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We typically spend most of efforts on football here at The Silver Bullet, but basketball is impossible to ignore this time of year. The combination of Championship Week and March Madness simply makes this some of the best few weeks of the year. It always helps when the Buckeyes are playing well, and walk into the Big Ten Tournament with a No. 1 seed. Here is how the schedule looks, starting at 2:30 PM tomorrow:

Thursday, March 11: Opening Round
No. 8 Michigan vs. No. 9 Iowa, 2:30PM (ESPN2)
No. 7 Northwestern vs. No. 10 Indiana, 25 minutes after first game (ESPN2)
No. 6 Minnesota vs. No. 11 Penn State, 7:30PM (Big Ten Network)

Friday, March 12: Second Round
No. 1 Ohio State vs. 8/9 Winner, Noon, (ESPN)
No. 4 Wisconsin vs. No. 5 Illinois, 25 minutes after previous game (ESPN)
No. 2 Purdue vs. 7/0 Winner, 6:30PM, (Big Ten Network)
No. 3 Michigan State vs. 6/11 Winner, 25 minutes after previous game (BTN)

Saturday, March 13: Semifinals
Semifinal 1, 1:40PM (CBS Sports)
Semifinal 2, 25 minutes after previous game (CBS Sports)

Sunday, March 14: Final
Championship Game, 3:30PM (CBS Sports)

Now let's get to the good stuff. It's time for a little father versus son prediction battle, which typically is only seen on this blog during football season. We thought we would bring it out of hibernation for such an occasion as this...
 
 
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Dave Thurman (7:12 pm)

Evan Turner is the newest media darling.  With college basketball's player of the year award all but conceded to him, the only thing that remains for Evan to do is lead the Buckeye roundballers to the Final Four.  

Of course nobody can debate his greatness this season.  Turner has done everything but sell hot dogs at halftime, and I'm surprised the team hasn't asked him to add that to his list of tasks.  While not the best at any single aspect of the game, I'm not sure I ever remember a college player being more versatile.  So ET deserves all the accolades, the magazine covers, and the hardware that is coming his way. No debate here!

But, while we celebrate a special season by an amazing player, let's not forget the incredible coaching job that has quietly taken place on the OSU sideline in 2009-10. With an impressive resume already at his disposal, Matta has taken his x's and o's to another level this year. 

Think about it.  Lacking a solid point guard, a big man who can post up and be a threat to score, or any depth at all, he has once again led the team to a Big Ten title, their third in five years.  Early entries to the NBA draft, transfers, and defections have cost this squad a long list of players that could still have eligibility including Greg Oden, Mike Conley, DaeQuan Cook, Kosta Koufos, B.J. Mullens, Walter Offut, Eric Wallace and Noopie Crater.  Forced to play a somewhat short center (6-8 Dallas Lauderdale) who possesses hands of stone, and a very small power forward (6-5 David Lighty), the team managed to somehow out rebound the opposition.  And often using but six players, and rarely more than seven, the team stayed remarkably fresh and seemed to finish with a flourish.
 
 
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That's right. A picture of Jonathan Newsome. (Photo via daylife.com)
Drew Thurman (12:26 pm)

As the Buckeyes look ahead to a title run in 2010, there don't appear to be many question marks lingering. Outside of the departures of Gibson and Coleman, this year's squad should improve at most positions on the field. What's really scary though, is that the Buckeyes have a young crop of talent ready to make a name for themselves, even at positions of depth (thanks to great '08 and '09 classes).

This creates an interesting dynamic, and a good problem for the staff. It also means as fans, we should get a chance to watch some position battles take place, especially this spring. So let's take a look at a few guys I feel could surprise fans, and find themselves with some serious playing time. Each of these players is a bit under the radar, but they may not be come September.

1) Jonathan Newsome - OLB/DE

Not many fans expected much of Newsome when he signed with the Buckeyes, me included. It appeared Tressel went after a hard working kid from Glenville to keep the pipeline going. Maybe the 101 tackles and 17 sacks he put up as a senior should have clued us in that he had a higher ceiling than we perceived. In fact, he found himself playing in five games as a freshman (three-deep at OLB), and would have played in more without the leg injury he suffered. I look for Newsome to build on that success, and continue to utilize his versatility in the "Leo" role. It's that versatility that will make him stand apart from the pack of talented linebackers and defensive ends, and the reason you should watch his name this spring. He has a great work ethic, and appears to be one of those guys that excels in Tressel's system.
 
 
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Miller finds himself as the No. 1 QB on Scout // Photo via MaxPreps.com
Drew Thurman (7:25 pm)

Ratings...

Looking at the Scout 150 or Rivals 250 over the past few months has been nothing short of disappointing. Not only did the Buckeyes fall short of the top five classes they accumulated in '08 and '09, but the whole state of Ohio wasn't that impressive in the 2010 class.

The 2011 class looks like it will redeem both parties though. The state of Ohio is loaded with talent, and the national recruiting services are taking notice. In the recently released Scout 150, the Buckeye state has 13 guys (up from nine a year ago), and that talent is much higher up on the list. Braxton Miller (QB), Trey DePriest (OLB), and Ryan Kelly (C) all come in at No. 1 at their given positions, while Doran Grant is listed as the No. 2 corner. Believe or not, Glenville product Shane Wynn doesn't even make the list! The Rivals 250 also is a good showing for Ohio boys (and Wynn does get some love from them!)

More importantly for those of us in scarlet and gray, it appears as if the Buckeyes will do a better job of keeping the best players in the state this year. Braxton Miller, Trey DePriest, Doran Grant, Eilar Hardy, and the Glenville crew (Sturdivant, Walker, and Wynn) are all showing major interest. It doesn't hurt that the staff has already locked up defensive ends Ken Hayes and Steve Miller (both guys on Rivals and Scout's lists). One has to wonder if the Rose Bowl victory will leave a larger impression for the guys in '11.
 
 
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It's our tradition here at The Silver Bullet to breakdown the players in each class as things wrap up. Some of you still may be holding your breath for Mr. Henderson, but at this point things seem finalized. So, check out our reviews as we beat the 2010 recruiting horse one last time.
2010 Recruiting Class: Player Breakdowns
 
 
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Baldwin is one of the potential stars of this class. (Via Cleveland.com)
Drew Thurman (2:49 pm)

Yesterday capped off a disappointing month in recruiting for the Buckeyes, with the only positive being the fact that none of the 17 unsigned players backed out. Rather than sit around and complain more about who the Buckeyes didn't get, I want to breakdown the players that the staff did indeed reel in. Obviously, Henderson or Anderson could switch their minds, but at this point it appears that will not happen, so let's go ahead and grade out every position. By the way, I'm not the first to do this (as I found out after writing this), but here is my spin on the class:

Quarterback: Taylor Graham (Possibly Verlon Reed)

The staff made the decision early in the process that they wanted a pro-style quarterback in 2010. I'm not sure why they made that decision, because Tressel has proven he is much better with dual-threat QBs, but they did. They struck out with Nick Montana and Cincinnati product, Andrew Hendrix, and would end up grabbing up Graham. He does have a solid arm and good size, but the injury problems he has struggled with are concerning. I personally wish they would have gone after Devin Gardner or another great athlete here. Honestly, I even think Dominique Brown would have projected as a better quarterback in Tressel's system. Grade: C+

Running Back: Roderick Smith (and technically Carlos Hyde)

I really only count Smith in this class, at least for the grade, because Hyde was recruited in last year's class. Anyways, Smith is a player that should excite everyone in Columbus. At 6-2 220 pounds, he fits the mold of some of the most successful Buckeye runners in Beanie Wells and Eddie George. He joins a stable of runners at Ohio State, which should be the deepest position on the field for Tressel. With that said, I expect him the ascend the ranks very quickly because of the style of running back he is. Grade: A-
 
 
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Dave Thurman (8:54 am)

In the movie Groundhog Day Bill Murray keeps waking up to face the exact same day over and over again in Punxsutawney, Pennslyvania.  According to the calendar Groundhog Day came this Tuesday, February 2nd, but for Buckeye fans it sure seemed like Wednesday's National Signing Day was deja vu all over again.  And, one wonders if it will result in six more years of bad offensive line play!

Three years ago, OSU fans waited with anticipation for the announcements of a number of big time players.  But at the end of the day we struck out with the "Big Three," Ben Martin, Joseph Barksdale and Anthony Davis, along with other possibilities like Josh Brent and Devon Still.  Three years before that (class of '03) the final day 0-fer included Shawn Crable, Turk McBride, and Michael Bush.  When it comes to Signing Day it seems Ohio State can't reel in the big names, but comes in second over and over again.  It's Recruiting Groundhog Day. 

In our disappointment let's not forget about the 18 young men who did sign on the dotted line to don the scarlet and gray. Drew and I will share our comments on each very soon. We celebrate this fine group of players, even as we admit our disappointment at the ones Tressel and crew could not bring in. 

I offer two bits of commentary before moving on:

1) JT simply will not ever prostitute himself to get recruits so this will happen over and over again. 

2) The staff needs to cast a bigger net, especially with lineman, as solid players leave Ohio and succeed elsewhere.

With that said, I'm ready to fast forward and leave Signing Day behind!
 
 
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Drew Thurman (9:37 pm)

National Signing comes Wednesday, and it could be the end of the Buckeye world as we know it. If Seantrel Henderson decides to go elsewhere with his announcement that day, the meltdown in Buckeye Nation will be epic. In fact, I pity anyone who attempts to reason with the prophets of doom that will undoubtedly be taking over the message boards if that announcement doesn't go our way. Don't believe me? Go jump on one of the major message boards now, and you will see fans complaining like....we're Michigan!

Don't get me wrong, I understand the frustration, it has been a very long month. I don't think any of us expected to lose Sharrif Floyd, Latwan Anderson, and Jordan Hicks (to name a few). Now with rumblings that big No. 77 might be leaning elsewhere after supposedly favoring us, it seems like the last straw with the class of 2010. Coming in second for star recruits hurts, and the Buckeyes have done that a lot in this class (and could twice more).
 
 
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'Buckeye fans don't forget McVey's name...' (Photo via ESPN RISE)
Drew Thurman (7:36 pm)

The last two months the Buckeye message boards have been flooded with threads on how the staff could finish 2010 by grabbing the biggest names out there. Guys like Sharrif Floyd, Seantrel Henderson, and Jordan Hicks have grabbed all the attention, but in the process have we overlooked the class that Tressel and company have already assembled? Don't get me wrong, there are a few pieces that still need to be added, but some of the guys currently committed should garner more of our attention. Let's take a look at a few guys I call "The Forgettables."

1) LB Scott McVey -

Fresh off the Hicks to Texas commitment, let me remind you of Mr. Scott McVey. The guy is a hard-nosed Ohio linebacker, and the typical kind of athlete that becomes a big time player for the Buckeyes. For example, go compare McVey to Ross Homan out of high school and you might get goosebumps. Both are tackling machines that have a motor that never stops running. I love what Tim Warsinskey said of McVey. "Ohio State LB recruit forces offenses to change blocking schemes just to slow him down."

The biggest difference I notice that separates them, and others that fit this mold, is that McVey already has speed coming out. Not only is he listed at a 4.5 forty, but his play backs it up. Go check out McVey chasing after Latwan Anderson on the first play of this film. Latwan is a 4.3/4.4 guy, and McVey is holding his own behind him. Honestly, without injuries during his senior season, McVey is a much bigger name! All in all, Buckeye fans don't forget McVey's name. Players out of his mold get overlooked by the Hicks' of the world every year, yet I am sure none of us would trade Wilhelm, Hawk, Laurinaitis, or Homan.     
 
 
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Dave Thurman (1:04 pm)

With recruiting in the home stretch and Buckeye fans understandably anxious, I have devised a foolproof strategy for JT and the staff.  Here is what they need to say and do in regard to the players left on the board:

Morgan Moses - Simple.  Tress just needs to tell Morgan that he was in his backyard in Columbus when one of his bushes caught on fire but didn't burn up.  Then a voice from heaven said, "Moses must come to Ohio State.  Tell him the Lord wants him in scarlet and gray."  How could the young man possibly turn down a call from above?

Seantrel Henderson - Send Orlando Pace to visit him, carrying a #75 jersey with Henderson's name stitched on it.  Tell him that after his brilliant college career that number will be retired in honor of the two greatest players to ever wear it at Ohio State.

Matt James - This one is tougher, but I think the key is sending him a little chart that compares the records of Ohio State and Notre Dame since 2000, side by side.  Indicate bowl destinations each year as well with a reminder, "Do you want to spend January in South Bend or out west in Arizona or California?" That might work.