2011–12 Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball team

The 2011–12 Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball team represented Ohio State University during the 2011–12 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Their head coach is Thad Matta, in his 8th season with the Buckeyes. The team plays its home games at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio, and is a member of the Big Ten Conference. The team clinched a share of the Big Ten regular season championship for the third year in the row with a 13–5 conference record, sharing it with Michigan and Michigan State. In the postseason, the team was invited to the 2012 Big Ten Conference men's basketball tournament, where they beat Purdue and Michigan before losing to Michigan State in the championship, and they also were invited to the 2012 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, where they beat Loyola, Gonzaga, Cincinnati, and an upset of Syracuse before losing to Kansas in the Final Four to finish the season with 31–8 in overall record.

2011–12 Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball
Big Ten regular season co-champion
NCAA tournament, Final Four
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 3
APNo. 7
Record31–8 (13–5 Big Ten)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaValue City Arena
Seasons
2011–12 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 5 Michigan State 13 5   .722 29 8   .784
No. 13 Michigan 13 5   .722 24 10   .706
No. 7 Ohio State 13 5   .722 31 8   .795
No. 14 Wisconsin 12 6   .667 26 10   .722
No. 16 Indiana 11 7   .611 27 9   .750
Purdue 10 8   .556 22 13   .629
Northwestern 8 10   .444 19 14   .576
Iowa 8 10   .444 18 17   .514
Illinois 6 12   .333 17 15   .531
Minnesota 6 12   .333 23 15   .605
Nebraska 4 14   .222 12 18   .400
Penn State 4 14   .222 12 20   .375
2012 Big Ten tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

Pre-season edit

Previous season edit

Ohio State, led by experienced seniors and player of the year candidate Jared Sullinger, started the season 24–0. The Buckeyes were ranked No. 1 for six weeks during the regular season, as well as entering postseason play, and earned the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament with an overall regular season record of 29–2 along with a Big Ten tournament championship. After defeating UT–San Antonio and George Mason in the first two rounds of the tournament, Ohio State fell to the Kentucky Wildcats, who would eventually go on to the Final Four, 62–60, ending their season in the Sweet Sixteen for the second year in a row.

Departures edit

2011 recruiting class edit

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Trey McDonald
PF
Battle Creek, Michigan Battle Creek Central 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (100 kg) Oct 18, 2010 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 91
LaQuinton Ross
SF
Burlington, New Jersey Life Center Academy 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Aug 16, 2010 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 95
Shannon Scott
PG
Alpharetta, Georgia Milton 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Nov 25, 2009 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 96
Sam Thompson
SF
Chicago, Illinois Whitney Young 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sep 12, 2010 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 95
Amir Williams
C
Beverly Hills, Michigan Country Day 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Nov 17, 2010 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 95
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 8   Rivals: 10  ESPN: 6
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Ohio State 2011 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
  • "Ohio State Buckeyes 2011 Player Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
  • "2011 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 14, 2011.

Roster edit

2011–12 Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown
F 0 Jared Sullinger 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 265 lb (120 kg) So Columbus, Ohio
F 1 Deshaun Thomas 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 225 lb (102 kg) So Fort Wayne, Indiana
G 2 Jordan Sibert 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So Cincinnati, Ohio
G 3 Shannon Scott 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Alpharetta, Georgia
G 4 Aaron Craft 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Findlay, Ohio
F 10 LaQuinton Ross 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Fr Jackson, Mississippi
F 12 Sam Thompson 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Chicago, Illinois
G 14 Alex Rogers 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr Cincinnati, Ohio
F 15 J.D. Weatherspoon 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) So Columbus, Ohio
C 23 Amir Williams 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Fr Birmingham, Michigan
F 30 Evan Ravenel 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 260 lb (118 kg) Jr Tampa, Florida
G 32 Lenzelle Smith Jr. 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) So Zion, Illinois
G 44 William Buford 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Sr Toledo, Ohio
C 55 Trey McDonald 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 255 lb (116 kg) Fr Battle Creek, Michigan
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: 2011-10-28

Schedule edit

Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
November 6*
2:00 pm
No. 3 Walsh W 95–49 
Value City Arena (13,696)
Columbus, OH
Regular season
November 11*
9:00 pm, BTN
No. 3 Wright State
Global Sports Shootout
W 73–42  1–0
Value City Arena (13,696)
Columbus, OH
November 15*
8:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 3 No. 7 Florida
Global Sports Shootout
W 81–74  2–0
Value City Arena (17,785)
Columbus, OH
November 18*
9:00 pm, BTN
No. 3 Jackson State
Global Sports Shootout
W 85–41  3–0
Value City Arena (14,621)
Columbus, OH
November 21*
8:30 pm, BTN
No. 3 North Florida
Global Sports Shootout
W 85–50  4–0
Value City Arena (12,552)
Columbus, OH
November 23*
7:00 pm, BTN
No. 3 VMI W 107–74  5–0
Value City Arena (13,660)
Columbus, OH
November 25*
6:30 pm, BTN
No. 3 Valparaiso W 80–47  6–0
Value City Arena (15,606)
Columbus, OH
November 29*
9:30 pm, ESPN
No. 2 No. 3 Duke
ACC – Big Ten Challenge
W 85–63  7–0
Value City Arena (18,809)
Columbus, OH
December 3*
12:00 pm
No. 2 Texas–Pan American W 64–35  8–0
Value City Arena (14,041)
Columbus, OH
December 10*
3:15 pm, ESPN
No. 2 at No. 13 Kansas L 67–78  8–1
Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
Lawrence, KS
December 14*
7:30 pm, BTN
No. 2 USC Upstate W 82–58  9–1
Value City Arena (13,552)
Columbus, OH
December 17*
12:00 pm, ESPN
No. 2 at South Carolina W 74–66  10–1
Colonial Life Arena (13,654)
Columbia, SC
December 20*
8:30 pm, BTN
No. 2 Lamar W 70–50  11–1
Value City Arena (14,169)
Columbus, OH
December 22*
8:30 pm, BTN
No. 2 Miami (Ohio) W 69–40  12–1
Nationwide Arena (17,463)
Columbus, OH
Big Ten Regular Season
December 28
5:30 pm, BTN
No. 2 Northwestern W 87–54  13–1 (1–0)
Value City Arena (19,049)
Columbus, OH
December 31
6:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 2 at No. 13 Indiana L 70–74  13–2 (1–1)
Assembly Hall (17,472)
Bloomington, IN
January 3
6:30 pm, BTN
No. 6 Nebraska W 71–40  14–2 (2–1)
Value City Arena (16,158)
Columbus, OH
January 7
3:00 pm, BTN
No. 6 at Iowa W 76–47  15–2 (3–1)
Carver–Hawkeye Arena (15,400)
Iowa City, IA
January 10
9:00 pm, ESPN
No. 5 at Illinois L 74–79  15–3 (3–2)
Assembly Hall (14,636)
Champaign, IL
January 15
4:30 pm, CBS
No. 5 No. 7 Indiana W 80–63  16–3 (4–2)
Value City Arena (18,809)
Columbus, OH
January 21
8:00 pm, BTN
No. 6 at Nebraska W 79–45  17–3 (5–2)
Bob Devaney Sports Center (12,214)
Lincoln, NE
January 25
6:30 pm, BTN
No. 4 Penn State W 78–54  18–3 (6–2)
Value City Arena (16,907)
Columbus, OH
January 29
1:00 pm, CBS
No. 4 No. 20 Michigan W 64–49  19–3 (7–2)
Value City Arena (18,809)
Columbus, OH
February 4
2:00 pm, ESPN
No. 3 at No. 19 Wisconsin W 58–52  20–3 (8–2)
Kohl Center (17,230)
Madison, WI
February 7
9:00 pm, ESPN
No. 3 Purdue W 87–84  21–3 (9–2)
Value City Arena (16,504)
Columbus, OH
February 11
6:00 pm, ESPN
No. 3 No. 11 Michigan State L 48–58  21–4 (9–3)
Value City Arena (18,809)
Columbus, OH
February 14
9:00 pm, ESPN
No. 6 at Minnesota W 78–68  22–4 (10–3)
Williams Arena (13,245)
Minneapolis, MN
February 18
9:00 pm, ESPN
No. 6 at No. 17 Michigan
ESPN College GameDay
L 51–56  22–5 (10–4)
Crisler Arena (12,721)
Ann Arbor, MI
February 21
7:00 pm, ESPN
No. 8 Illinois W 83–67  23–5 (11–4)
Value City Arena (18,481)
Columbus, OH
February 26
4:00 pm, CBS
No. 8 No. 16 Wisconsin L 60–63  23–6 (11–5)
Value City Arena (18,809)
Columbus, OH
February 29
8:30 pm, BTN
No. 10 at Northwestern W 75–73  24–6 (12–5)
Welsh–Ryan Arena (8,117)
Evanston, IL
March 4
4:00 pm, CBS
No. 10 at No. 5 Michigan State W 72–70  25–6 (13–5)
Breslin Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
Big Ten tournament
March 9
8:55 pm, BTN
No. 7 vs. Purdue
Quarterfinals
W 88–71  26–6
Bankers Life Fieldhouse (18,484)
Indianapolis, IN
March 10
4:10 pm, CBS
No. 7 vs. No. 10 Michigan
Semifinals
W 77–55  27–6
Bankers Life Fieldhouse (18,451)
Indianapolis, IN
March 11
3:30 pm, CBS
No. 7 vs. No. 8 Michigan State
Championship Game
L 64–68  27–7
Bankers Life Fieldhouse (17,125)
Indianapolis, IN
NCAA tournament
March 15*
9:50 pm, TNT
No. 7 (2-E) vs. (15-E) Loyola (MD)
Second Round
W 78–59  28–7
CONSOL Energy Center (19,413)
Pittsburgh, PA
March 17*
2:45 pm, CBS
No. 7 (2-E) vs. (7-E) Gonzaga
Third Round
W 73–66  29–7
CONSOL Energy Center (18,588)
Pittsburgh, PA
March 22*
9:45 pm, CBS
No. 7 (2-E) vs. (6-E) Cincinnati
Sweet Sixteen
W 81–66  30–7
TD Garden (18,796)
Boston, MA
March 24*
7:05 pm, CBS
No. 7 (2-E) vs. No. 2 (1-E) Syracuse
Elite Eight
W 77–70  31–7
TD Garden (18,796)
Boston, MA
March 31*
9:05 pm, CBS
No. 7 (2-E) vs. No. 6 (2-MKansas
Final Four
L 62–64  31–8
Mercedes-Benz Superdome (73,361)
New Orleans, LA
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time[1] Rank indicates seed in the NCAA tournament. E-East region, W-West region, S-South region, M-Midewest Region.

Rankings edit

Regular season polls
Poll Pre-
season
Week
1
Week
2
Week
3
Week
4
Week
5
Week
6
Week
7
Week
8
Week
9
Week
10
Week
11
Week
12
Week
13
Week
14
Week
15
Week
16
Week
17
Week
18
Week
19
Final
AP 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 6 5 6 4 3 3 6 8 10 7 7
Coaches 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 7 5 6 4 3 3 6 9 11 7 7 3
Legend
  Increase in ranking
  Decrease in ranking
  Not ranked previous week
(RV)   Received votes

References edit