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Thad Matta saved Ohio State star’s career after a DUI arrest

Published

2 hours ago

March 16, 2026

Thad Matta saved Ohio State star’s career after a DUI arrest

Former Ohio State men’s basketball player J.J. Sullinger paid tribute to former Buckeyes coach Thad Matta’s retirement by revealing that Matta once saved his career.

On March 16, Sullinger took to social media and said that former Ohio State athletic director Andy Geiger wanted him removed from the team before the 2004-05 season.

“When Coach [Thad] Matta was hired … Andy Geiger told him to get rid of me if he ever wanted to be successful… (Said I was a cancer),” Sullinger wrote in an X post.

Sullinger wrote that on Sept. 4, 2004, he was pulled over for suspected driving under the influence. According to Sullinger, he was brought to jail and called Matta around 2:30 a.m. to let him know about the situation. It was the same day that Matta was to be introduced as the new Ohio State coach during the home-opening football game.

“I just knew my career at OSU was over. … We set a meeting for early that next week, Sullinger wrote on the X thread.

Sullinger said he learned about Geiger’s comments “and a bunch of other things” at the meeting with Matta. Instead of removing Sullinger from the team, Matta had three requirements for Sullinger: complete a drug/alcohol abuse program regardless of how he felt; write a handwritten apology to everyone affiliated with the program (including former players); and run five miles a day, five days a week without missing other workouts.

“Needless to say, I completed all 3 things. … Wrote over 350 hand-written apologies, and was in the best shape of my life for my Junior Season,” Sullinger wrote. “Coach [Matta] could have easily gave up on me, but he didn’t and is a big reason I’m where I’m at today!!”

“This and this alone is why I’ll always ride for him. He took a chance on me when literally everyone else was telling him not to … Lol!! I’ll say it worked out well for the both of us!!”” Sullinger continued.”

Sullinger ended up playing his junior and senior years with the Buckeyes under Matta. He averaged 10.1 points and seven rebounds per game in the 2005-06 season, when Matta led Ohio State to a Big Ten regular-season title and the program’s first March Madness bid in four years. The Buckeyes earned a No. 2 seed and made it to the second round before losing to No. 7 Georgetown.

“Proud of my guy and I really hope he enjoys retirement!!” Sullinger wrote in the thread.” He earned that [expletive]!!! I love you, Coach!! “Never get tired of preparing to win!!!”

Matta coached the Buckeyes for 13 seasons and is the winningest coach in program history. Despite retiring from coaching as Butler’s coach, he will remain with the school as special assistant to the president and athletic director.

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Ohio State women’s basketball vs Howard prediction: Our pick for 2026 NCAA bracket first round

Published

14 hours ago

March 16, 2026

Press Room

Ohio State women’s basketball vs Howard prediction: Our pick for 2026 NCAA bracket first round

Ohio State women’s basketball will begin its 2026 NCAA Tournament campaign at the Schottenstein Center against Howard on March 21, marking the fourth consecutive year the Buckeyes earned hosting rights for the opening two rounds.

Despite taking a dip to end the regular season, losing three of their final five games, the Buckeyes’ solid outing at the Big Ten Tournament secured them the No. 3 seed in the Fort Worth 1 region. Ohio State defeated Indiana and Minnesota before falling to the No. 2 team in the nation, UCLA, 72-62 in the semifinals.

The Buckeyes are entering the NCAA Tournament with their focus set on getting out of Columbus for the first time since 2023, as they’ve been eliminated in the second round the past two years.

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But the first step to the Sweet 16 for Ohio State is its matchup against the No. 14 seed Bison, who punched their ticket to the tournament by winning the Mid-Eastern Conference championship.

Here are four predictions for this first-round matchup between Ohio State and Howard:

Ohio State will thrive capitalizing on turnovers

Ohio State finished top-20 nationally in opponent turnovers, forcing 21.4 per game, and recorded an average of 24.4 points off those turnovers. Howard recorded 15 turnovers per game throughout the season, which is a higher average than seven of the opponents the Buckeyes faced this conference play season.

If the Buckeyes can find defensive momentum and force turnovers via their press, the offense should be able to find easy baskets to build an advantage over the Bison.

Jaloni Cambridge needs to bounce back from outing vs UCLA

Ohio State point guard Jaloni Cambridge, who led the Big Ten in scoring with 23.4 points per game, had her worst shooting performance of the season in the semifinals against UCLA.

Going 4 for 14 from the field (28.6%), Cambridge finished with 12 points and missed five shots during the Buckeyes’ attempt to come back in the fourth quarter.

The Buckeyes will need Cambridge to get closer to her average of 49% shooting against Howard, especially with the Bison holding opponents to just 59.9 points per game.

Ohio State, Howard enter matchup evenly matched on the boards

While the Buckeyes’ game on the boards has struggled throughout the season, grabbing just 36.8 per game, Howard is just a slightly better rebounding team on paper, averaging 37.9.

However, Ohio State has seen an uptick in its rebounding game due to the performance of Elsa Lemmila. The 6-foot-6 center averaged 10 rebounds per game in the Big Ten Tournament, and helped the Buckeyes match UCLA on the boards, 34-34.

Lemmila should be able to put together another solid outing while going up against Howard’s 6-foot-2 forward Zennia Thomas, who leads the Bison in rebounds with eight per game.

Ohio State vs Howard prediction: March Madness first round

The Buckeyes are going into the NCAA Tournament with momentum, even with the loss to UCLA, as their 10-point loss margin was the smallest of any team that faced the Bruins in the conference tournament.

While Howard has just seven losses this season, one of those is to Purdue, 92-62. The Buckeyes easily handled Purdue 83-56 behind a combined 30 points from Cambridge and guard Chance Gray.

If Cambridge and Gray have their usual offensive performances, and Ohio State plays Howard closely on the boards, the Buckeyes should be able to advance to the second round for a fifth-straight year.

bmackay@dispatch.com

@brimackay15

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OHSAA wrestling tournament live updates from state championships

Published

1 day ago

March 15, 2026

Press Room

OHSAA wrestling tournament live updates from state championships

Thirteen central Ohio high school wrestlers will compete for state championships March 15 at the Schottenstein Center, beginning at 5:15 p.m.

The Dispatch’s Frank DiRenna and Dave Purpura are covering the finals and will have live updates here throughout the event.

Former Westerville North coach inducted into Hall of Fame

Prior to finals, the annual Hall of Fame ceremony was held. One of the inductees was former North coach David Grant. Well deserved.

Central Ohio wrestlers compete for OHSAA state championships

Seven boys and six girls from the Columbus area will compete in the finals, and two of those girls will face off in the 120-pound final.

That match features Mackenzie Carder of Olentangy Orange and Cami Leng of Marysville.

The other finals involving central Ohio girls are:

110 – Ashlynn Brokaw (Mount Vernon) vs. Emma Gorrell (Warren)
140 – Nora Johnson (Hartley) vs. Emma Shephard (Massillon Perry)
145 – Reese Thomas (Jonathan Alder) vs. Naomi Gearheart (Ashland Crestview)
155 – KyLee Tibbs (Gahanna Lincoln) vs. Vivienne Legato (Archbold)

Brokaw and Tibbs are going for repeat championships, albeit in different weight classes. Brokaw won at 105 last year, and Tibbs won at 140.

Orange is attempting to win a third consecutive team championship.

These central Ohio boys will compete for state titles:

Division I

120 – Oliver Lester (Dublin Coffman) vs. Bradley Bauman (Lakewood St. Edward)
126 – Tommy Wurster (Coffman) vs. Grey Burnett (Perrysburg)

Wurster lost in the 113 final last year.

Division II

126 – Joe Curry (Licking Valley) vs. Carter Trukovich (Galion)
150 – James Lindsay (Watterson) vs. Beau Nezbeth (Beloit West Branch)
157 – Tommy Rowlands (Watterson) vs. Jake Hughes (Lisbon Beaver Local)
165 – Joel Welch (DeSales) vs. Kamden Stout (Uhrichsville Claymont)
215 – Michael Boyle (Watterson) vs. George Eggers (Napoleon)

Boyle, an Ohio State commit, is going for his third consecutive state title and second in a row at 215. Lindsay and Rowlands lost in the finals last year at 150 and 138, respectively, and Welch lost in the 165 final.

Rowlands’ father, also Tommy Rowlands, was a four-time All-American and two-time NCAA champion at Ohio State.

Curry, a senior, won the 120-pound title as a freshman at Watterson.

As a team, Watterson is aiming for its second straight state championship – and second all-time.

High school sports reporters Frank DiRenna and Dave Purpura can be reached at sports@dispatch.com and at @DispatchPreps on X.

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Where Ohio State basketball stands in March Madness bracket predictions

Published

2 days ago

March 15, 2026

Press Room

Where Ohio State basketball stands in March Madness bracket predictions

For the first time in four years, the Ohio State men’s basketball team is going to play in the NCAA Tournament.

A four-game winning streak that came to an end with a four-point loss to No. 1 seed Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals pushed the Buckeyes firmly from the March Madness bubble to safely in the field. After Ohio State went shot-for-shot against the Wolverines, coach Jake Diebler said one of the season’s goals was to not just be playing to make the NCAA Tournament, but to be playing meaningful games in March with the chance to earn a better seed.

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The result of the game was that the Buckeyes could then spend the next 48 hours leading into the NCAA Tournament selection show wondering where they would be seeded, not whether or not they would be in the field.

As the selection show looms at 6 p.m. March 15, here’s where the Buckeyes sit in the overall NCAA Tournament picture:

Where is Ohio State in NCAA Tournament bracketology?

In a March 13 update, before Ohio State’s game against Michigan, USA Today projected the Buckeyes as a No. 9 seed playing No. 8 seed Clemson in Greenville, North Carolina. The winner of that game would likely get a second-round matchup with No. 1 seed Duke.

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The next day, USA Today’s bubble watch noted that teams with 100% odds to make the NCAA Tournament according to BartTorvik.com are “locks” but did not include the Buckeyes on that list despite having 100% odds to make the tournament. Ohio State is instead classified as “likely in.”

BracketMatrix.com, which aggregates 111 different bracket projections, has Ohio State included in all 111 ranging from a No. 7 to a No. 10 seed.

As of March 14 at 1:50 p.m., ESPN’s Joe Lunardi had the Buckeyes as a No. 8 seed playing No. 9 seed Villanova in Tampa for the right to likely face No. 1 seed Florida in the second round.

As of 10:19 a.m. March 14, CBS had No. 8 seed Ohio State playing No. 9 seed Saint Mary’s in the first round.

Where is Ohio State in the NET rankings?

On the final day before the bracket was revealed, Ohio State was No. 30 in the NET rankings used by the selection committee to select the field. The Buckeyes were also No. 31 in Wins Above Bubble (WAB).

Ohio State men’s basketball beat writer Adam Jardy can be reached at ajardy@dispatch.com, on Bluesky at @cdadamjardy.bsky.social or on Twitter at @AdamJardy.

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