Jordan Sibert a 6’4″ SG from Cincinnati is a sophomore with 2 years of eligibility left. Sibert was expected to battle for playing time this past year but lost his battle with Lenzelle Smith Jr. and Sam Thompson. Sibert could never find consistency in his shooting and ended up sitting on the end of the bench for most of the year and was rumored to be very unhappy all year. Coach Matta had this to say about Jordan “Jordan has worked to improve since he became a Buckeye two years ago,” Matta said. “He has represented our program well and we wish him the best.” You can read the entire Ohio State press release here. Rumors are he will end up at Dayton but may also choose a MAC school to be closer to his hometown.

JD Weatherspoon a 6’6″ SF from Columbus is a sophomore with 2 years of eligibility left. Weatherspoon is a pure athlete with serious hops. He was a fan favorite for his dunks and effort but as a whole never developed the skills needed to be a starter. Coach Matta had this to say about JD “J.D. has done everything we’ve asked,” Matta said. “I can relate to a young man’s desire to play. I was in his shoes during my collegiate career. His teammates and our staff appreciate the hard work J.D. has put in to make our team better. We wish him nothing but the best.” You can read the entire Ohio State press release here. As of this moment JD says he doesn’t know where he will transfer to but most expect it to be a MAC school with the possibility of going with Sibert to Dayton where former OSU Asst. Coach Archie Miller is now the Flyers HC. Miller recruited both players to OSU. Archies staff also includes former OSU Assts. as well.

With the departures of these players as well as Sully and Buford to the NBA this leaves OSU with 9 scholarship players for next year. For most coaches this would be panic time but 9 scholarship players is 4 more then Matta likes to use anyhow . There are really only 2 possibilities for recruits in this years class. Tony Parker a 6’9″ 250 PF from Georgia who isn’t likely to pick OSU next week when he decides. Also Amedeo Della Valle is a 6’5″ 180lb SG from Italy via Findlay Prep. He fills a need as he is a 3 point specialist and a pure shooter. He is currently on an official visit at OSU today. He will decide between OSU and Texas A&M soon.

Two-time All-American Jared Sullinger is expected to announce this afternoon that he will enter the NBA draft in June and forgo his final two years of eligibility at Ohio State.

An email from the OSU athletic department said that a news conference has been scheduled for 2:15 p.m.

(For those interested, the news conference will air live on 10TV.com)

All signs point to his entry in the draft, but the Lloyd Christmas in me is hoping “there’s a chance”.

But two fantastic seasons, including a Final Four run this year has made Sullinger’s stay at Ohio State an enjoyable (if not frustrating) one. He will always be a Man of the Scarlet and Gray and we wish him well.

So after 40 minutes of that maddening zone defense, dozens of questionable calls (both ways!) and the gritiest clutchiness from Lenzelle Smith, Jr. and the Buckeyes are on their way to the Final Four.

Basketball in general is an extremely stressful sport to be a fan of. Every single possession carries with it such pressure. Come tournament time, it becomes excrutiating. I really don’t know how these kids do it. But that was a really good game. Of course it makes it better that Ohio State won 77-70. (And if you aske me, beating Boeheim makes it that much better)

We haven’t covered the Buckeyes basketball team this year for a variety of reasons, but we’ve never stopped rooting for them. We’ve also still haven’t stopped waiting for Buford to have that game. But we know it’s coming.

So congratulations to the 2011-12 Ohio State Buckeyes. Good luck to them next week. We’ll be cheering (with one hand covereing our eyes the whole time).

One of the hardest things to decide on sharing is the music related stuff we get. A lot of the college athletic-based music out there is not very good. The hip-hop stuff is usually even worse.

That is definitely not the case with this track from Cal Scruby. Who is Cal?

Cal Scruby is an up and coming hip-hop artist and Junior engineering major at Ohio State University. He just made this video to support OSU in March Madness…

Here’s the YouTube video:

While you’re enjoying to The Nation, check out previews for tonight’s game against the Cincinatti Bearcats at Eleven Warriors, Inside the Shoe, Our Honor Defend and The Buckeye Battle Cry.

Join us later for a live, in-game chat.

Go Bucks!

Live chat placed below the fold for archival purposes (also to prevent dragging the loading of the Men of the Scarlet and Gray homepage to a halt)