The Lantern - February 23 2017

TUESDAY

THURSDAY

VETMED

P2

A professor is set to speak about the relationship between animals and humans.

THE ADDAMS FAMILY

P3

Off the Lake Productions presents an on-stage musical adaptation of the classic.

OSCARS

P4

Despite diverse nominations, the Academy Awards is still dominated by white actors and directors.

SHAYLA COOPER

P8

As she plays the last games of her college career, the basketball star talks about her growth as a player.

The student voice of the Ohio State University

Thursday, February 23, 2017

thelantern.com

@TheLantern

USG campaigns kick off IAN DOHERTY Lantern reporter doherty.122@osu.edu SAM HARRIS Assistant Campus Editor harris.2373@osu.edu

The Undergraduate Student Government’s campaign season for the 2017-18 school year officially kicked off Wednesday night at 8 p.m., with four presidential campaigns on the ballot. Campaign season will last two weeks, with the voting opening on March 6 at noon and closing on March 8 at 11:59 p.m.

The Lantern profiled the four presidential campaigns, which offer platforms emphasizing ideas ranging from diversity to reducing USG’s funding.

Students arrested in connection with Dublin carjacking ASHLEY NELSON Sports Director nelson.1217@osu.edu

Reagan Brooks & Reese Brooks

Since transferring to OSU in the fall, twin brothers Reagan Brooks and Reese Brooks, both third-years in marketing, have joined three organizations and founded their own. Now, they said they have set their sights on USG, launching an outsider presidential campaign with a focus on providing more funding to student organizations, while cutting funding to USG itself.

“A decrease to funding for USG is a big (platform) that we’re go-

Year 137, Issue No. 13

COURTESY OF THE INDIVIDUAL CAMPAIGNS

Clockwise from the top left: Reagan Brooks and Reese Brooks, Mary Honaker and Carla Gracia, Andrew Jackson and Sophie Chang, and Stephen Post and Lauren Todd. ing to run on, because they get hundreds and thousands of dollars of funding, most of which the students don’t really see back,” said Reagan Brooks, the presidential candidate.

Neither of the brothers are members of USG, a point which they see as an asset to their campaign.

“Not having a vested role in USG, we can come in, ideally,

as presidents with sort of a clear vision being club presidents ourselves and not being influenced by a lot of the bureaucracy that’s involved in USG, and sort of use our

Two Ohio State students were arrested Wednesday morning and are being charged with aggravated robbery in connection with a drug-related carjacking, according to the police department in nearby Dublin, Ohio. Both are being held at Franklin County Jail.

Adam Seitz, a first-year in computer science and engineering, and Dom Burrell, a first-year in criminology and criminal justice, both from Dublin, are being charged in relation to a carjacking which occurred on the 3000 block of Hard Road in a fitness facility parking lot on Tuesday around 7:30 p.m.

CARJACKING CONTINUES ON 2

Matta mum on job security, ‘Making a BOARD OF TRUSTEES Kasich fills open spot with focused on Murderer’ the present longtime Republican donor attorney visits campus OWEN DAUGHERTY Lantern reporter daugherty.260@osu.edu

ALEX HULVALCHICK Lantern reporter hulvalchick.1@osu.edu On Wednesday, the Ohio State chapter of the Ohio Innocence Project hosted Steven Drizin, the post-conviction attorney for Brendan Dassey, one of the subjects of the Netflix series “Making A Murderer.” Drizin spoke about types of psychological techniques law enforcement can use during interrogations to produce false confessions.

Dassey, the nephew of Steven Avery, whom the series revolves around, is believed by some to have been coerced into confessing to aiding in the 2005 kidnapMURDERER CONTINUES ON 2

Alan Stockmeister, a native of Jackson, Ohio, and prominent gold refinery owner, was the most recent trustee appointed by Ohio Gov. John Kasich to Ohio State’s 20-member Board of Trustees.

He’s also a top donor to Kasich’s party.

Stockmeister is a well-known businessman and longtime donor to various candidates in the Republican Party. In 2015, he was named the Jackson County Republican of the Year.

In this past election cycle, he gave more than $10,000 to Republican candidates, with a $2,700 contribution given directly to Kasich’s presidential campaign, according to public records reviewed by The Lantern.

Kasich has now appointed 10 board members midway through his second term as governor, and

LANTERN FILE PHOTO

Ohio Gov. John Kasich.

Stockmeister is not alone in backing Kasich financially. According to the Federal Election Commission database, contributions to his presidential run were made by six current board members he appointed.

Contributions of $2,700 — the most an individual can give to a candidate — were made by Stockmeister as well as board members Michael Gasser, Timothy Smucker, Erin Hoeflinger, Hiroyuki Fujita and Abigail Wexner. Those donations to the presidential campaign all came while they were

USG CONTINUES ON 2

current board members. Wexner also donated $1.5 million to a Kasich-aligned super PAC. Stockmeister now becomes one of 15 board members with voting privileges, including two voting student trustees, who ultimately decide the university’s long-term course. Board members serve nine-year terms.

The board, according to its website, is entrusted with “oversight of academic programs, budgets and general administration and employment of faculty and staff.”

One high-profile decision facing the board in the coming months is whether to freeze tuition. Kasich’s budget proposal, issued earlier this year, called for a two-year tuition freeze for all public colleges, including OSU. OSU has not increased its instate, undergraduate tuition for five years, but University President Michael Drake told The Lantern in January that he could STOCKMEISTER CONTINUES ON 3

NICK MCWILLIAMS Sports Editor mcwilliams.66@osu.edu

Ohio State men’s basketball coach Thad Matta is the winningest coach in OSU history, but with a downward-trend- Thad Matta. ing record in recent years, his job security has been brought into question.

The Buckeyes currently sit with a record of 15-13, and 5-10 in the Big Ten, ahead of only Rutgers in conference. OSU has three games left on the schedule this season and is facing the very real possibility of finishing with an under .500 record for the first time under Matta.

With more than 15 years of head-coaching experience, Matta is not dodging any questions, and is not deflecting the blame to outMATTA CONTINUES ON 7

CAMPUS

2 | Thursday, February 23, 2017

LANTERN APP

thelantern.com

@TheLantern

Want to read The Lantern when you’re walking on The Oval? Check out our iPhone app, available in the App Store.

CARJACKING FROM 1

PREVIEW

Canine behavior expert to speak on human-animal connection HALEY PLAHUTA Lantern reporter plahuta.12@osu.edu COURTESY OF LINDSAY WEISENAUER

Adam Seitz (left) and Dominique Burrell.

According to the Dublin Police Department, there was an altercation between four males — two armed suspects stole the vehicle that the two victims were in.

One victim was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries and the other was uninjured.

Authorities arrested Burrell in Dublin around 1 a.m. Wednesday, and Seitz was arrested near OSU at around 4 a.m.

The police were informed through victim interviews after the carjacking that the crime was drug related, and specifically marijuana-related, said Lindsay Weisenauer, senior public information officer with the Dublin Police Department. Weisenauer could not confirm if police found drugs in the car that Seitz and Burrell allegedly stole.

The names of the victims are not being released due to the ongoing investigation, Dublin police said.

Seitz and Burrell are set to be arraigned Thursday at 9 a.m.

@AshleyNelsonOSU USG FROM 1

experience in organization building to better represent the students on campus,” said Reese Brooks, the vice-presidential candidate.

Reese Brooks said that the idea for running came after examining the other potential candidates and their proposed policies.

“We sort of knew who was going to run for USG president, we spoke with them, we looked at the potential policies that they might have when they were official candidates, and we weren’t necessarily a huge fan of some of the stuff they were proposing. So we sort of put together our own campaign,” Reese Brooks said.

“Since we didn’t like the other campaigns, we thought we might as well run our own.”

As co-founders of the libertarian student organization Students for Liberty, the duo said their administration would have a heavy focus on student life over bureaucracy, something they said they feel is not currently prioritized within USG. “We’re really running that outsider position,” Reagan Brooks said. “We’re not here to just go to the weekly USG meetings and play politics, we’re here to actually represent the people of OSU and the clubs of OSU. This outsider mindset is something we think is going to be very effective.”

Reese Brooks said his and his brother’s outsider status reflects the current political climate for politicians who are not a part of

Applied animal behaviorist Patricia McConnell will promote her new memoir, “The Education of Will,” and inform the public on emotional connections between animals and humans on Thursday at the Ohio State Veterinary Medical Center Auditorium.

“The Education of Will,” which was published Tuesday, is about a journey McConnell and her therapy dog, Willy, went on together to overcome past challenges.

“The title refers to two things: one is Will, or Willy, who came as a troubled puppy with a vast number of behavioral problems, and also to the word ‘will’ as in willpower — and that it was this puppy that taught me that willpower is not enough to heal from some

of the baggage in one’s past,” McConnell said.

McConnell said that while Willy came to her as a therapy dog, at first he contributed to setbacks in her healing process.

“Willy when he came to me, rather than being like a therapy dog, in a way he made me worse because his startle reaction and his fears were so extreme that he ended up sending me back,” McConnell said.

As the relationship progressed, however, McConnell said that through Willy she was able to put herself back on the path to healing.

“I had thought that I had recovered from some of the traumas in my past, but his startle response was so extreme and set me on edge and made me realize that I really hadn’t recovered,” McConnell said. “So in order to help him

COURTESY OF PATRICIA MCCONNELL

Dr. Patricia McConnell is set to speak on Thursday at the Ohio State Veterinary Medical Center Auditorium.

I realized I had to help myself.” can have this close encounter with McConnell is an adjunct pro- individuals of another species,” fessor in zoology at the Universi- McConnell said. ty of Wisconsin, and said she has Doors open Thursday at 5 p.m. committed her life to improving and the lecture is set to go from relationships between people and 5:30 to 6:15 p.m., with a Q-and-A animals. session at 6:30. A book signing “The relationship we have with will follow and there is a requestmany of our companion animals ed, but optional, $5 donation. … it’s a biological miracle that we

MURDERER FROM 1

ping, rape and murder of Teresa Halbach by officers trying to connect physical evidence found at the scene to a plausible narrative. Dassey has been incarcerated since his confession at age 16, and will not be eligible for parole until 2048, unless his conviction is overturned.

Drizin said Dassey’s situation is one that anyone could find themselves in, regardless of their level of intelligence or privilege.

“I’m here to tell you it doesn’t matter if you’re highly intelligent or if you’re of low intelligence, everybody has their breaking point and you or I can be made to falsely confess under the right circumstances,” Drizin said. “The reality is that when you look at the whole numbers of false confessions, about a third of them involve young people, about a third of them involve people with mental disabilities or mental illness, and a third of them are just like you and me,” Drizin said.

In a presentation using the videos of Dassey’s interrogations, Drizin broke down the different processes that can set up circumstances that could result in a false confession, which included psychological techniques such as “misclassification,” “coercion” and “contamination.”

Misclassification occurs when, during an open-ended interview, the police sense the innocent person is guilty, usually based on behavioral or verbal cues, Drizin said. From there, they begin the the two major political parties.

“The political landscape, if you look both nationally and internationally, 2016 is the year of outsiders. You saw that on both the left and the right,” Reese Brooks said. “You get a lot of these outsiders coming in and trying to make actual change, because people are sort of fed up with the political environment and we’re sort

ALEXANDRA HULVALCHICK | LANTERN REPORTER

Steven Drizin, post-conviction lawyer for Brendan Dassey, speaks at the Ohio Union for the Ohio State chapter of the Ohio Innocence Project. more accusatory interrogation process.

Coercion, Drizin said, can begin when police claim to “already know” what has occurred and offer promises of help to the suspect.

Although this alone isn’t illegal, it can lead to increased pressure on the suspect.

Drizin said the final error is contamination, which happens when police give the suspect information that would otherwise only be known by the person who committed the crime. Drizin said this can invalidate any confession of the information later on, because the suspect could have simply regurgitated the information officers gave them.

Drizin also discussed the false confession made by then-17-yearold Marty Tankleff, who woke up one day to find both his parents murdered in his home. He was tried and convicted of the crime after giving a false confession.

He has in the past described the interrogation experience as, “like having an 18-wheeler driving on your chest, and you believe that the only way to get that weight off your chest is to tell the police whatever they want to hear … even admitting to murder.”

Tankleff’s conviction has since been reversed.

McKaila Goodwin, a fourthyear in psychology and criminology who attended the event, said

making a false confession, though it seems unrealistic, seems possible.

“I would like to say no, but I have never been in a situation where I have been questioned for hours, so probably,” she said about the possibility of making a false confession herself.

One audience member asked Drizin how he keeps his motivation in what adds up to years of legal work. He responded by motioning to pictures on screen of innocent people whose convictions he has helped to overturn.

“This is why I keep going,” he said.

of just building off that.”

program that was started at University of Southern California to Ohio State,” Honaker said. “Every time Student Safety Service’s Safe Rides went over 15 minutes on weekend nights, it would send students to a ridesharing app and students would get free rides from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m., Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights within three miles of campus.”

Honaker and Gracia said they see weaknesses on campus that they feel they can address.

“I think textbooks. (The current USG administration) did promise a lot of textbook stuff — I think they’re doing a really great job, but I think that’s one that hits home,” Gracia said. “I think paying $600 a semester in textbooks is kind of

Mary Honaker and Carla Gracia

Presidential candidate Mary Honaker, a third-year in international studies, and vice-presidential candidate Carla Gracia, a second-year in political science, are campaigning on diversity, inclusion and college affordability.

“Our most attractive policy point is we want to expand a

USG CONTINUES ON 3

@TheLantern

thelantern.com

Thursday, February 23, 2017 | The Lantern | 3

STOCKMEISTER FROM 1

not, at that point, commit to another tuition freeze, though he didn’t rule it out either.

Kasich’s budget proposal came out a week later.

The board is expected to make a decision this semester about the tuition freeze.

Along with a looming tuition decision, Stockmeister and the board will be tasked with making decisions about the university’s energy plan. The board began taking proposals last year to seek out private partners to help handle the university’s energy, including gas, water and electric.

Decisions moving forward on selecting a

private company to work with OSU on energy as expected to come in the somewhat near future. Kasich recently praised OSU’s decision to privatize its parking with the 50year deal it struck with CampusParc. The winning bidder could control the operation and maintenance of OSU’s utilities for 50 years. OSU’s privatized parking plan — which Kasich praised recently at the Ohio Newspaper Association conference earlier this month — is also set for 50 years.

Stockmeister told The Telegram — run by a Jackson County Broadcasting Inc., which is owned by Stockmeister — that

he was first contacted about being a board member more than three years ago. When officially offered the position this past December, Stockmeister took the opportunity.

University spokesman Ben Johnson said the university welcomed Stockmeister.

“We appreciate the thought and consideration that Governor Kasich and his staff put into appointments to The Ohio State University Board of Trustees,” he said.

Stockmeister has a vast business portfolio, and is currently one of the owners of Dallas-based precious-metals conglomerate Elemetal, as well as chairman and CEO of

Ohio Precious Metals Inc., a refinery located in Jackson County that focuses on gold.

The newest trustee has long-standing OSU ties as well, having started a $25,000 endowment in 1998 named the Alan Stockmeister Athletic Scholarship Fund. Stockmeister also has two children who currently attend the university.

His nine-year board term officially started on Feb. 3.

Stockmeister did not respond to requests for comment.

Lantern Classifieds

USG FROM 2

ridiculous. That’s one of our biggest points, open-source textbooks, and making college more affordable for everyone.”

The running mates also said they see the need for improvements in off-campus medical care options, going as far as recommending a new facility.

“Another big policy point for us is we want an off-campus medical center in the new construction on High Street,” Honaker said. “That way, on High Street, there is just a version of the Wilce, even smaller than that. In case you’re sick, and you live on Summit or farther, you can go there instead of having to go on campus, because that’s a hike.”

Honaker also said they have plans for reviewing university investments.

“We have this policy point, it’s another big one, that we want an investment review board for humane and ethical standards,” Honaker said. “We want the university to lay out all of the university investments, and we would want to review all of our investments to make sure everything is ethical and everything is humane.”

Andrew Jackson and Sophie Chang

Presidential candidate Andrew Jackson, a third-year in Spanish and political science, and vice-presidential candidate Sophie Chang, a third-year in environment, economy, development and sustainability, have organized their platform with an emphasis on affordability, inclusion and sustainability.

“We’ve always been trying to advocate for students, for students who don’t have as much access to certain things on campus, so our aim at this point is to work for and with the students,” Chang said.

As far as finances, Jackson and Chang said they want the continuation of steps taken by USG’s current administration toward textbook affordability.

“In terms of textbook affordability, we have made great strides this year and, next year, we want to continue lobbying administrators pretty much, because USG is inherently a lobbying organization,” Chang said. “We want to continue lobbying administrators to offer low- or no-cost textbooks to students or to increase and expand resources within OSU libraries.”

Jackson and Chang said that, as members of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee, the issue of inclusion is one they have worked with in the past and is a vital component of their platform. They said they intend to continue outreach to student organizations, which began this year, in order to further diversify USG’s demographics.

THE STUDENT VOICE OF THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY The Lantern is a student publication which is part of the School of Communication at The Ohio State University. It publishes issues Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and online editions every day. The Lantern’s daily operations are funded through advertising and its academic pursuits are supported by the School of Communication. Advertising in the paper is sold largely by student account executives.

Students also service the classified department and handle front office duties. The School of Communication is committed to the highest professional standards for the newspaper in order to guarantee the fullest educational benefits from The Lantern experience.

LANTERN FILE PHOTO

Current USG president and vice president Gerard Basalla and Danielle Di Scala pose for a photo in the Lantern TV studio on Feb. 25, 2016.

“We’ve had one of our most diverse the running mates have a three-pronged classes in USG history, and part of that is agenda: college affordability, mental health we are reaching out to more students or- and inclusion. ganizations, student organizations who “We’re looking at 21 credit hours being wouldn’t normally have a voice in USG, covered by full tuition, which is in hopes because of that we’ve gotten a lot of stu- of students graduating in four years and out dents who wouldn’t normally be in USG,” on time,” he said. “We also want to halt the Jackson said. increase of tuition in certain communities, As for sustainability, Chang said they in- like the international and out-of-state stutend to increase off-campus access to recy- dents.” cling, provide more information about what Post and Todd also want to strive to make can be recycled and work with University the university a sanctuary campus for the Dining Services to utilize more locally students covered by the Deferred Action for grown food.

Childhood Arrivals program, an Obama-ad“Sustainability, that’s my major,” she ministration executive order which protects said. “It’s something that I feel encompass- certain undocumented immigrants. es everything at Ohio State pretty much be”We believe that we should stand by our cause it involves optimizing a system over peers,” Todd said. “We do think that since time and that’s something that has to be we’re all Buckeyes, we do belong here, toapplied socially, environmentally and eco- gether. We should support one another in nomically.” terms of allowing someone to get their eduThe duo added that if elected they intend cation just as much as anybody else.” to continue much of the work of the previAlong with the college affordability and ous administration. inclusion, Post and Todd said they want to “We’ve made a lot of good progress this add more embedded counselors. year, and the thing with USG is that USG “They would be counselors outside of administrations change year to year. Ob- the Younkin Success Center for students to viously, the work shouldn’t necessarily have access to and avoid the wait times at change year to year, but the priorities are the Younkin,” Todd said. different,” Chang said. “So, it’s really great Post and Todd have heard the positive when you have a new administration come impact that embedded counselors have, and in and have the same priorities, or have the hope that increasing the number of them desire to continue a project.” brings similar success. The duo also have Stephen Post and Lauren Todd plans of their in terms of where embedded Presidential candidate Stephen Post, a counselors would be located on campus. third-year in economics and political sci“We’ve heard from other Big Ten schools ence, and vice presidential candidate Lau- that they have been successful,” Post said. ren Todd, a fifth-year in English, want USG “We also want to get them in academic colto be a bigger presence on campus and push leges, toward specific communities. If you USG to have more of an impact on students. have an embedded counselor in the College “We want to be something more for the of Engineering, that counselor is going to student body,” Post said. have more experience than just a regular Post, whose campaign came under scruti- counselor about the kind of problems that ny for its fundraising tactics last week, said they might deal with.”

Editor in Chief Managing Editor for Content Managing Editor for Design Copy Chief Campus Editor Assistant Campus Editor Sports Editor Assistant Sports Editor Arts&Life Editor Assistant Arts&Life Editor Photo Editor Assistant Photo Editor Design Editor Assistant Design Editor Multimedia Editor Assistant Multimedia Editor Engagement Editor Oller Reporter Miller Projects Reporter

Sallee Ann Ruibal Michael Huson Robert Scarpinito Jay Panandiker Nick Roll Sam Harris Nick McWilliams Jacob Myers Hannah Herner Regina Squeri Alexa Mavrogianis Mason Swires Jose Luis Lacar Eileen McClory Elizabeth Suarez Jack Westerheide Mitch Hooper Adrien Lac Abby Vesoulis

Director of Student Media General Sales Manager

Spencer Hunt Marie Pierce

Business Office 614-292-2031 Newsroom 614-292-5721 Advertising advertising@thelantern.com Classifieds classifieds@thelantern.com FOLLOW US thelantern.com @TheLantern @TheLanternOSU facebook.com/TheLanternOSU @LanternOfficial

ANNOUNCEMENTS NOTICES

HELP WANTED GENERAL

BAHAMAS SPRING BREAK $189 for 5-Days.

All prices include: Round-trip luxury party cruise.

Accommodations on the island at your choice of ten resorts. Appalachia Travel. www.

BahamaSun.com 800-867-5018

Telephone Interviewer TELEPHONE INTERVIEWER Telephone Interviewers needed to administer surveys for research firm. Must have excellent verbal and written communication skills. Daytime and evening shifts available.

Approx. 12-25 hrs/wk; shifts last 4 hrs. Apply in person at: Strategic Research Group, 995 Goodale Blvd., 2nd floor.

East 16th, between Summit and 4th, 1 bedroom, 2 bedroom, and 4 bedroom 1 bed, 1 bath $500.00, 2 bed 1 bath $780.00, 4 bed, 2 bath $1440.00 Remodeled kitchens, free washer /dryer in all units, lit off street parking, no pets, see details and pictures at www. skrentals.net , or text or call steve @ 614582-1618 Email sekocher@juno.com

UNFURNISHED RENTALS Great Location on Woodruff Ave. 2 Bedroom, 3 Bedroom, or 4 Bedroom Updated Units Available August 2017 - Close to High Street - Off-street Parking - Utilities Included - Updated Kitchen & Bath - On-site Laundry - Wood Floors

East Woodruff Rentals 56 1/2 E Woodruff, 2 bedroom, Microwave, gas range, dishwasher, disposal.

Gas heat & AC, coin-op laundry, 2 off-street parking spaces. Email lwalp1@gmail. com BEAUTIFUL Campus Brick 2-Bedroom Townhouse With Basement!

This beautiful 2-Bedroom brick Townhouse has FREE OSP and FREE W/D! Call North Campus Rentals phone: (614) 3548870

To advertise go to thelantern.com

Call Chris at (614) 296-8353

Letters to the Editor To submit a letter to the editor, either mail or email your letter. Please put your name, address, phone number and email address on the letter. If the editor decides to publish it, he or she will contact you to confirm your identity.

Email letters to: ruibal.1@osu.edu Mail letters to: The Lantern Letters to the Editor Journalism Building 242 W. 18th Ave. Columbus, OH 43210

UNFURNISHED TWO BEDROOM

Corrections The Lantern corrects any significant error brought to the attention of the staff. If you think a correction is needed, please email lanternnewsroom@gmail.com

ARTS&LIFE

4 | Thursday, February 23, 2017

thelantern.com

@LanternArtsLife

HOT CHICKEN The spicy chicken restaurant Hot Chicken Takeover, looks to take over the Clintonville neighborhood. | ON PAGE 6

‘The Addams Family’ creeps onto campus “Everyone comes from different backgrounds and majors, which creates this amazing variety of experiences and perspectives within the group. It really ends up helping us create an amazing show.”

COURTESY OF TNS

An event by Ohio State’s Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies will feature academic discussions about Harry Potter.

Erin McQuay Play director

AMANDA VAUGHN News Director vaughn.246@osu.edu They’re creepy, and they’re kooky, and they’re coming to Hitchcock Hall on Friday night.

Ohio State student organization Off the Lake Productions will put on its annual musical this weekend, “The Addams Family.”

OTL’s presentation of “The Addams Family” revisits the peculiar clan a few years after the events of the 1991 movie, “The Addams Family,” and 1993’s “Addams Family Values.” In the OSU club’s production, Wednesday Addams falls for a regular guy from Ohio, instigating a host of shenanigans.

“It’s really about how there is no “normal,” and that basically all families have their issues, but love

WHAT’S UP THIS WEEK

Harry Potter conference and celebration to be hosted

COURTESY OF OFF THE LAKE.

Off the Lake’s production of “The Addams Family” opens Feb. 24. conquers all,” said Erin McQuay the play’s director and a fourthyear in strategic communication.

While many cast and crew members are not pursuing acting as a profession, the club provides a creative outlet to express their love of theater. There is a range of different backgrounds, ages and majors taking part in “The Addams Family” and the diversity is something the organization embraces, McQuay said.

“Part of what makes OTL so special is how different our members are,” she said. “Everyone comes from different backgrounds and majors, which creates this amazing variety of experiences

and perspectives within the group.

It really ends up helping us create an amazing show.”

Courtney Tipton, a third-year medical student who is portraying Grandma Addams, joined the group when she began medical school to continue her love of the arts. Tipton dual majored in cellular molecular biology and theater at the University of Michigan for undergrad and said she didn’t want to let her creative side go in graduate school. Despite her plans to become a physician, Tipton said she isn’t leaving behind her passion for musical theater behind.

“I started doing musical theatre

Thursday, Feb. 23

Friday, Feb. 24

Animation Restoration at Walt Disney Studios, 7 p.m. at the Wexner Center for the Arts. Four preserved, short animated films from Disney Studios, originally released in the 1930s, are set to screen. Tickets are $6 for students and $8 for the general public.

Kaleo, 7 p.m. at EXPRESS LIVE!, 405 Neil Ave. The Icelandic rock band is set to perform with opener The Worn Flints. Tickets are $15.20 including fees via Ticketmaster.

COTA’s Line #2 runs on High St. until midnight* * Mon-Sat, until 10pm on Sundays

ADDAMS CONTINUES ON 6

Leading the Way: Martin Scorsese’s Film Foundation, 7 p.m. at the Wexner Center for the Arts. A representative of The Film Foundation founded by Martin Scorsese is set to discuss and then screen the 1968 Cuban film “Memories of Underdevelopment,” as part of the Wex’s Cinema Revival film festival. Tickets are $6 for students and $8 for the general public.

JIAHUA CHEN For The Lantern chen.6458@osu.edu The wizarding world of Harry Potter will be brought to campus.

Ohio State’s Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies will hold a Harry Potter conference and celebration this weekend.

This is the fourth year the center has hosted a series of events under the topic “Popular Culture and the Deep Past.” Previous themes include Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings.

Scholars around the country and world are welcome to analyze the text from various angles at the conference. Professors and students from Ohio, California, Florida, England, Iceland and other states and nations will give speeches about topics including

magic, music, medieval medicine and characters.

There will also be roundtable discussion, stage magic show and Harry Potter trivia competition.

The Medieval and Renaissance Performers Guild will give interactive dance show, song show and stage fight demo at the second day of the conference.

Graeme Boone, the director of the CMRS and a professor in the School of Music who founded the event, said his goal is to bring different people and different parts of the community together. Scholars, professors, students, artisans, calligraphers, dancers and musicians will gather together at this event, he said.

“You want to break down walls between different people,” Boone said. “The very obvious way to POTTER CONTINUES ON 6

Saturday, Feb. 25

Sunday, Feb. 26

Who’s Bad: The Ultimate Michael Jackson Experience, 7 p.m. at the Newport Music Hall, 1722 N. High St. The Michael Jackson tribute band, Who’s Bad, is set to perform. Tickets are $21.85 including fees via Ticketmaster.

“Expresso Bongo,” noon at the Wexner Center for the Arts. The 1959 British musical is set to screen as part of the Wex’s Cinema Revival. Admission is $6 for students and $8 general admission.

Fancy Fun Show, 8 p.m. at the Ohio Union. Backburner, an Ohio State sketch-comedy organization, is set to perform in the U.S. Bank Theater. Admission is free.

Shovels and Rope, doors open at 6 p.m. at Newport Music Hall, 1722 N. High St. The husband and wife folk duo is set to perform with opening act John Moreland. Tickets are $29.85 including fees via Ticketmaster.

Swipe your Buck ID for unlimited rides throughout Columbus

@LanternArtsLife

thelantern.com

Thursday, February 23, 2017 | The Lantern | 5

The Oscars less white this year, but there’s room for more diversity TIA WILLIAMS Lantern reporter williams.4342@osu.edu

was given a nod for his original song in the movie “Moana,” and cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto, who was nominated for his work in Martin Scorsese’s “Silence.”

Kieran Kelly, a fourth-year in economics and primary leader of OSU’s Film and Video Society, said in an email that the Oscars is simply an awards show honoring cinematic achievement, nothing more or less.

“I feel people would be best served to see the show for what it is — an award show,” he said. “Hollywood is not a diverse place, and this is a show about rewarding achievement in Hollywood.”

According to UCLA’s 2016 Hollywood Diversity Report, Latinos, the largest ethnic group in California, were the most underrepresented group in TV for the second straight year. They also accounted for nearly one out of every four tickets purchased by moviegoers in 2015, according to Motion Picture Association of America. “‘La La Land,’ which is supposed to be set in Los Angeles, has one Latina actress,” Aldama said.

“In the background of the movie it’s almost as if LA doesn’t have any Latinos even though LA is majority Latino.”

When lead roles are written for Latino characters, non-Latino actors sometimes fill them. Ben Affleck played a Mexican-American CIA agent in the 2012 film

For the past two years, no actors of color were nominated for an Oscar.

This year, after increasing controversy and an #OscarsSoWhite social media movement, 18 black actors and film production members were nominated, and — for the first time in the Academy’s history — black actors have been nominated in every acting category.

However, despite the progression for the minority group, there is still an absence of Latinos in leading roles. Ohio State experts weighed in on diversity in The Academy Awards.

Frederick Luis Aldama, a distinguished professor of English and expert on Latino art, literature and film studies, said it’s still far from where it needs to be.

Aldama said the underrepresentation of Latinos isn’t just a problem for the Academy, but for Hollywood as a whole.

“We are not in movies, and we are not behind the camera,” Aldama said. “If we are not on the set, or there learning how to make movies, then how are we ever going to make it in the industry?”

Latinos receiving nominations this year include Lin-Manuel Miranda, who COURTESY OF TNS

HUMANS OF OHIO STATE

SHERIDAN HENDRIX | SENIOR LANTERN REPORTER

“I’ve always felt that weather was the most fascinating thing when I was a kid. I liked watching storms roll in, and the lake-effect snow from Northeast Ohio was always cool as a kid to go out in the snow and play.

I was the kid standing outside in the thunderstorm waiting for tornados to swing by, but it never really happened … (My geography minor) really has pushed me towards climate research and climate change. Especially with the political atmosphere that we have now, it’s kind of always at the forefront of the news. Trump is really trying to push stuff away from climate change, and there’s always this big debacle into whether it’s really happening. I’d love to get into that field and see if there’s any clarity in the situation.”

John Manos Third-year in atmospheric sciences

OSCARS CONTINUES ON 6

CAST YOUR VOTES NOW!

BEST OF OSU Polling opens 2/24!

WIN $50!

VOTE AT

http://thelantern.com

6 | The Lantern | Thursday, February 23, 2017

thelantern.com

@TheLantern

Hot Chicken Takeover expanding to Clintonville ADAM ROBBINS Lantern reporter robbins.347@osu.edu Hot Chicken Takeover started as just a small pop-up chicken window in the Olde Towne East neighborhood of Columbus two years ago, and grew to a location at North Market in the Short North.

Now, the restaurant is expanding to a standalone restaurant.

Manager Joe DeLoss said the Nashville-style fried chicken restaurant, which currently resides on the second floor of the North Market, will open a new location in Clintonville in the late spring.

DeLoss said the company took customer surveys regularly and reviewed census data and comments on social media when choosing a location, and felt Clintonville was the place to start.

“Clintonville was one of the locations on the list, so the second step in the process was real estate,” DeLoss said. “That proved very tricky, so aligning the available real estate with our data was a much larger challenge than imagined — but we’re happy with the way it worked out.”

The company’s success is based on three things: the community, the team and the chicken, which is cayenne pepper-infused, as opposed to covered in sauce, DeLoss said.

“We love the customers that

COURTESY OF DILARA CASEY

Hot Chicken Takeover will open a second Columbus location in Clintonville, with more locations to be announced this week. come through our doors every day, and we have a strong team of workers who hustle to get the job done and ensure we’re consistently providing great service and great food to the customers we serve,” DeLoss said.

DeLoss said he was heavily influenced by the way fried chicken is served in Nashville when starting Hot Chicken Takeover.

He said he wanted to bring the family-oriented, casual culture to

ADDAMS FROM 4

POTTER FROM 4

when I was probably seven years old,” she said. “I’ve been in over 25 shows at this point. It’s just something that I keep coming back to, something that performing arts is a huge part of my life.

Even though I’m pursuing medicine as a career it’s something that I couldn’t give up.

The cast and crew have been working on the production since it was chosen in April and their work culminates in five shows over the next two weekends. Performances are Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., March 3 at 8 p.m. and March 4 at 4:30 and 8 p.m.

Tickets to “The Addams Family” are available at the door of Hitchcock Hall 131 for $1 or a canned-food donation. No cash will be accepted, only credit or debit card, BuckID and venmo.

Monetary donations go directly to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Columbus and canned goods to the MidOhio Foodbank.

do it would be to hold a conference that is on popular culture, something people are very excited about right now — all over the place. And the celebration would be a part of the conference.”

This year is the 20th anniversary of the publication of J.K.Rowling’s first Harry Potter novel. Using Harry Potter, CMRS is trying to connect current pop culture and traditions of the past, allowing academic scholars to think about the medieval roots of current culture, Boone said.

In the world of Harry Potter, students write with quills on parchment and use candles. Rowling incorporated many different medieval and renaissance elements in the novel, such as the educational systems and architecture style, said Daniel Knapper, a third-year Ph.D. student studying English.

Knapper, who helped organize the conference, said the series was not completely dominated by traditions, but it was strongly influenced by medieval culture.

“This is a good series to explore from medieval and renaissance perspectives,” Knapper said. “On the one hand, Harry Potter and his friends seem like they live in present day, (they) live among us. On the other hand, the costumes they

Editor’s note: Erin McQuay is the assistant production manager at Lantern TV

@ AmandaKVaughn

Columbus.

While most people know the restaurant for the food, it’s not the only thing that makes them notable around the community, he said.

“We have employees who have had what we consider an ‘alternative resume,’” DeLoss said.

“They’ve been incarcerated or had life experiences different than what some of us may have had, but they’re eager to work and many of

them want to break the cycle they were born into.”

It’s this eagerness from not only the workers, but from the community, that has led to the success of the restaurant, said marketing director Dilara Casey.

Casey said it’s an easy company to love because it has all of the features of success.

“I think the work we do is extremely meaningful,” Casey said.

“Whether that means offering

somebody a fair chance at employment, providing meals to community shelters, or seeing the smile on a customer’s face, it’s all rewarding.”

The meaningful work the restaurant has done hasn’t gone unnoticed, she added. Access Ventures, a private-equity firm from Louisville, Kentucky, has provided funding, guidance and support to help with the expansion as a whole. The investment plan is to add three or four stores in central Ohio in the next few years.

This expansion includes another Columbus location that will be announced on Friday, Casey said.

As for the first expansion in Clintonville, the expectations DeLoss said he and others have are high.

“We feel confident that with previous interactions we’ve had in the neighborhood,”DeLoss said.

“Clintonville is a good place to start as we expand.”

The new location will open in the late spring at 4203 N. High St.

MORE ON OUR WEBSITE

www.thelantern.com

OSCARS FROM 5

wear, the educational system suggest elements of early England.

They are deeply rooted in medieval and renaissance past.”

Elizabeth Kirkendoll, a fourth year Ph.D. student in the School of Music, will give a speech at the conference. For her second time participating in “Popular Culture and the Deep Past” event, she will talk about Hedwig’s theme and how it relates to the movie’s plot.

“I really hope undergraduate students come toward our conference, and also the public,” Kirkendoll said. “I hope they come out and have something they are interested in, and maybe have some new perspective.”

The event is set to take place on Friday from noon to 9 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in various rooms of the Ohio Union.

PLEASE

RECYCLE

“Argo,” and British actor Charlie Hunnam took the role of a Mexican-American cartel leader in the 2016 film “American Drug Lord.”

Aldama said producers and directors need to start thinking about what their teams should look like, as well as the experiences of their teams, otherwise Latinos aren’t going to be given the kind of complex, well-represented stories they deserve.

“It starts with people thinking outside of the box,” he said. “Not just thinking ‘Oh Matt Damon is going to be my star,’ but maybe thinking of actually putting Diego Luna as one of the protagonists.”

After last year’s boycott, the Academy pledged to enlist new, diverse voters who would double minority membership by 2020.

Invitations were sent to 683 distinguished filmmakers, artists and film executives which, according to USA Today, featured 46 percent women and 41 percent minorities.

David Filipi, director of film/ video for the Wexner Center for the Arts, said the Oscars help detect and initiate this change within the film industry.

“The Oscars don’t really serve a practical function, except that it’s a way for Hollywood to advertise itself,” Filipi said. “On the

Get the daily email edition!

www.thelantern.com/email

flip side, I do think they’ve been calling attention to some real problems in the film industry in Hollywood — and that is lack of opportunities for women and people of color.”

A woman was not nominated for the best director category this year and a woman has yet to be nominated in the cinematography category. Dev Patel is the only Asian actor nominated this year, and the third Indian actor ever to receive a nomination.

Aldama said he’s hopeful that this year’s protests will spark some urgency in directors and producers in Hollywood to hire more Latinos. He said some Hollywood producers have asked him to send some of his Latino students over for internships.

“We need to see more Latinos behind the scenes, in the lighting, in the creating itself, and we won’t see that if Hollywood doesn’t start waking up,” he said.

The Academy Awards are set to air Sunday at 8:30 p.m. on ABC.

For more stories like this, follow us on Twitter! @LanternArtsLife

@LanternSports

thelantern.com

Thursday, February 23, 2017 | The Lantern | 7

OSU facing pivotal games against Michigan NICK CLARKSON Lantern reporter clarkson.38@osu.edu After sweeping Michigan State on the road last weekend, the No. 12 Ohio State men’s hockey team (16-8-6, 7-6-1-1) returns to the Schottenstein Center to welcome the visiting Michigan Wolverines for two conference clashes.

The Wolverines (9-16-3, 2-102-2) come into these matchups with a 1-7-3 record in their past 10 games, and have won just one game in 2017 — a 5-4 win over OSU on Feb. 3. Despite the string of shaky results, Buckeyes coach Steve Rohlik said the rivalry between the two programs is always prevalent on the field, court or ice, making victories harder to come by.

“It is our rival to the north, and no matter what sport you’re playing in one of these 36 here on campus against That Team Up North, there’s going to be the rivalry,” Rohlik said. “You can throw out all the records you want, no matter if it’s football and their records or hockey, the rivalry’s there and both teams know it.”

This weekend marks the second series between OSU and MichiMATTA FROM 1

gan this season, with the first back on Feb. 3 and 4, ending in both teams splitting wins. Additionally, games featuring the Buckeyes and the Wolverines have provided a high number of pucks in the back of the net, with both sides tallying a combined 66 goals in their past six matchups.

With that in mind, senior forward and captain Nick Schilkey said that although his coach prefers the opposition to not light up the scoreboard, the Scarlet and Gray’s experience in these high-scoring affairs will be a key to six Big Ten points this weekend.

“It always seems to be a high-scoring game,” Schilkey said. “Coach always talks about how we’d rather be in those 3-2 games, those low-scoring games, but we’ve obviously been ready for those high-scoring games in the past. We’ve played in those games, and we’re confident we can get the job done.”

Six games remain on the regular-season schedule for OSU, including back-to-back series in Columbus before heading to Wisconsin for a final weekend series before the Big Ten tournament.

With that, Rohlik said his squad

side factors, or the play of anyone on his team.

“I’ll never ever throw a player under the bus,” Matta said. “I’ve never done that. I’ll take it, ice in my veins. It’s on me 100 percent.”

Still, Matta is arguably in the biggest slump of his coaching career.

That, paired with a winning percentage that has been slowly declining since the 2010-11 season, and it’s easy to see where the frustrations of fans come from.

Like any other coach, Matta is trying to look on the bright side of this season. He is well aware of where the criticism is coming from, and isn’t trying to blame anything on the bad strokes of luck. Still, he said he hopes to keep the focus on the team and winning games, and not about internal struggles and if the team is going in the right direction.

“I know where you guys are going with this, and it’s difficult. We just lost a five-point lead with 30 seconds to go in our last game,” he said. “I’m not going to say that everything is great. I’m still reeling from that loss. I think we can address these questions at another time. I’ve got to gotta coach a basketball team.”

It’s worth noting OSU has had its fair share of bad luck this season.

From the loss of junior forward Keita Bates-Diop for the entire season, to instances of bad bounces and unfortunate calls, the Buckeyes have seen it all.

Against Michigan State, on a crucial possession for OSU, senior forward Marc Loving had a chance to take a wide-open shot, but was essentially screened by the referee. It’s been that kind of year for the Buckeyes.

However, it appears Matta still has the backing of his players.

“Every program is going to have its struggles,” said freshman center Micah Potter. “It depends on how you come out of them. That really shows you the state of the program. Coach Matta is a great coach. I think everyone here can understand that. I think everyone in the country understands that.

He knows how to coach his players, and it’s up to the players to buy in.”

With Wisconsin ahead, Matta understands he is under pressure and scrutiny from now until the start of next season, barring any surprise choices by the OSU Department of Athletics to relieve him of his duties. For now, it’s still about winning, and still about helping lead the team he has been with for 13 years, and cleaning up the

COOPER FROM 8

season to communicate better with her teammates. Her tone varies for each player.

“I might be able to get in (junior forward) Alexa (Hart) harder than I might be able to get into (junior guard) Asia (Doss),” Cooper said.

“I might be able to go up to Alexa like, ‘Yo, what’re doing? You’re better than that.’ But Asia, I might have to pull to the side like, ‘Yo, I know you can do it,’ like on the softer tone.”

She said she’s proud of her improvement in the area because,

be like, ‘Stop, you’re going to get a (technical foul), you’re going to get us in trouble,’” DeShields said.

But as Cooper grew older, she matured and kept her emotions in check. DeShields has taken notice.

“Shayla used to have a bit of a temper, which we used to always have to try to keep in check,” she said. “You definitely see that aspect of growth. She’s learned how to check herself when you can see her emotions flaring up.”

Cooper challenged herself this

JACOB MYERS | ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

OSU senior forward Nick Schilkey (7) carries the puck during the Buckeyes’ game against Minnesota on Feb. 11. controls its own destiny with important games down the stretch — starting with the first faceoff Friday night.

“To me, every game is a playoff game at this point,” Rohlik said.

“From a short-term goal of winning a hockey game, to trying to keep a winning streak going, to try to catch your ultimate goal at the end of the year, it all comes down to winning hockey games — and

right now, Friday is pretty important.”

Puck drop is slated for 7 p.m. at the Schottenstein Center on Friday night and 5 p.m. on Saturday.

MASON SWIRES | ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

OSU basketball coach Thad Matta looks downcourt during the Buckeyes’ game against Rutgers on Feb. 8. mistakes that have been present all year.

The toll of a rough season can wear thin on a coach at any level, but Matta said his years at the helm of teams have helped him through.

“I think this profession … you do this long enough and you kind of become numb,” he said. “I’ve always said this. I never get too high and I never get too low. Am I a little bit lower than normally? Yeah, I probably am.”

OSU and Matta get a chance to earn a huge upset against No. 16 Wisconsin on Thursday at 9 p.m. in Columbus.

as someone who transferred, she understands players who feel like they don’t fit in.

Cooper and redshirt junior guard Kianna Holland transferred to OSU in the same season and clicked instantly.

“We were so close when we first got here, because it was like we didn’t know anybody and everybody is looking at us like, ‘Who are they?’” Cooper said.

She didn’t want any of the three OSU freshmen — forward Tori McCoy, guard Jensen Caretti or

guard Kiara Lewis — to feel the way she did.

“Your freshmen are very important because if you don’t make them feel welcome, a lot of freshmen are transfers,” Cooper said.

Mavunga, Holland, redshirt sophomore guard Sierra Calhoun, redshirt junior guard Linnae Harper and Cooper are all transfers who now play for OSU. But Cooper won’t be around after this season to reap the rewards. Cooper has her eyes set on the final games of 2017 and her OSU career.

Cooper is eternally confident in herself and her team. She even espoused her desire for a rematch with No. 1 Connecticut (24-0), a team that beat No. 12 OSU 82-63 on Dec. 19, and currently owns the sport’s longest-ever winning streak at 101 games.

“There are some things that we didn’t capitalize on,” Cooper said.

“If we get another shot at them, I feel like we could beat them.”

@NickM_OSU

@chasshill

8 | Thursday, February 23, 2017

SPORTS

thelantern.com

@LanternSports

MEN’S HOCKEY The Buckeyes begin wrapping up the season, but need to defend the home ice in order to stay in the NCAA picture. | ON PAGE 7

Shayla Cooper’s leadership molded by journey COLIN HASS-HILL Assistant Sports Director hass-hill.1@osu.edu In a team meeting on Feb. 9 about chemistry, relationships and late-season improvement, Ohio State senior forward Shayla Cooper addressed her teammates and laid out her vision for the team.

“I brought it up to them like, ‘Hey, if we win 12 games in a row, which we’re very capable of — we’re national champions,” Cooper said. “If we win 11, we’re in that game, the national championship game.”

Since the meeting, the Buckeyes are three games closer to the 12-0 goal set by Cooper, having defeated Iowa, Nebraska and, most recently, No. 2 Maryland on Monday, when Cooper was recog-

“Your freshmen are very important, because if you don’t make them feel welcome, a lot of freshmen are transfers.”

Shalya Cooper Senior forward, OSU women’s basketball

COURTESY OF OSU

Shayla Cooper poses with her family on senior day on Feb. 20 in Columbus. nized as the lone senior on Senior I’ve heard in the past, so I just let lege teams began flowing in.

Night. it rip.”

Cooper played high school basCooper arguably played her best Her performance on Monday ketball at Norcross High School game of her career in the team’s was a long time coming for Coo- (Georgia) with now Tennessee 98-87 win over the Terrapins, put- per. And it wasn’t always easy. redshirt junior guard Diamond ting OSU into a position to win She was born in Birmingham, DeShields. the regular-season Big Ten title Alabama, living there until she Cooper and DeShields were with a win over Rutgers on Sun- moved to Tampa, Florida, in fifth competing for the limelight — day. She scored 20 points and had grade when T-Mobile offered her an environment Cooper said she five assists, and led the team with mom a job in the Sunshine State. thrives in. But through those innine rebounds.

She picked up her first offer from tense moments in practice, Coo“It means a lot to be able to pro- a Division I program in eighth per and DeShields formed an invide that for my team to secure the grade, when South Florida offered separable bond. win, for one,” Cooper said. “They her a scholarship.

DeShields, the Naismith High kept passing me the ball and hand After ninth grade, she moved to School Player of the Year in 2013, down, man down — that’s what Georgia and the letters from col- remembers nearly fighting with

Cooper during a practice.

“With her being one of my best friends, it was just kind of like a defining moment in our friendship and it made us closer, because I was able to see that she really wanted to win and she was able to see how much that I really wanted to win,” DeShields said.

Cooper who transferred from Georgetown two games into the 2013-14 season after her coach was fired, brought the same competitive attitude to practices at OSU. Last season, she took pride in matching up with forward Stephanie Mavunga during the summer. Mavunga, who transferred to OSU from North Carolina after the 2014-15 season, was ineligible to play in 2015-16 due to NCAA transfer rules.

Cooper took it upon herself to compete with the incoming 6-foot3 post player whose only time on the court came during practice.

“That was definitely fun, because I feel like I was the only one who would bring that competitiveness that she loves and I love,” Cooper said. “So we would trash talk to each other, but it was out of both of our competitive spirits.”

Her competitive streak has been known to get her in trouble during games in the past.

“A couple times I had to literally pull (Cooper) by her hair and

COOPER CONTINUES ON 7

OSU reeling from loss with Wisconsin on deck JACOB MYERS Assistant Sports Editor myers.1669@osu.edu Well, what now?

After the Ohio State men’s basketball team’s stunning loss to Nebraska on Saturday in which OSU led the entire game, coach Thad Matta will need to turn his team around to face an opponent that beat OSU by 23 earlier this season.

Thursday night, the Buckeyes (15-13, 5-10 Big Ten) welcome the 16th-ranked Wisconsin Badgers (22-5, 11-3 Big Ten) to the Schottenstein Center for a battle between a conference cellar-dweller and the other competing for its second conference title in three seasons.

OSU is currently tied for 12th in conference while Wisconsin is a half game behind Purdue for first place. It’s not a situation OSU is accustomed to, but the Scarlet and Gray have to face reality.

“Our focus is just trying to clean up some loose ends and take better care of the basketball and execute on both ends just a little bit better,” Matta said. “We got to play smarter basketball. We got to play harder in what we’re doing.”

OSU led Nebraska by five with 30 seconds left, yet found a way to lose. Matta said the loss is still lingering on his mind, trying to un-

derstand how that game didn’t fall into the win column. Freshman center Micah Potter said having an opponent that beat down the Buckeyes last time helps refocus much quicker following a loss.

“We definitely need to get some kind of revenge,” Potter said.

Wisconsin The Badgers have been on a slide recently, with losses to Northwestern at home and at Michigan, which allowed Purdue to climb back into the top spot in the conference. In its last game, Wisconsin rebounded with an 11-point win over Maryland at home to remain even with Purdue in the loss column.

Senior guard Bronson Koenig has led the charge for Wisconsin the past three years, including most of the Badgers’ run to the national championship game in 2015. He was 7 for 12 from the field against OSU at the Kohl Center in January and scored 21 points, making five 3-pointers.

Senior forward Nigel Hayes — a Toledo, Ohio, product — is arguably the heart and soul of the Badgers, and a player who got away from Matta on the recruiting trail.

“We recruited the heck out of Nigel,” Matta said. “We tried to get him the best we could.

I thought he was going to be a great, great player.”

ALEXA MAVROGIANIS | PHOTO EDITOR

OSU sophomore guard JaQuan Lyle (13) looks to pass during the Buckeyes’ 58-57 loss against Nebraska on Feb. 18.

Hayes, the preseason Big Ten player of the year, average 13.6 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.

The only non-senior starter for the Badgers is redshirt sophomore center Ethan Happ, who is well on his way to being Frank Kaminsky 2.0 — the former National Player of the Year for the Badgers.

Happ is having a breakout season, averaging 14.9 points and 9.0 rebounds overall and 16.4 points and 8.5 rebounds in Big Ten play.

The Game Simply put, Wisconsin is too skilled, too disciplined and too

good for OSU to match up with.

The Badgers are ranked seventh in Ken Pomeroy’s adjusted defensive efficiency rating, allowing 90.8 points per 100 possessions.

If OSU is to stay within reach of the Badgers, redshirt junior center Trevor Thompson will need to stay out of foul trouble, which he has struggled to do lately. OSU will also have to defend the 3-point line, given Wisconsin made 12 shots from 3-point range last game.

The lingering ankle injury of sophomore guard JaQuan Lyle

has been hurting the OSU offense.

Lyle suffered the injury in practice before the Michigan game three weeks ago and hasn’t been the same since. He had just four points in 20 minutes against Nebraska.

“We definitely need him back and scoring and finishing and high-assist game and rebounding the basketball,” Matta said.

Prediction: Ohio State - 64, Wisconsin - 74

@Jacob_Myers_25