Ohio State men fall to Wisconsin

MADISON. Wis. — Wisconsin’s high-scoring backcourt of Nick Boyd and John Blackwell combined for 43 points, Austin Rapp hit five first-half 3-pointers, and Wisconsin beat Ohio State 92-82 on Saturday.

Blackwell and Boyd, who have combined for over 38 points per game, finished with 22 and 21, respectively, the sixth time they have both been over 20 points. The 6-foot-10 Rapp, the West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year at Portland last season, scored all 19 of his points off the bench in the first half. Nolan Winter finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds for his 10th double-double of the season. Aleksas Bieliauskas added 10 points for Wisconsin (16-6, 7-3 Big Ten).

Ohio State’s own dynamic duo, Bruce Thornton and John Mobley Jr., averaging over 35 ppg, finished with 18 and nine, respectively. Amare Bynum scored 18 points for the Buckeyes (14-7, 6-5), while Devin Royal added 17 and Taison Chatman 14.

Wisconsin made only two of its first 11 attempts while falling behind 15-4, but Rapp hit three consecutive 3s in bringing back the Badgers to their first lead, 24-23, with eight minutes in the first half. Rapp added two more 3s, and a late run put Wisconsin up 49-43 at the break.

The Buckeyes led throughout the second half with Boyd and Blackwell scoring 11 points apiece. Boyd’s bucket with 2:41 to go gave Wisconsin its largest lead at 16.

Wisconsin shot 52%, made 19 of 21 at the line and outscored Ohio State 42-30 in the paint.

Up next

Ohio State is at Maryland on Thursday.

Wisconsin is at Indiana Saturday.

Buckeyes officially name Smith OC

COLUMBUS — Ohio State hired Arthur Smith as offensive coordinator Saturday, the second straight year coach Ryan Day has turned to a coordinator with extensive NFL experience.

Smith was the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive coordinator the past two seasons after being the Atlanta Falcons head coach from 2021 through ’23.

“He will bring immediate value to our program and was exactly what we were looking for as we set out to find our next offensive coordinator,” Day said in a statement. “His track record in the NFL, experience as coordinator, player caller and a head coach checked every box during the search. He’ll do a great job in helping our players reach their potential on the field while also connecting with them as people.”

Smith replaces Brian Hartline, who was hired as South Florida’s head coach after eight seasons in Columbus.

The 43-year old Smith has not been on a college staff since he was a defensive intern at Ole Miss in 2010.

Smith also interviewed for the Arizona Cardinals and Tennessee Titans head coach openings as well as the Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator position. He was on the Titans staff from 2011 through ’20. rising from a quality control coach to offensive coordinator his last two years. He began his NFL coaching career as a quality control coach in Washington in 2007.

He is the only offensive coordinator/head coach in the NFL to have seven different running backs with at least 1,000 yards from scrimmage in that past seven years — Derrick Henry at Tennessee, Cordarrelle Patterson, Tyler Allgeier and Bijan Robinson at Atlanta, and Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell with the Steelers.

Smith has also coached quarterbacks Ryan Tannehill, Matt Ryan, Marcus Mariotta, Justin Fields, Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers.

Day is hoping Smith’s hire goes as well as his selection of Matt Patricia as defensive coordinator last year. The Buckeyes had the nation’s top-ranked defense and allowed only 8.2 points per game.

Ohio State was 18th in the nation in scoring offense and 24th in total offense in 2025. Heisman finalist Julian Sayin will be returning at quarterback as dynamic wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, an AP All-America selection the past two years.

Cardinals hire Rams’ LaFleur as HC

TEMPE, Ariz. — The Arizona Cardinals hired Mike LaFleur as head coach on Sunday, turning to a division rival’s offensive coordinator to try to pull the franchise out of the bottom of the NFC West.

The Cardinals’ announcement of the five-year deal brought an end to the nearly four-week hiring process.

The 38-year-old Los Angeles Rams assistant replaces Jonathan Gannon, who was fired on Jan. 5 after a 15-36 record over three seasons, including 3-14 this past season.

LaFleur — who is the younger brother of Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur — has been the Rams’ offensive coordinator for the past three seasons.

“I couldn’t be more fired up to become the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals and am beyond grateful to (owner) Michael (Bidwill) and (general manager) Monti (Ossenfort) for this opportunity,” LaFleur said in a statement.

“Having competed against them in the NFC so many times in recent years, I know the type of talent and toughness the team has and cannot wait to get to Arizona to hit the ground running.”

Los Angeles had the NFL’s top offense in 2025, averaging nearly 400 total yards and more than 30 points per game. The Rams fell one game short of the Super Bowl, losing to the Seattle Seahawks 31-27 in the NFC championship game.

LaFleur inherits some intriguing players on Arizona’s roster, including All-Pro tight end Trey McBride, receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. and veteran edge rusher Josh Sweat.

Arizona also has the No. 3 overall pick in April’s draft.