Buckeyes continue play through holidays

As many Ohio State students head home for the holidays and a much-needed break, it’s full steam ahead for the men’s basketball team. The Buckeyes will have four more non-conference tune-ups before they begin Big Ten play.

OSU at No. 21 Butler
For the third year in a row the Buckeyes will take on the Butler Bulldogs.

Two seasons ago, the Buckeyes blew a 10-point halftime lead en route to 65-46 loss. Last season the Bulldogs arrived in Columbus and gave the Buckeyes nearly everything they could handle before losing 54-51.

Butler’s Gordon Hayward, then a freshman, torched the Buckeyes for 25 points, including seven three-pointers in the loss. As a sophomore, Hayward is averaging 15 points and eight rebounds a game, and he and fellow sophomore Shelvin Mack make up one of the better shooting backcourts in the country.

Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes have some solid guard play of their own.
Juniors Evan Turner and Jon Diebler lead the team in scoring and combine for more than 36 points a game on average.

OSU vs. Presbyterian
The Blue Hose of Presbyterian have struggled out of the gates, losing six of their first eight games, including losses to Furman, Southern, Seattle and High Point. Unfortunately, the schedule doesn’t look to be getting any easier.

Prior to their game with the Buckeyes, Presbyterian travels to Chapel Hill to take on defending national champion North Carolina.

OSU vs. Delaware State
This will mark the second meeting in as many years between Ohio State and Delaware State.

Last year the Buckeyes began their season with a 70-42 win over the Hornets, a game in which center Dallas Lauderdale blocked seven shots.

The loss was just one of many for Delaware State, who finished the year 8-23. Although the Hornets won four of their first five games, by no means are they ready to compete with the Buckeyes.

OSU vs. Cleveland State
Like Presbyterian, Cleveland State will arrive in Columbus less than a week after playing another highly ranked opponent. The defending Horizon League champions will play No. 8 West Virginia before taking on the Buckeyes.

Last year the Vikings made waves on the national stage with their upset over Wake Forest in the first round of the NCAA tournament. They only return one starter from that team, however, and have no seniors on the current roster.

OSU at Wisconsin
The Buckeyes will spend New Year’s Eve in Madison, Wis., as they take on the Badgers.
On the heels of a third place finish in the Maui Invitational early in the year, Wisconsin, led by senior guard Trevon Hughes, upset Duke in last week’s ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

This game marks the beginning of the Big Ten schedule for OSU. The Buckeyes will play four of their first five conference games on the road, something coach Thad Matta knows will be difficult.

“I would venture to say that there is not a school in any conference in the country that opens up with four of their first five games on the road in their conference,” Matta said. “I’ve never seen anything like that.”

Last year the Buckeyes traveled to the Kohl Center and the Badgers handed them a 55-50 loss. This year, however, Matta said his team has learned what it takes to win on the road in the Big Ten.

“You look at last year’s team, we went to play at Madison, Wis., on national television, and not one of our players had ever played in the building before,” Matta said. “I think the expectation is that they’ve been through it, they have an understanding of what needs to happen and how it needs to happen.”

OSU at Michigan
The Buckeyes’ game against the Wolverines will feature two members of the preseason all-conference team, and probably the two early front runners in the Player of the Year race.

Evan Turner and Manny Harris have both began the season filling the stat sheets at a remarkable pace.

In Michigan’s first six games, Harris averaged more than 21 points, nine rebounds and six assists a game. The junior recorded a triple-double in the Wolverines’ 97-50 win over Northern Michigan early in the season.

Turner has two triple-doubles of his own and is leading the conference in rebounding.
Like most games in the Big Ten, the showdown with the Wolverines will put the Buckeyes to the test.

“The conference is going to be a war, obviously,” Matta said. “I think it’s going to be a tremendous challenge.”