The Ohio State Women saw their streak of 10 consecutive tournaments come to an end this year. They turned down a WNIT bid, so they will be staying home this March for the first time in quite some time. Today, Ohio State announced that Jim Foster will not be returning as Head Coach for The Lady Bucks.

“Jim Foster has meant so much to so many over his career,” Smith said. “His work in mentoring young people on and off the court has been exceptional. The Ohio State women’s basketball program was made better under Jim’s leadership over the last 11 years. He and (wife) Donna have been wonderful representatives of our university and we wish them the best.”

Foster leaves with a 279-82 record and as OSU’s winningest coach. He was also at the helm for a B1G record six consecutive B1G regular season championships. The 10 consecutive tourneys is a school record, as is the 31 win mark hit by the 2009-10 squad.

Foster has enjoyed a lot of success throughout his career. He has spent 35 years as a head coach and is one of only two coaches (men or women) to win at least 200 games at three different schools (St. Joseph’s, Vanderbilt and Ohio State).

Some may think, when looking at the above numbers, that Foster was John Cooper-d out of a job. That isn’t necessarily the case. While one “down” year doesn’t seem like it should be grounds for dismissal, the team had become stale, so to speak, and many felt an injection of some new blood was a necessity. There was a consistent lack of success outside of the B1G and there was a history of early exits from the NCAA tourney. Also, Ohio is very deep in the class of 2014 and no doubt that was on the minds of the administration. If in-state talent wasn’t 100% certain Foster was going to stick around, it could mean losing out on some top-rate talent.

Thank you, Coach Foster, for your years in Columbus and some wonderful memories! Good luck wherever you head from here!

Ohio State defeated Wisconsin 50-43 to bring home the B1G hardware for a conference best fifth time. Yes, you read that correctly. In a conference that is home to such basketball schools as Michigan State, Indiana and Illinois, and teams with recent success such as Wisconsin, no team has won the B1G tournament more times than The Buckeyes. This one possibly means just a bit more, however, as it was won against the team whose February win over The Buckeyes had many leaving OSU for dead.

So much for that.

Deshaun Thomas did Deshaun Thomas things and led the Buckeyes with 17 points. Aaron Craft wasn’t quite as dreamy as he was against MSU, but was still dreamy enough to chip in 9 points and 6 rebounds. LaQuinton Ross added 7 very big points and continues to show why he was a much ballyhooed recruit. Or, more accurately, he is finally showing why he was a much ballyhooed recruit. Ross stepping up to the plate has to give Buckeye Nation a little more hope for next year.

Though the seedings were likely determined prior to the result of this game was final, OSU making it to the B1G Championship Game cemented their standing as a two-seed in a very winnable West region. I’m not sure the Buckeyes could have received a better draw. They even get to play the early rounds a short drive away in Dayton.

Could we be looking at another Final Four appearance for Ohio State? It’s entirely possible. It’s also entirely possible that the Regional Final could pit them against the five-seed Badgers. Regardless, this is a promising bracket for an Ohio State team that is finally peaking and doing so at the absolutely best time possible.

OSU tips off against Iowa Iona on Friday at 7:15 PM EDT. Want to head to Dayton? Here’s some information on the ticket lottery.

In a rematch of the 2012 B1G Championship Game, which was a super exciting and all-around awesome championship game in spite of the results, Ohio State defeated Michigan State 61-58. This locks The Buckeyes in their fourth straight B1G Championship Game. This one, however, might be the most surprising appearance in that run. If nothing else, in a ridiculously stacked B1G conference, it is certainly the most impressive.

Aaron Craft took his dreaminess to another level. This is his stat line: 20 points on 9/13 shooting, 9 assists, 4 steals, and 3 rebounds. Craft, who is already one of the Nation’s best defenders, has elevated his game offensively as this season has progressed. He appears to be peaking at the right time and has had a series of “best. game. ever.” type games in the last few weeks of the season.

Deshaun Thomas chipped in 16 points and 7 rebounds. LaQuinton Ross continues to progress his game and added another 9 points. Amir Williams scored the same amount of points in the game that I did, but he did snag 7 rebounds. Obviously, a little more production in the paint would be a nice thing, but a win is a win so we’ll just try to ignore that stat line for now.

Some may say that Ohio State came into this with the upper hand. They had a relatively smooth ride against a less than stellar Nebraska team while MSU had a barn burner against Iowa that wasn’t over until after 10PM local time. That’s fine if Sparty fan wants to say that. I’ll allow it. Of course, the fact that “TV” Teddy Valentine was officiating pretty much wipes out any advantage that anyone had. While officiating should never, ever be blamed as the reason for a loss (teams shouldn’t let themselves get in a position to allow it to) Valentine sure does make things interesting. By interesting I mean frustrating and by frustrating I mean “holy crap, how does this guy have a job?” The B1G has to get him out of there. The documentation on his crappy officiating is vast, but yet nothing changes.

Ohio State will take on Wisconsin, who eliminated Indiana in the early game much to the dismay of commentators and pundits everywhere. It’s kind of appropriate, too, as Ohio State’s lackluster performance against Wisconsin on 2/17 seemed to anger The Buckeyes and woke them up a bit. They haven’t lost a game since that debacle, which honestly caused me to question this team.

Well, you proved me wrong, Buckeyes. Thank you for that. Now, go and wipe the smirk off Bo Ryan’s face and bring home the hardware. Tip-off is at 2:30 CDT and will be aired on CBS, because, well, why not air it on a network other than the one you own?

I have been on vacation in a warm climate. It was nice. Today, I returned to snow and cold and disgusting weather. I thought nothing would make that better. Then, lo and behold, Ohio State beats Indiana 67-58, it suddenly feels warmer and I expect birds to begin singing and stuff. Oh, yeah, and the win keeps Ohio State alive for a share of the B1G regular season title.

I will admit that I have been a bit hard on the Buckeye hoopsters this year. They have looked downright awful at times and haven’t lived up to the expectations of many in Buckeye Nation. In spite of some of those struggles, they appear to be peaking at the right time. Beating the Hoosiers on their court is no easy feat and doing so on Senior night is even more impressive.

Aaron Craft continued to be dreamy at another level. He scored 15, had 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals. Deshaun Thomas led all scorers with 18 points. Sam Thompson added 9 points.

Now, Buckeye fans find themselves in a rather uncomfortable position. In order to win a share of the B1G title, two things need to happen: The Buckeyes need to beat Illinois and the Hoosiers need to lose to Michigan. Yes, I said Michigan. That game is in Ann Arbor and should be a heck of an end to a season. This is not a position that any Buckeye fan ever wishes to be in.

OSU tips off against the Illini at 12:30 ET on Sunday. The Hooisers and Wolverines tip at 4PM ET that same day, so Buckeye Nation will know at that point if there will be a collective selling of the souls or not.

Seven Buckeyes will participate in the NFL Combine this week in Indianapolis. This is the biggest job interview of their lives and has the potential to make or break their careers in a span of just a few minutes. No pressure or anything. The combine workouts begin this weekend with TE, OL and Special teams on Saturday and wraps up with DBs on Tuesday.

The highest grade in this pack of Buckeyes is owned by Johnathan Hankins (88.6) and the lowest grade has been bestowed upon Jake Stoneburner (54.1). We probably don’t even need to talk about Hankins. Everyone knows that he is a potential top 12 pick and that the only knock on him is the appearance of fatigue. He’s a beast, plain and simple, and he will likely have a pretty nice little NFL career.

Stoneburner, who felt like a pretty huge letdown given the raw potential and the opportunities in the Urban Meyer offense, may have the best shot to really improve his stock. I’ve been pretty high on Stoneburner for the past couple of years, going so far as to say he had Mackey award potential at one point, so I’m going to continue to beat that drum. It’s a pretty deep draft for TEs, and he probably needs to bulk up just a little bit, but my gut says he could be a huge steal. I could be disappointed, yet again, but we’ll see.

Speaking of potential, Zach Boren (64.0) could be a true diamond in the rough. He is participating in the combine as a FB, though he wrapped up his Buckeye career at LB. This may have actually helped improve his draft stock as he showed agility that wouldn’t necessarily be showcased at the FB position. At minimum, he could be a special teams gem who gets a shot to prove himself and work his way up.

John Simon (70.5) has been slapped with the T-rex tag. His arms are just not long enough for some scouts. He’s also seen as “too muscular” by some scouts and there are fears it would affect his agility and flexibility. Simon is a leader, though, and possibly one of the hardest working individuals on the planet, so teams who covet players who actually work will love him. Reading Simon’s scouting report is somewhat of a contradiction as people praise his motor, then say he struggles to get off blocks. His injury at the Senior Bowl didn’t help matters, but Simon will absolutely kill some of the workouts and that can’t possibly hurt.

Reid Fragel (77.0) is the second-highest graded Buckeye and is in the Combine as an OL. That’s not too shabby for a guy who is still learning how to be an OL after moving from TE. The biggest knock on him appears to simply be the fact that he is still learning to be an O-lineman. Some see him as a potential starter, and I wouldn’t be shocked to see him go higher than expected as long as his combine goes well.

Nate Williams (68.7) makes three D-linemen in the combine. That’s depressing as it shows what a huge gap there is to fill for 2013. The big question hovering about Williams is his knee. He suffered a season ending injury against Akron, underwent micro-fracture surgery and will be poked and prodded by any possible suitors.

Etienne Sabino (61.3) will have to prove himself to get a decent shot. The big question mark for scouts is his lateral movement. That’s not a good question mark if you are an outside LB. He’s fast enough, and he certainly passes the eyeball test, but he could be one of those guys that shines in special teams and gets a shot when someone else goes down.

If you’re into watching people workout and stuff, coverage will be on the NFL Network.

Did you have fun last night? I hope so. Today is Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent. Now, I’m not Catholic, but I will usually find one thing to give up for Lent for the soul purpose of testing my willpower. I will oftentimes fail miserably in my efforts as I am highly impressionable and will succumb to peer pressure at an alarming rate. I haven’t decided what I will give up, if anything, this year. It will not be coffee, as that ship has sailed. Instead, I’ve decided things that various Buckeyes should give up.

Gene Smith:

His job. Seriously. Please leave. I’m not expanding upon this one as anyone with any insight into my thoughts is well aware of how I feel about Gene Smith. Thanks for hiring Urban and stuff, but as they say, even a blind squirrel finds a nut from time to time.

Gordon Gee:

Twitter because…well…

That tweet was from the day prior to the actual game. I’m not sure where Gee actually was at the time.

Urban Meyer:

Nothing. Seriously. Just keep doing what you’re doing, Urbs. I can’t think of a single thing I would change at this point. Check with me next time at this year.

Thad Matta:

The propensity to under-achieve. I’m trying to be positive here as I am well aware that OSU was far from a basketball powerhouse prior to Matta’s arrival. What he has done has been amazing. Having said that, his teams have had an amazing ability to choke at the wrong time. Let’s cut that out.

Jim Foster:

Heck, let’s just keep with the theme for Ohio State basketball coaches and say the propensity to under-achieve. The Lady Bucks have not fared well outside of the B1G. This year, they are not faring well within it, either. Their early exits from the NCAA tourney have been problematic and something needs to be fixed.

Aaron Craft:

The sub 40% from the field. Keep on being dreamy on D and all, but let’s make sure the offensive woes go away.

Braxton Miller:

The feeling of having to do it all. Yes, it did seem that was necessary in the 2012 season. Going forward, Urban is giving you some playmakers. Use them. Please. But, by all means, feel free to take over when stuff goes horribly wrong.

Ryan Shazier:

The unfortunate belief that a true defensive player can’t win a Heisman. Now, I know several people feel that I’m probably going overboard by saying Shazier has a shot at breaking the barrier, but outside of South Carolina’s Jadeveon Clowney, I don’t know who else would be better suited to do so. Shazier is playing with a huge chip on his shoulder after being slighted by the B1G coaches in post-season awards. And, hey, did you see his hit on Montee Ball to force a fumble at the goal line and deny him the record? Shazier is a stud, I believe in the kid and I have a feeling he will turn plenty of heads next year and fill the John Simon leadership role nicely.

Rod Smith:

The fumbleitis. I’m a big fan of Smith and all of Buckeye Nation is aware of his potential. Having said that, the backfield is loaded and a little thing like putting the ball on the ground is the difference between the top and bottom of the depth chart. There was another RB who started off with an unfortunate history of fumbles that ended up doing pretty well. You may have heard of him. He wore #27 and ended his career with a Heisman. I’m not saying Smith is Eddie, but I’m not saying that he couldn’t be, either.

Ohio State’s SID department:

The party-pooper mentality. The SID was quick to point out that the Woody Hayes turtle story was an exaggerated joke. No kidding? I think that everyone knew that even if something like that story happened that it wasn’t exactly how Urban told it, if it happened at all, but it was hilarious. Let people have some fun and let Woody be a legend. Also, it prompted some fans (ironically, mostly from SEC schools) to paint Urban as a “liar” and that “recruits should take note” and junk like that. Just, you know, stop.

We all know that Woody Hayes was one tough S.O.B. Anyone who has lived in the Columbus area for any amount of time or who follows Buckeye football has heard their fair share of Woody stories. There was that time that he pushed his car across the Ohio border when it ran out of gas in Michigan, simply because he didn’t want to spend a dime in That State Up North, for example.

They all seem somewhat unbelievable, but they are told by so many that were close to Woody that you can’t help but think they are true. Woody was Bill Brasky before there was a Bill Brasky. He was The Most Interesting Man in the World before Dos Equis was even imported to the US. He was a living legend.

For this reason, there was only mild shock when Urban Meyer talked about that time in the locker room when Woody Hayes…oh…just read it below.

“So I guess Ohio State had lost the bowl game, so Earl Bruce brings in Woody Hayes. I had been there just a week and I’m thinking, ‘Holy, this is Coach Hayes.’ I’m sitting in the back. Coach Hayes was not healthy at the time, but stands up and starts laying into the coaching staff about toughness. That we have no toughness in the program. That’s why we lost the game. On and on and screaming, this old guy pounding the table. He says, ‘We have no toughness, and the reason is because you’re not tough. No one on this staff is tough enough, and that’s a problem.’

“He reaches down and grabs this box, slides the top and there was something in the box moving around. He reaches in and he pulls out this turtle. He reaches down, this turtle’s snapping and he says, ‘I’m going to show you toughness.’ He unzips his pants and takes out whatever he takes out. The turtle reaches up and snaps at him. You see the veins and the sweat (on Hayes). He screams at the coaches, ‘That’s toughness! That’s f’n toughness!’ He reaches down, pokes the turtle right in the eye and it falls off. He wipes the sweat off his forehead and says, ‘That’s the problem. We don’t have anybody in this room tough enough to do that right there.

“(One assistant) raises his hand and says, ‘Coach, I’d do this. Just promise not to poke me in the eye.’”

One would think there are other ways of proving your toughness, but Woody was never one for subtlety.

Urban Meyer doesn’t always say things that are popular with people not named Urban Meyer. In the past, he has made comments about the BCS system, the SEC and recruiting practices that ruffle many a feather of many a fan and opposing coach. The funny thing is, though, he’s usually right and people who hate what he says will often begrudgingly admit that he is right.

Count me in that camp. I really disliked Urban bashing others while stating Utah deserved a shot, but he was right. I really disliked his talk about Florida deserving a shot at OSU because the SEC was stronger than the B1G, but he was right. I could go on and on and on. He just has a way of making people admit things they don’t want to admit about themselves. He’s like the Dr. Drew Pinsky of College Football. He tells you things you don’t want to hear until you are a broken shell of a human and are forced to pick your sorry butt up and better yourself, and it all plays out in front of a National audience.

Well, he’s doing it again and the target of his comments are his fellow B1G coaches and their less than stellar recruiting efforts.

OK, not Brady Hoke. Brady Hoke did just fine. That’s the point. The rest of the B1G was followed up by a respectable class at Nebraska and “wow…that sucks” classes from every other B1G team.

Here are the B1G class rankings, per Scout.com. Just for fun, I’ll toss in future B1G schools Maryland and Rutgers:

1. Ohio State
2. Michigan
11. Nebraska
31. Rutgers
37. Wisconsin
42. Illinois
43. Michigan State
44. Penn State
45. Northwestern
49. Maryland
t50. Indiana
52. Iowa
57. Purdue
74. Minnesota

Now, sure, PSU can be excused for their performance due to their sanctions, but the rest of the conference? Well, when you are being out-recruited by teams like Kentucky (39) and Vanderbilt (19), it’s not really a good sign for the direction in which the conference is heading. Rutgers and Maryland were mocked as “not being what is needed to boost the conference” and they finished better than 9 and 4 current B1G teams, respectively. If anything, the B1G is dragging them down.

Don’t give me the “some coaches can do more with less” spiel, either. Yes, that is true to an extent. In fact, it is what the fans of Kirk Ferentz pointed to for their early 2000′s success. However, the disparity in B1G recruiting and SEC recruiting wasn’t quite as huge in those days as it is now. For example, the bottom feeders in the SEC were not passing up teams like Michigan State or Wisconsin in the rankings.

Also, the argument can be made that it’s easier to do “more with less” when you spend a season playing, well, less. It’s easy to gain bowl eligibility, or even win your division, when you only have to play two or three teams per year.

Hey, I don’t like saying it, either.

Honestly, the B1G was not as bad last year as some would like us to believe. That was pretty evident in some Bowl games that were much closer than expected when considering two of the top teams were ineligible and the conference was fighting up a weight, so to speak. It matters none, however, as perception is reality and the perception is the B1G sucks.

I call this the BTN Effect. As soon as the BTN basically took B1G football away from ESPN, ESPN cared little for the B1G. They went all in on the SEC. Now, yes, SEC teams were beating up on B1G powerhouse OSU, but the other teams weren’t doing that badly against comparable competition. The SEC was top heavy and, in my opinion, that is still more of the case than what you hear from the South. It is all SEC, all the time and it is hard to recruit against perspective. If you are a 17 year old kid who wants the glory of D-1 football, would you rather be at an SEC school, even a bad one, where The Worldwide Leader is constantly kissing your tail or at a B1G school where you are universally mocked by pundits if you are not wearing Scarlet and Gray or Maize and Blue?

Urban isn’t doing this just for the good of the conference, of course. He’s doing this for the good of The Buckeyes. Rankings are still subjective and beating top-tier competition in prime-time looks a lot better than whipping a lackluster Minnesota Gopher team at noon.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. It could go well, or it could further ostracize Urban. He’s clearly not on the Christmas card list of many of his B1G brethren. It’s a conversation that someone needed to have, though, if the B1G wants to be a player again. The B1G needs to overcome the perception. It’s not easy, but it’s possible. Urban is just the guy to jump start the conversation as he won’t sugar coat anything.

The first topic of discussion will likely be how stupid the “Gentleman’s Agreement” junk is. It’s business, whether society wants to admit it or not. The SEC gets that and the B1G needs to get it, too.

Happy signing day, Buckeye Nation! With a few huge grabs today, Ohio State has catapulted to the number one spot on Scout and number two on Rivals, 24/7 and ESPN. The major spike in the ratings can be attributed to the commitments of four-star WR James Clark and five-star DB Vonn Bell. An additional boost was given on Monday when former Oregon commit Dontre Wilson flipped to The Buckeyes. Wilson is an All-Purpose back who is expected to fill the needs in the slot in the Urban Meyer offense.

The major drama today will be centered around four-star RB Ezekiel Elliott. Elliott committed to OSU back in April, but took a last second trip to Mizzou, his parents’ Alma Mater and home state school, and has gone virtually silent. He is announcing his intentions this afternoon at 4PM Central time. Some in the know say the signs are favorable for him to stick around, but losing him would be a tough blow.

The main focus of this class was clear…speed. Meyer has said that he will need playmakers and speedsters to take The Buckeyes to the next level and he has certainly landed his fair share of them. This is arguably the best class in Ohio State history when considering the needs on both sides of the ball and the holes that needed to be plugged.

We’ll update the list of those who have signed their LOI as they come in. This list also includes those who have already enrolled at OSU from the class of 2013. Welcome to Columbus, new Buckeyes!

Eli Appple – CB 6’0″ 184 Vorhees, N.J. Eastern High (Enrolled in January)

J.T. Barrett – QB 6’1″ 225 Wichita Falls, TX Rider High (Enrolled in January)

Cam Burrows – CB 5’11″ 200 Trotwood, OH Trotwood-Madison High (Enrolled in January)

Tyquan Lewis – DE 6’3″ 223 Tarboro, NC Tarboro High (Enrolled in January)

Tracy Sprinkle – DE 6’2″ 241 Elyria, OH Elyria High (Enrolled in January)

Joey Bosa – DE 6’5″ 270 FT Lauderdale, FL ST Thomas Aquinas

Gareon Conley – ATH 6’2″ 170 Massillon, OH Washington High

Evan Lisle – OL 6’6″ 290 Centerville, OH Centerville High

Darron Lee – ATH 6’2″ 205 New Albany, OH New Albany High

Billy Price – DL 6’4″ 305 Austintown, OH Fitch High

Jalin Marshall – WR 6’0″ 190 Middletown, OH Middletown High

Tim Gardner – OL 6’5″ 320 Indianapolis, IN Lawrence Central High

Jayme Thompson – DB 6’2″ 185 Toledo, OH Central Catholic High

Michael Hill – DL 6’2″ 305 Pendleton, SC Pendleton High

Mike Mitchell – LB 6’4″ 225 Plano, TX Prestonwood Christian High

Donovan Munger – DL 6’4″ 290 Shaker Heights, OH Shaker Heights High

Dontre Wilson – RB 5’10″ 174 DeSoto, TX DeSoto High

Trey Johnson – LB 6’2″ 220 Lawrenceville, GA Central Gwinnett High

Christopher Worley – S 6’3″ 195 Cleveland, OH Glenville High

Corey Smith – WR 6’1″ 190 Akron, OH Eastern Mississippi C.C.

James Clark – WR 5’11″ 170 New Smyrna Beach, FL New Smyrna Beach High

Marcus Baugh – TE 6’4″ 245 Riverside, CA John W. North High

Vonn Bell – DB 6’1″ 190 Rossville, GA Ridgeland High

Ezekiel Elliott – RB 6’0″ 198 St. Louis, MO John Burroughs School

It took six years, but Cris Carter has been elected to the 2013 NFL Hall of Fame class. Carter’s Buckeye career was notoriously cut short after he signed with agent Norby Walters prior to his Senior year. Carter’s absence was instantly felt as Ohio State went 6-4-1 and Coach Earle Bruce was fired. In spite of missing his final season, he left with the all-time Ohio State record for receptions.

Carter was named to the Ohio State Football All-Century Team in 2000 and was inducted into the Varsity O Hall of Fame in 2003. He was an instant contributor as a Freshman where he set a Rose Bowl receiving record. He had originally signed on to play both football and basketball for The Buckeyes. He clearly made the right choice in choosing to concentrate on football.

As a pro, Carter was picked up in the fourth round of the supplemental draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. Carter had a falling out with coach Buddy Ryan and was cut. Carter later admitted that his falling out had to do with Carter’s drug and alcohol abuse. He credits Ryan as the reason he got his life together.

Carter was picked up by the Minnesota Vikings, where he would spend the majority of his career. He started off slowly his first year and then became a true force for the Vikings. He ended his Viking career with eight Pro Bowls, a retired jersey (#80), a spot in the Vikings Ring Of Honor and as a member of the Vikings 40th Anniversary Team. He left the Vikings as the all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns.

Carter spent one final year in the league with the Miami Dolphins, but retired after a non-productive effort. He left as the number two receiver in terms of career receptions and touchdowns by a wide receiver in NFL history, falling behind only Jerry Rice. He joins Bill Parcells, Larry Allen, Jonathan Ogden, Warren Sapp, Curley Culp and Dave Robinson in the Hall of Fame Class of 2013.

Carter is the 9th Buckeye player or coach to be enshrined in Canton. The Buckeyes are tied for third behind Notre Dame and USC for number of former coaches and players in Canton. The class of 2013 will be formally enshrined on August 3rd, 2013. Congratulations to #2!