I know we are still recovering from the big win last night in East Lansing and the Buckeyes are making it real interesting in football but there was an exhibition basketball game in Columbus today.

@Brutus_Buckeye looks tired at the Schott to much celebration from last night

— Shannon Sommers (@smsommers84) November 9, 2014

We have learned some thing about the Scarlet and Gray basketball team going forward, like the possible starting line up, if the freshman phenomenon is for real, and if this team will have an offensive presence.

Thad Matta ran out a starting line up of guards Shannon Scott(SR) and D’Angelo Russell(FR), forwards Marc Loving(SO) and Sam Thompson(SR), and the center Amir Williams(SR). The starting line up can be tinkered with if need be if players start struggling later in the season but the main concern is that there’s going to be times in the beginning of the season where the line-up will feature players that haven’t played together at all, hopefully they will grow together as the season progresses.

Freshman phenomenon D’Angelo Russell is the real deal. It’s sad to say we might only get to watch him play for a season so enjoy his game. He has a pretty left handed jumper and a presence that is beyond his years as a true freshman. He was running the offense a lot tonight replacing Scott as he went to the bench and not only can Russell score but he can pass and rebound. his numbers from today were 17 points, 6 assists, 8 rebounds in 30 minutes. Russell lead the Buckeyes in all those categories. Yes this kid is for real and it is going to be a joy to watch him play this season.

Remember last season when it was painful to watch the Buckeyes try to score on offense? Don’t think there is going to be that issue happening this season. Yes the Scarlet and Gray were chucking up three’s today going 10-28 from behind the arc (35.7%) and they were 46.2% on their field goals (30-65). They missed a lot of lay-ups and Sam Thompson missed a big dunk in the first half. When this team gels together they are going to be something special. Guys are still learning there roles and plays, like Anthony Lee missing some wide open passes to the hoop.

Bottom line Buckeyes scored 77 and held Walsh to 37 and yes it was just an exhibition but you have to start somewhere. Buckeyes first game is this Friday vs UMass-Lowell in Cbus and only watchable on the Big Ten network plus subscription.

I will have a complete preview done this week as the season finally opens up and I have finally stopped crying about not seeing Aaron Craft in the Buckeyes uniform anymore.

Watch highlights from the @OhioStateHoops exhibition game victory over Walsh on Sunday night! http://t.co/oHfkdayAnu

— Ohio State on BTN (@BTN_Ohio_State) November 9, 2014

Ohio State has picked up seven-foot Virginia Tech transfer Trevor Thompson, according to ESPN Basketball insider Jeff Goodman.

Ohio State just added 7-foot Virginia Tech transfer Trevor Thompson. Told ESPN that he just committed to Thad Matta and Buckeyes on visit.

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanESPN) April 13, 2014

The Buckeyes have been in the running for Thompson for several weeks now and Ohio State was speculated to be one of his top choices in his college search. Thompson averaged 5 PPG and 4.7 RPG over 30 games for the Hokies this past season. Due to transfer rules, Thompson will sit out the upcoming season and will have three years of eligibility left starting in the 2015-2016 season. This is a great pickup for Thad Matta’s squad after clearly lacking size in the front court this past season. Here’s a taste of what Thompson can bring to the team:

Thompson himself also took to Twitter to announce the news:

Well it's official I'm a Ohio State Buckeye Show Me Love #BuckEyeNation !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

— Trevor Thompson (@TrevBallinTrey2) April 13, 2014

Thompson is ready. Are you ready for him Buckeye Nation?

Ohio State, sporting an uncharacteristic like record of 19-5 has made its way back in to the AP Poll, clocking in at #22 (they also moved up from #25 to #20 in the Coaches’ Poll).

After three straight wins (over Wisconsin, Iowa, and Purdue), Ohio State seems to be on a little mini-run heading into the game against Michigan, a showdown of two previous conference front-runners. Ohio State has showed steady improvement while Michigan is struggling to find an answer to when teams stifle Nik Stauskas’ prolific offense.

The B1G still boasts five teams in the Coaches’ Poll. You can see the rest of the rankings over at ESPN.

The Buckeyes looked sloppy at times, but some slick shooting from Lenzelle Smith Jr. and a harassing defense allowed Ohio State to pull ahead and win Saturday night. Smith was hot behind the arc, hitting four of seven three-point attempts and finished with 16 points along with five assists. LaQuinton Ross led in scoring with 17 points and also led in rebounding with six rebounds.

Ohio State struggled at times finding a good shot, something that has plagued them all season. But when the Buckeyes made good shot selections it paid off. What’s frustrating about watching this team is there’s a good bit of talent, but carelessness and poor decision-making seems to throw them off pretty easily. The saving grace for the team though is it’s defense, which stepped up even more in the second half. Purdue had a hard time getting any offensive rhythm and their starters struggled mightily in this game.

Outside of A.J. Hammons’ 11 points, the other four Boilermakers’ starters combined for only 13 points. As I noted in my preview, Hammons had to have a big game and his fellow starters needed to provide consistent shooting to supplement him. And obviously they didn’t do it. Besides the Buckeyes’ inconsistency on offense, two bench players for Purdue stepped up and kept them in the game. Rapheal Davis and Kendall Stephens contributed 11 points and 12 points respectively off the pine. If it wasn’t for their contributions, Purdue would’ve been blown out.

While the Buckeyes looked like they were going to lose it at times, especially with about around nine minutes to go, they made their shots when had to the most. Shannon Scott had a nice game off the bench providing key shots when necessary and finished with nine points. If Scott can start providing some consistent relief off the bench, that could help Ohio State tremendously come March. Aaron Craft did what he does best and that is being the leader of the team. Craft finished with seven points, four assists and three steals. It gets said a lot, but his presence on defense is what makes the Buckeyes defense good instead of just decent.

With the win, Ohio State has now won three straight games. It’s amazing how the tone of the fans has changed over the past week. Winning tends to do that, huh? I think this team is going to be just fine and will be as ready as they can be come crunch time in March. Up next for Ohio State is arch rival Michigan, who just lost to Iowa on Saturday. A win over the team up north would be great for the Buckeyes’ resume and would continue the momentum the Buckeyes have rebuilt with their three consecutive wins.

Where: Value City Arena at the Schottenstein Center, Columbus, OH

When: Saturday, February 8 at 6 pm ET on the Big Ten Network

Previous Meeting: Ohio State and Purdue last met on the hardwood this season on December 31 in West Lafayette. The Buckeyes won 78-69, in a closely contested B1G opener. Both LaQuinton Ross and Shannon Scott both had tremendous games to lead Ohio State to victory. Ross scored 25 points and pulled in 12 rebounds, while Scott scored 18 points. A 10-2 run late in the game by these two is what sealed the game for the Buckeyes. Aaron Craft had a typical “Craft game”, scoring seven points and pulling in eights rebounds. Craft also had a tremendous 10 assists along with four steals.

Purdue’s A.J. Hammons had a pretty good game, recording a double-double with 18 points and 16 rebounds, along with four assists and five blocks. Boilermaker sophomore Ronnie Johnson scored 16 points and Terone Johnson had 13 points. While Hammons still had a good game, the Buckeyes mostly kept him check as he shot 6 of 16 from the field. The Boilermakers as a team only shot just above 41% from the field and 21% from behind the arc. The Buckeyes veteran experience certainly played a factor in keeping a young Purdue team in check.

What To Watch Out For: Purdue is coming off a triple overtime 77-74 victory over Minnesota after previously losing four straight games. A.J. Hammons, the most dangerous player on the Boilermakers, led with 20 points and pulled in 14 rebounds (team leader). Hammons is only sophomore, which explains why his scoring has been erratic all season and only averages 10.9 points per game. When he’s on his game Purdue has a much better chance of winning. Hammons had a good, but not great game when facing the Buckeyes last time. I look for Purdue to give him a lot of looks and let him try to lead the Boilermakers in this game. Much like Hammons, the entire Boilermakers’ team is inconsistent. If Hammons can score consistently and if the rest of the team can shoot decent, then Purdue has a pretty good shot at winning this game. But that’s a big if.

Ohio State has won two straight road games after losing five of their previous six games. While the victories weren’t pretty, it has rebuilt some much-needed momentum for the team. Aaron Craft, the Buckeye Superman, was instrumental in both wins as he scored all seven of his points in the final four minutes in the win over Wisconsin and led in scoring with 17 points against Iowa. LaQuinton Ross, the team’s leading scorer, scored 13 points in each of the wins. For a team that has struggled with scoring all season, Ross and Craft have been huge for the Bucks. The defense has been solid for most of the season (9th in the nation in points allowed), including the previous matchup against the Boilermakers. The Buckeyes need to repeat their previous defensive performance against Purdue this season if they want to win this game. Purdue is a dangerous shooting team if left unchecked. Ohio State also needs to continue to improve on offense if they hope to be a dangerous team come March.

Prediction: The Buckeyes will continue to build on their momentum and have a repeat defensive performance against Purdue from their first matchup. Craft will do Craft things and Ross will lead the way in scoring. A boost from the home crowd will help too. Ohio State 74 Purdue 62

GAME INFO
-Illinois at Ohio State
-7 PM EST on ESPN

A five game losing streak is on the line tonight in this match-up of two teams currently on four game losing streaks. The Buckeyes have won five in a row at home against the Illini and haven’t lost five games in a row since the 1997-1998 seasons when they lost SEVENTEEN games in a row. Thank goodness social media didn’t exist back then, that’s for sure. One of these teams will start a winning streak tonight and the other will plummet to the bottom of the B1G standings.

The B1G is hands down the toughest conference in the country. Top to bottom there are no easy games this year. OSU, which at one point was ranked in the top 5 nationally, is on a four game losing streak. Wisconsin, who, also at one point was in the top 5, is on a three game losing streak. I could go on and on just how tough this conference is and how that has played a large part in both OSU and the Illini teams recent losing streaks. Both of these teams playing tonight are top 25 teams, in my opinion. They just happen to be playing each other at a time when both teams badly need a win to right the ship and get their seasons back on track.

The Illini are led by 6’4″ junior guard Rayvonte Rice who is averaging nearly 18 pg to go along with 6 rebounds per game and 2 assists per game. But during the losing streak Rice has gone stone cold, only getting 10 ppg on 28% shooting. The other leader on this team is 6’2″ junior guard Tracy Abrams who is averaging 13 points, 4 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. He is shooting 35% in the current losing streak. For the Illini to have any chance tonight both of these players will need to play extremely well and have someone else step up to help them out.

For Ohio State what needs to happen more than anything else tonight is a refocus on defensive effort that can lead to easy fast break points and easy shots. This team is as talented as anyone in the country but right now mentally they are in a bad place. All the players seem to be frazzled right now and making careless mistakes and can’t hit the broad side of a barn when shooting the ball. Somebody needs to step up and become the leader of this team and get the rest of the team back on path to their season goals. Aaron Craft is the most likely choice but he is never going to be an offensive star. LaQuinton Ross needs to put the team on his back and carry them offensively and draw extra defenders so others can get open. Those open guys need to knock down their shots though and if they can’t, drive to the hoop and make a layup or get some easy fouls and make some foul shots. Amir Williams seems to be disinterested in playing at all and probably shouldn’t at this time until he can get his head straight.

The Keys to this game are simple:

Make your shots.

BOX OUT

Rebound

Drive the ball

Make your foul shots

Defensive Intensity

Keep the home crowd in the game.

Score more points than the Illini even if it is only 1 more point.

WIN AT ALL COSTS.