By: AP via ESPN.com -- Jordan Taylor is in a class by himself on The Associated Press' preseason All-America team. The guard from Wisconsin was the only senior on the team Monday. He was joined by four sophomores, including Ohio State's Jared Sullinger, a unanimous pick of the 65-member national media panel. Harrison Barnes of North Carolina, Terrence Jones of Kentucky and Jeremy Lamb of Connecticut were the other sophomores. The 6-foot-1 Taylor averaged 18.1 points and 4.7 assists last season in leading the ... Read More

By: Mike DeCourcy (SportingNews.com) -- COLUMBUS—It was just another turnover in an early Ohio State basketball practice. Or was it? Sophomore forward Deshaun Thomas flashed from the baseline to the high post, caught the ball and attempted to feed it inside to star center Jared Sullinger. The ball was deflected and stolen. A lot of coaches might see this as a teachable moment. And one of the OSU assistants immediately began to correct Thomas. “I’m like, ‘No-no-no!’ ” Buckeyes head ... Read More

From: Cleveland.com -- CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Ohio State lost three key players from its powerhouse 2010-11 men's basketball team, but the Buckeyes haven't lost any respect from the voters in the preseason ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll. Ohio State is ranked third in the Top 25, behind No. 1 North Carolina -- which got all but one first-place vote -- and No. 2 Kentucky. The Buckeyes finished last season 34-3, and were ranked first in the country before losing to Kentucky, 62-60, ... Read More

By Michael Periatt (TheLantern.com) -- William Buford could have been a hero for Ohio State. He caught the ball on the left wing and fired a three pointer that he hoped would save OSU's dream 2010-11 season. But the shot came up short. The buzzer sounded, and just like that, the Kentucky Wildcats upset the No. 1-seeded Buckeyes and eliminated them from the 2011 NCAA tournament. Six months later, Buford still thinks about the Kentucky loss. He shot 2-for-16 from the field ... Read More

By: Brent Yarina (Big Ten Network) -- A day ago, Brent Yarina released his Preseason Top 10 Player Rankings and Preview in preparation for Tuesday night’s Hoops Hysteria show. Today, it’s time for the preseason power rankings. Every week during the hoops season, Brent posts his latest rankings. As a reminder, the rankings are not meant to mimic the Big Ten standings. What fun would that be? They aren’t scientific, either. They’re simply Brent’s thoughts on where ... Read More

By Marla Ridenour (Beacon Journal via Ohio.com) -- COLUMBUS: Jared Sullinger knew people didn’t believe him. The Ohio State star vowed to return for his sophomore season after the Buckeyes were upset by Kentucky last March in the NCAA East Regional semifinals, ending the championship dream of a close-knit team that finished 34-3. But few thought he could turn down the riches of the NBA, even with a lockout looming. Especially since one-and-done had been a fact of ... Read More

By: Marlen Garcia (USAToday.com) -- COLUMBUS, Ohio – Jared Sullinger says he feels lighter on his feet after months of offseason workouts helped him shed fat from his 6-9, 280-pound frame. The Ohio State forward last month tweeted a picture of his shirtless upper body to more than 44,000 followers. When OSU coach Thad Matta heard about it, his face turned shades of red, as if in disbelief that his star sophomore had the nerve to show ... Read More

From: TucsonCitizen.com -- According to the Ohio State roster, forward Jared Sullinger tipped the scales at 280 pounds during his freshman season. It looks like he will be coming in a lot lighter when the Buckeyes start their schedule in November. Sullinger, who averaged 17.2 points and 10.2 rebounds, posted on a link to a photo of his new body on his Twitter account @Jared_Sully0 with the message “Hardwork plays off.” How the change will impact his game remains to be seen. One of his ... Read More

By Pat Brennan (TheLantern.com) -- The Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame welcomed a new, 11-member class, which included two Super Bowl champions and four total football players, during two separate ceremonies Friday evening at the Ohio Union. Headlining the list of inductees was Bobby Watkins, the first black football recruit in OSU history and a running back from 1952 to 1954. Watkins, who split time during interviews by sharing stories of his time as a Buckeye playing under late, former ... Read More

By Joe Dorish (Yahoo Sports) -- These are the best NBA players from Ohio State University. Players are ranked by their career scoring averages in the NBA. To date, some 40 players from Ohio State have gone on to play in the NBA. All Ohio State players who averaged 12.0 or more points per game in the NBA are listed. Four of the players on the list are in the Basketball Hall of Fame. My favorite NBA team, the New ... Read More