Work hard, play smart, play tough, keep your mouth shut, and let things fall into place. There aren’t too many young athletes who heed this advice, but that’s exactly what Ohio State’s Junior leader Evan Turner did. Amazingly, Turner arrived at Ohio State somewhat under the radar.

In 2007-08 Evan Turner came onto the scene in Columbus as a freshman in the shadows of fellow freshman and highly touted recruits Greg Oden, Mike Conley Jr., and Dequan Cook. Those three highly touted recruits ended up leaving after one season at Ohio State to become first round draft picks in the NBA, with Oden being the first pick overall.
The talented but less hyped Turner became the leader of a fairly inexperienced Buckeyes team as a sophomore and has not only taken the wheel, but has floored the gas in that role ever since.

SETTING THE SCENE: Cleveland State will play in the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship for the second time in the last three seasons when the 15th-seeded Vikings travel to second-seeded Notre Dame for an opening round game on Sunday, March 21, beginning at approximately 2:50 p.m. in Purcell Pavillion at the Joyce Center. The game, part of the Kansas City Regional, will follow Sunday's first game between No. 7 Wisconsin and No. 10 Vermont with the two winners playing for a spot in the regional semifinals on Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. at Notre Dame. The Vikings enter the tournament playing their best basketball of the season, winning seven of their last eight contests, including three games last week to claim their second Horizon League Championship in the last three seasons. CSU enters the NCAA Championship at 19-13 overall, marking the third straight year that the Vikings have won 19 games, tied for the second most in a single season in school history. This will be the sixth meeting between CSU and Notre Dame with the Fighting Irish winning the previous five match-ups. UND is 27-5 overall and placed fourth in the Big East with a 12-4 mark.

When looking through individual achievements in Cleveland State Vikings basketball history, one name that you see over and over is J'Nathan Bullock. J-Bull is first in all time starts, games played, and minutes played. He ranks 4th in career points, 5th in field goals made, 6th in career rebounds, and 2nd in free throws made. Beyond all that personal glory, the one thing that makes "Number 35" the proudest is the fact that he helped change the culture of the CSU Basketball program from a losing one to a constant contender. Bullock is currently playing professional basketball in Australia and scored the game winning basket in his second game last week. I recently caught up with Cleveland State basketball legend an email interview. Here is what the Flint, Michigan, native had to say:

Q: You are now playing ball professionally with the St. Laurence Geelong Supercats. Is the playing style a lot different from the American game, and how does that translate to your playing style?

Ohio State's Evan Turner has been named to the first team All-American. The OSU superstar helped lead his team to a Big Ten title and a #2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Two pairs of teammates from the nation's top two teams headline the 2009-10 U.S. Basketball Writers Association's All-America Team. Senior guard Sherron Collins of Kansas and freshman guard John Wall of Kentucky pace the first team. Along with Collins, Notre Dame senior forward Luke Harangody returns to the All-America team as a second-team choice. Collins and Harangody were both second-team selections a year ago.

Each of the ten selections is among the 16 Oscar Robertson Trophy finalists. The USBWA's National Player of the Year Award will be announced next Monday and presented on Friday, April 2 at the 2010 USBWA College Basketball Awards Breakfast at the Columbia Club in Indianapolis.

Collins' Kansas teammate Cole Aldrich earned second-team honors, while Wall's Kentucky teammate DeMarcus Cousins also earned a spot on the second team. A pair of Big East standouts - Wesley Johnson of Syracuse and Scottie Rodgers of Villanova - were first-team selections.

Joining Aldrich, Cousins and Harangody on the second team are James Anderson of Oklahoma State and Jon Scheyer of Duke.

Following is the complete 2009-10 USBWA All-America team:

Ohio State University has added two additional years to head football coach Jim Tressel's contract. Tressel had his original contract, which was signed in 2008, extended through the 2014 season.

During his nine-year run with the Buckeyes, Tressel is 94-21. Depending on incentives and additions, he makes roughly $3.5 million per year in Columbus.

On Tuesday, OSU athletic director Gene Smith said that Tressel told him he was satisfied with his salary. He was aware of the financial problems the athletic department is facing, and did not seek an increase in pay.

To offset some of the athletic department's losses, OSU ahs increased football prices by $7 to a face value of $70. They've also added $1 to the price of basketball tickets.

The Ohio State board of trustees will still need to approve the contract in May, but objections are not likely.

Cleveland State University has organized a "Viking Voyage" for their NCAA Tournament game against Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. Here is all the information if you plan on attending and cheering on the Vikings as they try to upset the Fighting Irish:

Do you know what time of the year it is now? It’s March Madness time! No other sporting event can be named as appropriately as March Madness. March Madness is truly a frenzied experience on and off the court that brings out fun filled family oriented interactive games and betting to the forefront. So here we are at that time of the year waiting for the madness to begin.

Betting does not take a more legitimate form than now, during the NCAA basket ball game. It is the second most betted game, next only to the super bowl, and guarantees adrenalin rush; whether you bet among friends or in your office pool or at a sportsbook.

March Madness begins with 64 competitors from different colleges competing against each other to win the coveted championship. You can win money easily by betting on these teams. If you want to play safe on your bets, scout the records to know the top two seed players. However, history has also shown that a lot of times a low-ranking seed, generally called a ‘Cinderella,’ can surprise everyone with a victory. Polls and analysis for the teams are usually correct, and will help you to place your bets correctly.

The Cleveland State Viking learned who they will facing as their March Madness dreams continue. The Vikings will travel to South Bend Indiana to face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.Notre Dame is 27-5 is a number two seed who went 12-4 in the Big East. The Vikings punched their ticket to the Big Dance by winning the Horizon League Tournament. CSU earned a 15 seed and has a record of 19-13 on the season.

Tipoff for the contest is set for 2:30 p.m. on Sunday March 21st.

The Cleveland State Vikings are inviting fans to the Women’s Selection Show Monday at 7 p.m. Join the 2010 HL Champions on the 5th Floor of the Wolstein Center as we learn where the Vikes will be dancing! Party starts at 6:30. Some possible locations for Kailey Klein and company to play are Pittsburgh, Notre Dame, Cincinnati or Louisville.