My Eyes…They Bleed!
A rare non-charge for Lighty
After wasting the last 2 hours of my life watching Ohio State slug it out with Coppin State, I feel an overwhelming need to keep this brief.
The Buckeyes returned from their 9 day layoff with a new starting lineup as Evan Turner replaced Jon Diebler and led OSU with 13 points in the 47-39 victory over the lowly Eagles. Turner recorded 3 steals and shot 3/4 from downtown in support of Jamar Butler.
Trailing 33-31 at the 10:37 mark, Butler hit a 3 pointer to give OSU a lead it wouldn’t relinquish as the Buckeyes closed the game on a 16-6 run. Butler totaled 13 points, 6 assists and 3 steals on the night.
The fact that a 16-6 run was even needed is reason enough for me to wonder aloud just how much better this team is going to get. As predicted, Matta used the layoff to work on the 3/4 court press but it didn’t lead to many easy opportunities. Of course, they didn’t have many chances to set it up making only 18 shots.
Without any easy buckets, the offense again lacked movement as evidenced by 22 of the 41 field goal attemps coming from behind the arc. Eight different Buckeyes attempted a three pointer including Jon Diebler who went 0/3 lowering his 3FG% to 15% on the season (7/45).
On the inside, Othello Hunter (6) and Kosta Koufos (8) combined to shoot 58% from the floor but managed only 14 points as neither got to the line. Koufos was at his passive best notching 0 rebounds in 24 minutes. He spent some time on the pine in the second half in favor of Matt Turdwiggler. To his credit, Matt his a big 3 to put OSU ahead 39-34 with about 6 minutes to play.
Overall, it was another lackluster performance as this year’s squad kept with tradition getting outrebounded 29-19 including a 12-4 disadvantage on the offensive glass. They also committed 13 turnovers, 5 by Turner. David Lighty continued to struggle after a 1/5 night totaling 4 points.
This was absolutely painful to watch and reminded me of O’Brien’s days. I do think this team will get better and start to score more, but it is tough to stomach right now. I’m beginning to think one of Diebler’s family members ran the score book at Sandusky and that is how he broke Burson’s record.
Jim Jackson provided the color commentary for the BTN and didn’t add too much to the telecast, he also has some work to do.
I think my favorite part of the game was the 14 straight minutes in the 2nd half without a rebound.
Jim Jackson was awful. Some guys are a natural at analyst thing, he is not one of them.
As for the team, more of the same with long stretches and no points. Matta has his work cut out for him with this ‘team’. I thought they could finish 3rd in the conference, but now I am not sure they can finish in the top 5.
When my Gators come to Columbus, it’s sure not going to resemble the last matchup between Florida and Ohio State. I think regardless of who wins, it’s not going to be a really high quality victory. Instead it’ll just be the one that out-uglies the other. What a difference seven months makes…
….seven months and SIX first round draft picks. Can you say ouch!
Most appropriate headline.
I still hold out hope this might be a situation where we take one step backwards in order to take two forward?
I think the “how much better this team is going to get” comment is spot on. They’re just not that good, and unlike others posting here, I don’t seem them getting much better. Early this season, Koufos showed signs of being a fluid, perhaps dominant, “go-to” kind of player (see Syracuse game). Now, he’s just lackadaisacal and uninspired. I’m baffled by Diebler. He’s slow, can’t defend anything and can’t hit the broad side of a barn. Bizarre.
I’m not sure what this team needs more than a leader or two and an identity. I’ll be surprised if Thad can conjure those up by season’s end.
Long year ahead, folks. Long year.
I guess I should be happy I don’t have the Big 10 Network after all?
What this team needs is a time machine. Losing Conley and Cook ahead of schedule is taking its toll at the offensive end.
You are correct, Matthew. I was hating on Time Warner so I switched to Direct TV, but now I’m thinking that TW was trying to save me. I’m also starting to wonder if BTN is going to increase their advertising revenue as more households can watch that crap. Also, I signed up after women’s volleyball in HD was done for the year. Quite the lose-lose situation I have created for myself.
“What this team needs is a time machine. Losing Conley and Cook ahead of schedule is taking its toll at the offensive end.”
Yep. There’s just no identity with this team yet. I thought perhaps it might revolve around Butler on the outside, raining 3s, and the Hunter/Koufos duo inside, clearing the boards. Surprise, surprise: Butler can’t score enough, doesn’t look (to my eye, anyway) like much of a point guard, and our inside guys clean glass like a $5 an hour maid.
We’re in mid-December, and I have no idea who this team is. No clue.
Joe – I agree that koufos and hunter are killing us but I gotta give Butler a reprieve. I feel he is doing everything he can including forcing some shots because he’s the veteran with the ball while the other 4 guys stand around and watch. I’ve never seen such a stale offense. They simply don’t move and I think Matta’s told Butler that when all else fails, it’s his job to create a shot, even if it’s not always a good one. If anything, Butler seems to struggle mentally with being a ball hog vs. trying to get others involved vs. realizing he has the best chance to score in comparison to his teammates. That might change if Koufos ever grows a pair but if the guy looks this soft in the non-conference, I’m wondering how he will somehow get tougher against physical teams like Sparty, Wisky, Illinois etc…And don’t even get me started about Lighty…
Lighty is the biggest disappointment on this team. He adds nothing and appears to be disinterested. Perhaps a benching might do him some good. Then again, he had all last year on the bench so maybe not playing him at all would be best.
I’m concerned Matta is at a loss on how to deal with this team, which continues to look passive and disorganized. On offense, Matta clearly prefers to spread the floor and take his chances with the athleticism of his players and the virtue of their three pointers. So far, this has led to lots of standing around and a ridiculous number of missed shots.
Last year, despite having Oden (who was unhappy with how he was used on offense), the offense continued to run through the perimeter. For good reason, I think, because Conley’s talent made the biggest difference for the team. He was so strong with the ball, so quick in transition, so good at penetrating, the team consistently looked to him to create a shot when they needed a bucket. As Jimmy Jackson said the other night, he created 10 points a night off his dribble penetration and pushing the ball in transition. Last season’s NBA talent made Matta look like a genius.
This year, however, Matta really needs to coach. While Butler has decent jumper, he certainly hasn’t yet displayed the skills to lead the team and make other players betters. He’s so nonchalant out there and although I’m guessing he has a fire in his belly, but it’s sure hard to see from the outside. At the point, you need a take charge, vocal leader, especially from a Senior and especially on a young team. As for Koufas, I’m not surprised with his development. He’s clearly a talented kid but Matta has always hard time finding shots for his post players. If he wants Kosta to get aggressive, he should try running some sets for him and let him dunk it. For the Buckeyes to be remotely successful this year, they need to find a way to get him going.
Should the Buckeyes look this stagnant with the level of talent they have on the floor? No. Matta has to get these guys to click, and soon, or it’s going to be a frustrating season.
This is just a very bad team right now. We can only hope that guys like Koufas and Diebler play until their junior or senior year and develop into a good team. No more highly touted one and done freshman, Thad, seriously.