#1 Sports comp
Wisconsin at Ohio State
Wisconsin (21-4, 14-2 BIG 10, #10 AP) topped the Golden Gophers of Minnesota on Saturday at the Kohl Center by the score of 65-56, using the balanced scoring (top five scorers 12, 11, 11, 11, and 11) and stiff defense that only Purdue (twice) has been able to crack amongst their conference opponents. Head coach Bo Ryan (163-59 in 7th season at Madison, 82-30 Big 10) has used his swing offense to rack up 546 wins in 24 college seasons, as well as six consecutive invitations to the NCAA Tournament. His offense is an approach that eschews the racking up of statistics by its stars in favor of swinging the ball to create angles on defenders for the open man. Player attitude is absolutely key and Buckey has bought-in players in spades.
Former Parade High School All-American 6'11" 235 senior F/C Brian "Polar Bear" Butch (12.6p, 7.0r, 23 blocks) and former First Team All-State Selection from New York 6'0" sophomore G Travon Hughes (12.4p, 3.0r, 2.5a, 35 of 105 from 3-point) could each be racking up huge numbers in other programs, yet are the biggest preachers of team basketball to their lesser-pedigreed mates. A five-game summer tour through Italy created lifelong bonds for these students athletes (we can actually use this term with a straight face in this case), and here's a good example of the love. Hughes lists his single, greatest career accomplishment as dunking on 6'11" 260 teammate and backup forward Greg Stiemsma (2.8p, 3.0r, 30 blocks)... in practice. It's an understatement to say these guys like playing hoops together.
Joining Hughes and Butch in the starting lineup are 6'7" 222 junior F Marcus Landry (11.0p, 5.2r, 1.4a), 6'2" senior G Michael Flowers (9.6p, 4.0r, 2.3a, 31 of 78 from 3-point), and 6'7" 220 G/F Joe Krabbenhoft (7.6p, 6.7r, 2.8a). Each are serious scrappers on the boards for a crew that averages a solid 36.5-30.0 rebounding advantage per game in 2007-2008. From the bench come 6'2" sophomore G Jason Bohannon (7.6p, 2.2r) and 6'10" 208 freshman F Jon Leurer (4.1p, 1.7r), each of whom can tinkle the twine from downtown, combining for 46 makes in 105 attempts from deep.
Wisconsin's team defense will test you as well, allowing just 55.4 points per game this season (versus the 68.7 they score) on .386 shooting from the field and .322 shooting from behind the arc.
Badger fans (and we count ourselves among that group, if you couldn't tell) will tell you that a special nod to the success of this program - as well as all of Wisconsin's teams - must be given to former Athletic Director Pat Richter. A 9-time letter winner at Wisconsin and 8-year tight end for the Washington Redskins, Richter inherited in 1989 an athletic program hampered by outmoded facilities and a $2.1 million yearly deficit. In 2004 he handed his successor and former Badger football coach Barry Alvarez a program with the state-of-the-art Kohl Center, a completely renovated Camp Randall Stadium, and a $6.4 million surplus. In the words of Ronald Reagan's 34th and final speech from the Oval Office, "All in all, not bad, not bad at all."
Ohio State (17-9, 8-5 BIG 10) dropped their third conference game in their last five opportunities with a 70-80 stumble to Michigan at Ann Arbor on Sunday, despite another strong performance by 7'0" 265 freshman C Kosta Koufos (13.8p, 7.0r, 47 blocks). Koufos might not fill the shoes of the departed Greg Oden (15.7p, 9.6r, 105 blocks in 2006-2007) in the minds of the Buckeye faithful, but he is actually a much more polished player than Oden was last season. Completely comfortable outside of the paint, Koufos can nail the jumper, put the ball on the floor, and attack the basket - making him more in the mold of a Nowitzki or Gasol than the man he replaces. With 34 points and 22 boards in his last two games, the Canton Colossus is certainly a tough assignment for any big man.
Joining the Greek Goliath (Our nicknames may be a little corny, but don't be surprised when you hear them on ESPN some day; it has happened, unaccredited, before) in the paint is 6'8" 225 senior F Othello Hunter (9.4p, 6.7r, 32 blocks), who has also been sharp lately with 35 points and 23 boards in his last three games, plus 6'9" 245 senior F/C Matt Terwilliger (3.3p, 2.5r) and 6'8" 260 freshman F Dallas Lauderdale (1.0p, 1.6), who bring the beef off the bench. Running the show for the Buckeyes' offense that averages 67.9 points per game on .457 shooting from the field is 6'1" senior Jamar Butler (14.2p, 3.5r, 6.3a, 39 steals). The former "Ohio Mr. Basketball," Butler has exploded from the decent stats he posted in 2006-2007 (8.5p, 2.1r, 3.6a) to become one of the premier point guards in college basketball, while remaining a bankable option from behind the arc with 71 makes in 183 attempts this year. Throw in starting swingmen 6'5" sophomore F/G David Lightly (8.7p, 3.7r, 2.3a) and 6'6" freshman Evan Turner (8.3p, 4.1p, 2.5a), plus 6'6" freshman Jon Diebler (6.8p, 2.4r, 1.2a, 40 of 134 from 3-point), and reigning Big 10 Coach of the Year Thad Matta (98-31 in 4th season at Columbus) has a decent mix of talent to make a run at his eighth consecutive 20+ win season in the college ranks.
This is the third Division I program that Coach Matta has succeeded at (24-8 at Butler, 78-23 at Xavier), and Ohio State is having solid success, but the off-season personnel losses are simply too much to overcome for Matta's crew to notch their third straight Conference Championship. In addition to Oden, the departure of Ron Lewis (12.7p, 3.6r, 64 makes from 3-point), Mike Conley Jr. (11.3p, 3.4r, 238 assists), and Daequan Cook (9.8p, 4.3r, 54 makes from 3-points) from the 2006-2007 Buckeye team (35-4, 15-1 BIG 10) that lost to the Florida Gators in the National Championship Game has certainly brought Ohio State back to the field, and would have likely crippled most other programs. For now, the faithful at Value City Arena will make do with a unit that grinds a little on offense, works hard on defense (60.1 points allowed on .378 shooting from the field and .303 from behind the arc), and has a legitimate shot at an invitation to The Big Dance.
The Badgers are in a dogfight with Purdue and Indiana for Conference Championship honors, while the Buckeyes are clearly part of the second tier this season, but playing road favorites in the Big 10 is a deep, dark place where handicappers go to curl up and die. Add in some of the unknowns that go with a first meeting between these clubs and we'll take Ohio State plus the points on Sunday.
