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Men's Basketball
Bucks Back on the Court, Preparing for March Madness
By Brandon Castel

Although it doesn’t compare to the length of an NBA season, the college basketball season can be a grueling grind for teams like Ohio State. Especially with a 18-game conference schedule that included two separate stretches where the sixth-ranked Buckeyes played four out of five games on the road.

Despite losing Evan Turner for six games in the middle of the season, they still managed to win 24 games in 2009-10. After locking up at least a share of the regular season Big Ten title Tuesday, OSU Head Coach Thad Matta gave his team a few days to rest.

What the players did with that time off was up to them, but that doesn’t mean everyone was doing exactly what they wanted to be doing.

“I had to do housework to tell you the truth,” a laughing Turner said Friday on his teleconference.

“I had to do laundry and I had to do homework, so that’s all I did was chill out.”

Chilling out probably sounded pretty good to Turner after playing nearly 36 minutes per game after returning from a broken back suffered in December, but all that sitting around had him anxious to get back on the court Friday as the Buckeyes prepare for their first Big Ten Tournament game a week from today.

“We had a great practice today and we’re definitely trying to keep our intensity going and have some good practices heading into the Big Ten Tournament,” said Turner, who finished the year averaging 19.5 points, 9.4 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game.

The Buckeyes went through an emotionally draining season this year, which saw them rattle off 14 wins in 15 conference games to claim the title after starting the year 1-3 in the Big Ten. There was some concern that the Buckeyes might not be able to match their intensity from the regular season now that the war was over, but Turner said the team looked sharp in their return to the court.

“Definitely, (Coach Matta) really liked our intensity. We were really just going out and competing,” he said.

“March is a one-and-done time. God forbid we only play two games in March. We don’t want to go to the Big Ten Tournament and lost the first day or go to the NCAA Tournament and lose the first day.”

Ohio State did lose on the first day of the NCAA Tournament last season – a 74-72 overtime loss to Siena – but it’s their run to the Big Ten Tournament title game that gives this team confidence it can handle the rigors of playing three games in three days.

“I think it will help a lot. We’ve definitely been through it. We’ve been through the emotions,” Turner said.

“Definitely playing in a preseason tournament at Madison Square Garden will help us. It’s all mental toughness. We’re an experienced group and we know what to do.”

The Buckeyes knocked off Wisconsin and Michigan State in last year’s tournament to get to the final, where they were outlasted 65-61 by Purdue. As the current No. 1 seed in the conference tourney, the Buckeyes will likely face an easier road to the final this season. As it stands now, they would play the winner of the 8-9 game between Michigan and Iowa on Friday (noon ET, ESPN). Assuming they win that game, they would play the winner of the 4-5 game between Wisconsin and Illinois on Saturday (1:40 p.m. ET, CBS).

According to national analysts like Steve Lavin, Jay Bilas and Joe Lunardi, the Buckeyes could earn a No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament if they win the Big Ten Tournament. That isn’t on the minds of Turner and his teammates, however, as they prepare to take it one game at a time.

“We’re just trying to win out, those seeds will take care of themselves,” Turner said.

“It’s all about winning. In the tournament, there’s been tons of upsets in the past, so we just have to worry about taking care of business and what we can handle. Whether we get a one or two seed, it doesn’t change the fact we have to go out and play the game.”

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