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12/2/2008 9:33 AM
 

OHIO STATE VS. UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI

7 tonight

• Where: BankUnited Center, Coral Gables, Fla.

• TV: ESPN

• Radio: WBNS-AM (1460), WBNS-FM (97.1)

• Records: Ohio State 3-0, Miami 4-1

• Matchup to watch: Dallas Lauderdale and B.J. Mullens played together in the post for the first time Saturday, for four minutes late in Ohio State's win over Samford. Coach Thad Matta said it's a combination he wants to use more, as long as Mullens plays tenaciously and meshes with Lauderdale. Miami starts 6-foot-9 and 6-8 juniors up front who average 22.2 points and 15.4 rebounds between them.

• Notable: Ohio State is 2-5 in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, 0-3 away from home, and has lost five of its past six games. Miami is 0-2 since joining the ACC from the Big East and is playing host to a Challenge game for the first time. Miami junior James Dews was first-team All-Ohio as a senior at Liberty Township Lakota East. ... Ohio State's last game against Miami was a 75-62 loss in the second round of the 2000 NCAA Tournament.

• Next: vs. Notre Dame, 4 p.m. Saturday, Indianapolis.

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12/2/2008 12:53 PM
 
Game Information:

Opponent: No. 21 Miami (4-1)
Date: Monday Dec. 2, 2008
Game Time: 7 p.m. ET
Site: BankUnited Center (Miami, Fla.)
Television: ESPN
TV Talent: Dave O'Brien, Steve Lavin and Allen Hopkins
Local Radio: WBNS FM-97.1 and AM-1460 The Fan
Radio Talent: Paul Keels and Ron Stokes


Miami coach Frank Haith's Hurricane's will make third appearance in Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
Ohio State has started off its season by winning all three of its games, but the opponents have certainly been on the weaker side. Meanwhile, Miami, who is ranked No. 21 in the Associated Press Poll, has started off with a 4-1 record, but its only loss has come at No. 2 Connecticut, losing 76-63.

The Buckeyes will surely be in for its biggest test of the season when it hits the road for Miami to take on the Hurricanes in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. The Hurricanes are participating in it for the third time — their first as hosts of the event — and are still looking for their first victory in the Challenge.

The Hurricanes got off to an early start this season when the team participated in the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, where it eventually fell to the Huskies. Miami did come away with two wins over Southern Mississippi and San Diego in the tournament.

Miami is certainly poised to take on the Buckeyes, coming off a big win over in-state rival Stetson in which the Hurricanes won 79-65. After being held scoreless in the first half of the game, Miami star Jack McClinton finished the game with 12 points and six assists.

"It's about team," Miami head coach Frank Haith told the Associated Press. "I think that our guys understand that we're about growing as a team, and its good to see Jack have those kind of numbers."

Despite having a slew of stars on the court, Miami will certainly hope for a solid performance out of McClinton, who has scored at least 10 points in 29 of his last 31 games. McClinton came up big against UCONN, scoring a season-high 27 points, but it wasn't enough to overcome the powerful Huskies and dropped in 30 points in Miami's 61-59 loss to Northwestern in Miami's last Challenge appearance in 2006.

Aside from McClinton, James Dews has been quite the fixture in Miami's lineup, as the guard has started 38-straight game. Dews netted a season-high 10 points with the help of two three-pointers, posted four rebounds, and a team-high two steals in Miami's win over Stetson.

Forward Dwayne Collins is fourth in the ACC in rebounds per game (10 per game) and has scored at least 10 points in four of the Hurricanes' five games this season.

Game Notes:

The Hurricanes will hope for a big performance from guard Jack McClinton.
—Ohio State has only faced Miami in basketball three times, but the Hurricanes lead the all-time series over the Buckeyes, 2-1. Miami has won the last two games between the two schools by an average of 10.5 points. The Hurricanes knocked off Ohio State in the second round of the 2000 NCAA Tournament, 75-62.

—Miami has made it a habit by winning big in the games they prevail in, as all four of their victories this season have come by double figures. All of Miami's victories this season, the Hurricanes have won by an average of 23.8 points, the biggest win coming over Florida Southern with a 36-point margin of victory. The score was 96-60.

—Last season, Miami played extremely well at home in the BankUnited Center, posting a record of 14-2, which was a school record for most wins in a season. After Saturday's win over Stetson, Miami has now won six straight on their home court and 16 of their last 18.

— The Hurricanes have won 28 of their last 30 home games against unranked non-conference opponents.

—This is the sixth time in as many years the Buckeyes will compete in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, but Ohio State has not favored well in the event. As a whole, the Buckeyes have posted a 1-5 record in the event.

—Ohio State has two ranked teams scheduled for this week, including No. 22 Miami tonight and No. 8 Notre Dame on a neutral court Saturday in Indianapolis. All-time, Ohio State is 123-208 against ranked opponents. Ohio State's last win over a ranked opponent on the road came Feb. 22, 2006 when the Buckeyes knocked off then-No. 18 Michigan State in East Lansing, 79-68.

Expected starting lineup for Miami (Fla.):

G #1 Lance Hurdle (Sr.) 6'2"
G #33 Jack McClinton (Sr.) 6'1"
G #23 James Dews (Jr.) 6'4"
F #20 Cyrus McGowan (R-Jr.) 6'9"
F#21 Dwayne Collins (Jr.) 6'8"

Ari Wasserman is a staff writer for BuckeyeGrove.com. He can be reached at [email protected].
 
New Post
12/3/2008 9:23 AM
 
Ohio State 73, No. 21 Miami 68
Men's basketball: Ohio State shows offensive punch
Buckeyes rally, thanks in part to key Hurricanes player's ejection
Wednesday,  December 3, 2008 3:09 AM
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
<p>B.J. Mullens, top left, and Evan Turner celebrate the Buckeyes improving to 4-0.</p>
J Pat Carter | Associated Press

B.J. Mullens, top left, and Evan Turner celebrate the Buckeyes improving to 4-0.

More men's basketball

Dispatch coverage

CORAL GABLES, Fla. -- Where did that come from?

"From the heart," Evan Turner said.

An Ohio State men's basketball team that struggled to average 63 points in three games against lesser competition scored 51 in the second half last night against the No. 21-ranked team in the nation. The Buckeyes grabbed a game the University of Miami left them for the taking and stunned the Hurricanes 73-68 in the BankUnited Center.

Jon Diebler scored 20 points, including six three-point baskets, and Evan Turner had all of his 19 points in the second half to lead the Buckeyes (4-0) back from 14-point halftime deficit.

"I'm extremely proud of our guys coming back and playing the second 20 minutes the way they did," said coach Thad Matta, whose team trailed by as many as 15 late in the first half. "You don't know what to expect a lot of times as you take your first road trip."

Ohio State defeated a ranked team on the road for the first time in three seasons. The last such victory had been at Michigan State in February 2006.

The Buckeyes were 3-9 against ranked teams last season, including eight consecutive losses.

"It means we've developed," Turner said. "We came through. We grew as a team. To win on the road, you have to be tough."

Lance Hurdle scored 14 points to lead Miami (4-2), which played the last 30 minutes of the game without leading scorer Jack McClinton, who was ejected with 10:12 left in the first half for hitting OSU point guard Anthony Crater in the right eye.

"It was tough" losing McClinton, Hurdle said. But the Hurricanes led by 12 points when he left the game and extended their lead without him before falling apart in the second half.

"We lost our defensive intensity, lost our balance," coach Frank Haith said. "We were not rotating quick enough when the ball was moving, andby doing that, we left a lot of driving lanes open."

Ohio State missed seven of its first eight shots, six of them three-point attempts, in falling behind 13-4. The Buckeyes finished the first half attempting more than half of their shots from outside the arc and shot 27.6 percent overall.

"Coach just told us at halftime that we've got to keep shooting, keep shooting with confidence," Diebler said. "We were getting open looks we just weren't making them. The second half, we started knocking shots down."

They also started driving the lane more, especially Turner, as Diebler forced Miami to pay attention to him on the perimeter. Foul trouble limited Turner to eight minutes in the first half. He played all 20 in the second.

"My job is to knock down shots," Diebler said. "When I do knock down shots, it's going to open things up for him."

Diebler made a three-pointer and two free throws as Ohio State opened the second half with a 15-2 run to close to 38-37 with 15:07 left.

Miami widened its lead to 48-40, but Diebler made a pair of three-pointers 44 seconds apart in a 9-2 run that cut the margin to one again, 50-49 with 10:08 left.

Miami yet again increased its advantage, to 54-49, but an 8-0 run capped by Jeremie Simmons' only three-pointer of the game gave Ohio State its first lead, 57-54 with 6:54 left.

The Buckeyes held the lead the rest of the way despite Miami twice getting as close as one, the last time at 68-67 with 33.6 seconds left. But Turner and Simmons combined to make five of six free throws, all in 1-and-1 situations, to ice the victory.

"We kept playing," Matta said. "Hopefully that's a sign that we can keep growing."

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HomeHomeDiscussionsDiscussionsBuckeye Basketb...Buckeye Basketb...OHIO STATE VS. UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI 2008OHIO STATE VS. UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI 2008