Date: March 11, 2012
No. 3 seed Ohio State (27-6) vs. No. 1 seed Michigan State (26-7)
Game Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Television: CBS
Talent: Jim Nance (Play by Play)
Clark Kellogg (Expert Analysis)
Radio: OSU-IMG Sports Network (56 stations)
Local Radio: WBNS FM-97.1 AM-1460
Radio Talent: Paul Keels (play-by-play)
Ron Stokes (expert analysis)
Ohio State Notes Get Acrobat Reader
Ohio State vs. Michigan State
Michigan State leads the all-time series vs. the Buckeyes 59-52. The teams have met on a neutral court three times with Ohio State winning two of those games. Ranked Ohio State teams are 20-9 vs. Michigan State. The Buckeyes are 7-16 vs. ranked MSU squads. When both teams are ranked, each team has won five times. The teams split the season series with each squad winning on the opponent’s floor. Ohio State won 72-70 in East Lansing (3/4/12) and the Spartans won 58-48 in Columbus (2/7/12). William Buford averages 15.9 points a game vs. Michigan State in seven career meetings. Jared Sullinger adds 14.0 points and 9.3 rebounds in three career meetings vs. the Spartans. Ohio State has faced Michigan State three times in Big Ten tournament play, winning twice. No. 8 seed Ohio State downed No. 5 seed MSU 55-54 in the 2003 BTT semifinals. No. 4 seed MSU downed No. 5 seed Ohio State in the quarterfinals in 2008 67-60 and the No. 5 seed Buckeyes defeated the No. 1 Spartans 82-70 in the 2009 semifinals. In two games this season vs. Michigan State, Sullinger led the Buckeyes with 15.5 points and 13.0 rebounds. Buford averaged 14.5 points with Aaron Craft (12.0 ppg) and Deshaun Thomas (10.0 ppg.) contributing double figures.
Ohio State in the BTT
The Buckeyes improved to 19-8 in Big Ten tournament play, including wins in eight-consecutive outings, a record win streak for any league school. Thad Matta is 16-4 in league tournament play and has advanced to the championship game six times in eight attempts. In two games this year, Jared Sullinger has averaged 27 points and 9.0 rebounds while knocking down 68 percent of his shots from the field (21-31). He is perfect from the foul line (11-11) and has five blocks and three assists. Deshaun Thomas averages 22 points while making 19 of 28 shots (.679). William Buford has contributed 10.5 points and 5.0 rebounds a game. Aaron Craft has 11 assists and four steals while averging 8.0 points and 4.5 rebounds a game. As a team, the Buckeyes have made 55 percent of their shots (68-124) and have won the two games to date by an average of 19.5 points. Opponents have scored 36 percent of their field goals (42-118) and on 31 percent from long range (16-51).
Buckeyes in the Big Ten Tournament
William Buford has been a part of four teams who have played for a Big Ten Conference postseason tournament title. Two of those teams have claimed the championship (2010, 2011). The 2009 team fell to Purdue in the title tilt. Buford, in 11 BTT games, averages 13.6 points and has averaged 39.8 minutes per game. Sophomore Jared Sullinger contributes 20.6 points and 12.0 rebounds a game in five wins in BTT action. He scored 30 in the win over Purdue Friday and overall has made 36 of 49 attempts (735) at the charity stripe in BTT action. Deshaun Thomas scored 11 points in three appearances a season ago off the bench. He tallied 22 points vs. Purdue and matched that effort vs. Michigan this year. He recorded six rebounds as a freshman at the BTT in three games. He had 7 boards vs. the Boilermakers and six boards in the Michigan game Saturday.
Matta at OSU
Thad Matta has won at least 26 games in five of eight seasons at Ohio State. Matta averages 27 wins a season as a Buckeye. Over his career, Matta has reached 26 wins in eight of 12 seasons as a head coach.
Buckeye Balance at the Top
Ohio State’s Top 3 scorers each are close to reaching 500 points scored this season. Jared Sullinger leads with 544 points (17.5 ppg.) after a 30-point effort Friday vs. Purdue and 24 points vs. Michigan Saturday. Deshaun Thomas is next with 512 (15.5 ppg.) with William Buford next with 489/14.8 ppg. Ohio State has never had three players reach 500 points in the same season. There have been 30 different Buckeyes score more than 500 points in a season with Jerry Lucas and Michael Redd leading the pack each with three 500-plus point seasons. Paul Ebert was the first to do so when he tallied 516 points during the 1953-54 season. Thomas (512/2011-12) is the most recent Buckeyes to score more than 500 points in a season. Buford would become just the third Buckeye all-time with three 500-point scoring seasons. Sullinger is the 13th player to record two or more 500-point campaigns.
Noting the Michigan game (March 10)
• The Buckeyes will compete in their fourth-consecutive Big Ten Tournament Championship vs. Michigan State, a Big Ten record.
• The Buckeyes have eliminated Michigan three consecutive years in the Big Ten Tournament.
• Ohio State has now won eight consecutive games in the Big Ten Tournament, dating back to the 2010 tournament, the longest streak in tournament history.
• It is the eighth time Ohio State has won at least one game in the Big Ten Tournament.
• The Buckeyes are now 19-8 overall in the tournament, having won 15 of its last 18 games.
• The Buckeyes are 2-2 vs. teams seeded No. 2 in the tournament.
• The Buckeyes move to 92-72 all-time vs. Michigan, including 2-1 this season.
• As a ranked team, the Buckeyes are 34-5 vs. the Wolverines.
• Ohio State is 4-1 vs. Michigan in neutral site meetings, with all four wins occurring in the Big Ten Tournament.
• As a ranked team, Ohio State has won 13 of the last 14 meetings dating back to 2/6/00.
• As a ranked team, Ohio State is 422-115 overall and when ranked in the AP Top 10, the Buckeyes are 301-65.
• As the Associated Press No. 7 team, Ohio State is 27-8 overall.
• Ohio State moves to 7-5 this season vs. ranked opponents and 420-115 all-time.
• Against Top 25 teams, Ohio State is 146-229 all-time.
• When both teams are ranked in the Top 25 Ohio State is 66-54 including 6-3 vs. Michigan.
• This is the second consecutive game that two players have scored at least 20 points for the Buckeyes (Sullinger – 24, Thomas – 22).
• This is the 295th-consecutive game Ohio State has made at least one 3-point field goal (1/10/04 vs. Penn State was the last game with zero made).
• The starting lineup of Buford, Craft, Smith, Jr., Sullinger and Thomas is 25-5 this season.
• Ohio State went 10-14 from the free-throw line. They now have attempted 701 free throws this season, while only allowing its opponents to attempt 497 from the stripe. The margin is 409-311 in the Big Ten.
• The Buckeyes have now amassed 265 assists in the Big Ten while only allowing 215 from their opponents. For the season, Ohio State has 503 assists, while its opponents only have 332.
• 23 of Ohio State’s 28 wins have been by double-figures.
Thad Matta
• Matta improves to 16-4 in league tournament play, having won eight-consecutive games.
• Matta moves to 16-3 all-time vs. Michigan.
• Matta’s career record moves to 319-94 overall and 217-63 at Ohio State.
• With the win, Matta moves to 117-46 in the Big Ten during his 12-year coaching career.
• Matta has a record of 113-42 vs. the Big Ten (regular season and conference tournament) since he became Ohio State’s head coach in the 2004-05 season.
• Matta’s .773 winning percentage at Ohio State is the best among Big Ten coaches since Matta became the Buckeyes’ head coach in 2004.
• Ohio State is 41-10 in March under Coach Matta.
• When scoring more than 70 points in a game, the Buckeyes improve to 22-2 this year and 150-13 under Matta. Ohio State scored 77 points vs. Michigan.
• When leading at the half, Ohio State is 24-1 this season and 182-21 under Matta.
• The Buckeyes are 27-1 this year and 202-6 under Matta when leading with five minutes to go.
• When holding its opponent to under 50 percent from the field, the Buckeyes are 26-4 this season and 203-50 under Matta.
• When Ohio State shoots a better field goal percentage than its opponent, it is 26-2 this season and 193-20 under Matta.
• When Ohio State has fewer than 15 turnovers in a game, its 22-5 this season and 183-50 under Matta. The Buckeyes had 11 turnovers vs. the Wolverines.
William Buford
• The start was Buford’s 131st donning the Scarlet and Gray, the most by any Buckeye in history.
• Buford has been a part of 112 of Coach Matta’s 217 career wins at Ohio State.
• The game is the 139th that Buford has played in, which is fifth all-time at Ohio State in games played.
• Buford has been a part of 112 wins at Ohio State, which is second all-time by senior class.
• Buford is just the fourth Buckeye in recorded history to reach 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 300 assists. Buford’s current totals are 1,912/635/354.
• Buford scored 10 points for the Buckeyes, improving his career total to 1,912, 22 behind Kelvin Ransey (1,934) for fourth place in Ohio State scoring history.
• Buford had six rebounds to push his career total to 635. He is one of 17 former Buckeyes in the prestigious 1,500 point and 500 rebound club.
• Buford became the fifth player in Ohio State history to join the 400 (made field goals) and 4,000 (minutes played) Club. After the Michigan game, Buford has now tallied 721 made field goals and 4,512 minutes played in 139 career games (J. Diebler, D. Lighty, J. Butler and H. Williams are the other Buckeyes to achieve this feat).
• Buford had two assists in the game for a career total of 354.
• With four made field goals, Buford now has 721 for his career, the fifth most in Ohio State history.
Jared Sullinger
• Sullinger had 24 points for the Buckeyes. It is the 28th time this season and 61st time in his career he has scored in double figures.
• With 24 points, Sullinger added to his 1,000 point club total (1,179). He is one of seven total players in Ohio State history to score at 1,000 or more points in two years.
• It is the 11th time this season Sullinger has scored 20 or more points.
• Sullinger had six rebounds to push his career total to 664. That is good for 15th place all-time in Ohio State history.
Deshaun Thomas
• Deshaun Thomas finished with 22 points. It is the 40th time in his career he has scored in double figures and 29th time this season. He now has 771 points in his two-year career.
• Thomas has scored in double figures in 29 of the Buckeyes 33 games this season.
• Thomas also chipped in six rebounds.
Aaron Craft
• Craft had six points. He has 539 points in his career.
• Craft had four assists to push his season total to 161 and his career total to 328.
• Craft had three steals. He has 152 for his career. He has had at least one steal in 31 of 33 games this season.
• Craft has a season total of 79 steals, the second most in a season at Ohio State. Only Mike Conley Jr (87) has recorded more steals in a single season (2007).
