By Matt Norlander (CBSSports.com) -- When you're successful, lurkers and hangers-on start to come around. Right now, Ohio State's in the midst of another terrific season, something they've grown accustomed to in Columbus since Thad Matta got to town. But with this success has come a problem on the secondary ticket market. Someone, or some group, has been printing counterfeit tickets and creating havoc for Buckeye home games. On Thursday the school sent out a memo, reminding and ... Read More

By: Rob McCurdy (MansfieldNewsJournal.com) -- COLUMBUS -- Lenzelle Smith Jr. is listed as a guard on Ohio State's roster. It's because jack-of-all-trades, as his coach likes to call him, isn't a recognized position on the floor. The 6-foot-4 sophomore is basketball's version of a utility infielder, a roundball handyman who sees a problem and fixes it. Against Indiana, he became a knock down 3-point shooter, hitting 4 of 5 from the arc and finishing with 28 points. Against Michigan, he turned ... Read More

From: AP via northcoatnow.com -- COLUMBUS — Not long after No. 3 Ohio State hung a 64-49 shiner on No. 20 Michigan on Sunday, coach Thad Matta was asked how pleased he was to reach the midpoint of the Big Ten season with at least a share of the lead. “It beats second, I do know that,” he said. Trouble is, the Buckeyes (19-3, 7-2) know that most of their work is ahead of them. All of their remaining nine games will be ... Read More

By Eric Prisbell (WashingtonPost.com) -- Kentucky, Ohio State and Syracuse all can make strong cases at this point to be No. 1 seeds in the NCAA tournament. The race for the fourth top seed is extremely competitive right now, with at least five teams in the mix — six if you consider Missouri — with impressive tournament profiles. Which team deserves that final No. 1 seed as of today? Duke, North Carolina, Kansas, Baylor or Michigan State? Duke: The Blue Devils ... Read More

By Myron Medcalf (ESPN.com) -- Unlike last season’s squad, Ohio State encountered a few unexpected hurdles once Big Ten play commenced late last month. The Buckeyes lost to both Illinois and Indiana on the road in the first few weeks of the Big Ten slate. Those losses prompted questions about Ohio State’s anticipated dominance in the deep league. The Buckeyes have proven some doubters wrong, however, during their current four-game winning streak. Thad Matta wasn’t surprised by his team’s ... Read More

By: Andy Glockner (SI.com) -- The curious case of the Ohio State Buckeyes continued on Sunday when they slowly and methodically pulled away from a solid Michigan team to win 64-49 at home. Lacking much drama or many signature moments, it's the latest in a long string of comprehensive performances that will draw a collective "ho hum" from the masses. Instead, it should be considered the latest piece of evidence that the Buckeyes are one of the ... Read More

By: AP via ESPN.com -- COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Lenzelle Smith Jr. scored 17 points and had a career-high 12 rebounds as Ohio State (No. 3 ESPN/USA Today, No. 4 AP) flexed its muscle inside to beat Michigan (No. 22 ESPN/USA Today, No. 20 AP) 64-49 on Sunday, keeping the Buckeyes in a first-place tie in the Big Ten. Jared Sullinger added 13 points and William Buford and Deshaun Thomas both had 12 for Ohio State (19-3, 7-2), which ran ... Read More

Recruiting is a never ending process for most colleges and Ohio State is no different.  According to Bill Greene of scout.com, the Buckeyes will host several of the top 2013 prospects today. In addition to having high school senior Stefon Diggs on campus this weekend for an official visit, the Buckeyes will entertain several of the top in-state junior stars for the basketball game against the Michigan Wolverines. Among those in Columbus this weekend are: Jalin Marshall: Ohio's top prospect and an early five-star ... Read More

By: Chad Hobbs (Examiner.com) -- Michigan will be in town tomorrow for a little basketball game at Value City Arena. They will not be welcomed by the home town crowd. This matchup should be interesting, as Michigan enters the game as a relevant Big Ten title contender for the first time in a long time. In fact, the Wolverines enter the game in a tie for first place with the Buckeyes in the conference standings. One of Michigan's strengths ... Read More

By: AP via WashingtonPost.com -- COLUMBUS, Ohio — They started hanging out when they were 10 or 11, scooping the snow off of driveways and outdoor courts before grabbing a basketball and pretending they were playing in huge showdowns. “He was kind of short and he was like fat, kind of, but he could play,” Michigan’s Trey Burke remembers of the first time he saw Jared Sullinger. “He had good footwork and things like that. No one ... Read More