The 2011-2012 All McDonalds-American Team

No, you didn't misread that.

"All McDonald's-American Team".

America is consistently rated as amongst the most obese nations in the world (#9 in 2011, 74.1% overweight or obese).

Listen, there isn't anything wrong with being big. Don't tell me you don't secretly yearn to eat a Five Guys burger at least once a week. But alas, most normal human beings are either too self-conscious or are into staying fit and healthy all the time.

For the "All McDonald's Americans", laying off an extra helping of pie is never an option. But for many of them, working out and getting in shape has always seem liked one. Offensive lineman can get away with being well-over 300lbs because, well, they don't have to run the floor and finish transition plays. Unfortunately for the hippos of the hardwood, endurance and stamina are an important part of the game, and hauling 300lbs of body mass up and down the court can take it's toll.

You probably know some of them, but not all of them, which is why we are here. To provide you the list of the fattest fatties and the biggest bigs in college basketball this season.

This list wouldn't have been possible without the creative idea-making of Eric Angevine from Storming the Floor, who once again, beat me to the idea-punch by about two years.

After the jump, you'll get a chance to get-to-know the elite class of 2011-2012 rotund roundballers.

Renardo Sidney - 280lbs, 6'10, Mississippi State

What is there to say about Renardo Sidney that hasn't already been said? He's the most troubled, ill-mannered, and unguided big-man in the history of big-men. Essentially, he is the Oliver Miller of our generation .

We all know Sidney's story, Never attended USC, sat out a year at MSU, got into a fight with a teammate a week after getting suspended from practice. He didn't even go to Europe with the team this off-season and stayed in Houston to train with John Lucas.

In Mississippi State's first four games he spent the majority of crunch time on the bench due to lack of stamina and effort. Sidney will continue to be handed second chances because his talent potential could be through the roof. But having showed little to no effort towards getting in shape, Sidney will continued to be looked at as a bust. A massive bust. He's such a big bust that he has his own de-motivational poster

Josh Smith - 305lbs - 6'10, Soph., UCLA

Josh Smith is the quintessential "Burger King". He's the "Renardo Sidney of the West Coast". The UCLA big-man is about as big as somebody his size can get while still being a functioning member of society. He is so large that whatever size uniform he wears still seems like it's two sizes too small.

But what makes him special is that he refuses to get in better shape or work on his endurance. His talent potential is so high, yet he has no desire whatsoever to go on a diet get better.

Smith averages just under 20-mpg, yet scores roughly 10-ppg. Imagine what he could do if he could play a full game.

Smith may have not been involved in the "food poisoning" incident involving Tyler Lamb, Anthony Stover and some late-night chili fries, but I'd be safe to assume that Josh is probably a regular at the Fat Sal's in Westwood.

Davante Gardner - 290lbs, 6'9, Soph., Marquette

Davante Gardner is a big boy. His vitals might not indicate it, but he's one of the biggest players in Division-I. Reports out of Milwaukee are that he has slimmed down since last year, and has put in some off-season work towards getting in shape.

Last year he showed that he can be a dominant force on the low block. He just has to be fit enough to play more minutes. Last season he played more than 15 minutes just four times. So far this season, he has registered at least 15 minutes in three of five games. By the end of the season, Gardner may be one of the most-improved wide-loads in the country.

Andre Almeida - 310lbs, 6'10, Sr., Nebraska

The Sao Paolo-native is the the most "under-the-radar" big-man in the country. It's not because he's got supreme talent, but rather because he's just so damn big.

If he played for any true basketball school, his size and stature on campus would be of legendary status. But at Nebraska, he looks like any other ordinary 315lb offensive lineman.

But make no mistake, this behemoth can ball. He scored ten key points in the Cornhusker's upset-win over Texas last season, and even drew the attention of ESPN's Scott Van Pelt.

You can call him "Size", "El Blanco Gigante" or even "Bobo Brazil", but just remember this: That dude is HUGE.

Joe Burton - 280lbs, 6'7, Jr., Oregon State

Joe Burton holds the distinction of being the largest college basketball player of Native American decent. In fact, he may be one of the biggest Native Americans ever.

At 280lbs, the big-man has slimmed down from the 290lb-frame he carried around while playing basketball and volleyball in high school.

Burton may be the smallest guy on the First Team, but he's also the shortest, which makes his center of gravity just as massive as Josh Smith's.

In fact, when UCLA and Oregon State go at it during Pac-12 conference play, everyone else should get out of the way. Nearly 600lbs of body mass is going to be battling on the low block.

Reggie Johnson - 305lbs, 6'10, Jr., Miami

If it had not been for a knee injury late in the summer that set him back 5-6 months, Big Slim right here would have been a sure-fire first teamer. He's just so damn big.

Seriously, I'm at a loss for words as to how big he is. He's huge. Wide. Tall, big, massive. All of that. Plus, he's got some serious skills. His level for potential is as high as Sidney's and Smith's.

This would have been a big year for Johnson (pun definitely intended). He was working hard in the off-season, even shed some weight. But a productive junior year could have definitely improved his draft status, which was already trending upwards.

It will be interesting to see if being on the shelf for five months impacted his physique. It probably did. That's a scary thought, because he's freakishly-large already.

Derrick Nix - 270lbs - 6'9, Soph., Michigan State

We've written about this big-man before. Two years ago he entered East Lansing closing in on 300lbs.

Since then he's put the work in and lost a ton of weight. At the beginning of the preseason he checked in at 267lbs and had added a significant amount of muscle.

The big-man still needs to work on his agility and lateral movement, but an athletic Derrick Nix will be a useful weapon for the Spartans this year.

We all should be fans of Nix. I know I could benefit from shedding some extra mass, and you probably could too.

Jared Sullinger - 280lbs, 6'9, Soph., Ohio State

Sully is the superstar of this group. He uses his size masterfully and is arguably the most dominant low-post player in the country.

His merciless rebounds skills were made possibly by his giant legs and massive backside. There are not many players in the country with better pure rebounding skills thatn Sullinger.

Sully could have been a lottery pick, but decided to stay and school. He spent much of the off-season losing weight and adding muscle.

He might not be the wide-load he was last season, but he's still a big dude.



Honorable Mention

Matt Stainbrook - 290lbs, 6'9, Soph, Western Michigan
Matt Balkema - 285lbs, 6'10, Jr., Eastern Michigan
Rayshawn Goins - 279lbs, 6'6, Jr., James Madison
Chad Lang - 275lbs, 6'11, Fr., Belmont
Barry Honore - 270lbs, 6'7, Sr., Oklahoma
Daryl McCoy - 270lbs, 6'9, Jr., Drexel
Marvin Williams - 270lbs, 6'8, Fr., Lipscomb
Derrick Williams - 270lbs, 6'6, Fr., Richmond
Steve Moore - 267lbs, 6'9, Sr., Missouri
Devon Long - 260lbs, 6'7, Fr., Cleveland State Continue reading...

The recipient of Jared Sullinger's postseason rage: a friend's door?

This post can also be found at Beyond the Arc.

Ohio State's season ended in disappointing fashion in 2011, as they watch Brandon Knight hit his second game-winner of the NCAA Tournament to send the Wildcats on to the Elite 8 and, eventually, the Final Four with a 62-60 win.

Sullinger -- who had 21 points and 16 boards but also committed four turnovers and allowed Josh Harrellson to go for 17 points and 10 boards, a performance that may have earned him a spot in the second round of the NBA Draft -- took the loss particularly hard. The story, as we had originally heard it, was that Sullinger's decision to immediately announce he was returning to school was a result of that loss. In order to avoid the potential to be labeled "out of condition" next season, Sullinger dedicated himself to losing some weight during the offseason.

He cut out fried foods and reduced his portion sizes. He spent time on the treadmill and doing conditioning workouts. He wanted to make sure that his conditioning could not be used as an excuse if his team fails to realize their goal of winning a national title this season.

And it worked. Sullinger cut the excess baby fat, streamlined his body and sent the blog world -- and The Lantern's personals section -- into a tizzy as he tweeted out pictures of his progress during the summer. Sullinger made himself a new body.

It wasn't the only new item that was required after the Buckeye's loss to Kentucky, however:

After the loss to Kentucky, Sullinger let loose. "A couple broken walls," he told the Columbus Dispatch the next month. "A couple broken doors. But it's all good. I put it all behind me."

He wasn't joking. He really broke a friend's door.

"I was just frustrated," he says. "That's how I handle my frustration, just by being really aggressive. It was great therapy because as soon as I did that, I kind of snapped back and forgot about it."

Can you imagine being the guy that had his door knocked down by Sullinger? One minute you're trying to procrastinate and put off writing a paper by reading Ballin' is a Habit and the next you have a slightly insane, 280 lb grizzly bear breaking down your door. That's the way I see it in my head, anyway.

Regardless of how it actually played out, the bottom line is that Sullinger is in terrific shape. He still has that monstrous frame and enormous hindquarters, but without those 20 pounds of baby fat, Sullinger is going to be quicker up and down the court and more explosive finishing around the rim.

Good luck, B1G.
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Don't understate what Ohio State lost in Jon Diebler and David Lighty

Its amazing when you think about it.

Ohio State, the team that many believed to be the best in the country for much of last season, returns their slimmed-down all-american center in Jared Sullinger, an underrated sophomore point guard poised for a big season in Aaron Craft, and a senior in William Buford that is an 18 ppg season away from becoming the program's all-time leading scorer. Throw in productive sophomore DeShaun Thomas and a loaded recruiting class, and you would think this team had national title favorite written all over it.

But they don't.

In fact, they barely have hype heading into the season, but that's what will happen North Carolina returns their entire team, Kentucky once again reloads on the recruiting trail, and UConn restocks their shelves in late August with the best high school big man in the country.


Its astonishing, really. Ohio State lost three games last season. One was on the road at Wisconsin, where no one wins. Another was on the road at Purdue, where, well, ditto. The third was in the Sweet 16, where Kentucky needed a horrific night from Buford and a last-second shot from Brandon Knight to advance. And no one is talking about them.

"We won 34 games, were the No. 1 overall seed, and we had the No. 51 player drafted in the NBA, and that was it," Ohio State coach Thad Matta told ESPN's Andy Katz in a column Katz posted on this subject yesterday.

Quantitatively, Matta is right. They bring back sophomores -- and rising stars, arguably two of the best at their position in the country -- at the two most important positions on the floor, point guard and center. They have a potent scorer on the wing and they have plenty of young talent to fill in the gaps and the minutes that are left over.

But by referring to the graduation of David Lighty and Jon Diebler as losing nothing more than "the No. 51 player drafted", Matta is doing an incredible disservice to what those two seniors provided the Buckeyes. Their value to that team goes well beyond the numbers that showed up next to their names in the box score. (Those numbers weren't insignificant, either -- 24.7 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 5.7 apg and 165 threes on 47.7% shooting from deep.)

"The intangibles will be missed, and those two were phenomenal practice players," Matta told Katz. "They brought energy every single day. They were upbeat and always smiling and always wanting to give more."

Leadership is immeasurable, and there's no doubt that the leadership those two provided the Buckeyes last season made a difference on their record. But both Diebler's and Lighty's contributions go beyond the intangibles.

Its hard to put into words just how good of a shooting performance Diebler had as a senior. He was the most efficient player in the country last season by a wide margin, which is a large reason he was tops amongst wing players in terms of value added despite using less than 1/7th of his team's possessions. He shot 50.2% from beyond the arc while taking more than six attempts per game. That's an unreal number.

What Thad Matta would do is use Diebler as Sullinger's primary post-feeder. This put defenses in the unenviable position of having to double off of Diebler on the wing, sending a double team from Craft/Buford/Lighty (37.7%/44.2%/42.9% from three, respectively) at the top of the key, or try to double team with the other big man, which leaves a wide open post player on the opposite block. Diebler's ability to feed the post and bury open threes made him the definition of a floor-spreader. He was a huge reason that Sullinger was able to get opportunities to operate one-on-one in the post. (See the image below, where Luke Winn broke down Ohio State's standard offensive set last season.)


Lighty's value was in his versatility. There wasn't anything on a basketball court that he couldn't do. For starters, he was a terrific defender, capable of guarding any position one through four, and a good enough rebounder that Ohio State could afford to play with four guards around Sullinger. Offensively, he was a good enough shooter that you couldn't leave him open, an explosive enough penetrator that you couldn't play up on him, and unselfish and skilled enough to make the right pass when he drew an extra defender.

You will find little argument that Lighty and Diebler were role players throughout their careers. But as seniors, both players were the best in the country at playing their role; Diebler the best spot-up shooter and Lighty the best glue-guy. Throw in the fact that both were perfectly happy to play within their role on the team, and Matta had the best of both worlds -- seniors that were talented enough to be stars at many other schools across the country, but that wanted to win badly enough that they would play a complimentary role to a freshman.

That is what made Ohio State such a good team in 2010-2011. Talented and experienced role plays that understood and perfected their role in maximizing the talents of an all-american center.

So while Diebler and Lighty will leave Ohio State as nothing more than "the No. 51 player drafted", the void they leave in the Ohio State lineup will be very, very difficult to fill.

I'm not saying the Buckeyes won't be the favorite in the Big Ten or a national title contender.

I'm just saying there is a valid reason why they aren't being talked about in the same sentence as Kentucky, North Carolina, and now UConn.
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Hoops Housekeeping: Jordan Taylor won't play for Team USA

Jordan Taylor isn't a flashy point guard. He's isn't a guy that's going to throw gorgeous no look passes or beat two defenders off the dribble and dunk in traffic.

That said, you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone that truly understands college hoops and tempo-free stats that would disagree with me when I said that Jordan Taylor is the most valuable -- if not the best -- point guard in the game.

Taylor, however, won't be joining Team USA at the World University Games. The rising-Wisconsin senior will be undergoing minor ankle surgery this week, which means that he had to withdraw from the tryouts.


"It's the appropriate decision," Taylor said in a statement. "While it's hard to pass up an opportunity to play for your country, I had to do what's best for my team, the Wisconsin Badgers. That's the reality of it."

"I really wanted to play for USA Basketball; there's no greater honor than that. It's definitely a bummer. But I have to get ready for our season and by having the surgery now it will give me a chance to get completely healthy. We have a lot of goals for our team this year. [...] My teammates are here at Wisconsin – these are my teammates for the entirety – it's my family. I definitely owe it to them to be healthy going into my final year."

Taylor should be healthy by the time the season starts.


Maurice Harkless will be eligible for St. John's: Its official. Incoming freshman More Harkless will be allowed to play for Steve Lavin and the Johnnies this season.

"We are pleased that late Thursday, the NCAA informed us they have concluded their review of incoming men's basketball student-athlete Maurice Harkless," read a statement released by St. John's. "Harkless will now be a part of the incoming 2011 class that will begin school in the fall semester. We have been working in collaboration with the Big East conference and the NCAA's basketball focus group throughout the review process."

There was concern over his eligibility because Moe Hicks, who is currently an assistant with the program, was an administrator for the NY Gauchos, a team that Harkless played a couple of AAU tournaments with.


Jared Sullinger ... yoked up: Remember how Jared Sullinger was losing weight?


Good luck to the rest of the Big Ten. (photo via Mike DeCourcy)


John Hart out three months: Purdue reserve guard John Hart may be out as long as 16 weeks as he recovers from surgery to repair a stress fracture in his right foot. Hart averaged 3.8 ppg for the Boilermakers last season.


Drake loses their center to shoulder surgery: Seth VanDeest, a center for Drake that averaged 8.8 ppg and 4.3 rpg last season, could miss the start of next season. VanDeest tore the labrum in his right shoulder and underwent surgery last week. Its expected to take six months to recover. Drake plays Mississippi State on November 18th in the Paradise Jam.
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Jared Sullinger's been hitting the gym

The knock on Jared Sullinger -- if you can say he has a knock -- is that the big man listed at 6'9", 280 lb was, well, too big.

While his ample backside is a major reason what he is so effective at establishing position in the paint, and by all indications his footwork and quickness on the block haven't been hindered by his girth, the extra poundage that Sullinger carries around certainly affects his ability and potential. Put on a 20 pound weight vest and see if you can run as fast or jump as high.

But, you see, Sullinger is a smart kid that comes from a basketball family with a basketball coach of a dad. He knows that shedding some of that baby fat will make him a better player, and he's put in the work this summer to do so. From the Cleveland Plain-Dealer:

He has a waist now, and appears to have lost so much weight one has to wonder if the loss of his formally wide axis on the block will now make him a less lethal post player. The Buckeyes sophomore was listed at 6-10, 281 pounds, but he looked possibly 30 pounds lighter than that, and moved like it, too.

Yet Sullinger said the moves were real, but the weight loss was only a mirage.

"I weigh 275," he said. "I've lost 10 to 15 pounds since the end of the season. I want to get down to 255-260 and stay there."

[...]

"I did the boxing spring quarter against the [heavy] bag. I did boxing, kicks, punches. I would do jabs with each arm, a minute straight; hooks each arm a minute straight, and body blows, left-right-left, a minute straight," he said. "With all the running we do, the strength and conditioning we do, all the open gyms we have, it's only a matter of time before the weight starts to fall off."

Sullinger is never going to play like a Dwight Howard or Amare Stoudamire. He isn't going to be effective because of his speed and athleticism and leaping ability. He's always going to be limited athletically.

But that doesn't mean he can't be an effective NBA player and a future all-star. Look at Kevin Love and Paul Millsap. They've become above-average power forwards in the NBA by using their strength, smarts, and rear end to carve out space in the paint.

That doesn't mean that getting into shape is a bad thing. It means he'll be able to run up and down the court for 35 mpg instead of 32. It means he'll be able to get that much higher on his jump hook. It means his spin move on the block will be that much quicker.

Considering that Sullinger averaged 17.2 ppg and 10.2 rpg as a freshman, that's a scary thought for Big Ten opponents.
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Jared Sullinger and why you should answer early entry questions with 'no comment'

The news that made the rounds after Kentucky's enthralling, 62-60 win over Ohio State on Friday night was that Jared Sullinger, the Buckeye's talented freshman center, announced that he would be returning for his sophomore season.

From Matt Norlander over at CBS:

"I'm gonna be here, gonna be at Ohio State next year," Sullinger said when asked about his future. He further explained: "I don't like the look in peoples' eyes (right now) and I don't like the taste we have of losing. I don't appreciate losing. If I made a decision about (leaving) next year, it would be off a win, not a loss."

When asked if this was an emotional, in-the-moment decision, and if there were any possibility he would change his mind in the coming weeks, Sullinger said, "I'm a man of my word. That's period, point blank. I'm coming back."

Sullinger didn't tell his teammates about his choice prior to Friday's game against the Wildcats. According to the freshman, he mulled the scenario earlier in the day.

"I made this decision today, and I'm a man of my word," he said. "I don't go against my word. If I tell somebody I'm going to do something, I'm going to do it."

It bothers me that 18 year olds are asked these questions at such an emotional time, but I understand their need. The media has a job to do, and they are doing it.

But if I am a head coach, I train my players -- no, I require them -- to answer any and all early entry questions with "I haven't thought about it yet." I'm not saying that because I believe that the media or the general public should be misled.

I'm saying that because, far too often, they are misled.

What Jared Sullinger did by answering that line of questioning in such matter-of-fact manner is paint himself into a corner. If he eventually decides to leave, he looks like a hypocrite. He looks like a liar. He looks like someone who let the allure of money get the best of him.

If he decides to come back to school because he is a "man of his word", he, very likely, will be making that decision not because it is the best decision for him and for his future, but because it is what he said he would do.

And if a player ever said "I'm gone" after a season-ending NCAA Tournament loss, he'd get crushed by the fans.

No good can come out of answering the early entry question early.

That's why, if I was a coach, I would tell every single one of my players to answer the question with a simple "I haven't thought about it."

Sometimes, no comment is the best comment.
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Conference Play Primer: The Big Ten

Favorite: Ohio State

The favorite in the Big Ten is pretty easy to identify right now. Ohio State is playing as well as anyone in the country -- in fact, they overtook Duke as the No. 1 team in Kenpom's rankings. Offensively, this group is terrific. Their offense is based around the play of Jared Sullinger, the freshman big man that is on the short list for first team all-american. He's a bully on the block that plays with the strength and the savvy of a veteran. Its not just Sullinger, however. David Lighty, William Buford, and Jon Diebler are all capable of going off for 25 points if the situation calls for it. Dallas Lauderdale blocks shots, Aaron Craft has proven to be a solid point guard as a freshman, and DeShaun Thomas is instant offense coming off of the bench. The thing that is so impressive about this team, however, is that every player understands and has bought into their role. The Buckeyes are going to be a tough team to beat.


Player of the Year: Jared Sullinger, Ohio State

The a Player of the Year thus far is probably Sullinger, but seeing as I just talked about the Buckeyes, let's mix it up a bit, eh? Northwestern's John Shurna has been terrific this season. He's averaging 23.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, and 3.4 apg. (Those numbers would be better if he didn't miss half of Northwestern's last game against Mt. St. Mary's with an ankle injury.) He's shooting 61.1% from the field and an absurd 62.3% from three, taking more than five per game. He's a huge reason that the Wildcats have gotten off to this 9-1 start. The problem? Northwestern still hasn't beaten anybody. This is a program that has never made the NCAA Tournament, and with guys like Michael Thompson and Drew Crawford around Shurna, this may be the year. We will get a real feel for the legitness (I know that's not a word, but it should be) of Northwestern after their first three Big Ten games -- at Purdue, home for Michigan State, at Illinois.

All-Conference Team:

• G: Demetri McCamey, Illinois: 15.7 ppg, 7.5 apg, 49.2% 3PT
  
• G: E'Twaun Moore, Purdue: 19.4 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.8 spg
  
• F: Jon Leuer, Wisconsin: 19.8 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 50% 3PT, 1.8 bpg
  
• F: John Shurna, Northwestern: 23.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.4 apg
  
• C: JaJuan Johnson, Purdue: 19.8 ppg, 7.9 rpg
  

Biggest Surprise: Minnesota Golden Gophers

Minnesota had a bit of hype coming into the season, but not enough to warrant much consideration nationally for the top 25. Boy, did we miss on that. The Gophers blew through the Puerto Rico Tip-Off and, at one point in the season, climbed all the way into the top ten. The biggest reason has been the addition of Trevor Mbakwe, a strong, athletic power forward that is a perfect complement to Ralph Sampson and Colton Iverson, as he is averaging 13.3 ppg and 9.8 rpg on the season. Minnesota hit a rough patch in December, dropping a home game to Virginia, as they dealt with their starting point guard Al Nolen, their best perimeter defender and distributor, sitting out. With Nolen in the lineup, and guys like Blake Hoffarber and Rodney Williams having good seasons on the wing, this team can compete with anyone in the conference.


Biggest Disappointment: Michigan State Spartans

The Spartans are currently 8-4 on the season. Not a great start, especially by a team that was considered Duke's biggest challenger in the preseason. MSU has a bad habit of starting a season out slowly, and all of their four losses have come to teams currently ranked in the top 13 nationally. The bigger issue, however, is how the Spartans have looked in those losses. They are not playing like typical Tom Izzo clubs. Their defense is not where it needs to be and they aren't competing on the glass like we've come to expect out of Sparty. I have complete faith that Izzo will turn this thing around. There is just too much talent on that roster not too.

Teams to keep an eye on:

• Illinois: There is talent up and down this lineup, led by Demetri McCamey, who is arguably the best back court player in this league. But Illinois has been, well, Illinois -- they settle for too many jumpers and are too soft on the interior.
• Wisconsin: Jon Leuer has been unbelievable early in the season, Jordan Taylor's filled Trevon Hughes' shoes, and Bo Ryan is still coaching this team. The Badgers will always be in the discussion with him at the helm.
• Purdue: The Boilermakers have arguably the best 1-2 punch in the conference in JaJuan Johnson and E'Twaun Moore. They defend as well as anyone in the country. If they continue to get solid performances out of their role players, this team will make a lot of noise this winter.

Teams to forget about:

• Indiana: Tom Crean has been cleaning up on the recruiting trail, landing seemingly every high-major talent in the state of Indiana. The problem with that? He is getting commitments from kids in the class of 2014, while his team is losing games at home to Penn State this season. Cean needs results, not recruits.
• Penn State: I love Talor Battle. Jeff Brooks has been good this season as well. But a team that can lose at home to Maine is not a team that can compete with the big dogs in the Big Ten.
• Michigan: John Beilein always has teams that are difficult to play against because of the system that he runs. The problem is that this season, he just doesn't have the talent level to be effective with that system. To make matters worse, his best player -- Darius Morris -- was benched at the start of Tuesday's game against Purdue.
  

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Jared Sullinger drops 40 with a heavy heart

For the second night in a row, we got to experience a collegiate hooper performing valiantly in the face of devastating circumstances.

Wednesday night, it was Missouri's Marcus Denmon, who exploded for 19 of his 21 points after halftime (including the game-winner), playing just 36 hours after losing his cousin to senseless violence.

Thursday night, it was Jared Sullinger's turn.


Certainly by now you have heard about Sully's 40-point, 13-rebound night against IUPUI. The 6'9" Columbus native led the Buckeyes back from a 50-41 deficit with just 12:43 left on the clock. That's when the big fella took over, scoring 22 points in Ohio State's 34-14 surge to close out the game.

All told, Sullinger finished 12-17 from the floor. The most impressive stat? Ohio State was 18-26 from the charity stripe. Sullinger was 16-23.

It was truly an impressive performance made all the more amazing when you take into account that just hours before tip-off, Sullinger skipped the team's shootaround to go to a viewing for his uncle Harold "Briefcase" Sullinger, who passed away after a heart attack.

"I got to see my uncle for the last time," Jared would say about Harold after the game. "It was really tough. This game really does go to him."

He also credited his uncle with pushing him, saying that Briefcase even yelled at him after a recent game when he finished with just three rebounds.

You have to feel for both of these young men. Losing someone you love is not an easy thing to handle.

But at the same time, credit them with these performances.

What they were able to accomplish in the face of such grief truly is incredible.
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