Last Minute Bracketology

I should be studying for finals which begin tomorrow. I should be more worried about my grade in actuarial mathematics and not worried about what our basketball team's seed will be. I should be in the library and not on my couch, eyes glued to CBS. But enough about what I should be doing, here is what I have done.

Final Four Matchups
Midwest vs. West
East vs. South

Top 4 Seeds
1. Kentucky
2. Syracuse
3. North Carolina
4. Michigan State

Midwest Region (St. Louis)
Louisville
(1)Kentucky vs. (16)Mississippi Valley St/Western Kentucky
(8)Iowa State vs. (9)Connecticut
Portland
(5)Indiana vs. (12)Southern Miss
(4)Georgetown vs. (13)New Mexico State
Columbus
(6)St. Mary's vs. (11)Xavier
(3)Michigan vs. (14)Colorado
Omaha
(7)San Diego State vs. (10)Virginia
(2)Missouri vs. (15)Lamar

West Region (Phoenix)
Columbus
(1)Michigan State vs. (16)Long Island
(8)St. Louis vs. (9)Long Beach State
Nashville
(5)Memphis vs. (12)Colorado State/BYU
(4)Louisville vs. (13)Belmont
Nashville
(6)New Mexico vs. (11)Harvard
(3)Florida State vs. (14)Davidson
Omaha
(7)Gonzaga vs. (10)Alabama
(2)Kansas vs. (15)Montana

East Region (Boston)
Pittsburgh
(1)Syracuse vs. (16)Norfolk State/Vermont
(8)UNLV vs. (9)VCU
Albuquerque
(5)Creighton vs. (12)Miami/South Florida
(4)Wisconsin vs. (13)Ohio
Albuquerque
(6)Florida vs. (11)California
(3)Baylor vs. (14)Lehigh
Greensboro
(7)Cincinnati vs. (10)Purdue
(2)Duke vs. (15)Loyola Maryland

South Region (Atlanta)
Greensboro
(1)North Carolina vs. (16)UNC-Asheville
(8)Notre Dame vs. (9)Kansas State
Portland
(5)Vanderbilt vs. (12)West Virginia
(4)Wichita State vs. (13)South Dakota State
Louisville
(6)Murray State vs. (11) N.C. State
(3)Marquette vs. (14)St. Bonaventure
Pittsburgh
(2)Ohio State vs. (15)Detroit
(7)Temple vs. (10)Texas

NIT Bound
Drexel
Seton Hall
Iona
Washington
Arizona
Mississippi
Oregon
Northwestern
St. Joseph's
Marshall
Minnesota
Middle Tennessee
Akron

Purdue Wins B1G Women's Tourney

The Big Ten's No. 4 seed outlasted its No. 6 seed in a wild championship game to win the Big Ten tournament championship Sunday, 74-70.

Purdue, led by KK Houser's 19 points, used its unlikely hero (KK) to win an unlikely championship, over an even more unlikely opponent (Nebraska).

Nebraska finally succumbed to defeat after riding a wave of hot shooting and timely defense to the championship game in Indianapolis. Nebraska's 1-2 punch of Lindsey Moore and Jordan Hooper poured in 27 and 25 points respectively, but it wasn't enough to beat the depth of Purdue.

Purdue will earn the Big Ten's automatic NCAA tournament berth.

Brief Thoughts on Men's Basketball

Going into this past Sunday’s game against Michigan State, a lot of Ohio State fans seemed to have come to terms with the idea that this was not a team that was going very deep into the tournament. They had been failing a lot of their tests against big teams, they just escaped with a win against Northwestern, and in general they never seemed like a cohesive basketball teams. Jared Sullinger was not producing consistently, and the jump shots just were not going in. The Buckeyes were a mess, and for much of the early going against the Spartans these fears seemed like they were going to be confirmed. This was a sweet sixteen team at best, with a very real chance of getting knocked out in the second round by a hot opponent. The promise seen against such teams as Duke early in the season seemed to have drifted away.

Then something surprising happened.

The Buckeyes started to hit their shots. Their defense, as it has much of this season, was hitting on all cylinders. Even with Jared Sullinger in foul trouble, the rest of the team started to step up. Specifically, the team’s lone senior William Buford was getting points. For too long, he had been inconsistent, but in the second half against Michigan State he was anything but inconsistent. On Sunday, this was a team that made a statement to the Big Ten, themselves, and Ohio State fans. It reminded us just how much potential they have. While it’s just one game, this was a great comeback that can give this team a sense of confidence that they haven’t had since they blew out Duke early in the season. It doesn’t absolve them of all their sins, but it’s a step in the right direction. And it comes not a moment too soon.

It will be very interesting to see how this team fares in this week’s Big Ten Tournament. This will give Buckeye fans a clearer indication of what they can expect when the real tournament starts next week. From now on, they will not be going into hostile road environments like Michigan State, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, etc. However, they also won’t be playing in the friendly confines of the Schottenstein Center. This will be a great indicator of how the Buckeyes can perform at a neutral site against competitive Big Ten teams. Much like the NCAA Tournament, nothing about this is going to be easy. Their first game will likely be against Purdue, who gave them a real battle in Columbus not long ago.

However, this is a team that seems to be in a better mental place than they have been in the last couple weeks. This Michigan State win—and William Buford’s incredible final shot—may be just the fuel they need. This is anything but an untested team. They’ve lost several tough games and they know that every game from here on out is huge. The margin for error is completely gone, and the good news is the Buckeyes seem to recognize this. In a conference full of mentally tough teams, Ohio State now has a chance to prove they are the toughest of them all.

Men's Hockey Season in Review

Last week saw a fitting end to the Ohio State Buckeyes’ regular season, as they were swept in Notre Dame and were sent home disappointed. Not long ago, the Buckeyes were ranked as high as second in the nation. Now the only thing they can do is wonder about the season that could have been. For the Buckeyes, the fall and winter of 2011 was a time of endless promise. At one point they went eleven straight games without a loss. 2012 was far less auspicious, as they only won a single game and picked up points in a few shootout losses. What was once a comfortable lead atop the CCHA quickly evaporated to the point where they were forced to go on the road to play Notre Dame in the first round of the playoffs. They lost the first game 2-0 and the second game 4-2. A third game was not required.

The real trouble for the Buckeyes in the second half of the season was the offense. (The defense wasn’t consistent by any means, but it didn’t have the slumps the offense had.) Coming up with only one goal wasn’t uncommon for the Buckeyes in 2012, and with Cal Heeter putting together some subpar games that wasn’t going to be a recipe for success. For half the season, this was a team that was working tremendously well as a cohesive unit. For the second half of the season, they frequently seemed disorganized and out of sorts. This was a heartbreaking season for Ohio State, and now they have nothing more to do but bid farewell to the seniors and hope their considerable young talent comes back and puts together some impressive seasons in the years to come.

It should also be noted that next year is the final year for the CCHA, with Big Ten hockey beginning in 2013. That’s nothing that matters in the immediate future, but it’s important for the Buckeyes to be ready for this transition and what it will mean for a) scheduling, and b) recruiting. This is a very young team, and ideally they will only get better as the years go on. The real question is: will they be able to put this season behind them?

Final Record: 11-12-5 in the CCHA, 15-15-5 overall.

Prahalis Records Career Milestones in Indy

Despite Ohio State's upset loss to Nebraska in the Big Ten Tournament semi-finals, Sammy Prahalis had a career weekend in Indianapolis, furthering her legend as one of the best players in Ohio State history.

The senior point guard from Commack, NY recorded five assists in Friday's 57-48 win over Michigan, bringing her career total to 893, and vaulting her past Northwestern guard Nancy Kennelly for the Big Ten's career mark.

She wasn't finished.

On Saturday, Prahalis scored 23 points in OSU's 77-62 loss to Nebraska, which pushed her past the 2,000 career points mark.

The first-team all-conference, and 2012 Big Ten Player of the Year guard will look to lead her Buckeyes to an NCAA tournament championship in her final season at the helm.

Nebraska Sends Ohio State Packing

The lady Buckeyes lost their first Big Ten Tournament game in three years Saturday, as the Nebraska Cornhuskers used hot shooting and terrific guard play to send Ohio State home early, 77-62.

Buoyed by forward Jordan Hooper's 21 points, guard Kaitlyn Burke's 20 points and guard Lindsey Moore's 8 points and 7 assists, Nebraska used a 10 of 12, 16-0 run in the final six minutes of the first half, to turn a 13 point deficit into a 36-30 lead. The Buckeyes never recovered.

Ohio State senior guard Sammy Prahalis poured in 23 points and 4 assists, but turned it over 8 times and looked frustrated much of the afternoon, even registering a technical foul for arguing with an official.

Prahalis certainly missed the scoring of her partner in crime, guard Tayler Hill, who played her worst game of the season at the worst time, shooting 4-16 from the field, 0-6 from three point range and managing just 10 points, half her season average.

Ohio State was unable to become the first team to win the Big Ten Tournament four straight years.

Nebraska, in its first year in the league, will play Purdue for the championship today at 4:00 p.m.

Ohio State ends Michigan's season

The lady Buckeyes extracted a measure of revenge on their foes from Ann Arbor, besting the Wolverines 57-48 in the second round of the women's Big Ten Tournament Friday.

Michigan, who handed the Buckeyes their first loss of the season after a 15-0 start, got killed on the boards 45-32, a problem for them all season, and could never mount a consistent offense, shooting a dreadful 34.5% from the field, including a 7-25 display from three point land.

Ohio State struggled with Michigan's defense all day, shooting just 38% and scoring a mere 57 points, well below their season average of 77, but guard Tayler Hill stepped up and made some big time shots in the second half, stabilizing the OSU attack and finishing with a game-high 19 points.

6-1 freshman forward Kalpana Beach took advantage of the smaller Michigan front court by chipping in 12 points and 7 rebounds, while senior guard Sammy Prahalis, who struggled with turnovers, managed 11 points and 5 assists, making her the Big Ten's career leader in that category.

Ohio State will play Nebraska on Saturday at 5:00 p.m., in a semi-final match-up.

Ohio State eliminated from B10 tournament by Nebraska

For the first time in four seasons, Ohio State lost a game in the Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament as they were bounced in the semifinal round by Nebraska 77-62. Samantha Prahalis led all Scarlet and Gray scorers with 23 points, but it was not enough as the Cornhuskers received great performances from Kaitlyn Burke (20 points) and Jordan Hooper (21)to advance to the championship game. Nebraska will take on Purude in the championship round while Ohio State will have to wait until March 12th to learn where they will be playing in the upcoming 2012 NCAA Women's Basketball tournament.

Buckeyes bounce Michigan, move onto semifinal round of B10 tournament

The Buckeyes will get to move on to the semifinal round of the 2012 Big Ten Women's basketball tournament as they defeated the Michigan Wolverines 57-48. Tayler Hill scored 15 of her 19 total points to help pace the Buckeyes to a victory. The Buckeyes were also bolstered by solid outings from senior Samantha Prahalis (11 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists) and freshman Kalpana Beach (12 points, 7 rebounds). The Buckeyes will either take on #3 seed Iowa or #6 seed Nebraska tomorrow night at 5:00 pm.

Men's Hockey Update: The Playoffs Begin

Opponent: #18 Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Where: Compton Family Ice Arena; Notre Dame, Indiana – Friday and Saturday at 7:35 p.m., Sunday at 7:05 p.m. if necessary

Going into last weekend against the Miami Redhawks, the Ohio State Buckeyes had an opportunity to win home ice advantage with just one win across two games. They were unable to do so, losing both games by a combined score of 8-1. The Buckeyes have regressed as the season has gone on, and now they must go on the road to play the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. While this isn’t exactly the hottest opponent in the conference—they’ve lost six of their last seven—the fact that OSU must now go on the road exemplifies just how disappointing the second half of this season has been. Not along ago the Buckeyes were the number one team in the CCHA, the number two team in the nation, and they led the conference in most of the major statistical categories. In the entire year of 2012, they amassed just seven points: one win and four shootout losses.

This final series against Miami was particularly frustrating. While the Redhawks are hitting their stride at the right time and are looking like one of the more dangerous teams in the conference, the disparity between the two teams last weekend was frightening. While there were promising moments in each game, by and large they were pushed around by a more experienced, cohesive team. There’s little chance Buckeye fans watched those games and were reassured that this is a team that will make a lot of noise in the CCHA playoffs.

The second-half performance of goalie Cal Heeter has been particularly frustrating. He’s put together a few nice games, but he’s been far too inconsistent after one of the best starts in the country. His final game (on Senior Night!) against Miami was so lackluster that he was pulled after allowing five goals. The Buckeyes will still need to rely on him this weekend at Notre Dame, but he’s going to need to put this last weekend—and the second half of the season—behind him. If there’s good news for the Buckeyes, it’s that the regular season no longer matters. It’s now all about the Fighting Irish, and they just have to focus on one game at a time.

The other good news is that Notre Dame is actually a pretty favorable opponent. They also have been struggling in the second half of the season, and in postseason play the Buckeyes have not lost to the Irish; going 4-0. Two years ago, these teams met at the OSU Ice Rink, where the Buckeyes took care of business quite easily. Both of these teams have been struggling both defensively and offensively, so don’t expect the prettiest of series this weekend in South Bend.

Weekend prediction: Notre Dame takes it in three games, with the Buckeyes pulling one game out in a squeaker. Neither of these teams is significantly better than the other, but the home ice advantage eventually wins out.

Both the Friday and Saturday games can be heard on Scarlet and Gray Sports Radio at OhioStateSports.net. If necessary, the Sunday game will be streamed for free on UND.com or on the radio at 1460 AM Columbus.

Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament Scenarios

Seventeen down, one more to go. It's hard to believe the Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament is less than a week away. Everyone in the conference plays this weekend, then the seeds will be set and it's off to Indy where the top teams will look to improve their NCAA seedings, the bubble teams will look to make one more positive impression on the selection committee, and the basement dwellers will try to pull of the greatest Cinderella story that this tournament has ever seen.

Here is a run down of the current seedings:

1. Michigan State (13-4)
2. Michigan (12-5, 1-1 vs. MSU)
3. Ohio State (12-5, 0-1 vs. MSU)
4. Wisconsin (11-6)
5. Indiana (10-7, head-to-head w/ PUR)
6. Purdue (10-7)
7. Iowa (8-9)
8. Northwestern (7-10)
9. Illinois (6-11)
10. Minnesota (5-12)
11. Nebraska (4-13, 1-1 vs. IND & PUR)
12. Penn State (4-13, 1-3 vs. IND & PUR)

If you are curious about how the tiebreakers work, you can just click here or trust me the rest of the way. There are numerous two-way ties that are still possible as well as a couple of potential three-way ties. Let's rundown the possibilities and what it means for various Big Ten schools.

1. Michigan State will be the #1 seed even with a loss to Ohio State on Sunday. Even though that would mean splits with both Ohio State and Michigan, their two wins over Wisconsin will ensure they get the #1 seed in Indianapolis no matter what.

2. Because of their 1-0 record vs. Wisconsin, Michigan holds the tiebreaker over Ohio State at the moment. However, if Purdue beats Indiana and Wisconsin falls to Illinois, the Buckeyes get the tiebreaker. Both the Boilers and Badgers will haved finished tied at 11-7. OSU and UM would be 2-1 vs. 11-7 teams. The tiebreaker will go all the way down to Iowa and give the Buckeyes the tiebreaker because of Michigan's embarrassing 75-59 loss back on January 14 in Iowa City.

3. Ohio State cannot fall below Wisconsin nor a #3 seed because the Badgers' 59-41 loss to Michigan all the way back on January 8 in Ann Arbor. The Buckeyes split their season series with the Wolverines. In turn, Michigan holds the tiebreaker over Wisconsin because of their lone meeting this season.

4. Wisconsin is locked in at the #4 seed. While they can't leapfrog Ohio State, they cannot be passed by either of the schools in Indiana because of their 1-0 records against both schools. On January 12, Wisconsin beat Purdue on the road, 67-62. Then two weeks later, they beat Indiana in Madison, 57-50.

5. If Ohio State and Michigan both lose and Wisconsin wins, there will be a three-way tie for 2nd in the Big Ten. In this scenario, Michigan (2-1) gets the #2 seed, despite a would-be loss to Penn State, Ohio State (2-2) gets the #3 seed, and Wisconsin (1-2), as mentioned before, gets the #4 seed.

6. Indiana and Purdue cannot tie each other in the standings because they play this weekend in Bloomington. The Hoosiers have an 81% chance of winning according to Ken Massey.

7. The winner of the Northwestern-Iowa game will get the #7 seed right behind the loser of the Purdue-Indiana game. Northwestern would hold the tiebreaker based on a season sweep of the Hawkeyes.

8. Despite splits with both Northwestern and Minnesota, Illinois holds the tiebreaker over both with their 1-0 record vs. Michigan State. This guarantees the Illini will play in the 8-9 game on Thursday in Indianapolis and would face Sparty again if they advance to the quarterfinals.

9. If Nebraska spoils Minnesota's senior day, they would hold the tiebreaker over the Gophers. While both teams hold wins over Indiana, Minnesota also holds a loss to the Hoosiers.

10. If Penn State adds to this mess by upsetting Michigan alongside a Huskers win in Minneapolis, then we have a three-way tie at the bottom of the Big Ten. In this case, head-to-head records prevail. Minnesota (2-1) would get the #10 seed, Nebraska (2-2) would get the #11 seed, and Penn State (1-2) would get the #12 seed.

11. Finally, if Nebraska and Penn State both lose as expected, there will be a two-way tie at the bottom of the Big Ten. In this case, the tiebreaker will be decided by the Purdue-Indiana game. If the favored Hoosiers win, Nebraska gets the #11 seed. If the Boilers pull off the upset, then Penn State gets the #11 seed.

Finally, if all the favorites win (this is the Big Ten, are you kidding me?), this is how the bracket will shake out:

Thu, Mar 1:
9-Illinois (6-12) vs. 8-Northwestern (7-11), 11:30AM, BTN
12-Penn State (4-14) vs. 5-Indiana (11-7), 1:55PM, BTN
10-Minnesota (6-12) vs. 7-Iowa (9-9), 5:30PM, ESPN2
11-Nebraska (4-14) vs. 6-Purdue (10-8), 7:55PM, ESPN2

Fri, Mar 2:
NW/ILL vs. 1-Michigan State (14-4), 12:00PM, ESPN
IND/PSU vs. 4-Wisconsin (12-6), 2:25PM, ESPN
IOWA/MINN vs. 2-Michigan (13-5), 6:00PM, BTN
PUR/NEB vs. 3-Ohio State (12-6), 8:25PM, BTN

Sat, Mar 3:
MSU/NW/ILL vs. WIS/IND/PSU, 1:40PM, CBS
MICH/IOWA/MINN vs. OSU/PUR/NEB, 4:05PM, CBS

Sun, Mar 4:
Big Ten Tournament Championship, 3:30PM, CBS

It's Michigan...

Our dear friends from That State Up North knocked off the Illinois Fighting Illini 68-53 today, setting up a showdown with Ohio State in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament Friday.

Michigan handed Ohio State its first loss of the season back on January 7, winning 73-62. The Buckeyes were unable to put the ball in the basket, shooting an uncharacteristic 37% from the field. Outside of Sammy Prahalis' 17 and Tayler Hill's 15 points, no other Buckeye reached double figures, a common theme in OSU's losses this season.

Michigan guard Courtney Boylan dominated Ohio State to the tune of 19 points and 6 boards, and if OSU is going to win the re-match, guard, and Big Ten defensive player of the year Amber Stokes has to lock down the Michigan point guard.

Whether it's football, basketball, crew, or gymnastics, Ohio State/Michigan promises to be an intense, hard fought battle between two teams that absolutely hate each other. Ohio State certainly didn't forget January 7, and here's to hoping they make Michigan's off-season a long, cold one.

The game tips off at 11:30 a.m., Friday, March 2.

Ohio State to take on Michigan in friday quaterfinal game

Tomorrow's quarterfinal game will be a rematch between two traditional Big Ten rivals as the Michigan Wolverines get set to take on the Buckeyes. Michigan, who beat Illinois 68-53 to advance to the second round, won the only matchup of the regular season 73-62. The rematch will take place tomorrow morning at 11:30 AM.