In the offseason, Jim Foster left Vanderbilt to take over coaching duties at Ohio State.

Since then, the Buckeyes have won almost as many games this season as they did in all of 2001-02. And as Big Ten play gets under way, Ohio State is threatening to help heat up the conference race.

FOR PETE'S SAKE

Senior Courtney Coleman is hardly Jim Foster's first player to lead the nation in field-goal accuracy. Chantelle Anderson topped the same category just two years ago as a sophomore at Vanderbilt. Like Anderson, Coleman has benefited from Foster's style -- and coaching staff. And assistant Pete Gaudet, who also left Vanderbilt for Ohio State in the offseason, deserves a lot of credit as well. Gaudet, who has more than 30 years of coaching experience and was an assistant for two of Duke's NCAA championship men's teams, helped Anderson tremendously during their time together in Nashville, Tenn. She has blossomed into the nation's best center, and the Kodak All-American has often recognized Gaudet's influence on her career. He's had the same effect on Coleman. While she has always been a solid player, Gaudet and Foster have helped Coleman develop the fundamentals of the game. They are great teachers of the basics, and their coaching tactics have only enhanced Coleman's skills. Now the 6-foot-1 senior forward is more comfortable facing up to the basket and putting the ball on the floor.

The Big Ten has been a strong league for many years. Purdue reached the Final Four in two of the past four seasons. Penn State advanced to the national semifinals in 2000. And Minnesota broke onto the scene last year as all three teams battled for the conference banner.

Ohio State, meanwhile, struggled through a 14-15 season that saw the Buckeyes do only slightly better in league play (8-8). They averaged as many points as they gave up (70.7). The year before, in 2000-01, they won just six conference games.

But Foster has taken Ohio State to another level this season, and the turnaround is nothing short of remarkable. The Buckeyes (10-2) have upset two ranked teams (Texas and Arizona) and outrebounded all but one opponent. After Sunday's win over the Longhorns -- which marked just the second time in the 10-game series that Ohio State has beaten Texas -- they also are 7-0 at home and riding a seven-game win streak.

Statistically, the Buckeyes are averaging 75.4 points on offense and allowing just 55.6 points a game, which ranks No. 1 in the Big Ten. Ohio State, however, also rank No. 1 in another key category: Senior Courtney Coleman leads the country with a 77.6 field-goal percentage. Caity Matter, meanwhile, hasn't missed a free throw this season, going 22-for-22 at the foul line so far.

Foster's success isn't surprising. He has won 514 games over 25 years (10 wins at Ohio State, 248 in 13 seasons at St. Joseph's and 256 in 11 years at Vanderbilt). But to reach that level so quickly at Ohio State, and with players he didn't recruit, is one of Foster's most impressive achievements.

Whereas some coaches come into a job and rip apart the old system, Foster built on what was already there in Columbus, Ohio. And it's something he has done many times before. As a USA Basketball coach, you often work with players you've never coached before, but you have to walk in and make it work.

That's what he has done with the Buckeyes. Though he had to implement a good defense and good offensive scheme, Ohio State is playing some trademark Foster ball. The Buckeyes get up and down the court and run a very proficient half-court offense. They push the ball when they have numbers and are very technically sound. And their defense is as tough as it gets. Foster's teams have sported that mentality since his early days at St. Joseph's.

But they work very hard on the basics, such as keeping the ballhandler between you and the basket, and keeping your feet moving on defense. And because of that, Foster has helped put Ohio State back on the map.

Foster, who told me he loves working for Ohio State Athletic Director Andy Geiger and having Jim O'Brien down the hall, also probably has put the pressure on his Big Ten counterparts. Right now, every coach in the league has to be more prepared and teams have to work harder to prepare for the Buckeyes. Like men's college basketball coaches John Calipari (Memphis) and Rick Pitino (Louisville) in Conference USA, Foster has helped raise the bar in the Big Ten.

But on a much larger scale, you also have to appreciate Foster for what he has done for women's basketball. He has been involved with USA Basketball since 1987, taken 16 teams to the NCAA Tournament, made five Elite Eight appearances with a trip to the NCAA title game (Vanderbilt lost to Texas Tech in 1993) and won three SEC tournament titles (1993, '95, '02).

And in the end, you have think Ohio State made one great hire.

Nancy Lieberman, an ESPN analyst and Hall of Famer, is a regular contributor to ESPN.com's women's basketball coverage. Contact her at www.nancylieberman.com.