2007–08 Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball team

The 2007–08 Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball finished in fifth place in the Big Ten, squarely on the NCAA tournament bubble. However, they were not selected, marking the only time in coach Thad Matta's head coaching career his team missed the NCAA tournament while being eligible. The team dominated in the 2008 National Invitation Tournament on their way to a 92–85 victory over Massachusetts in the final.

2007–08 Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball
National Invitation Tournament, Champions
Conference	Big Ten
2007–08 record	24–13 (10–8 Big Ten)
Head coach	Thad Matta
Assistant coaches	Alan Major Archie Miller John Groce
Home arena	Jerome Schottenstein Center

2007–08 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 6 Wisconsin†	16	–	2		.889			31	–	5		.861
No. 20 Purdue	15	–	3		.833			25	–	9		.735
Indiana	14	–	4		.778			25	–	8		.758
No. 18 Michigan State	12	–	6		.667			27	–	9		.750
Ohio State	10	–	8		.556			24	–	13		.649
Minnesota	8	–	10		.444			20	–	14		.588
Penn State	7	–	11		.389			15	–	16		.484
Iowa	6	–	12		.333			13	–	19		.406
Illinois	5	–	13		.278			16	–	19		.457
Michigan	5	–	13		.278			10	–	22		.313
Northwestern	1	–	17		.056			8	–	22		.267
† 2008 Big Ten Tournament winner As of March 23, 2008; Rankings from AP Poll[1]

Preseason

The Buckeyes lost three important players from their 2006–07 NCAA Runners-up team to the NBA Draft. Greg Oden, the 2007 Second Team All-American, was selected in the lottery of the 2007 NBA Draft, going #1 to the Portland Trail Blazers. Mike Conley, Jr. and Daequan Cook also were drafted in the first round, by the Memphis Grizzlies and Philadelphia 76ers, but traded to Miami Heat, respectively. Senior guard Ron Lewis also declared to the draft but was undrafted.

Recruiting

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Jon Diebler SG	Upper Sandusky, OH	Upper Sandusky HS	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Sep 23, 2005
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 96
Kosta Koufos PF	Canton, OH	GlenOak HS	7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)	250 lb (110 kg)	May 19, 2006
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 97
Dallas Lauderdale C	Solon, OH	Solon HS	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	Jun 1, 2006
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 95
Evan Turner SF	Chicago, IL	St. Joseph's HS	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Jun 29, 2006
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 96
Eric Wallace SF	Winston-Salem, NC	Hargrave Military Academy	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Oct 11, 2006
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 91
Junior College/Transfers
P. J. Hill PG	Minneapolis, MN	Midland College	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	Jul 18, 2007
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 7   Rivals: 7
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Ohio State 2007 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2010-03-29. "2007 Ohio State Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved 2010-03-29. "Ohio State Basketball Recruiting 2007". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2010-03-29. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved 2010-03-29. "2007 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2010-03-29.

Roster

2007–08 Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown G 14 Jamar Butler 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Sr Lima, OH G 33 Jon Diebler 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Upper Sandusky, OH G 4 P. J. Hill 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 165 lb (75 kg) So Minneapolis, MN F 45 Othello Hunter 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Sr Winston-Salem, NC F/C 31 Kosta Koufos 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 265 lb (120 kg) Fr Canton, OH F 52 Dallas Lauderdale 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 260 lb (118 kg) Fr Solon, OH G/F 23 David Lighty 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 215 lb (98 kg) So Cleveland, OH C 15 Kyle Madsen 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 240 lb (109 kg) RS So Dublin, OH G 13 Danny Peters 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) So New Albany, OH F/C 42 Matt Terwilliger 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Sr Troy, OH G 34 Mark Titus 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) So Brownsburg, IN G/F 21 Evan Turner 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Chicago, IL G/F 2 Eric Wallace 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr Winston-Salem, NC	Head coach Thad Matta (Butler) Assistant coach(es) Alan Major (Purdue) Archie Miller (North Carolina State) Strength and conditioning coach(es) Dave Richardson (Louisiana–Monroe) Athletic trainer(s) Vince O'Brien (Ohio State) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster Last update: 2010-03-28

2007–08 Schedule

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
October 31*  , BTN		Ashland	W 88–59		Schottenstein Center  Columbus, OH
November 6*  , BTN		Findlay	L 68–70		Schottenstein Center  Columbus, OH
Regular Season
November 12* 9:00 pm, ESPN2		Wisconsin-Green Bay NIT Season Tip-Off	W 91–68	1–0	Schottenstein Center (13,644) Columbus, OH
November 13* 9:00 pm, ESPN		Columbia NIT Season Tip-Off	W 68–54	2–0	Schottenstein Center (13,427) Columbus, OH
November 21* 9:30 pm, ESPN2		vs. No. 21 Syracuse NIT Season Tip-Off	W 79–65	3–0	Madison Square Garden (8,388) New York, NY
November 23* 7:00 pm, ESPN2		vs. No. 15 Texas A&M NIT Season Tip-Off Championship Game	L 47–70	3–1	Madison Square Garden (6,054) New York, NY
November 25* 8:00 pm, BTN		VMI	W 90–57	4–1	St. John Arena (6,670) Columbus, OH
November 28* 9:05 pm, ESPN		No. 1 North Carolina ACC – Big Ten Challenge	L 55–66	4–2	Schottenstein Center (19,049) Columbus, OH
December 1* 7:30 pm, ESPNU		at Butler	L 46–65	4–3	Hinkle Fieldhouse (10,000) Indianapolis, IN
December 10* 8:00 pm, BTN		Coppin State	W 47–39	5–3	Schottenstein Center (15,496) Columbus, OH
December 15* 12:00 pm, BTN		Presbyterian College	W 87–43	6–3	Schottenstein Center (16,569) Columbus, OH
December 18* 7:05 pm, STO		vs. Cleveland State	W 80–63	7–3	Quicken Loans Arena (12,715) Cleveland, OH
December 22* 4:00 pm, CBS		Florida	W 62–49	8–3	Schottenstein Center (19,049) Columbus, OH
December 29* 11:00 am, BTN		Maryland-Baltimore County	W 92–83	9–3	Schottenstein Center (17,847) Columbus, OH
January 3 7:00 pm, ESPN		at Illinois	W 74–58	10–3 (1–0)	Assembly Hall (16,618) Champaign, IL
January 6 12:00 pm, BTN		Northwestern	W 62–51	11–3 (2–0)	Schottenstein Center (18,722) Columbus, OH
January 9 7:00 pm, BTN		Iowa	W 79–48	12–3 (3–0)	Schottenstein Center (18,473) Columbus, OH
January 12 4:00 pm, BTN		at Purdue	L 68–75	12–4 (3–1)	Mackey Arena (14,123) West Lafayette, IN
January 15 7:00 pm, ESPN		at Michigan State	L 60–66	12–5 (3–2)	Breslin Center (14,759) East Lansing, MI
January 19* 3:30 pm, CBS		at No. 7 Tennessee	L 69–74	12–6 (3–2)	Thompson–Boling Arena (21,784) Knoxville, TN
January 22 9:00 pm, BTN		Illinois	W 64–58	13–6 (4–2)	Schottenstein Center (19,049) Columbus, OH
January 26 8:00 pm, BTN		Minnesota	W 76–60	14–6 (5–2)	Schottenstein Center (19,049) Columbus, OH
January 26 7:00 pm, ESPN		at Penn State	W 68–56	15–6 (6–2)	Bryce Jordan Center (10,956) University Park, PA
February 2 5:05 pm, BTN		at Iowa	L 48–53	15–7 (6–3)	Carver–Hawkeye Arena (15,235) Iowa City, IA
February 5 7:00 pm, ESPN		Michigan	W 65–55	16–7 (7–3)	Schottenstein Center (19,049) Columbus, OH
February 10 1:00 pm, CBS		No. 13 Indiana	L 53–59	16–8 (7–4)	Schottenstein Center (19,049) Columbus, OH
February 13 8:00 pm, BTN		at Northwestern	W 65–47	17–8 (8–4)	Welsh-Ryan Arena (3,822) Evanston, IL
February 17 1:00 pm, CBS		at Michigan	L 70–80	17–9 (8–5)	Crisler Arena (13,751) Ann Arbor, MI
February 24 4:05 pm, CBS		No. 11 Wisconsin	L 53–58	17–10 (8–6)	Schottenstein Center (19,049) Columbus, OH
February 28 7:00 pm, ESPN		at No. 12 Indiana	L 69–72	17–11 (8–7)	Assembly Hall (17,389) Bloomington, IN
March 1 4:00 pm, ESPN		at Minnesota	L 57–71	17–12 (8–8)	Williams Arena (13,443) Minneapolis, MN
March 4 7:00 pm, ESPN		No. 15 Purdue	W 80–77 ^OT	18–12 (9–8)	Schottenstein Center (19,049) Columbus, OH
March 9 12:00 pm, BTN		No. 18 Michigan State	W 63–54	19–12 (10–8)	Schottenstein Center (19,049) Columbus, OH
Big Ten Tournament
March 14 2:35 pm, ESPN		vs. No. 19 Michigan State Quarterfinals	L 60–67	19–13	Conseco Fieldhouse (15,355) Indianapolis, IN
NIT Tournament[2]
March 18 7:00 pm, ESPN2	No. NR (1)	(8) UNC Asheville First Round – Ohio State Bracket	W 84–66	20–13	Schottenstein Center (7,117) Columbus, OH
March 24 7:00 pm, ESPN	No. NR (1)	(4) California Second Round – Ohio State Bracket	W 73–56	21–13	St. John Arena (13,276) Columbus, OH
March 26 9:00 pm, ESPN2	No. NR (1)	(3) Dayton Quarterfinal – Ohio State Bracket	W 74–63	22–13	Schottenstein Center (19,049) Columbus, OH
April 1 9:00 pm, ESPN2	No. NR (1)	vs. (2) Mississippi Semifinal	W 81–69	23–13	Madison Square Garden (9,823) New York, NY
April 3 7:00 pm, ESPN	No. NR (1)	vs. (2) Massachusetts Championship Game	W 92–85	24–13	Madison Square Garden (8,407) New York, NY
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from Coaches' Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.

Awards and honors

• Kosta Koufos, NIT Most Valuable Player

Team players drafted into the NBA

Round	Pick	Player	NBA Club
1	23	Kosta Koufos	Utah Jazz

[3]

2008 Recruiting Class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
William Buford SG	Toledo, OH	Libbey HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	188 lb (85 kg)	Oct 30, 2006
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 96
Anthony Crater PG	Wolfeboro, NH	Brewster Academy	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Nov 27, 2006
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 92
B.J. Mullens C	Canal Winchester, OH	Canal Winchester HS	7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)	260 lb (120 kg)	Mar 28, 2004
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 98
Walter Offutt SG	Indianapolis, IN	Warren Central HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Mar 10, 2005
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 88
Junior College/Transfers
Nicola Kecman PF	Thatcher, AZ	Eastern Arizona College	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Apr 27, 2008
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Jeremie Simmons PG	Flint, MI	Mott Community College	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Apr 27, 2008
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 2   Rivals: 5
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Ohio State 2008 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2010-03-29. "2008 Ohio State Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved 2010-03-29. "Ohio State Basketball Recruiting 2008". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2010-03-29. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved 2010-03-29. "2008 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2010-03-29.

References

1. "2008 NCAA Men's Basketball Rankings - Postseason (Mar. 23)". ESPN. March 23, 2008.
2. "NIT OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE – History". NIT. Archived from the original on 6 November 2009. Retrieved 29 March 2010.
3. 2008 NBA Draft on databaseBasketball.com Archived 2010-03-17 at the Wayback Machine