Podcast – @Bucknuts247 Beat Writer @SteveHelwagen on Kenny & JT Show / @OhioStateHoops

The Buckeyes, they were victorious today in the big 10 tournament as they edged Iowa 72 to 69.

The football team also starting spring practice so a lot to talk about with our next guest,

the outstanding Buckeyes beat reporter at Bucknuts.com.

You can follow them on Twitter at Steve Hellwagon.

He is Steve Hellwagon and Steve.

Let's start with the men's basketball team.

I had them dead and buried a few weeks ago thinking they didn't even deserve to be in the NIT,

let alone the NCAA.

And here they are Steve playing the best basketball of the season.

And now I believe they deserve to be in the NCAA tournament.

What has changed?

Well, that was two weeks ago and amazing how things change very quickly in this sport.

But Ohio State was able to flip it around just two weeks ago.

They lost to this Iowa team by 17 points in Iowa City.

They played that game without their seven foot center, Christoph Tilley.

He wasn't available that day because of a cap injury.

But he was here today and he had 16 points in the win.

So that was a big thing that kind of changed for this team.

And again, you know, Bruce Thornton doesn't want this thing to end.

He's a senior just set the career scoring record at Ohio State.

And the Buckeyes beating Iowa here today in Chicago.

And now tomorrow they're going to play the number one seed.

And the nation's number three overall team Michigan team that's beat him twice during the regular season.

They're getting a third crack at him.

And you know, they if Thornton is any indication they're going to give Michigan a run tomorrow.

Steve, as I'm watching the game today, right?

I'm noticing that Ohio State's defense seems more active, more aggressive.

And to me, as I mentioned to JT defense travels, no matter a high school college or the pros.

And if you can take that and eventually get your offense going, you got a chance to win.

What has changed defensively for them?

Well, I think it's an effort thing in their time, you know, the amount of playing time

and everything to the effort that the guys are giving in terms of playing defense.

And they stress that, you know, we're losing some of these games because our defensive effort isn't where it needed to be.

So they've made some adjustments and gotten the attention of guys that, hey, we can win games.

If we hold teams, in this case, they held Iowa to 69 points.

You know, that's that's a winable game for Ohio State.

So to me going into the NCAA tournament, you got to like the momentum that they've got.

Four straight wins on this little run.

And as you said, you hit the nail on the head.

They went Iowa went five and a half minutes without a field goal to start the second half.

And that's when Ohio State went on a little bit of a run and got it up to 16 points.

Now, they did allow Iowa to cut it all the way down to one.

And it got a little dicey there at the end.

Two looks at a three pointer to try and tie it in the final seconds.

But the bucket dodges the bullet.

You didn't see a lot of celebration on that court.

It was more relief that they survived the game getting past Iowa today.

Steve, what came to mind for me was watching this team bits and pieces throughout the course of the season.

And then I think it was the Wisconsin game where I'm like, hey, wait a minute.

They're on to something here.

What came to mind is this.

It's a team that fought a lot of adversity all season long.

A lot of times they weren't healthy, whether it was mowbly going down,

or as you just mentioned, Kristoff Tilly, but came to mind to me was this.

For a team that's had that many injuries, that many illnesses, not playing it full strength.

And you consider the transfer portal you brought in at Kristoff Tilly.

You lost the Felix X Parrow the next couple of years.

I look at this team now that maybe they're peaking in the right direction.

And now maybe they're used to playing basketball with their team.

Yeah, I think you make a good point.

I mean, this run at the end has coincided with them.

And finally getting most everybody back to full health.

Tilly missed obviously that Iowa game.

Devin Roe missed the Michigan State game due to an illness.

John Moby Jr. missed three games and they were one and two in that stretch.

And on and on it goes.

So when they are at full strength, they've got a chance to be a pretty good team.

My son joked after watching a play in Indiana this past Saturday,

the big game in Columbus.

He's like, well, now they're playing like a 25 win team, right?

It's been all season.

So, you know, they don't want it to end.

And, you know, again, Michigan really did a number on them.

The first time they played, it was a close game for about 30, 35 minutes.

Michigan won by 12 up in Ian Arbor.

The second time they played Michigan just whacked them.

It was a 21 point loss for Ohio State.

And it wasn't a good 21 point loss either.

Bad loss.

So they're hoping to turn the tables and get things a little bit closer

to where they can compete this time around.

That was about the lowest of the low.

I watched that game and it was terrible.

You're right.

So you're Jake Dibler and it's hard to beat a team three times in a row.

Even if you're one of the strongest teams in the country and we all know Michigan is,

if you're Jake Dibler, what are your thoughts on this game?

How do you approach this one?

Well, you got to find a way to negate Michigan's front line.

You know, Gaxle Lindbergh is like six, eight, six, nine, big team player of the year.

Whereas Johnson, who transferred over from Illinois, he's outstanding as well.

Six, nine and a day Mara.

He's like seven, two.

So he transferred from UCLA.

So, you know, that front line is the best in college basketball.

And the book guys have to find a way to rebound.

And also find a way to put the ball in the basket against that front line.

One way or the other, either taking it at him or firing over the top with the artillery from the outside.

It wasn't one of those kind of games today where they were bombing three.

It was more take the ball to the basket and try and make Iowa defend the paint.

So tomorrow they may have to flip it and put up 33s and take their chance to try and win the game that way.

Steve Hellwagon, our guest, follow him on Twitter at Steve Hellwagon.

Check out his website, bucknuts.com.

He and his team do a fabulous job covering all things Ohio State.

Steve, are they an NCAA tournament team now?

No matter what happens.

Oh, yeah, no doubt, no doubt about it.

They're up to 21 and 11 now.

And they've got this was their fourth quad one win.

So they're, they're sitting pretty good.

I think to play Michigan again, regardless of the result.

I think they're in at 21 and 12.

If that's what it turns out to be, I think Michigan.

Probably going to be heavily favored.

I would think the win this game based on the first two meetings.

But Ohio State, both CBS and ESPN as of yesterday had Ohio State clear up as an eight seed and beating Iowa.

Certainly isn't going to hurt that.

So you really would like to get up to be a seven seed if there is any way possible because.

That way you avoid playing one of the ones in the second round,

which could be detrimental to your tournament health.

I think we got four pretty good ones going to be at the top of each bracket.

So yeah, I haven't started looking at sites or any of that stuff yet.

But I am starting to get that itch for a little march.

You know, the real March madness on right.

You know, regardless, high school college.

This really is the best time of the year.

I'm hearing about high school games all over the state of Ohio.

What this happened and that happened and.

My high school circleville is going to play for a spot in the boys.

Final four on Saturday and the girls team lost in the state final for today.

So, you know, we could say we want about the seven divisions,

but it's brought a lot more people to the party.

I guess it's always exciting time of year.

Steve L. Wagon, our guest right now.

Steve, I'm really upset with the big 10 not making Brewstorton first team all big 10.

To be that's a travesty.

What a travesty.

The only senior in the entire conference that has played his entire career with one school

should stand for something.

Yeah, I agree with you 100 percent.

This was a total travesty that he didn't get it.

Because Bennett starts as nice up of a player he is.

He is a completely one-dimensional player.

If he doesn't get you 21 points, he's not going to rebound.

And he's not going to throw the ball to anybody who's going to score.

He doesn't get any rebounds or assists.

He might defend pretty well.

I don't know.

But, you know, Iowa really is one of the better defensive teams in college basketball.

But that was one that kind of scratched my head.

I think I like Linda Borg.

I like Keaton Walgler from Illinois.

I think those guys deserve their spots.

Brain Smith, you know, career achievement award, whatever it Purdue.

Yeah.

And then Jeremy Fears at Michigan State.

So when they played, Fears at 11 points in Thornton at 32.

So you tell me.

And that was at the Brezzlin Center too.

And then there was one other player who was on one of the two teams.

Oh, it's probably Stanford from Nebraska.

I didn't look at his stats, but he didn't have any where near the impact of season that Bruce Thornton did.

So yeah, he was totally, totally whatever word you want to use.

Screwed.

He got screwed.

There's no if no.

That's the word to use.

He got screwed.

He didn't come up.

It didn't come up after the game.

We talked to him about it about other things after the game.

I wanted to ask, were you fueled by that?

And I know his answer would be no, that really didn't matter to me.

But, you know, subconsciously he had a chip shoulder out there today.

And boy, he piled up the points 24 points in today.

He just, he's like the Energizer Bunny.

He just keeps on going.

Let's see if he attends shots in a row at one point in that game to push that lead out to 60.

So there's your answer right there.

So fair or unfair, okay?

Because he's never won a national championship like the player I'm going to compare him to in college.

But they're about the same size.

They play below the rim, okay?

And they're very similar in their style of play.

Is it fair to compare Jalen Brunson to Bruce Thornton or Bruce Thornton to Jalen Brunson?

Oh, yeah.

Yeah, I like that comparison.

And I, you know, I don't think Bruce, I don't haven't looked up how tall Jalen Brunson is.

But I, you know, Bruce 3, 6-3, Bruce is listed 6-2.

I think he's actually about 6-1.

That's the only difference.

In my opinion is that Bruce isn't 6-3 because they play the game the same type of way.

And they, you know, they're both outstanding players.

I hope that Bruce gets a chance, but it is hard for anybody at that height to really make an impact on the NBA.

I mean, as we see it, even in the big 10, big guards make it hard on he and Mobley to get shot up.

And that's what it'll be in the NBA, obviously.

So smaller players have made it, but we'll see how he gets considered for that.

Let me take in a different direction then.

Let's talk about Mobley.

John Mobley, Jr. He's a sharpshooter, man.

He's only a sophomore.

Are they going to be able to keep him moving forward?

You know, that's a great question.

He's leading the big 10 at like 42% on three, which is, you know, outstanding.

So I think, you know, they're going to do everything they can to keep this nucleus.

They've got a guy who didn't play this year from Baylor.

I struggle on that pronunciation.

He's like a 610 center.

And he could replace Tilley.

And then you're bringing in Anthony Thompson, the McDonald's all American.

From up there at Western Reserve Academy.

And then you've got Royal Bynum in Mobley that, you know, if you keep that that group intact.

And I'm coming around on Tasting Chapman after after a rough first half of the season.

I'm like, you got to find a way to kind of keep him.

I think he'd be a good depth piece as well next year.

He's been fabulous coming off the bench.

So, uh, at least here in the last month or so.

So yeah, they're going to have to spend some money.

You know, you got Michigan spent.

We think $12 or $13 million.

They have the number 13 in the country.

So, you know, the money, the winds follow the money.

So there it is.

That's what's so weird about putting this whole program together.

Because when you look at it.

And we thought Felix Oksparra, and I'm going to mention him a second time now.

He transferred to Tennessee.

We thought he was going to be the star center on this team.

He adds up, you know, moving away.

We had never heard of Christophe Tilley transfer from Santa Clara.

And now all of a sudden, you got this sharpshooter.

So my question's got to be this.

Based on, and you may not know anything about it.

I don't know.

President Trump hosted that round table on college sports last week.

And they think it's going to have to be.

And they think it's going to have a lot to do with either NIL or the transfer portal.

What are your thoughts on that?

And have you heard anything?

And will there be some kind of an outcome?

Can you see them?

And I won't even say the NCAA because obviously if this thing had to go to the White House.

Then the governing body of which we think is the NCAA doesn't really have a voice in this.

Can you see anything changing in the transfer portal?

Yeah.

I mean, this whole industry needs some help.

And I don't know if it's going to come in the form of Congress laying down some college-friendly laws or whatever.

But, you know, these guys are their own worst enemies.

There has always been an arms race for facilities and stadium upgrades and practice facilities and then coaching salaries.

You know, it went to $5 million and then it went to $8 million.

And then they've been took at the $10 million and now Ryan Day is making $13 million.

You know, it is absurd.

You know, that the colleges can't help themselves with the spending.

And now the same thing is applying with the student athletes.

They are looking for every loophole they can to spend as much money as they can to build a winner.

And they want to put rules in place to restrict themselves when it's not possible.

If you put a rule in place, somebody is going to circumvent it or a student athlete is going to take it to court and say, oh, you're restricting my earning potential.

And I don't know how this gets solved.

I am at my wit's end trying to figure out what can be done.

And it's the president, the commissioners, the athletic directors, the coaches have to come together on this and come up with some type of plan.

Because it is not is not going to solve itself.

I can tell you that the market will dictate that the best players will go to the highest bidders.

And that's how it's going to go.

Steve Hellwagon, our guest breaking down Ohio State basketball for Steve spring practice got underway for the other Ohio State team.

And that's the football team.

What can you tell us early returns on that?

Well, I was standing there at practice the other day and somebody came up to me and said, well, based on what I've seen,

I think they're going to have another pretty good football team in 2026 talent everywhere.

And what they did was that positions where they needed help, like defensive line and wide receiver.

They went out and they got help in the terms of experienced guys.

They brought in Kyle Parker, wide receiver from LSU.

And he looks like he is going to be a really big player on this team this coming year.

Same as Devon McEun, a wide receiver from Texas San Antonio as well.

Those two guys are going to be on the field.

I think for Ohio State, they added some defensive linemen.

John Walker from Central Florida is a good looking defensive tackle.

And then a couple of the true freshmen really stand out.

Chris Henry Jr. the wide receiver.

He stands head and shoulders above everybody.

I'm going to give you that Randy Moss look and then I'm going to tell you that Sam Greer from Akron Hobern.

He passes a look test.

He is a lean athletic offensive tackle.

And I think he is going to give somebody a run for their money.

He should be in the two deep maybe by the end of the season if everything works out for him.

So yeah, I'm pretty bullish on what I see.

Obviously got Julian saying back at quarterback and Jeremiah Smith back at wide receiver.

It's hard to screw that up.

So we'll see how they do it.

Steve, what about Davie on St. Clair?

I mean, everything we saw online is a six four quarterback.

And obviously, when you had a guy that was up for the Highsment Trophy, you're not going to bench him.

But are we going to see Davie and St. Clair behind center at all this season?

Because if you don't, he's just going to transfer away anyway.

And you'll only have your other quarterback for another season anyway, wouldn't you?

Yeah.

If everything goes well, I would think saying is going to jump off to the NFL after this upcoming season.

Third year in college.

And you know, again, we'll see how that all looks.

But Davie and St. Clair to me needs game reps.

He only played a few snaps against Grandling last year as a true freshman and red shirted.

So now he's the number two guy and he has got to play.

And I think they do have one game.

I'm not sure who they open up with before they play Texas.

So they do have the luxury of one game before they have to go down and play Texas.

But hopefully they can give him in some of those lopsided games and give him some experience.

Because he played high school ball bell fountain high school out near Springfield.

You know, in the Western West Central Ohio.

And it was like division four football, you know.

So he wasn't he wasn't at one of these big national academies or, you know, something like that.

He was a number four player in the country playing at a rural school.

So to speak in Western Ohio.

So it's a big jump going from there to the big 10 speed of the athlete size of the athletes.

And I think, you know, taking still got to make that jump.

As I look at this football team, Steve, and what they did.

This offseason in the transfer portal.

I don't think they made a big splash, a major impact with any individual player.

But I thought they they filled various needs.

How would you assess what they did in the transfer portal based on guys they lost to the draft or graduation or guys they lost themselves in the transfer portal?

Yeah, I agree with you 100%.

I think that's where okay, they went out and gotten all American or something like that in the transfer portal.

They got guys that are going to be grinders and guys that are going to come in and fill positions and fill spots for them.

And, you know, couple of these linemen and different things like that.

So I think you're right.

I think they they hit a ground rule double.

I think in terms of star quality.

But it didn't end up being an inside the park home run in terms of impact.

Let's just keep our eyes open on this.

But probably in the spring game, you'll get to see some of these guys and you'll get a better idea.

It's kind of hard to, you know, to visualize it until you see it out there on the field.

And I think it's going to come together pretty well.

Steve injury wise, there's some talk about the running backs who aren't going to be doing much until the regular season rolls around and everything like that.

What else can you tell us about the running backs and any other injuries or surgeries?

Yeah, it sounds like Bo Jackson and Isaiah West both had shoulder surgeries right after the end of the season.

And so they're not going to be in contact drills, but Bo Jackson was out there in the uniform kind of going through walkthroughs and different things like that.

He's able at least to do that, which I think is productive for him to still keep his mind on what's going on football wise, even if he can't hit anybody or be hit.

And then the only other guy that I really recall them talking about was Riley Petty, John, a backup linebacker who was pretty good freshman form this past year.

He's going to miss the spring.

There might be one more guy, but I'm blanking on it right now, but they're pretty healthy going into the start of spring practice.

They're going to have the next 10 days off that practice twice this week.

And then they'll be they have spring break for school next week.

And then they'll be back for 13 more practices after that.

One of the big moves in the off season was it may not have been in the transfer portal or NIL dollars,

but it was Matt Petrish in his contract.

And he wants to stay in Columbus.

And from everything we read at Bucknuts dot com with Steve Alwagon.

He loves it there, but it's only a matter of time.

So he either gets offered or wants to go back to the NFL.

Who knows, but I really want to know your thoughts.

And I don't think we've asked this question to you.

Your thoughts on the new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.

He comes from Pittsburgh.

He had some cup of coffee in the NFL.

It was a former head coach there as well.

What do you think this offense is going to resemble?

Will there be a huge difference with Arthur Smith as offensive coordinator versus Brian Heartline?

Well, I think starting with Patricia, they just gave him a new contract that didn't like the 3.5 million dollars.

5 million dollar a year level, which makes him the highest paid assistant coach in college football.

Again, we're talking about this arms race.

You got to pay to have the very best and based on him putting the number one defects in the country on the field last year.

I, you know, sight unseen.

The guy walked in and all and it was lights out.

You know, now again, seven of those guys are going to the NFL.

So they got to do it.

You know, what are you going to do for an encore?

Now they're Mr. Patricia.

But yeah, he loves it in Columbus.

They locked him up to a three year deal.

And he's getting NFL coordinator money, you know, in some regards.

So he may not be as fast as to look around next off season.

For Arthur Smith, obviously a former head coach and worked with Mike Brabel with the Tennessee Titans.

That was probably his best run as an offensive coordinator when they had this really.

I mean, they made the final four Tennessee about six, seven years ago with Brabel as the head coach.

And, you know, they weren't able to sustain it after that.

But he was with Steelers this past year, former head coach Atlanta Falcon.

So he's been around.

He's seen everything and Ryan Day is excited to turn the offense over to him.

Says it frees him up to go and do other things.

But at the same time, he'll be putting his eyes on the film and out there coaching and practice.

And, you know, he's not going to give it up entirely.

But it is Arthur Smith's show.

That's how I would put it.

And I think it's going to look a little bit different because he's got some good run concepts that'll be able to energize that side of the ball.

That's the offense to go with the dynamic passing that they've had at times, you know, with day.

Steve, we always appreciate the time, especially on a busy day like today.

Enjoy the rest of the big 10 tournament.

We'll talk again soon.

And next week as we find out where the buck guys end up going in is what seed.

All right.

All right, guys, take care.

Steve Hellwagon, follow him on Twitter at Steve Hellwagon again.

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