Tough Couple of Nights for the Buckeyes

[Mutaman]

#4 Wisconsin 72
#5 OSU 69

As I predicted last night. Good effort by Ohio State though. Its hard to beat Bo Ryan in Madison.

[LoganBuck]

Originally Posted by Mutaman

#4 Wisconsin 72
#5 OSU 69

As I predicted last night. Good effort by Ohio State though. Its hard to beat Bo Ryan in Madison.

Yep good game for Wisky last night. The fans certainly enjoyed it. Matta needs to come up with a little more productive of a game plan than the chuck and cover. If he could get OSU to pass the ball better they could get better more controlled shots. They don't move without the ball especially well either. It will take time. I can't wait for them to get a few more conference games under their belt.

The game went about as I thought as well. As long as OSU keeps progressing I expect them to win the rematch.

[max venable]

I hate to say it, but Oden is not impressing me. Maybe it'll be a whole different deal when his right hand is 100% but I didn't see much out of him last night. Not aggressive enough, IMO, especially on offense. And I expect a 7-footer to get more rebounds than he did last night. He wasn't much of a factor. How many second chance looks did Wisc get? Way too many. I know he's young and still learning the college game...he just has not been very impressive lately, IMO.

[registerthis]

So long as he doesn't impress the NBA-types either, I'm totally fine with that.

[RedsManRick]

On Wisconsin!

[max venable]

Originally Posted by RedsManRick

On Wisconsin!

Looking forward to the rematch Feb. 25 in Columbus.

Interestingly, OSU has now played the #1, #2, and #3 ranked teams...all on the road...and lost all three. Great experience, great for the RPI, you gotta believe it will help them in March.

[NJReds]

I think its good for a young club to take its lumps early...especially on the road against quality opponents. This is the best way to get ready for the tournament. OSU will be a dangerous tournament team.

Maybe an OSU-Florida rematch for the championship???

[max venable]

Originally Posted by NJReds

Maybe an OSU-Florida rematch for the championship???

Only if the Buckeyes win it.

Wouldn't that be amazing, though, if the two schools squared off for another NC in April.

[traderumor]

As of 1/9/07, Wisconsin is the best team in the Big 10. They are pretty darn good, very impressive, but they are probably playing about as good as they are going to right now.

OTH, the Buckeyes can only get better, because they really cannot get any worse given the talent they have assembled. I am pretty mellow watching games (my wife disagrees, but I'm comparing myself to others I have watched sports with), but I was ready to throw things last night, and here's why:

1) Commit to something on offense. There is absolutely no offensive pattern that I can detect. They do not cut, they are rarely setting screens, it is find a spot behind the three point line and chuck it. Sure, high volume 3 pointers even shooting at low percentages can win, but it makes for inconsistent offense and does not fully use the many talents they have. Michael Conley needs to penetrate and kick out like the NC game regularly, but he has not been doing much of that lately.

2) Basically, every offensive player is going one on one. Get the ball, make a move, take a shot. Last night's shot selection was stunningly bad, and this is ongoing, but last night it was horrible.

3) Get more high-low games going to free up the 3 instead of forcing 3s

4) Get Daequan Cook more PT. He is riding the pines way too much.

5) Oden was frustrated with his teammates a few times on D, and rightfully so. I saw him one time after he picked up a foul helping a teammate who had totally lost track of his man yelling "YO! YO!" with a real intense look, trying to get the teammate's attention for shoddy defense. I hope he steps in and starts leading more, because Lewis and Butler just aren't vocal leaders.

As for last night, Butler and Lewis were horrible. They made some of the ugliest turnovers last night that seniors cannot be making on a young team. I cut their playing time gradually to get Cook and Lighty more action. And still, they got a shot to tie it at the end. That was amazing all things considered.

[Mutaman]

Originally Posted by traderumor

They are pretty darn good, very impressive, but they are probably playing about as good as they are going to right now.

.

I have to disagree, and the reason is Bo Ryan. This guy is really some coach. He doesn't recruit 5 star atheletes but he recruits solid ballplayers and develops them. Even Tucker was not a prized recruit coming out of high school. He was a good solid prospect with a great feel for the game and a real mature kid, but he has definitly benefited by good coaching.

Moreover, historically, Ryan's teams always get better as the season goes on. Although you didn't see it in the OSU game, the team is really deep and Ryan has patiently used a lot of combinations and has experimented a lot so far this year. Finally, when the spring comes around and things start getting serious, i would rather have the veteran leadership provided by Tucker and Taylor, rather than a bunch of talented freshman and sophs. There of course have been exceptions to that rule.

[Reds Freak]

One of the challenges that Matta is going to face if he continues to bring in these "5 star" recruits and athletes is getting them to play team basketball. I don't think he has achieved this yet. Like everyone has said, way too much one on one games. Although none of these kids seem to have huge egos, they are used to being "the man" at their high schools and will have to adjust to having 6 or 7 equally as talented players on their team and on the teams they face.

[traderumor]

I think the one on one comes from no organization. I don't know if Thad has them confused since Oden's return, but they certainly have no clue what they are doing on the offensive end. And apart from Oden cleaning up inside, the D has also been poor. Too many open looks at 3's, folks leaving their feet constantly, and a swiss cheese press. Just growing pains, I hope.

[max venable]

My buddy called me to say that Anthony Gonzalez has announced that he plans to enter the NFL draft. I haven't seen a story on it, but espn.com has him listed with the other juniors leaving early.

Also, Teddy Ginn's foot results are in and it's just a sprain. Nothing major. Good news for him. I'm guessing he'll leave early, too.

[max venable]

Here's the story on Gonzalez from Bucknuts. com

Anthony Gonzalez Announces Decision to Turn Pro

[Caseyfan21]

They will all leave early unless a large change of heart comes about. A friend I have associated with the team told me about Gonzo leaving after the game. He had already told me Teddy and Pitt were gone about midway through the season. Anything he has ever told me football team related has come true so I would suspect Ginn and Pitt are both long gone.