52 to maintain lead in conference. They have been a nemis for us for some time at the Kohl Center. Sully had a great first half and Thomas picked up the slack in the second 20 minutes.
You got that right....Wisky is tough to beat at home. If I'm not mistaken, that's the first time a Matta team has won in Madison. Great win...gives us command of the conference race.
Looking forward to watching the match up this afternoon between MSU and Michigan. Should be a good game and further separate the top teams for a week or so! :lol:
Wild game in Columbus this evening with the Buckeyes beating Purdue 87-84 to continue their home winning streak. (39 games) Purdue and Ohio State both shot lights out and were over the 60% mark in the first half. Purdue continued being very aggressive and drove the ball to the rim with a stunning and relentless display in the final 20 minutes. Both teams shot better than 50% for the game and three point range as well. Game became a bit ragged in the final minutes. William Buford finally came through in the clutch and scored at will in the final minutes of the game to score 29 points. Byrd and Barlow carried the scoring for the Boilers. Very few boards this evening as all the shots seemed to go through the nets.
Stu, your Boilers came out ready to play, competed hard to the end, shot lights out and Painter evidenced himself to me at least as an excellent game coach. Great plan, had answers for our answers....very well done. If I see Barlow go to the rim again unchallenged for a dunk I think I'm going to vomit. Sad to see what has happened to Hummel, he clearly is still having issues, conditioning and otherwise, from his knee problems. He is playing on guts and while still a player is but a shadow of his former self. Hopefully his progress toward getting back continues..... Glad to see Buford step up and I hope Sully gets healthy in a hurry cause it's gonna be a war in the paint with Sparty and Green.
Looking forward to the MSU matchup. One other problem that seldom gets mentioned is that Lewis Jackson has not been able to practice much because of his back issues. He guts it out during games but the lack of practice hurts everybody.
In a few hours we will know how things stand in the B1G Ten Conference race. Today's Dispatch has an interesting article reference how the game will be called this evening, close or let them play. Either way I think we will have our hands full even at home with MSU on the boards. Should make for an entertaining game. I hope Sully is able to go full tilt after the Purdue game!
It will be Big 10 basketball with Sparty in the paint on full display.....everybody needs to bring their "big boy" pads....Sully is going to need an ice bath after this one no matter the outcome.
Interesting article today (with comments from Matt Painter) about Ohio State's mojo. On defense, because of our lack of depth, emphasis is made on playing good D without fouling, especially on the perimeter. On offense, with Sully being our main weapon, we work to get fouls called and get him to the free throw line. Which, when successful leads to other coaches shaking their head at the foul disparity. And also it is a strategy that is very dependent on how the referees decide to call the game...and their attitude towards keeping the fouls called "equal". If they "let 'em play" it can work against us offensively, but if they call it tight it can work against us with our lack of depth. http://www.cleveland.com/osu/index.ssf/2012/02/ohio_state_mens_basketball_tea_9.html
Well things are tied up for MSU and Ohio State after the Spartans whipped out butts at home this evening. We were outplayed from the opening tip and when you hit only 25% from the floor, you do not win many games. Sully was a monster on the boards, but committed 10 turnovers as well. I think it is safe to say they got into his head this evening. Two road games coming up this week and it will not get any easier.