Opponent:                            Samford (3-1)
Site:                                      Value City Arena (19,049)
Game Time:                           Noon ET
Television:                             Big Ten Network
Talent:                                   Tom Hamilton (Play by Play)
                                              Tony White (Expert Analysis)
Radio:                                    OSU Radio Network
                                             (60 stations)
Local Radio:                         WBNS FM-97.1 AM-1460
Radio Talent:                        Paul Keels (P-by-P)
                                             Ron Stokes (Expert Analysis)

HOF Showcase Tickets on Sale
 Fans interested in attending The Hartford Hall of Fame Showcase game between Ohio State and No. 8 Notre Dame Dec. 6 in Indianapolis have an opportunity to purchase discounted tickets (20 percent off) from Nov. 26 through Dec. 3 at 6 p.m. The offer is good at the Lucas Oil Stadium Box Office, at Ticketmaster.com or by calling 317-239-5151. All tickets are good for the Indiana vs. Gonzaga game (1:30 p.m.) and the Ohio State vs. Notre Dame game (4 p.m.).

Buckeyes in the Big Ten
 Sophomore Dallas Lauderdale leads the Big Ten with 6.5 blocks a game. His total of 13 is just behind the 15 recorded by Wisconsin’s Marcus Landry in five games. As a team, Ohio State leads Big Ten teams in scoring defense (49.5 ppg.) and blocked shots (9.5 bpg.).

Shots falling for regulars
 Five of six Buckeyes who have played more than 20 minutes a game this season are connecting on 50 percent or better from the field. Sophomore Dallas Lauderdale leads the team with a .600 shooting percentage (6-10). John Diebler (9-18), William Buford (8-16), Evan Turner (6-12) and David Lighty (5-10) all are shooting 50 percent in the early going. Jeremie Simmons is shooting 33 percent (5-15) from the field and 5-12 from 3-point range (.417).

Noting the Buckeyes...
 Sophomore Jon Diebler reached 50 for his career (54-179) with three made vs. DSU Nov. 20 ... he is connecting on 46.2 percent of his treys (6-13) this season, up from 28.9 percent (48-166) as a freshman ... Diebler has played in 39 games to date with 10 starts ... sophomore Dallas Lauderdale made his first career start vs. Delaware State after missing about two weeks with a left shoulder injury ... he has rejected 13 shots this season in just two games after blocking 15 in 32 games as a freshman  ... Lauderdale is the first Buckeye to reach seven blocks in a game since Greg Oden swatted seven Michigan attempts at Value City Arena in 2007 ... David Lighty started his 39th-consecutive game in the win vs. Bowling Green ... Lighty needs seven points to reach 500 for his career--in 78 games he has averaged 6.3 points a game ... Junior Kyle Madsen appeared in his 13th game as a Buckeye in the season opener vs. DSU ... he logged 12 minutes of court time, made 3 of 4 foul shots and grabbed four rebounds ... Sophomore Evan Turner started where he left off as a freshman with a solid line of eight points, three assists and three steals in 24 minutes vs. Delaware State ... Turner reached 100 career assists (102) in the win vs. DSU with three ... Freshman William Buford’s debut was effective with 13 points on 5 of 10 shooting from the field in 22 minutes, he also added a 3-pointer and a couple assists vs. DSU ...  he was credited with three steals in the win vs. Bowling Green last time out ... Junior transfer Jeremie Simmons was one of three Buckeyes in double figures with 10 points in the season opener ... Simmons knocked down 3 of 6 3-point attempts and 1 of 2 foul shots ... he has five made 3s on the year, one behind Diebler ...  Center B.J. Mullens spent most his freshman debut vs. DSU at the foul line knocking down 5 of 6 charity tosses ... Rookie point guard Anthony Crater played 17 minutes in his debut and recorded one assist and a steal vs. DSU

Ohio State in season openers
 The 2008-09 Ohio State men’s basketball season opened officially Nov. 19 at St. John Arena against Delaware State (W 70-42). The Buckeyes are 88-18 in home openers and 84-22 in season openers all-time.

Buckeyes Open Season at St. John
 Ohio State returned to the longtime home of the Buckeyes (St. John Arena) last week because of a conflict at Value City Arena, Ohio State’s homecourt since the 1998-99 season. The Buckeyes have an all-time record of 430-151 (.740) over 42 seasons (1957-1998) at St. John plus four games played there since the move to the VCA. Ohio State played two games last year at St. John, a regular-season win vs. Virginia Military (90-57/Nov. 25, 2007) and a victory vs. California (73-56) in the second round of the 2008 NIT March 24. More than 6.6 million fans have attended games at the 13,276-seat venue.

Matta Unbeaten in openers
 Thad Matta owns a record of 9-0 in season openers as a head coach. He was 1-0 at Butler, 3-0 at Xavier and is 5-0 at Ohio State. In his nine season debuts, Matta defeated Eastern Illinois (90-73) in his first game at Butler in 2000. In his first game as Xavier head coach in 2001, Matta’s squad downed Coastal Carolina 72-41. He also guided the Musketeers to season-opening wins in 2002, an 87-48 win over St. Peters in the preseason NIT, and in 2003, a 62-37 victory over Coppin State. In his first game as a Buckeye in 2004, the Buckeyes knocked off Towson University 74-53 in the opening round of the Guardians Classic in Columbus. Ohio State defeated Chicago State in the 2005 opener 81-52 and handed VMI a 107-69 defeated in the Black Coaches Association Classic in 2006. The Buckeyes started the 2007-08 campaign off with a 91-68 victory over Green Bay in the opening round of the Dick’s Sporting Goods Preseason NIT. Delaware State was the latest team to fall to Ohio State to start the season, a 70-42 Buckeye victory Nov. 19. 

SAMFORD SERIES INFORMATION
     Ohio State is 1-0 in the series with Samford. The teams squared off Dec. 13, 2003, an 80-63 Buckeye victory at Value City Arena.

OHIO STATE VS. THE SOUTHERN CONFERENCE         
 Ohio State is 8-4 all-time vs. teams representing the Southern Conference. The Buckeyes are 4-1 vs. Chattanooga, 2-3 vs. Davidson and 1-0 vs. both Samford and Furman. Other league teams include College of Charleston, Elon University, Georgia Southern, North Carolina Greensboro, Western Carolina, Citadel and Wofford. Davidson was the last SoCon representative to face the Buckeyes. Ohio State advanced in the 2006 NCAA Tournament with a 70-62 victory over the Wildcats in the opening round of the event in Dayton.

Noting the Bowling Green Game 
• Ohio State is now 52-4 at Value City Arena against non-conference opponents.
• With the win, Ohio State is 4-2 against Bowling Green all-time and 49-12 against teams from the Mid-American Conference. The teams last met in 1994 with Bowling Green winning, 59-50.
• Thad Matta improved his career record to 209-66 in his ninth season as a head coach. He is 107-35 in his fifth year at Ohio State.
• The Buckeyes have won 52-consecutive games against unranked opponents in Columbus (48 in Value City Arena, 3 in St. John Arena and 1 in Nationwide Arena). Their last loss to an unranked team was vs. Minnesota, Jan. 19, 2005 (60-56 OT).
• Under Matta, OSU is 61-1 against unranked opponents in Columbus, including a 56-1 mark in VCA, 4-0 in St. John Arena and 1-0 in Nationwide Arena.  
• Jon Diebler was the leading scorer for the Buckeyes with 17 points, two shy of his career-high of 19. He also added 5 rebounds and 3 assists.
• Under Matta, Ohio State improved to 88-11 when leading at the half and 96-4 when leading with 5:00 remaining in the game.
• Freshmen Anthony Crater had his first career points, a three-point shot in the first half. Crater ended the game with three points.
• Sophomore Dallas Lauderdale now has 13 blocks on the season. Lauderdale had six blocks Monday to go along with seven last week against Delaware State.
• Lauderdale had a career-best eight points and seven rebounds. His previous highs were four and six, respectively.

Opponents ranked in preseason
 Michigan State (No. 6 in ESPN/USA Today and No. 5 in the AP polls), Notre Dame (8/8),  Purdue (9/10), Miami, Fla. (21/22) and Wisconsin (19/25) all are ranked among the Top 25 teams in both polls. Michigan and West Virginia is receiving votes for Top 25 consideration in both polls.
 
Kecman to miss 12 games
 Sophomore transfer Nikola Kecman will miss the first 12 (10 more) regular-season games to satisfy an NCAA penalty for playing on a team in his native Serbia before coming to the United States. The NCAA determined the team provided some players (not Kecman) with benefits above necessary expenses. Kecman, who did not benefit for playing for the team, is required to sit out two games for every one he played (6) for the foreign team. 

Redd Represents Ohio State at 2008 Olympics
 Michael Redd, who played for the Buckeyes from 1998-2000, represented Ohio State and his native Columbus on the United States senior national team at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. Redd is the third Buckeye to play on the U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team. Jerry Lucas (1960-62) played on the 1960 squad and Bill Hosket (1966-68) represented Ohio State on the 1968 team. Lucas, Hosket and Redd all helped the United States earn gold medals. Redd and the 2008 U.S. squad claimed gold with a win over Spain.

Miller Returns
 Thad Matta added another “M” to his coaching staff with the addition of Brandon Miller, who left his alma mater, Butler, to return to the Ohio State staff as an assistant coach. Miller was the Buckeyes’ director of basketball operations for two seasons (2005, 2006) and the Ohio State video coordinator (2007) before returning to Butler, where he graduated in 2003, as a full-time assistant for the 2007-08 season. Miller replaces John Groce, who left for the head coaching job at Ohio last summer. The entire Ohio State coaching staff is listed under “M” in the athletics department staff director. Alan Major is in his fifth season in Columbus and Archie Miller, no relation to Brandon, is in his second season as a Buckeye assistant coach.

Newcomers Dominate Ohio State Roster in 2008-09
 Thad Matta is no stranger to retooling when it comes to his roster. In the last three years his teams have had four new starters each season with point guard Jamar Butler being the only mainstay. With Butler gone after a remarkable four-year career, Matta welcomes eight new faces to the Ohio State program this season. Four scholarship freshmen, two junior college transfers, another transfer from a four-year NCAA Division I school and a walk-on join eight returnees from the 2007-08 campaign. As has been the case over the last four years, Matta recruited some of the nation’s most talented high school student-athletes in William Buford (Toledo, Ohio), Anthony Crater (Flint, Mich.), B.J. Mullens (Columbus, Ohio) and Walter Offutt (Indianapolis). From the JC ranks, the Buckeyes welcome junior Jeremie Simmons (Chicago) and Nikola Kecman, a sophomore from Belgrade, Serbia. Zisis Sarikopoulos, a transfer from Alabama-Birmingham and native of Athens, Greece, will join Ohio State for the start of fall camp in September. J.J. Grycko, a freshman forward from Cincinnati, Ohio, was added to the roster as a walk-on at the start of Ohio State’s fall quarter.

Lighty to Provide Experience
 It was not long ago it seems that David Lighty was a newcomer alongside one of Ohio State’s finest recruiting classes of all-time. He was one of Matta’s first complete recruiting classes in 2006 along with Greg Oden, Mike Conley Jr., Daequan Cook and Othello Hunter. Three of those players (Oden, Conley and Cook) played in the National Basketball Association after their freshman year. Hunter achieved that goal with the Atlanta Hawks after two terrific seasons at Ohio State (2007-08). Lighty returns for his junior year as Ohio State’s top returning scorer (9.0 ppg.) from last season. He also has the most career games played (76) and starts (44) of any returning Buckeye. He continues to improve and is expected to lead a young Ohio State team, with no scholarship seniors this season. Eleven of the 12 players on scholarship who are eligible to play in 2008-09 have just one year of playing experience or are newcomers in Columbus. Lighty has two. Transfer Zisis Sarikopoulos is on scholarship but will sit out the 2008-09 season to satisfy NCAA transfer rules.

Buford, Mullens Add to Ohio State’s McDonald’s list
 William Buford and B.J. Mullens represented Ohio State and the nation’s top high school recruits March 29 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wis., in the 2008 McDonald’s All-American game. Buford played for the East team and Mullens for the West. Thad Matta has added a total of six McDonald’s All-Americans to the Buckeye men’s basketball program in his five years in Columbus. Thirteen Buckeyes have been associated with the annual event. Four McDonald’s All-Americans were a part of Ohio State’s 2006-07 squad that finished 35-4 overall, 15-1 in Big Ten Conference play, won the league regular-season title outright and played for the NCAA national title vs. Florida in April of 2007. Ivan Harris, Greg Oden, Mike Conley Jr., and Daequan Cook, all former McDonald’s All-Americans, played for the Buckeyes in 2006-07. Clark Kellogg (1979), Perry Carter (1987), Treg Lee (1987), Jim Jackson (1989), Charles Macon (1992), Greg Simpson (1992) and Kosta Koufos (2007) all played for Ohio State after playing in the McDonald’s All-American game. Harris played in the 2003 event while Oden, Conley Jr. and Cook played in the 2006 contest.

Depth, full roster provide Options for Matta
 Jamar Butler ran the point for the Buckeyes exclusively as a sophomore and senior while sharing the post with Mike Conley Jr. in 2006-07. Butler averaged 36 minutes a game as a senior and more than 30 minutes over 139 career appearances, an Ohio State record for career games played. Matta hopes to rotate personnel more in 2008-09 at the guard position and throughout the lineup with a full roster of 13-scholarship players and the availability of three walkons. Only transfer Zisis Sarikopoulos will be unavailable this season as he sits out to satisfy NCAA transfer rules after playing one season at UAB last year.
 Inexperience will be prevalent at the point guard position but there are options. Freshman Anthony Crater, junior college transfer Jeremie Simmons and returnee P.J. Hill all will vie for playing time. Crater is closest to a true point guard with the ability to create shots for others while finding openings to get to the basket. Simmons was a scorer at the JC level but also has proven abilities at running the offense. Hill subbed for Butler a year ago and displayed the ability to get to the basket while creating chances for his teammates.
 At the wing position, Ohio State will feature its most experience. David Lighty, Evan Turner and Jon Diebler all return while freshmen William Buford and Walter Offutt bring impressive high school statistics to the table. The depth at this position will make for intense competition throughout the year.
 Inside play will feature the nation’s top recruit, freshman B.J. Mullens, a 7-0 skilled offensive player with rebounding and shot blocking abilities. He will battle alongside sophomore returnee Dallas Lauderdale, who has made strides physically over the summer and will likely make his presence felt defensively with his size, length and leaping ability. Newcomer Nikola Kecman, a sophomore junior college transfer, also provides size at 6-8 with outside shooting abilities. Another returnee, Kyle Madsen also will see time down low after spending two years in the program as a transfer from Vanderbilt.

Non-conference schedule to ready Buckeyes for Big Ten
 A young Ohio State team will be tested several times in non-conference action before opening a grueling 18-game Big Ten conference slate. The Buckeyes take on Miami (Fla.) on the road in the annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Later that week, Ohio State travels to Indianapolis to face Notre Dame, one of four schools from the state of Indiana on the 2008-09 schedule. The ND game will be part of a doubleheader at Lucas Oil Stadium, the new home of the Indianapolis Colts. Indiana and Gonzaga make up the second game of the event. Butler University, alma mater of both Ohio State head coach Thad Matta and assistant coach Brandon Miller, travels to Columbus for the third game of a four-game series with the Bulldogs. West Virginia, coached by longtime Cincinnati coach and former Ohio State assistant Bob Huggins, begins a home-and-home series with the Buckeyes at Value City Arena in late December. Conference play begins in early January. Ohio State will face eight league teams twice with Wisconsin (in Madison) and Penn State (in Columbus) taking on the Buckeyes once this year.   

Buckeyes Among Nation’s elite teams with Matta at helm
 The Buckeyes have won at least 20 games in each of the four seasons with Thad Matta as head coach. The 2006-07 squad won a school-record 35 games on its way to the NCAA title game. The 2007-08 team won 24 games and claimed the 2008 National Invitation Tournament championship. In the last three years, Matta’s Buckeyes have 85 wins against just 23 setbacks, the seventh best win total and win percentage (.797) nationally over the last three seasons.  

Best Winning Percentage, last 3 seasons (2006-08)
Memphis               104 10 .912
Kansas                  95 16 .856
UCLA                     97 17 .851
North Carolina       90 18 .833
Florida                   92 23  .800
Duke                      82 21 .796
Ohio State              85 23 .787

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