The No. 16 Ohio State Buckeyes (6-0) host Syracuse (3-2) Wednesday night in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. This is the 17th appearance in the Challenge for OSU, who holds a 6-10 record overall. They have lost their last four games in this series. Ohio State is 67-49 all-time against teams from the ACC, however.
Opening Tip
Who: Syracuse at Ohio State
What: Men’s Basketball
Where: Columbus, OH — Value City Arena
When: 7:15 pm (ESPN2)
Why: Because it’s the least OSU could do after Indiana took one for the team by playing Duke.
The Buckeyes
Three-Point Territory
+ Thad Matta, the all-time winningest coach in Ohio State men’s basketball history with 337 wins from 2005-2017, will be honored at halftime of the game vs. Syracuse Wednesday. Matta spent 13 years coaching the Buckeyes. His teams won nine Big Ten titles, five in the regular season and four league tournament crowns. Nine of Matta’s Ohio State teams played in the NCAA Tournament, five advanced to the Sweet Sixteen and two played in the Final Four. The 2007 squad played for the national championship.
+ Senior C.J. Jackson is averaging 12.7 points a game and has the Buckeyes off to a 6-0 start. He reached 100 career 3-pointers made with three makes vs. Cleveland State the last time out. For his Ohio State career he is (101-281/.359) from distance. Jackson has scored 683 career points and is on pace to become Ohio State’s next 1,000-point scorer. Freshman Duane Washington Jr. is 12-of-25 from 3-point range (.480) in six appearances. Sophomore Kyle Young is 16-for-22 shooting this season (.727), freshman Jaedon LeDee is 9-for-11 from the field in five appearances. Ohio State is 22nd nationally, averaging 33.2 points per game off the bench, ranks eighth in field goal percentage defense, 15th in scoring margin, 17th in scoring defense, and 19th in 3-point field goal defense.
+ Ohio State has participated in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge for the last 16 years and has a 6-10 record in the event. The Buckeyes first took part in the event during the 2002-03 season against Duke in Greensboro, NC, a 91-75 Blue Devils’ victory. Ohio State defeated Virginia Tech in Columbus in 2005-06, 69-59, for its first victory in the event. The 2011 game vs. Duke in Columbus pitted the highest combined ranking of Ohio State (2) and Duke (3) in the Buckeyes’ previous Challenge games. That record was nearly tied in 2012 with the No. 4 Buckeyes traveling to No. 2 Duke. Ohio State was No. 3 and North Carolina came in at No. 7 in the 2006 Challenge. Ohio State has faced a ranked ACC opponent 11 times in the Challenge.
The Orange
What You Should Know
+ Nov. 21 – Syracuse defeated Colgate for the 53rd straight time, winning 77-56 at the Dome. The Orange overcame a five-point, first-half deficit, and built a 34-8 advantage on points in the paint. Tyus Battle was 8-of-10 from the field, including 3-of-3 on 3-point attempts, and added ϐive free throws in a 24-point performance against Colgate. Bourama Sidibe had 11 points and 10 rebounds.
+ Nov. 15 – Jalen Carey scored 26 points in his first collegiate start but it was not enough in an 83-76 loss to Connecticut in the semifinals of the 2K Empire Classic at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Carey also had a squad-best seven rebounds.
+ Jim Boeheim, who has begun his 43rd season as head coach at his alma mater, earned his 929th* coaching win on November 21, 2018, when Syracuse defeated Colgate, 77-56. Mike Krzyzewski (Army, Duke) is the only Division I coach who is ahead of Boeheim on the wins and games coached list by active mentors. Boeheim’s 42 seasons completed put him first on the list of Division I coaches at their current schools. Krzyzewski is second with 37 campaigns finished at Duke. Boeheim leads all Division I coaches in wins earned at his alma mater. Next on the list is former Missouri mentor Norm Stewart (634).
*record reflects 101 wins vacated between 2004-07 and 2010-12 by the NCAA
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