OSU feels snubbed despite past success

Sophomore Terence Dials of Boardman is the best offensive threat underneath.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
COLUMBUS -- Filling up the racks at your nearby newsstand are dozens of magazines that preview the fast approaching college basketball season.
None mention Ohio State as a top 25 team, which always seems to work to the Buckeyes' advantage.
"They've done this to us the last couple of years," swingman Matt Sylvester said. "They give us no respect, they give us no credit. They haven't even looked at us and said, 'Wow. These guys have won 20 games every year. They've been to the tournament the last four years.' They really try to almost ignore us."
Recent predictions
In four of the last five seasons, coach Jim O'Brien's teams have been predicted to finish in the second tier of the Big Ten. Over that span, the Buckeyes have shared the conference title twice, made a trip to the Final Four and last year won the Big Ten tournament title.
O'Brien doesn't exactly exude confidence -- at least not publicly.
"There are days I think we're going to struggle," he said of his latest team's prospects. "There are other days I think we're going to be better. That's probably typical."
One of the reasons Ohio State seldom gets its due is because O'Brien likes low expectations. He is enjoying flying under the radar this season while Jim Tressel's football team grabs national attention.
Basketball? Ohio State plays basketball, too?
Another reason the Buckeyes are frequently overlooked is because the sum is greater than its parts. The Buckeyes have averaged 23.5 wins over the last four seasons without stars, just solid players.
Scoonie Penn and Michael Redd left three years ago and O'Brien produced 20 wins with Ken Johnson swatting shots in the middle. Then Johnson graduated and Ohio State went 24-8 last season.
Despite the departure of rock-solid Brian Brown and Boban Savovic, the Buckeyes still have a solid nucleus returning this season.
Guard outlook
O'Brien's three-guard offense will include Brent Darby, second on the team with 12.8 points a game a year ago, along with a rotation of 3-point threat Sean Connolly, point guard Brandon Fuss-Cheatham and former Oregon State player Emonte Jernigan.
Ohio State collected two prized transfers during the off-season in Tony Stockman from Clemson and J.J. Sullinger from Arkansas, but they must sit out a season for switching schools.
Sophomore Terence Dials of Boardman, at 6-foot-9, steps in as the Buckeyes' best offensive threat underneath since Perry Carter more than a decade ago. He will be joined by 7-0 Velimir Radinovic, 6-10 Matt Marinchick, 6-9 Charles Bass, 6-7 Zach Williams and 6-6 juco transfer Shun Jenkins.
"You can't go into the game this year saying, 'We're going to stop their guards. That's the key to beating them.' And you can't go into the game saying, 'Let's stop their big guys because that's the key to beating them,' " Darby said. "We've got a lot of things we can do this year. We can go inside, we can go outside, we got people that can get to the basket, we've got people who can spot up and shoot and we've got a big fella that can make one-on-one moves down low."
X-factor
In a weird twist, much of the Buckeyes' success may ride on the shoulders of a guy who hasn't played competitively for almost two years.
At 6-7, Sylvester is what O'Brien calls "the X factor."
The Buckeyes have guards and power forwards but they don't have anybody other than Sylvester who can play both spots, taking bigger men to the basket or shooting over shorter guards.
Sylvester played in just three games a year ago because of a leg injury and a creaky back. He had back surgery this summer, broke a hand and got shot in the hind end at a party. Now he's back and practicing with the Buckeyes, giving O'Brien more size, more mobility and more flexibility.
Ohio St. 73, Team Nike 59
Darby scored 21 points to lead Ohio State over Team Nike in the Buckeyes' exhibition opener.
Connolly with 10 was the only other player in double figures for Ohio State, which used all 14 players it dressed.