2009–10 Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball team

The 2009–10 Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball team represented Ohio State University in the 2009–10 college basketball season. Their head coach was Thad Matta, in his 6th season with the Buckeyes. The team played its home games at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio, and is a member of the Big Ten Conference.

2009–10 Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball
Big Ten Regular Season Co-Champions Big Ten tournament Champions
NCAA tournament, Sweet Sixteen
Conference	Big Ten
Ranking
Coaches	No. 11
AP	No. 5
Record	29–8 (14–4 Big Ten)
Head coach	Thad Matta
Assistant coaches	Jeff Boals Alan Major Brandon Miller
Home arena	Value City Arena
Seasons ← 2008–09 2010–11 →

2009–10 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 5 Ohio State†	14	–	4		.778			29	–	8		.784
No. 10 Purdue	14	–	4		.778			29	–	6		.829
No. 13 Michigan State	14	–	4		.778			28	–	9		.757
No. 16 Wisconsin	13	–	5		.722			24	–	9		.727
Illinois	10	–	8		.556			21	–	15		.583
Minnesota	9	–	9		.500			21	–	14		.600
Northwestern	7	–	11		.389			20	–	14		.588
Michigan	7	–	11		.389			15	–	17		.469
Indiana	4	–	14		.222			10	–	21		.323
Iowa	4	–	14		.222			10	–	22		.313
Penn State	3	–	15		.167			11	–	20		.355
† 2010 Big Ten tournament winner As of April 3, 2010 Rankings from AP Poll

On March 14, 2010, the Ohio State Buckeyes won the Big Ten tournament for the first time since 2007, defeating the Minnesota Golden Gophers 90–61. The Buckeyes now have three Big Ten tournament Championships (2002, 2007, 2010), the most of any team in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes also made the 2010 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, making it for the second consecutive year and four out of the six years Thad Matta has been head coach. They were a 2 seed in the Midwest Region. Ohio State ended the 2009–10 season with a loss to 6 seed and AP #15 Tennessee Volunteers in the Sweet Sixteen. Their final record was 29–8.

Roster

Evan Turner set new Big Ten records for number of career and single season Player of the Week awards during the 2009–10 Big Ten Conference men's basketball season.

No.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Position	Yr.	Hometown
2	Simmons, Jeremie	6' 3"	190	Guard	Senior	Indianapolis, IN
4	Hill, P.J.	6' 1"	165	Guard	Senior	Minneapolis, MN
10	Days, Eddie	6' 0"	180	Guard	Junior	Richmond Heights, OH
12	Reynolds, Dustin	6' 6"	215	Forward	Junior	Portage, OH
13	Peters, Danny	6' 2"	180	Guard	Senior	New Albany, OH
15	Madsen, Kyle	6' 9"	240	Center	Senior	Dublin, OH
21	Turner, Evan	6' 7"	205	Guard/Forward	Junior	Chicago, IL
23	Lighty, David	6' 5"	220	Guard/Forward	Junior	Cleveland, OH
24	Kecman, Nikola	6' 8"	220	Forward	Sophomore	Belgrade, Serbia
33	Diebler, Jon	6' 6"	205	Guard	Junior	Upper Sandusky, OH
34	Titus, Mark	6' 4"	210	Guard	Senior	Brownsburg, IN
44	Buford, William	6' 5"	190	Guard	Sophomore	Toledo, OH
45	Sarikopoulos, Zisis	7' 0"	265	Center	Sophomore	Athens, Greece
52	Lauderdale, Dallas	6' 8"	255	Forward	Junior	Solon, OH

Source^[1]

2010 Recruiting Class

College recruiting information

Name	Hometown	School	Height	Weight	Commit date
Aaron Craft PG	Findlay, Ohio	Liberty Benton	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	172 lb (78 kg)	Jun 7, 2009
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    (92)
Jordan Sibert SG	Cincinnati, Ohio	Princeton	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Sep 20, 2008
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    (93)
Lenzelle Smith SF	Zion, Illinois	Zion Benton	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Sep 22, 2008
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    (94)
Jared Sullinger C	Columbus, Ohio	Northland	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	260 lb (120 kg)	May 10, 2007
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    (98)
Deshaun Thomas PF	Fort Wayne, Indiana	Bishop Luers	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	208 lb (94 kg)	Jun 1, 2007
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    (96)
J.D. Weatherspoon PF	Columbus, Ohio	Northland	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Aug 11, 2009
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    (91)
Overall recruit ranking:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, 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: "2010 Team Ranking". Rivals. Retrieved March 21, 2010.

2009–10 Schedule

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	Site (attendance) city, state
Regular Season
November 9* 7:00 p.m., BTN	No. 16	Alcorn State 2K Sports Classic Coaches vs. Cancer	W 100–60	1–0	Value City Arena (11,015) Columbus, OH
November 12* 7:00 p.m., BTN	No. 16	James Madison 2K Sports Classic Coaches vs. Cancer	W 72–44	2–0	Value City Arena (11,356) Columbus, OH
November 19* 9:30 p.m., ESPN2	No. 15	vs. No. 6 North Carolina 2K Sports Classic Coaches vs. Cancer	L 73–77	2–1	Madison Square Garden (15,635) New York, NY
November 20* 5:00 p.m., ESPN2	No. 15	vs. No. 13 California 2K Sports Classic Coaches vs. Cancer	W 76–70	3–1	Madison Square Garden (15,552) New York, NY
November 24* 7:00 p.m., BTN	No. 17	Lipscomb	W 84–64	4–1	Value City Arena (11,555) Columbus, OH
November 28* 5:30 p.m., BTN	No. 17	St. Francis (PA)	W 110–47	5–1	Value City Arena (12,063) Columbus, OH
December 2* 9:30 p.m., ESPN2	No. 15	No. 21 Florida State ACC – Big Ten Challenge	W 77–64	6–1	Value City Arena (13,514) Columbus, OH
December 5* 12:00 p.m., ESPNU	No. 15	Eastern Michigan	W 111–60	7–1	Value City Arena (12,135) Columbus, OH
December 12* 12:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 13	at No. 22 Butler	L 66–74	7–2	Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,338) Indianapolis, IN
December 16* 7:00 p.m., BTN	No. 18	Presbyterian	W 78–48	8–2	Value City Arena (11,984) Columbus, OH
December 19* 4:00 p.m., ESPNU	No. 18	Delaware State	W 60–44	9–2	Value City Arena (12,159) Columbus, OH
December 22* 8:30 p.m., BTN	No. 17	Cleveland State	W 72–59	10–2	Value City Arena (13,462) Columbus, OH
December 31 2:00 p.m., ESPN2	No. 15	at No. 23 Wisconsin	L 43–65	10–3 (0–1)	Kohl Center (17,230) Madison, WI
January 3 4:30 p.m., BTN	No. 15	at Michigan	L 64–73	10–4 (0–2)	Crisler Arena (13,751) Ann Arbor, MI
January 6 8:30 p.m., BTN		Indiana	W 79–54	11–4 (1–2)	Value City Arena (13,712) Columbus, OH
January 9 3:30 p.m., BTN		at Minnesota	L 62-73	11–5 (1–3)	Williams Arena (14,625) Minneapolis, MN
January 12 7:00 p.m., ESPN		at No. 6 Purdue	W 70–66	12–5 (2–3)	Mackey Arena (14,123) West Lafayette, IN
January 16 8:00 p.m., BTN		No. 13 Wisconsin	W 60–51	13–5 (3–3)	Value City Arena (18,402) Columbus, OH
January 19 7:00 p.m., BTN	No. 21	Northwestern	W 76–56	14–5 (4–3)	Value City Arena (13,324) Columbus, OH
January 23* 2:00 p.m., CBS	No. 21	at No. 11 West Virginia	L 65-71	14–6 (4–3)	WVU Coliseum (15,033) Morgantown, WV
January 27 8:30 p.m., BTN	No. 20	at Iowa	W 65–57	15–6 (5–3)	Carver-Hawkeye Arena (12,132) Iowa City, IA
January 31 1:00 p.m., CBS	No. 20	Minnesota	W 85–63	16–6 (6–3)	Value City Arena (17,125) Columbus, OH
February 3 6:30 p.m., BTN	No. 13	Penn State	W 75–62	17–6 (7–3)	Value City Arena (14,148) Columbus, OH
February 7 12:00 p.m., BTN	No. 13	Iowa	W 68–58	18–6 (8–3)	Value City Arena (15,223) Columbus, OH
February 10 6:30 p.m., BTN	No. 13	at Indiana	W 69–52	19–6 (9–3)	Assembly Hall (16,442) Bloomington, IN
February 14 1:00 p.m., CBS	No. 13	at Illinois	W 72–53	20–6 (10–3)	Assembly Hall (16,618) Champaign, IL
February 17 6:30 p.m., BTN	No. 9	No. 4 Purdue	L 57-60	20–7 (10–4)	Value City Arena (19,049) Columbus, OH
February 21 12:00 p.m., CBS	No. 9	at No. 11 Michigan State	W 74–67	21–7 (11–4)	Breslin Center (14,759) East Lansing, MI
February 24 6:30 p.m., BTN	No. 9	at Penn State	W 75–67	22–7 (12–4)	Bryce Jordan Center (8,721) University Park, PA
February 27 12:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 9	Michigan	W 66–55	23–7 (13–4)	Value City Arena (18,862) Columbus, OH
March 2 9:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 5	Illinois	W 73–57	24–7 (14–4)	Value City Arena (16,177) Columbus, OH
Big Ten tournament
March 12 12:00 p.m., ESPN	(1) No. 5	vs. (8) Michigan Quarterfinals	W 69–68	25–7	Conseco Fieldhouse (16,207) Indianapolis, IN
March 13 1:40 p.m., CBS	(1) No. 5	vs. (5) Illinois Semifinals	W 88–81 2OT	26–7	Conseco Fieldhouse (18,424) Indianapolis, IN
March 14 3:30 p.m., CBS	(1) No. 5	vs. (6) Minnesota Championship Game	W 90–61	27–7	Conseco Fieldhouse (14,598) Indianapolis, IN
NCAA tournament
March 19 10:06 p.m., CBS	(2 MW) No. 5	vs. (15 MW) UC Santa Barbara First Round	W 68–51	28–7	Bradley Center (17,580) Milwaukee, WI
March 21 2:20 p.m., CBS	(2 MW) No. 5	vs. (10 MW) Georgia Tech Second Round	W 75–66	29–7	Bradley Center (18,031) Milwaukee, WI
March 26 7:07 p.m., CBS	(2 MW) No. 5	vs. (6 MW) No. 15 Tennessee Sweet Sixteen	L 73–76	29–8	Edward Jones Dome (N/A) St. Louis, MO
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll Rank indicates seed in the NCAA tournament. E-East region, W-West region, S-South region, M-Midewest Region. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.

^[2]

Game Notes – NCAA Tournament

First Round: UC Santa Barbara

Teams	1st	2nd	Final
(15) UCSB	17	34	51
(2) OHST	30	38	68

The Buckeyes began the 2010 NCAA Tournament with a first round win over UC Santa Barbara in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The game went back and forth in the early minutes of the first half with Ohio State taking control late. UCSB later came back never being put away by Ohio State, coming within 10 points halfway through the second half. However, Ohio State kept their lead and pulled out a 68–51 win despite Player of the Year nominee Evan Turner only making 2/13 field goals.

Second Round: Georgia Tech

Teams	1st	2nd	Final
(10) GA TECH	26	40	66
(2) OHST	28	47	75

After a commanding win over UCSB in the first round, the Ohio State Buckeyes took on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the second round for a trip to St. Louis and the sweet sixteen. After Georgia Tech started off the game on a 10–2 run, the Buckeyes came back and made a game of it. At the half Ohio State led 28–26 over the Yellow Jackets. The Buckeyes came out shooting after halftime with their biggest lead coming a 14 points. However, Georgia Tech came back in the final three minutes and cut it to a four-point game. With a couple made free-throws and great defensive plays, the Buckeyes punched their ticket to the Sweet Sixteen against Tennessee in St. Louis.

Sweet Sixteen: Tennessee

Teams	1st	2nd	Final
(6) TENN	39	37	76
(2) OHST	42	31	73

The Ohio State Buckeyes made their way to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2007 with a matchup against the Tennessee Volunteers. Ohio State jumped out to an early lead in the game with the score going back and forth throughout the first half. By halftime, the Buckeyes had a 42–39 lead, and kept it in the early parts of the second half. However, towards the end of the second half, Tennessee jumped out to a five-point lead which was eventually tied. Turner and the Buckeyes could not get a game winning shot at the end and lost to Tennessee 76–73.

Rankings

See also: 2009–10 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

Ranking Movement
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. ██ Not ranked the previous week.

Poll	Pre	Wk 1	Wk 2	Wk 3	Wk 4	Wk 5	Wk 6	Wk 7	Wk 8	Wk 9	Wk 10	Wk 11	Wk 12	Wk 13	Wk 14	Wk 15	Wk 16	Wk 17	Wk 18	Final
AP	16	15	17	15	13	18	17	15	NR	NR	21	20	13	13	9	9	6	5	5
Coaches	17	15	18	15	15	18	17	15	NR	NR	25	24	18	16	12	9	7	7	6	11

See also

• 2010 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
• 2009-10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
• List of NCAA Division I institutions
• 2009–10 Ohio State Buckeyes women's basketball team