NCAA Conference Realignment: A Primer

The college sports world, as we know it and as it pertains to NCAA Division I athletics, is about to be turned upside-down. Making it worse: there's little understanding as to why.


For several decades, our paradigm of conference affiliation has been proportionate to relative geography of member schools. In simplest of terms, the closer schools are to one another the more feasible their relationships. 


Over the course of several years, however, our planetary conception of feasibility has shifted to financial models. This upcoming year, nearly $1 billion will be paid to Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) conferences by way of rights fees from television networks. That's a hunk of change. 


But why mess with a good thing? 


There are many motivating factors at work. Conceptually, in the macro, there is a benefit to consolidation. 


Let's pretend we're scientists and jockeying for research dollars. There are 10 groups of 10 scientists competing for $100 million in grants. Assuming an even disbursement, all 100 scientists would have $1 million allotted to them. 


Now imagine that a few of these groups knows the value in their research holds much more financial value than some of their so-called peers. Why share some of the grant money when they could keep more to themselves? 


So the four most prominent groups hand-pick six scientists from each of the remaining six groups. We now have four groups of 16 scientists instead of 10 groups of 10. We still have $100 million paid out, but there will only be 64 individual shares rather than 100. Each share is now worth $1.56 million (100/64) instead of $1 million (100/100).


And that, friends, is why BCS conferences are expanding. There is an inherent value in consolidation by trimming the fat. They're in essence putting distance between the haves and have-nots. Simply apply the same logic we used in our example above and imagine the same thing happening to television and postseason money, and you understand the motivation.


Friends of mine working in athletics tell me that the NCAA has been discussing a proposal to expand to three subdivisions for football. Is it a coincidence this comes at the brink of massive realignment? I think not. What you will eventually see, in my opinion, is an FBS playoff involving the four major conferences, a middle-tier playoff made up of conferences comprised of some 80 teams total; and, an FCS playoff involving the other 80 teams involved in D-1 football.


Truthfully, much of the aforementioned dynamic is why there has not been a playoff to this point. The bowl representatives that comprise the BCS have, in all honesty, greased the palms of influential Division I presidents and athletic directors to continue the charade. The dismissal of John Junker, Fiesta Bowl CEO, led to some shocking discoveries as to how their bowl revenues have been spent. 


While these influential people have been bribed with lavish gifts, the BCS has empowered the Big East as a sixth major conference simply because it sets up the perfect voting bloc. By keeping the Big East in line, non-AQ conferences are outnumbered 6-5 in regards to any prospective vote. The BCS cannot institute a playoff, as it knows the antitrust implications will be far-reaching if it doesn't include these conferences as automatic qualifiers. 


Now imagine the switch to three subdivisions. How long do you think it will take for the newly-minted FBS to switch to a playoff system when it involves just four major conferences? Answer: not long at all.


In December 2005, when speaking before a U.S. Congressional hearing on college football, Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany made a startling confession:

"I am absolutely sure that an NFL-style football playoff would provide maybe three or four times as many dollars to the Big Ten than the present system does."

 In 2010, according to the BCS media guide, each AQ conference received $21 million with additional at-large bids being worth $6 million. The Sports Business Journal reported in January that a total of $174 million was paid out between FBS conferences, Notre Dame, the service academies and FCS conferences (which also receive a small share). If we assume three or four times as many dollars system-wide, we could expect as much as $500-700 million additional dollars being generated by a playoff system. Given the drastic inflation of TV rights fees the past five years, it's not out of the question the system alone would generate over $1 billion annually. 


Why is the playoff discussion significant? Because expansion is predicated on the financial value teams would provide their conference. Where local revenues (ticket sales, concessions, royalties, guarantees, sports camps, contributions, student fees, etc.) are monies earned specific to an institution, NCAA, BCS, bowl and television revenues are paid out to conferences and redistributed to members. 


Last year, with the BCS paying out $175 million, the NCAA distributing $452 million to Division I institutions through the Division I Distribution Plan (NCAA Tournament revenues) and over $1 billion in television and bowl payouts, about 17 percent of the total $10 billion generated among all Division I schools comes from these shared monies. Only ticket sales accounts for a bigger share (roughly 20 percent). About $500 million was paid en total for royalties, which are licensed and managed through third parties. 


So the formula is simple: when conferences look at expansion candidates, there are three primary factors: 


* Does the institution provide additional bowl revenue? Over the last 10 years, the discounted average among FBS schools is about $270 million in total bowl revenue, including the BCS, before expenses. Does the institution either increase the likelihood of a second BCS bid or increase the payouts from bowl games? 


* Does the institution provide additional basketball revenue? The men's basketball fund is paid out to conferences based on the total units accumulated over a 6-year rolling cycle. Each unit is awarded for A) an appearance in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament and B) each victory in the tournament. An appearance and two wins in a given year would be three units, and would count in each of the successive six years. Currently, each unit is worth about $240,000 so three units over a 6-year rolling cycle would be 18 units or $4.3 million generated for a conference. 


* Does the institution provide added television value? Television contracts are based on ratings ultimately, i.e. the ability of a team to draw viewers, but there are many other factors that impact value to a TV network.


To explain the TV dynamic, we must operate on an understanding of how networks function. 


Each television network earns revenue from two primary sources: residential video fees and advertising. Multi-System Operators (MSOs as they're often called) are companies like Time Warner Cable, AT&T, Comcast, etc. that purchase the rights from television networks like ESPN to broadcast their channel. These fees vary from as low as 1-2 cents per subscriber per month to as much as $4 earned by ESPN. Networks often attempt to negotiate their channel on a basic or expanded basic tier, based on the MSO cable plans available, in an attempt to ensure more total subscribers. 


As part of the agreement, these MSOs earn revenue from "spot ads" which are advertising spots afforded to local businesses in their individual markets. The rest of the advertising space -- often 16-18 minutes per hour -- is allotted to the networks themselves on a national basis.


Industry experts, such as the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, research firm SNL Kagan and others have estimated that cable networks earn roughly 40 of their revenues from advertising whereas Over-the-Air (OTA) networks that broadcast terrestrially (such as ABC, NBC, CBS) earn about 70 percent from adverting due to higher rates for primetime, network television programming. The 2010 Disney Annual report filed with the SEC shows about 46 percent of all revenue from ABC and the ESPN networks were from advertising. 


When networks negotiate with sports leagues, they hope that by broadcasting these sporting events, more consumers will purchase cable plans that include their network(s) and more people will tune-in to the games so advertising rates will increase. Nielsen Media estimates about 115 million TV homes. About 90 percent have at least basic cable or satellite service. While ESPN, for example, is on in over 100 million homes, at $4 per subscriber per month, that's still over $720 million in subscriber fees ESPN could leverage. 


Still, with ESPN being on in so many homes, as is the OTA networks, one might wonder why "geographic footprint" is so important to a conference. After all, if the networks are already on in so many homes, why does it matter? 


To the Big Ten, it matters a ton. With the Big Ten Network being owned in part by the Big Ten Conference itself, 49 percent of all profits are paid to the conference in addition to an escalating rights fee that is paid by the network. While the fee reportedly inflates about 3 percent each year for the next 20 years (News Corp. annual filings estimate over $2.5 billion will be paid out on current estimates), since the network brings in an average of 36 cents nationally per its 45 million subscribers each month (source: SNL Kagan), additional profits above and beyond the rights fees are paid to the conference after News Corp. has its initial $80 million investment recouped. 


Nonetheless, while the Big Ten (and Pac-12 beginning next year) will have a direct benefit from subscriber fees, other conferences have an indirect motivation for being on in more homes. 


These networks pay conferences broadcasting rights fees, in large part, to the amount of inventory they have to offer. When you hear reported, for instance, the Pac-12 has agreed to a 12-year, $2.7 billion deal with Fox and ESPN, what this means is that network executives have determined a financial value based on the number of games the conference offers. 


For instance: the Pac-12 now has 12 teams, which means there will be 48 regular season conference games in football and 108 games played in basketball. While the networks will never disclose publicly the value, they're essentially paying an arbitrary number per event. The reason networks pay based on conference games is because they cannot know the value of non-conference games or who teams will schedule, so they roughly base their estimates on conference inventory. This is another key point in conference expansion.


When the Pac-12 added Utah and Colorado, they increased the total number of football games played within the conference by eight. They increased the total number of basketball games by 18. That means the Pac-12 is increasing the aggregate value of their television contracts with these additional games. Non-conference games are actually paid separate by the networks, with broadcasting rights belonging to the network that owns the rights to the home team's conference. 


If, for instance, a football game was valued at roughly $3 million by the networks, simply adding eight games would be as much as an additional $25 million added to a conference in a TV deal. 


Of course, networks pay not just for the number of games, but under the premise people are watching. 


To earn advertising revenue, networks charge advertisers rates that are roughly based on the number of people watching. This measure is called Cost Per Mille, which is latin for cost per thousand or CPM. This means that a 30-spot costing $1 million with 20 million viewers is a CPM of $50. Primetime network TV ads average about $20 CPM with cable ads closer to $15. While daily rates are much lower, sporting events typically fare well regardless of time slot.


Many factors impact what advertisers pay. Demographic of age, gender and socioeconomic standing all are variables that are considered. Generally, though, TV ratings start and end these discussions. 


When a television rating is cited, typically there are two numbers used: rating and share. Rating is the percent of total households viewing at any given time. A rating of 5.0 means 5 percent of an estimated 115 million households, or 5.75 million homes. Historically, CPM has been based on the total number of homes, though some advertisers now use total viewers which might be 2.5 times the number of homes. In addition, share is the percentage of total households watching television during that given time period. So a 5 rating/10 share means 5.75 million homes of about 57.5 million with their TV turned on. 


In 2010, according to the Sports Business Journal, college football games averaged a 1.8 national rating. Games on CBS drew an average 4.2 rating, ABC nearly a 3.0 and ESPN, ESPN2 and other networks under 2. College basketball games, meanwhile, averaged less than 0.4 among over 1,000 total games. ESPN drew a 1.1 rating for 131 games broadcast in 2010-11. 


A study done by the Center for Media Research a few years ago found that the total advertising dollars paid to networks for regular season football games was roughly $450 million. The total spent on basketball in the regular season was just shy of $200 million. While this means roughly 70 percent of TV revenue is generated from football, the CPM works out to roughly $8 CPM per spot for football ($1.5 million in advertising per game) and $5 for basketball  ($180,000 per game). Though these national averages are a good approximation, some more prominent games will draw higher ad rates by the networks. 


Ratings, though, are not important in a vacuum. We go back to our question: why does geographic footprint matter? This is where we explain.


Because of vested interest college sports fans have in their rivals, competitors and conferences foes, ratings increase when games involve these teams. If you are a fan of North Carolina basketball, it's axiomatic you are much more likely to watch Duke's games than would a Kansas fan living in Texas. This phenomenon has been shown through empirical evidence. In fact, in SEC and Big Ten markets, football games average ratings of well over 6.0. This means that 1.2 million of the Big Ten's 20 million households might be watching a Big Ten football game, whereas only 870,000 households of the remaining 95 million (0.9%) might come from outside the conference boundaries. 


We know, then, teams will have a direct impact on ratings. Texas A&M comes from a state with 8 million households, according to Nielsen. Even five ratings points in the state could increase total viewership by nearly half a million. This is one obvious reason the SEC will benefit from Texas A&M, once the SEC renegotiates its television contracts with CBS & ESPN.


But because of our dynamic of games being watched inside a market, the SEC has been given an indirect benefit from Texas A&M: increased exposure/interest within Texas state boundaries. Now, every single SEC game will see dramatic increase in ratings in the state of Texas. 


Let's break it down. 


Let's assume a rating of 1.0 in the state of Texas for football games (80,000 households) and  a .002 ratings for basketball games (22,000 households). Based on 48 SEC football games, we can come up with a ballpark estimate of $2,764,800 generated in advertising revenue on account of viewership in Texas (based on $8 for every 1,000 households). Likewise for football, we find $633,600 for SEC basketball games (96 games at $5 CPM). 


OK so we can roughly guesstimate SEC sports being worth $3.4 million in advertising dollars in the state of Texas. Now let's look at what Texas A&M would do to such advertising revenue if viewers in the state of Texas now have a vested interest in the Southeastern Conference.


We increase the rating to 6.0 in the state for football (480,000 households) and 2.0 for basketball (160,000 households). With these new calculations, we will hold the SEC events steady just assuming only adding Texas A&M to the conference. So without regard to direct TV ratings of Texas A&M, we now find $16,588,800 (480 units of 1,000 * $8 CPM * 48 games * 90 30-second spots per game) for football and $4,608,000 for basketball (based on 60 30-second spots). That's a new grand total of $21,196,800 or an increase of nearly $18 million by the SEC's new presence in the state of Texas.


In the case of Texas A&M, we'd be adding four additional conference games (eight if you count a 14th team) to the SEC of which Texas A&M would increase direct advertising revenue. Even assuming the same calculations as above, based on local ratings of 8/2, we might find $1.8 million for football (four games) and $1.2 million for basketball (eight additional games). So Texas A&M might be worth an additional $3 million just in Texas without regard to national ratings. Further, they could be worth $18 million as a new presence the SEC would have in the state of Texas. 


The net of all this television value could be worth a bump in $10-15 million by way of rights fees paid back to the SEC annually. Including bowl revenues and NCAA Tournament distribution, and Texas A&M, as an example, could be worth nearly $20 million to the SEC every year. 


This is the math the SEC accountants surely have been busy calculating over the past several months. The ACC and Big East numbers gurus assuredly are doing the same. But the Big Ten and now Pac-12 are in a different situation. 


Imagine all the advertising calculations we just considered. Now remember that the Big Ten will get to keep 50 percent of all these revenues and the Pac-12, which has opted not to share ownership, will keep 100 percent (the drawback is that they will have to distribute the network themselves). But these conferences will now have another distinct advantage: keeping the residential video fees on top of advertising.


Though it was stated the Big Ten makes 36 cents per subscriber per month, there is a similar distinction regarding within the footprint and without, just as ratings work. Inside the Big Ten states, the network brings in nearly 80 cents per subscriber per month. Outside the footprint, the average is roughly 5 cents. 


There's arguably no better example than Maryland for why the Big Ten holds a distinct advantage in revenue. 


Currently, the Big Ten encompasses roughly 17 percent of the total households in America. The Big Ten's goal since the first day it announced expansion plans in December 2009 was to increase the number of households in its footprint, so it could leverage the network on basic or expanded basic in a larger portion of the United States. Remember: earning 80 cents per subscriber per month means by expanding into larger territories, far more people will be subscribing to the network with an interest in the Big Ten, meaning exponential increased revenue.


Maryland has roughly 4 million total households. Since the Big Ten Network is on in roughly 25 percent of the households outside the footprint, we're going to assume that 1 million are currently subscribing at 5 cents per month. That's about $600,000 per year being made by the Big Ten in the state. 


Now let's assume the Terrapins become the Big Ten's 13th team. Immediately, the network would be on basic or expanded basic in the entire state through re-worked deals with MSOs at an average of 80 cents per pop. Even at 80 percent of the state now subscribing to the network, we're now looking at 3.2 million people paying 80 cents per month which is $30.72 million a year. That's an increase of over $15 million for the Big Ten's share of the profits.


But wait, there's more. 


Using the same logic employed with Texas A&M, we must figure the same for advertising. Since Maryland is roughly half the size of Texas, we'll just simplify matters by using Texas A&M's totals and cutting them in half. That's about $1.7 million without Maryland in the Big Ten. Now bring the Big Ten games into focus, and we're looking at $10.6 million. That's an increase of about $9 million, of which $4.5 million would be earned by the conference. 


So again, without any regard to bowl and tournament revenues, Maryland is worth well over $40 million to the Big Ten Network -- about $20 million to the conference itself.


Based on these rates, the Big Ten Network is earning about 58 cents per year for every household outside its footprint. With every household it adds to the geographical boundaries, without regard to direct advertising revenues, that number could increase to $10.33 per household per year. 


This means merely adding Texas, Missouri and Maryland to the conference footprint would yield some $175 million a year to the network. Add in the extra inventory, better ratings and increased TV value for the Big Ten's deal with ESPN, and the conference would experience a windfall by adding these three teams and Notre Dame. 


There certainly are other secondary factors. For the Big Ten, the research arm Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC) is an organization comprised of the 12 Big Ten members plus the University of Chicago. Collectively, these schools earn over $6 billion annually in research grants. While the CIC does not split research dollars, it does provide ample sharing of resources, the ability to collaborate on projects and promote goal-setting and inter-university support. Many academic-minded institutions crave a Big Ten invitation for access to these resources. 


However, some schools that may fit the academic profile of the Big Ten, Pittsburgh for example, simply do not provide new access to subscriber fees or indirect advertising dollars. Likewise, schools that would do the same for the SEC, Clemson for example, alone doesn't generate much additional revenue through indirect value. 


The lesson here is this: expansion is being driven by money -- and a lot of it. While I've not directly tackled advertising rates for football powers like Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Florida State and others, there's undoubtedly some value in those schools with or without geographical expansion. North Carolina, Duke and Kansas provide ample value to basketball ratings, though not to nearly the same degree. 


Regardless, expansion is being driven by geography just like our old paradigm. Only now, it's the desire to expand further instead of contract closer. 

Good Ol' Rocky Top

They do things differently in Tennessee. A lot differently.

Thanks to the gratuitous rebund-and-run stunt pulled by Lane Kiffin, who used the Volunteers as a shoulder to cry on after the much publicized divorce with Raiders' boss Al Davis, riots and vulgarity was seen all through the hills of Tennessee this week. Kiffin, who led Tennessee to a meager 7-6 record, bolted for the left coast to accept the vacated Southern California job, left by Pete Carroll. Kiffin served under Carroll as offensive coordinator before accepting the head coaching position with the Oakland Raiders.

But for as upset as Tennessee fans were - and they were plenty ticked - the media wasn't much happier.

Pre-presser drama in Knoxville

That chaos, shot minutes before Kiffin was set to deliver his final "farewell" (a g-rated description for someone that was looking to quickly exit the state before anyone could identify him), was courtesy of the credentialed press. Not tough, then, to envision just how angry the Volunteer partisans really were. Heck, one wonders if a security escort of Tennessee state troopers would have given Kiffin any added comfort.

As for USC, they're getting the prodigal son. Kiffin is a west coast kid and clearly his cool, visor-wearing southern Cal attitude never quite meshed in Knoxville. Worse yet, he never embraced the Tennessee tradition - but instead worked hard to emulate the Trojan "swagger." He went so far to rip off their player chants, altering the words; put up posters of Carson Palmer, Reggie Bush and Dwayne Jarrett; and used highlight videos of the Southern California all-stars as motivation for his players. Nowhere to be found inside team facilities was the more traditional Peyton Manning, Reggie White or Carl Pickens, among others.

But now, he's moving on to greener pastures - or smog-filled traffic jams. Going with him is an all-star coaching cast, including his father Monte and the ever-slick Ed Orgeron, considered by many to be the snake-oil salesman of all salesmen. He'd sell ice to an eskimo, right along with a $100 handshake.

Kiffin inherits a slew of potential problems in Los Angeles, even beyond any he could possibly create on his own. The dual-sport NCAA investigation probing the football and basketball issues surrounding former Trojan stars Reggie Bush and O.J. Mayo, among others, has only recently wrapped up. The NCAA is expected to discuss the matter at its next seasonal meeting in late February, and its at that time they will discuss the findings and recommend any necessary penalties, before ultimately handing down a punishment some 6-8 weeks later.

While nothing conclusive has been reported regarding the likelihood of major penalties resulting from those allegations, some speculate Carroll was getting out of town in advance of the oncoming storm. He left to take the Seattle Seahawks' job after having turned down several previous NFL overtures. It was, so say the reports, his "dream job." But nonetheless, the timing was suspect.

If Kiffin survives the NCAA, his own ego might keep the Trojans rolling right along. He was already running the Tennessee program as if it were LA East. For all the talk about how he's never won anything, which is not untrue, the buzz he's created in his wake is proof positive that he's relevant to college football regardless. Make no mistake, legal or not, he'll recruit talent just as Petey did before.

As for Tennessee? Fight on! But please, stop taking that so literally.

Kentucky: Great Team or Talented Individuals?

I'm a little gun shy on the Kentucky craze. The Wildcats' mediocrity seen in the waning days of Tubby Smith and the entire 2-year Billy Gilliespie stint is clearly a thing of the past. But are they ready for Final Four expectations?

Not quite.

Let's start with some common sense. Last year's Kentucky team was not good enough for an NCAA Tournament appearance. Kentucky lost their best player and leading scorer, Jodie Meeks, to the NBA. The good news for the Wildcats is that Patrick Patterson turned down the chance at NBA riches, senior forward Perry Stevenson is back, as is sophomore wing Darius Miller. But the crux of the Big Blue excitement is a core of freshmen.

Freshmen.

John Wall is practically the consensus No. 1 freshman in America. He's an explosive scoring guard that might arrive under John Calipari's wing in the same capacity Derrick Rose and Tyreke Evans did. Like those two, he'll be gone in April as a one-and-done. Then there is a pair of frontcourt studs - Demarcus Cousins and Daniel Orton, who likewise, might be as good as gone after the season.

That's definitely a lot of talent. Individually, it might be the most talented team in America. But I just wonder how cohesive a unit it might be, with three (four if you include Patterson) players with an eye on the next level. That's not to say you can't be successful while thinking about the NBA, just I wonder if the team can meet or exceed lofty expectations with such youth and inexperience from its core.

Should be a fun team to watch. However, I'll stick with Kansas and Michigan State as my preseason favorites.

And We're Off...

Finally. Another season of college hoops began Monday night. 


The evening was void of any significant drama. Murray State provided a few tense moments in the closing minutes against the (overly) high(ly)-ranked California, but sans that minor constipation, there was not a whole lot of excitement.


However, for the first time in three years, college basketball is not suffering from diarrhea of Psycho-T. Yes, Tyler Hansbrough and his excessive traveling has moved on to a place where extra steps are permitted and encouraged - the NBA. Tim Tebow has taken over Hansbrough's role as the world's most bantered-about over-achiever.


Champions Reign Supreme


As we tipped the ball on the 2009-10 season, North Carolina took the throne as the defending National Champions. Amazingly, the Tar Heels took a backseat to a rookie college coach in press coverage. Yes, Isaiah Thomas, and his TMZ squabble with Magic Johnson actually stole some of the obligatory headlines of a returning champ. 


This year's UNC club did little to regain them on Monday.


North Carolina coasted to a relatively stress-free 88-72 victory against Thomas's undermanned Florida International squad. Thomas made headlines before the season when he publicly pouted over playing the Tar Heels in the 2K Sports Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. He apparently was under the impression FIU had anticipated playing its first game against Ohio State instead. In any event, the somewhat young Tar Heels committed a sloppy 26 turnovers in the contest.


Up front, North Carolina looks tough. Deon Thompson, Ed Davis, Tyler Zeller and the freshmen Wear twins - Travis and David provide a deep, talented punch inside. But those many turnovers were manifested by a questionable-looking backcourt. 


Larry Drew manned PG for North Carolina. He was rather pedestrian. He did supply 7 points and six assists in 21 minutes of action, but committed three personal fouls and a pair of turnovers. His backup, Dexter Strickland, had four fouls and five turnovers. Scoring on the wing might also be an issue for North Carolina this year - as UNC is counting on Will Graves, fifth-year senior Marcus Ginyard and freshman Leslie McDonald. 


Truly, UNC is finding out quickly what life after Tywon Lawson is like. Ohio State suffered through the same metamorphosis after losing Mike Conley Jr. prematurely to the NBA, and have not been quite the same since. They will be battle tested next week, however, against, ironically, the guard-oriented Ohio State club.


To Everything, Turn, Turn, Turner


Alcorn State had a full eight months to think about the fact they were No. 342 of 343 teams in the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) last year. It might take that long to get Evan Turner out of their mind. 


Wherever the Braves looked Monday night, Turner was there in Ohio State's 100-60 drubbing. The junior guard, who surprised many by bypassing the NBA draft in favor of another season in Columbus, recorded the school's second-ever Triple Double: 14 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists. For good measure, he stuffed the stat sheet with a couple of blocks and steals. 


The Buckeyes were not exactly a one-trick pony. Junior Jon Diebler added 22 points on 6-of-9 from 3-point range. Sophomore William Buford was stellar, pouring in 19. And off the bench, guard Jeremie Simmons also added 12. Starting center Dallas Lauderdale missed Monday's opener, resting a fractured hand. He is expected back Thursday when Ohio State plays James Madison.


If there was one concern for Ohio State, it's just that - the lack of interior. While Lauderdale provides a much needed defensive boost when he's in the lineup, and a fair upgrade offensively, the Buckeyes are clearly a guard-oriented club. With Turner, Diebler, Buford, Simmons, David Lighty, Walter Offutt and P.J. Hill, six to seven guards might see at least 15 minutes on any given night. Lighty, a 6-5 wing by trade will see most of his time as the team's power forward. 


Monday in Lauderdale's absence, the rest of the Buckeyes' makeshift big men - Kyle Madsen, Zisis Sarikopoulos and Nicola Kecman - combined on 9 points, eight rebounds and one block - but committed eight personal fouls. 


Polar opposites will meet to conquer the divide 10 days from now when Ohio state's guard-heavy scorers will battle North Carolina's forward-heavy enforcers. That occurs in Madison Square Garden in the predetermined semifinal of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic - the second semifinal involving Syracuse and California.