CHRIS HOLTMANN

Zed Key saved No. 17 Ohio State from a season-opening embarrassment on Tuesday night, catching a sharp pass from freshman Malachi Branham in the paint and laying in a buzzer-beater to give the Buckeyes a 67-66 win over Akron.

Big Ten basketball entered a whole new world when it returned to Indianapolis for the first of two media days.

Liddell received following the Buckeyes' NCAA Tournament loss on Friday. Ohio State associate athletic director for communications Dan Wallenberg told The Associated Press he contacted police on Saturday morning about the threats Liddell received after the second-seeded Buckeyes were upset by No. Liddell, who had 23 points and 14 rebounds in the game, revealed on his Twitter feed he received threatening messages. Liddell, while not from or representative of Ohio State fans, are vile, dangerous and reflect the worst of humanity," Holtmann posted on Twitter. AdSister Jean taught at Chicago's Mundelein College when Loyola beat Illinois in the 1963 NCAA Tournament.

The best COVID-19 vaccine shots in America just might be the two that went into Sister Jean’s arm. The breakout star and model for the most coveted bobblehead of the 2018 NCAA Tournament is now eight months beyond her 101st birthday and still serving as chaplain for the Loyola Chicago basketball team. 1 seed Illinois, is bound to provide a much stiffer test of Sister Jean’s faith. AdYet her celebratory fist bump at the buzzer was one of the signature moments of the first full day of an NCAA Tournament canceled a year ago due the pandemic. 8 North Carolina hardly qualified as an upset, unless you count Tar Heels coach Roy Williams’ first-ever loss in a tournament opener.

Washington came up short, defended by Langford, on a layup with about five seconds left to trigger Holtmann's second technical. Michigan State was coming off an 81-72 win over No. The Buckeyes beat Michigan State 79-62 at home, ending a four-game losing streak in the series. Michigan State: Point guard Foster Loyer was on the bench, but not in uniform, resting his injured left shoulder for a third game in a row. Michigan State: Play at Maryland on Sunday, a third game in six days against a team that has been resting and practicing since beating Rutgers on Feb. 21.

Liddell during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Feb. 21, 2021, in Columbus, Ohio. After six ties in the second half, Michigan pulled away in the final minutes and then held off Ohio State 92-87 Sunday in a meeting that showcased two teams aiming for No. Ad“I thought his length and size bothered us," Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann acknowledged. Ohio State and Michigan both are projected to be No. Ohio State: At Michigan State on Thursday.

Their meeting Sunday headlines the national AP Top 25 schedule for the week, a matchup of teams contending for No. Meanwhile Ohio State (17-4, 11-4) has won six straight overall — including against the Badgers and No. “The biggest thing as a coach right now is we’ve got to get better,” Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann said after Saturday’s win against Indiana. 25 last week but visits Michigan on Thursday. There’s also Belmont (22-1, 16-0 Ohio Valley) chasing the program’s first AP Top 25 poll ranking.