AP Photo / Paul BattagliaIn a game they simply had to have, the Buckeyes allowed 47 second half points en route to a ugly 71-57 loss to Minnesota. The defeat was the fourth straight and sixth in eight games.
Minnesota got 20 second half points from Lawrence McKenzie and used a 13-3 run to turn a 36-34 lead into a 49-37 cushion with 10:56 to play before hitting 12 of 13 free throws in the final eight minutes dropping Ohio State to 8-8 in conference play.
Kosta Koufos (17) and Jamar Butler (13) were the only Buckeyes to reach double figures though Butler was just 4/13 from the floor. Koufos added 5 rebounds and provided a laugh when the 7 footer stuffed himself on the rim attempting a dunk.
Evan Turner wore a wrist wrap to start the game but removed it early in the half. Unfortunately, the change didn't help his shooting (1/8) although he grabbed a team high 7 rebounds.
As usual, it looked like the Buckeyes would make a game of it in the early going responding to an ass chewing by Matta after Minnesota took a 2-0 lead. After the verbal beatdown, Butler and David Lighty triggered a 7-1 run to take a 7-3 lead.
Later in the half, Koufos scored 8 straight points to give OSU a one point lead (22-21) with 1:25 remaining but Minnesota converted three free throws to take a 24-23 lead into the locker room.
Ohio State held the Gophers to 7/23 from the floor (30%) in the opening stanza but the Gophers caught fire in the second hitting 14 of 25 shots (56%) including 5/11 from downtown in addition to knocking down 22/25 free throws (88%) on the afternoon.
Meanwhile, the Buckeyes shot just 40% from the floor and 12/18 from the stripe and were outrebounded 31-23. Since the Buckeyes have apparently mailed it in, I feel obligated to do the same so pardon the lack of depth.
NCAA bubble? More like NIT bubble.
Comments
Koufos is the only player on this team that gives me some hope for next year. The rest either don't care or can't get the job done.
Wost game of the Thad Matta era.
And Dave Winfield is still a classless jerk.
This loss could cost us that 1 seed in the NIT.
On a positive note, EA is looking good tonight.
http://i32.tinypic.com/2czyl91...
Time to think about 2009:
Not Returning: Jamar Butler, Matt Terwilliger, Othello Hunter
*Depth Chart*
PG: Anthony 'Noopy' Crater (Fr.), PJ Hill (Jr.), Devon Moore?
SG: Evan Turner (So.), William Buford (Fr.), Walter Offutt (Fr.)
3G: David Lighty (Jr.), Jon Diebler (So.), Eric Wallace (So.)
PF: Kosta Koufos (So.), Dallas Lauderdale (So.)
C: B.J. Mullens (Fr.), Kyle Madsen (Jr.)
This success of next year's team will rest heavily on the shoulders of Noopy Crater. All the pieces are in place to have a Final Four run if we can get solid play from the PG spot and consistent shooting from our guards. No team in the country will have a 4/5 to compare with ours (assuming Koufos stays in school, which I def. expect).
Normally a player improves the most from his freshman to his sophomore year and I expect we will see exponential growth from Turner, Diebler, Koufos, Lauderdale and Wallace and hopefully solid improvement from Lighty and Hill.
I expect William Buford to be the best 6th Man in the country and provide the explosive bench scoring that we have been missing this year.
In my opinion, we could be 10 deep and give quality minutes to all of these guys:
PG: Crater, Hill
SG: Turner, Buford
3G: Lighty, Diebler, Wallace
PF: Koufos, Lauderdale
C: Mullens
I have high expectations for next year and I hope to never see another OSU bball team lose focus, motivation and passion like this 2008 version has.
As an addendum, I think there are a couple of concerns about next year's team that should be addressed:
1) Low Post Depth: Beyond Koufos, Mullens and Lauderdale we have nothing but Kyle Madsen. Will Madsen be able to provide quality minutes in the case of foul trouble or just to give somebody a 5 minute rest? Will Eric Wallace see time in the post as a 4th option?
2) Who will handle the ball after Noopy? We all saw this year what happens when your starting point guard doesn't get a break from playing the position.. Can PJ Hill improve to the point where we stop clutching our rosaries and saying our Hail Mary's when he is running the show? Will Evan Turner become a reliable option as a 'big' PG who can handle the load from time to time? Will Walter Offutt be able to step up right away and be another ball-handling, play-making option?
3) Will we revert back to man-to-man defense or stick with zone? I think this depends on how our depth comes along at the PG spot.. If we are looking at a Noopy-or-bust policy, I think we'll see the zone stick around.. but if we can find some quality minutes from somebody else, I think Matta returns to man defense.
4) Will next year's freshman be closer to the 2007 freshman (Oden, Conley, Cook, Lighty) or the 2008 freshman (Koufos, Turner, Diebler, Lauderdale, Wallace)? Both groups were very talented, but only the 2007 version was fully ready to compete consistently at a D1 college basketball level. If Mullens, Crater and Buford all have the potential for similar production to Oden, Conley and Cook.. Let's hope we see something along those lines.
Love to hear your thoughts.
I think imagining a Final Four run from a team with a freshman point guard and a freshman center is really pushing it. I admire your confidence, but I don't see it - especially after seeing tape of Crater. Solid player, but nothing spectacular.
They're a middle of the road Big T(elev)en team next year, and will probably qualify for a berth in the real tournament as a 6 or 7 seed, but that's it.
And the footballers go 10-2 or 9-3 next season. You heard it here first.
What a depressing game today. Ugh.
Brian E,
I think you might be a little out of your mind. I think we would need Oden and Conley to make another final 4 run with these guys + freshman.
1) Koufos is about the softest big man I have ever seen play. I guess the Greek national team is a bunch of pussies (or at least there competition) because I really have not been impressed. We could have won a lot more games if he would have grown a pair and rebounded like a guy his size should.
2) Lighty is a complete mess. I don't understand how someone who gets so much playing time can make absolutely NO improvement all year. I have not seen him make a clutch shot for a long time and he is completely out of control 80% of the time.
3) I have been waiting for Diebler to snap out of it all year and make shots consistently...still waiting. No really good, pure shooter should be in a slump this long or shoot 30% from behind the arch.
4) Hill needs to get a hair cut; he looks rediculous.
5) Turner is about the only bright spot of this season. I hope he continues to improve, if so he could have a very good carrer.
SO as you can see my opinion of this team is pretty low. They are undisciplined, often lazy, and I almost can't watch them play. Even Butler has been a disapointment...no leadership at all. I truly feel bad for Matta and I hope this incoming class will be all that it is hyped to be, because we need some help fast or we will be slumping right back to the middle of the BT for the next decade, leaving us praying for the planets to align and oden and conely 2 to arrive
Joe,
NO WAY WE GO 10-2 next year. I think if we don't lose at USC, then we don't lose the rest of the year. The D, although apparently not able to function in the month of Janurary, will be very very good next year, and the offense will be better, I don't know if they will be good enought to win it all, but good enough to win the Big Ten outright.
GO BUCKS.
Man..love the comments on the state of the program...
As Brian E mentioned, I don't think there's any doubt Crater is going to be a huge factor in whether OSU bounces back next season or not. The lack of a true distributor and just as important, a player with a legit basketball IQ, is sorely needed. Besides Turner and Koufos, the returning players are virtually incapable of getting their own shot and none of the returnees can consistently handle the ball.
I'm still very high on Turner and see him as the backup PG next season considering PJ Hill is really just a juco scrub that wouldnt even be on this team if it weren't for last years mass exodus to the NBA. I guess there's a possibility Offut could help but I'd be lying if I said I was ultra familiar with his game nor do I think Matta wants 2 freshmen splitting PG duties.
I see AR isn't a big Koufos fan but I still think the kid has improved this season. No doubt he can stand to get tougher but I do think he's taken some strides in that area and its also unrealistic to think he's gonna be a back to the basket player for 40 minutes. That's not his game but it shouldnt be as big of an issue next year with Mullens at the 5 spot - assuming Koufos doesnt go to the NBA which is still a definite possibility regardless of how soft we think he is.
He has scored double figures in 12 straight games and was third in the conference in rebounding (7.2) coming into yesterday's game so I don't think he's the stiff some people claim. I think the problem is that he didnt meet our expectations because of the hype generated by his performance on the Greek Natl Team nor is his game suited to the Big Ten style of play. That said, if he comes back, he'd likely be no worse than 2nd team all league.
He and Turner would give us a good offensive foundation and I agree with Brian E in that next year's team will likely have a much deeper rotation allowing us to play more man defense and hopefully employ a more effective full court press.
I'm excited to see what the incoming freshmen will provide, especially Mullens, Crater and Buford.
AR:
Thanks for your thoughts.. Here are my responses.
1) Koufos is soft because he's not a center. This year, he has had to play on the low block simply because he's our best option there. Next year he will move to his natural position at power forward and we will see his game flourish. Remember that the young man is playing out of position and being asked to do things that he has never really had to do in his basketball career. The addition of Mullens underneath will make us all believers in Kofous.
2) Lighty is a bit of a mess at this point. He hasn't improved nearly as much as I predicted, he can't shoot worth a hill of beans and he doesn't finish his drives well at all. All this having been said, he is still our best defender and one of the players on this team that has the most heart. I think Lighty could play a 'Jamar-Butler-in-2007' role on this team - A veteran presence who may not show up a whole lot in the stats, but is a defensive presence and can score when needed. I still have hope that Lighty can turn into a consistent contributor. Remember, he's ONLY a sophomore.
3) Diebler is the most frustrating story of the year. The guy simply doesn't add anything to the offense when he's not draining threes. He has the athletic ability to take the ball to the hole and finish at the rim, but too often we see that he just takes a couple horizontal dribbles on the perimeter and swings the ball around. He is good for taking a charge or two every so often, but overall his game is entirely too one dimensional.. and unfortunately, that one dimension leaves a LOT to be desired. I believe Diebler will improve significantly from this year to next, but I still think he'll be our 4th option at the 2/3 spot behind Turner, Lighty and Buford.
4) Personally, I find your spelling of 'rediculous' more ridiculous than Hill's hair cut.
5) Turner is going to be fantastic. He is Michael Redd with more raw physical ability. If Turner can develop a consistent outside shot, he will be unstoppable in college basketball. This kid will be our top perimeter scoring threat next year and will open things up for Mullens and Koufos in a big way.
You're right, AR. This team has been uncharacteristically undisciplined for a Matta-coached squad and it is difficult to watch them play. I think you're off base, however, when you suggest that this year portends a decade of futility in the offing. Next year's team will be a favorite in the B10 and should find a way to gain a top 4 seed in the tournament.
Let's remember this too: The 2007 Oden-Conley team returned these players from the previous year: Jamar Butler, Matt Terwilliger, Ron Lewis and Ivan Harris. Would any of us have predicted the LEVEL of success attained with these guys, 4 freshman and 1 Juco transfer?
I surely did not think we would get to the title game and go 15-1 in the B10.
If you offered me Butler, Twiggy, Lewis and Harris VS. Turner, Koufos, Lighty, Diebler, Lauderdale and Wallace.. I would take the latter set.
The question is, how good will those freshman be?
The sad truth in this year's debacle is that Mike Conley fucked us when he left last year. Nobody, including Thad, thought he would bolt after one season, and thus we had one point guard (and I would argue that Butler is probably more a shooting guard than a true point man).
I am eternally grateful for what last year's freshman class did for the program, but Conley, and to a lesser extent Cook, really hurt this year's team by not being here for their sophomore season.
I feel for Thad and hope the combination of this uncoachable team and a poor showing by the student section don't cause him to ponder a departure to somewhere else (IU).
Kyle, are you kidding me? Conley didn't do anything wrong. You should be ashamed for even considering he did. He was a lottery pick. You don't turn that money down.
We were no more hurt by lack of a true point than we were hurt by our lack of a true big man. Lay blame and credit with the guys wearing the jerseys this year.
Dan,
Settle down. I'm not down on Conley's decision or him, I'm simply stating the truth that Thad had recruited and prepared the program for Conley being around for a second season. When he made the decision to turn pro, the right decision for him or any young man in that situation, it really hurt the program because Thad had Noopy for the 2008-2009 season, but didn't have another option at PG beside Butler.
Then it was Thad who fucked up. What if Conley blows out his knee during the BT tourney last year. And re-injures it in Dec. Then what? Would lay blame at his feet?
I get your point, but there are better ways to say "we were hurt by not having a true point guard" without dissing the integrity of a player that did nothing but bring joy to our lives.
again i wasn't dissing mike conley. stop being a whiny bitch.
11W FIGHT!! Simmer down boys. Same team here.
"The sad truth in this year’s debacle is that Mike Conley fucked us when he left last year"
Yeah, saying someone fucked you is in no way suggesting he did something wrong....
Look, Thad didn't cover his ass. We'd be in the same boat if Conley had been seriously injured and unable to play the season. And nobody in their right mind would be placing any blame on him. If you must blame someone (and really, with Spring Practice closing in, I don't care enough to feel bad about the Basketball team) blame Matta for not building the team to minimize the loss of his PG.
And lest you think I'm being a whiny bitch, let me remind you of a little ditty:
Drive! Drive on down the field;
Men of the scarlet and gray;
Don't let them thru that line,
We've got to win this game today,
Come on, Ohio!
Smash thru to victory,
We'll cheer you as you go;
Our honor defend
So we'll fight to the end
For Ohio.
Whether you intended to, or not (I think you didn't) you questioned Conley's honor. Pardon me for defending it.
BTW, I'm laughing aloud while typing. :)
Obviously, Mike Conley needs to challenge Kyle to a duel. Pistols at sunrise, I think.
I believe duels were generally held a noon, so as to minimize the advantage of shadows.
Why does ESPN love Ohio State basketball
and simultaneously hate Ohio State football?
I keep hearing "bubble team" "bubble team".
Are they setting us up to fail?
[...] staring down a NIT invitation and I am interested to see how the sophomore and freshmen respond. As 11W readers pointed out after Minnesota, Thad’s team will be deep next year and he should be able to return to his [...]