"#1" Tennessee wins in OT; Purdue over OSU; BB open thread
I hope the Tennessee trolls who infested this blog a while back are still around so they can come and defend the horrific screw job Vanderbilt just took at home. Grant Williams went an insane 23 for 23 (!) from the line as the officials seemed absolutely determined to do everything in their power to keep a #1 ranking for the ESS-EEE-SEE. The capper was deciding that the elbow that the Tennessee player threw at the head of his opponent was somehow "just them getting tangled up" and therefore not a flagrant foul (which might have given Vandy a puncher's chance). The "#1" team in the country holds on, 88-83, in overtime, against winless-in-the-SEC Vanderbilt.
Meanwhile, Purdue goes into Value Village* Arena and steamrolls OSU -- Chris Holtmann is a good coach, but he just doesn't have the horses this year. OSU travels to Lincoln before returning to the banks of the Olentangy to face Michigan next week.
Also, Providence with a nice win at Xavier to help on the Strength of Schedule Meter.
* Yes, I know it's Value City. Value Village is a chain of secondhand goods stores in the Pacific Northwest. The name fits. ;)
January 23rd, 2019 at 9:49 PM ^
Ohio State travels to Michigan not on the banks of the Olentangy.
January 23rd, 2019 at 9:52 PM ^
Indeed, you're correct. I should have known that. Neg away!
January 23rd, 2019 at 9:52 PM ^
The F1 they gave Vandy towards the end of the second was a horrific call. They gave Grant Williams the game at the line. Tennessee is not the best team in the nation.
January 23rd, 2019 at 9:54 PM ^
Missed that one; I turned it on as they were debating how much extra time to give Tennessee to try to make their last-second shot to win in regulation. I believe it, though. Nobody earns that number of free throws, especially when they were playing catch-up most of the game.
January 23rd, 2019 at 10:10 PM ^
It was the hook and hold. A 4 point swing with 2 minutes left. Looked like TV Teddy was calling this game. Truly amazing how the 2 guys guarding Williams fouled out and he picks up his 3rd in OT.
January 23rd, 2019 at 10:04 PM ^
Vandy should have won in regulation!!!
January 24th, 2019 at 12:06 AM ^
And regardless of the outcome, everyone saw it and noticed.
January 23rd, 2019 at 9:52 PM ^
Basketball officiating is flawed? Who would have thought that?
January 23rd, 2019 at 9:59 PM ^
This was bad. Williams was just jumping into people that were set with arms straight up and they were giving it to him. Also, he dropped his arm over a dude and they called the Vandy player for the hook and hold.
January 23rd, 2019 at 11:45 PM ^
One of the referees for the Wisconsin game sits with the team and fans between games @ the BIG10 tournament and they still allow him to referee our game at the Trohl center. All games are refereed fairly and with no biases. Trust me.
January 24th, 2019 at 3:42 PM ^
Meaning he sits with Wisconsin? Wtf, source?
January 23rd, 2019 at 9:53 PM ^
OSU on track to miss the tournament at this point. They head to Nebraska and Michigan next, hen have 3 of 4 at home against very beatable opponents, but finish with 3 of 4 on the road against ranked teams.
January 23rd, 2019 at 9:57 PM ^
If they don't pull off a couple of upsets down the stretch, I agree. KenPom had a 19-12 projection prior to posting tonight's result. They've got two good wins in November -- at Cincinnati and at Creighton -- and bupkis since. I mean, KenPom gives them two B wins: vs. Illinois (!) in Chicago, and vs UCLA (coincidentally, also in Chicago). That's not a tournament résumé.
January 23rd, 2019 at 9:57 PM ^
Refs absolutely handed Tennessee that game. Williams somehow got 23 FTs, that hook and hold at the end of regulation was sooo stupid, and that last foul should've been flagrant on Tennessee
January 23rd, 2019 at 9:58 PM ^
Honestly, I would have been fine with Duke staying at number 1. But it had to go to Tennessee, because that's just how the polls go. They won't be there long
January 23rd, 2019 at 9:59 PM ^
OSU's recruiting class currently has 3 players in the top 40 for 2019 and is in for some guys in 2020 and given their success last year and this year, it really makes you wonder what Holtmann is telling (or giving) recruits
January 23rd, 2019 at 10:08 PM ^
He’s a very good coach. He was on my short list to replace JB if he had retired in the near future (this was before Holtman took OSU job). They just don’t have a lot of impact talent this year. Their team is basically Kaleb Wesson, CJ Jackson and a bunch of role players. They should be decent next year and be conference contenders the year after that.
January 23rd, 2019 at 11:51 PM ^
Uhhhh, yes, given their success the last two years, that's exactly why guys want to play for him.
The cupboard was very bare (Dakich as emergency grad transfer PG tells you everything you need to know about what he inherited) and he went 15-3 in the conference with Keita Bates-Diop and some spare parts and until this recent skid, had a team fully consisting of spare parts ranked. They're still probably on the right side of the bubble (even if they're holding on for dear life and about to go over the edge).
So yeah, he gets the most out of his players. The kind of coach you want to play for.
January 24th, 2019 at 9:41 AM ^
Yeah, I'm enjoying OSU's freefall as much as the next guy, but Holtmann is a good coach and they'll be better next year when he has more than scarecrows on the roster. If we couldn't have Beilein, he'd be on my shortlist of B1G coached I'd want for us. Yes, he cobbled together OSU's 15-3 conference mark last year from smoke, mirrors, and Bates-Diop, but the fact that he pulled off that trick is testament to his abilities as a coach.
January 23rd, 2019 at 10:17 PM ^
Vandy got robbed. That hook and hold was outrageous. Yet, they were still up 2 with around 40 sec left and instead of burning clock, tried to score on a fast break and lost the ball OB. But that hook and hold should never have been called as such
January 23rd, 2019 at 10:25 PM ^
I felt bad for Vandy. Terrible to get treated like that, home or away.
Friends in Cbus (it's okay to have some) told me weeks ago that this year's team is just bad. They aren't surprised at all at the product on the floor.
Watching Illinois, it's like they're trying to wildly miss shots.
January 24th, 2019 at 12:09 AM ^
That's not what osu fans were saying in November.
January 23rd, 2019 at 10:35 PM ^
Hope TN gets a 2 seed in the tourney and loses to Murray State
January 23rd, 2019 at 10:38 PM ^
Anchor Frown:(
Bryce Drew sure can recruit, but I have serious doubts about his coaching ability.
January 24th, 2019 at 12:08 AM ^
Terrrribly coached team. Up 2 with 40 seconds and instead of just killing clock the guy tries to take it in and dribbles it off his foot?!?!?! C'mon man.
Very talented. Poorly coached.
What a combo of a choke job and getting screwed. Obviously played well enough to win that one. The hook and hold was probably the right call given the rule, but man, that was a back-breaker. And then the aforementioned guy who dribbled off his foot with no one even guarding him.
Ugh. I know there's a lot of season left but if that's the difference between them or Michigan for a one seed....
January 23rd, 2019 at 10:44 PM ^
The commutative property isn’t working. Illinois, who we smoked and got their first B1G win against the Minnesota team that took us to the wire, is making a game of it against the only team that has beaten us.
January 24th, 2019 at 1:22 PM ^
You're thinking of transitive property.
January 23rd, 2019 at 10:45 PM ^
Good coaching job by Painter.
They will beat sparty sunday.
January 23rd, 2019 at 11:04 PM ^
Brought their fans and their refs.
January 23rd, 2019 at 11:03 PM ^
Fish don't flop as much as the Badgers.
January 24th, 2019 at 3:33 AM ^
OSU once 12-1 (ranked 13) will finish UNDER .500 something like 15-17
Home games vs Rutger,PSU,Illini,NWest,Iowa and Wisc
@ Neb,Mich,Ind,MSU,Maryland,Purdue and NWes
Currently 12-6 headed to Neb then Ann Arbor
They play 13 BIG10 teams in the next 43 days ,with 0 depth
January 24th, 2019 at 10:49 AM ^
I bet they win 3-4 of those home games and at least one road game to finish with about 17 wins. That probably won't be enough to get in, would need at least 18 and probably one in the BTT.
January 24th, 2019 at 2:06 PM ^
OSU has already lost three of their five big home matchups (MSU, Maryland, Purdue) with only Iowa and Wisconsin left as games that would move the needle. Meanwhile, they still have tough road games against Nebraska, Michigan, IU, MSU, Maryland, and Purdue (plus Northwestern).
They may indeed have a losing or .500 record going into the BTT.
January 24th, 2019 at 3:37 AM ^
I watched theTennessee - Vanderbilt game and I agree, that call was absolutely criminal.
January 24th, 2019 at 8:04 AM ^
The announcers talked about Williams getting all those FTs sort of with a wink and a nod to how crazy it was one player could get all of them. They even said something about how you can't defend a guy when he's shooting from the foul line.
It was an awful game to watch at the end when you could tell vandy wasn't going to catch a break.
January 24th, 2019 at 10:42 AM ^
I would be happy to have Tennessee in the same bracket opposite Michigan, so if the SEC refs want to play favorites in conference play, great!
'16 OSU football knows what happens in the playoffs when conference refs hand you the conference on a silver platter.
January 24th, 2019 at 1:04 PM ^
Schedule Tenn. in basketball and football.
January 24th, 2019 at 1:17 PM ^
OSU losing is always a good day for UM.
January 24th, 2019 at 1:24 PM ^
Grant "the baller" Williams was in the same class as my daughter in high school Saw him play against Harry Giles their senior year, not knowing anything about those guys. It was clear they were men among boys.
cool story bro.
January 24th, 2019 at 2:12 PM ^
Curse for OSU continues
January 24th, 2019 at 5:20 PM ^
Never could figure out the obsession with the incessant officiating conspiracy theories, but then again, can referee blood melt steel girders?