MOP Kosta Koufos paced Ohio State with 22 points, 20 in the second half, as the Buckeyes placed four in double figures on their way to the first postseason championship in the 11W era, a 92-85 victory to claim the 2008 NIT Title.
Sure, it wasn't the NCAA's but it doesn't change the fact the Buckeyes will be one of two teams to end the postseason with a win which will no doubt serve as a springboard to 2009.
The Buckeyes trailed by 10 after an 8-0 run put UMass up front 37-27 with 3:35 left in the half but the Buckeyes used a 20-6 blitz over the next 7 minutes to take a 47-43 lead just 2:39 into the second half effectively seizing control of momentum and a lead they would never relinquish.
UMass managed to tie it at 68 after after Ricky Harris' 6th of 7 triples with 3:45 on the clock but Koufos would score the next 7 points for OSU before Evan Turner sealed it converting 4/6 at the stripe with UMass forced to foul.
Turner was a beast notching 20 points, 6 boards, 4 assists and 3 steals while giving fans a glimpse of next season when he starts and/or logs heavy minutes running the point. The boxscore credited him with 8 turnovers but I must have had too many Labatt's because I thought the number was only half that. Regardless, the kid is a future star and if Crater can't handle the point I truly think Turner can with a summer focused on nothing but ball handling and decision making. He's the goods. Period.
Sporting the gray #14 for the last time, Jamar Butler recorded 19 points (8/12 FG) and 8 dimes boosting his school record totals in assists (580), three pointers (242) as well as threes in a season (104). It was a roller coaster ride for the senior from Lima this season but he leaves with 105 career wins and his legacy firmly intact. Hats off to one hell of a gritty performer. He never evolved into the vocal leader this team craved but I think his career production speaks for itself.
Also in his swan song appearance, Othello Hunter capped his career with 17 points (7/11 FG), 9 boards and 3 blocks. It was Hunter's triple, his second of the season, that capped the aforementioned 20-6 run ensuring UMass would never again have the lead. His 13 second half points were large and his athleticism will certainly be missed.
The Buckeyes overcame a 41-36 halftime deficit by shooting a scorching 61% in the second half (19/31) while holding UMass to 35% (17/49). The markmanship was sorely needed as OSU was pistol whipped on the glass surrendering 30 offensive rebounds and 21 second chance points.
And while I'm feeling frisky, I'm still convinced Jon Diebler is nothing more than a reserve spot up shooter who will likely find himself behind David Lighty, Turner and Buford in the rotation next season. He received a pretty strong defense from some folks in the comments after his 10 points against Dayton but he responded with 0 points and 6 rebounds in the last two contests returning to his 'the-game's-too-fast-for-me' form. Sorry, not trying to hate. I desperately want him to prove me wrong - I just don't see him being anything more than a 3 point shooter but I'll take that considering the talent we'll have on the perimeter next season.
Anyway, props to Thad Matta and company for regrouping after losing 6 of 8 in February (2/2 - 3/1, actually) to win 6 of the last 7 en route to an NIT championship and a solid 24-13 record after losing Greg Oden, Mike Conley, Daequan Cook, Ron Lewis and Ivan Harris from last year's squad.
With newcomers BJ Mullens, William Buford and Anthony Crater set to play impact minutes alongside (hopefully) Koufos, Lighty, Turner, Dallas Lauderdale and Diebler plus the unknown quantity that is Bad-Knees Offut and maybe some kid named Pryor, the 2009 Buckeyes are set to make some noise.
Comments
KK should be back and should have a monster year with BJM inside doing the dirty work.
Congrats to the seniors.
What's more important is that the Buckeyes have been to two football championships, a hoops championship, a soccer championship and won an NIT championship during 11W's lifetime. Coincidence? I think not.
11W conspiracy!
I can't believe you didn't mention Dallas Lauderdale's monster blocks. He was pimping it Jackie Moon style last night.
Good point, Carence. I had too many beers and rushed the recap which led me to omit the fact we had a 12-3 advantage in blocks. I think Dallas has really stepped up the last few games. I expect big things from him defensively in '09.
I'm looking forward to next year, I thought the Bucks would get bounced after being left out of the NCAA's. I'm glad I was wrong. Lauderdale will be a beast next year doing what Hunter used to. They will have some ability to penetrate with Turner and Crater, then dish to shooters. I think everyone is overlooking PJ Hill. He came in and played some good minutes in place of Butler this year. He is quick as a hiccup and if he can develop some shooting over the summer then he will be a good option off the bench he's around for 2 more years.
I hope you are right about PJ Hill because I don't see it. I'm not even sure I think he's quick. He gives that impression with all the herky-jerk and his hair flying everywhere but I'm not convinced he'll see the court more than he did this year unless Crater is extremely slow to develop.
Great finish in a rebuilding year and a heck of a coaching job by Thad. There were numerous points in the season where they seemed dead on the side of the road and he rallied them to their best possible finish. I'm happy for the seniors led by JB with his typical game (19,8) and strong play from O and the Wiggler.
Koufos is a millionaire, but the team is still going to be very fun to watch next year. Turner is going to be a big time baller all season long and with the class coming in it should be time for another Big10 championship run.
Even though I averaged 6pts/season in 8th grade I could have averaged 30 a game at Upper Sandusky. Honestly, I still believe he'll be fine and be a consistent contributor next season, but good lord did he struggle at MSG.
ha - i said the same thing about pj hills hair this morning. its deceptive. you think hes all over the place, but hes really not doing anything. that being said, i still like his defense.
yay buckeyes!
it fills good to "win" a championship, i don't if its the NIT, i would care if it was womens field hockey right now, a championship is a championship. and columbus has been in dire need to heal the wounds of two fail Football, one Basketball, one Arena football, and one NBA, and NFL, i'll throw that NFL in there cause if Carson Palmer doesn't go down on the first play in playoffs to the Steelers (side note: steelers won the super bowl) I'm fairly confident they go to the SB.
So GO OSU,
GO Columbus,
Sh*t, GO OHIO.!!!!!
KK is definately gone. I have heard from multiple inside sources that he doesnt like OSU and will be gone soon.
Great finish to the season. Congrats to Thad & the boys. Next season should be fun.
PS - I'm shedding a tear as the Turdwiggler era comes to an end.
I actually think PJ Hill creates more than Butler does off the dribble. In my opinion he pushes the ball better and is more likely to drive to the lane....however, he REALLY needs to develop more of a shot than a layup or defense will not respect him from the outside .
I think KK will stay, but that he won't play the center position unless its an emergency. I think we'll see the 5 spot filled by Mullens and Lauderdale.
My initial lineup would be:
PG - Crater or Hill (with the other being the back up PG)
G - Turner
G - Lighty (Buford would be the 1st SG off the bench with Diebler 2nd...unless he REALLY steps up)
F - Koufos
C - Mullens (Lauderdale would then be the 1st big man off the bench. I would expect him to play both forward and center)
It should be noted that I due think it is very possible that Diebler could step up huge next year. As I previously pointed out. Butler had a worse year as a Frosh and then stepped up big as a Soph. It is much harder to adapt as a pure shooter. I also believe that we, tOSU fans, were spoiled last year by Connely Jr and Oden. Most freshman do not step up and/or catch on that quickly.
Wil - I respect your opinion and pray you are right about Diebs. I read your comment comparing Jamar/Diebs freshman totals but I feel like Diebs makes errors due to being tentative and I don't remember that being as much the case with young Butler. I can handle agressive mistakes (ie turner) but passive mistakes make me wonder and those are Diebs' specialty, so far.
From what I've seen of Buford (admittedly only 4 games) he seems to already be on a different level than Diebs but we'll see. No doubt it's a big summer for Diebler especially if Crater proves he can handle the point because then there's a serious logjam for wing minutes.
As for PJ Hill, even if he does dribble-create more than Butler that's not saying much. Something tells me that if Hill is forced to play - coaches will scout him and realize all you have to do is sluff off and take away the drive because he's not going to consistently knock down jumpers. Just my $.02.
We're on the same wavelength with KK, though. I think he's coming back. Of course I thought Oden might come back for awhile, too! I don't seem capable of removing my scarlet colored glasses when it comes to these things!
In my opinion, if Diebs turns out to be a dead-eye from 3, he could be a big contributor to the team. Maybe he'll prove me wrong & turn it around, but if burying 3's on a consistent basis is the role he fills...I think he'll be a nice contributor. Now if he can just bury those 3's consistently.
I hope DenverBux is wrong about KK, but I think the run he just had is going to push him towards the NBA. I don't know what he wouldn't like about Ohio State, but if Daequan can be drafted 21st, I think KK could be drafted 15-20.
It is interesting to me how people are forgetting about Eric Wallace for next year. I think he is going to have a break out season and average double points. I also think Evan Turner is going to be the starting point guard next year, with relief from Crater and Hill. I just think Hill is not a DI bball player, but someone who had a good summer camp at the right time.
I guess OSU is going after another JC player from Indiana. The kid's name escapes me now, but Bruce Hooley said he was on the all district team in HS with Oden, Conley and Eric Gordon. The kid shot 41 percent from threeland and 84 percent from the line.
One last thought, last night's tempo could be a foreshadow for next year. Thad may have his deepest team since coming to OSU, with 10 legit players cracking the rotation. I expect to see an up tempo style of play, similar to pre-Oden last year.
Deshawn Thomas 6'7" 210lb power forward from Ft. Wayne Indiana, wait till you see this guy in the 2010 class. Holy Cow!
We've seen a good bit of video on D-Thomas and he's definitely the real deal. I don't think he's a lock just yet to be a Buckeye but I do expect him to eventually play for Thad and he's gonna be a big time stud down the line.
Yea, look out for "dirty" Tom Crean trying to get D-Thomas.
I think Thad is like JT right now, the recruiting machine is rolling and these kids want to come to OSU and play for him.
Chris, I actually agree with you on Hill (for the most part). If he does not develop some sort of outside shot then coaches will being shutting him out of the lane before Big Ten season starts. And I also get your suttle point that creating more off the dribble drive than Butler isn't that hard to do.....considering the dribble-drive offense was not one of his strong points.
I also agree that a lot of Diebler's mistakes were because he was hesitating. It was almost as if he was afraid to shoot the 2nd half of this season. He would be better off if he would quit thinking so much and just react. Just catch the ball and shoot when your open! Even the times he did shoot he was a bit hesitant.
Corey I haven't forgotten about Eric Wallace, I was actually thinking about him when I wrote that 1st comment.....the problem is that nobody has seen nearly enough of him to accurately judge him.
I have one question for Thad Matta though.....why did it take so long for us to see this much of Lauderdale? I think I mentioned on this site that I was impressed from the little I had seen from him earlier on...especially on the boards where we REALLY needed the help!
*side note* did everybody see that wicked dunk by Patrick Ewing Jr. last night?
Wil, E. Wallace has been a favorite of mine since the first time I saw him in pre-game warmups. Chris and I were also there for his Iowa performance. I believe he is one of those players whose mental knowledge of the game has not caught up with his physical capabilities. I think the same is true for Lauderdale, he lacked on the defensive side, where as Wiggler knew what was expected on the D-side of things.
I did see that dunk by Ewing Jr. last night, but that is not original. I preformed that dunk when I was in high school, I have my lawyers working on copyright infringement.
More like Elementary School - Nerf style.
Yeah, you totally dominated those 7 year olds on that kiddy hoop!
It's the truth. I heard Corey had a beard in 5th grade.
They weren't as keen on checking Birth Certificates back then.
I've been so athletic since birth, all of the days flow together.
I did have a beard in 5th grade and made a killing selling Mad Dog 20/20 on the playground.
I love that photo. "No, Lighty, you may not touch yet. Not yours."
They offered the JC kid from Indiana because a scholarship will be opening up next year. See you later, Koufas.
Corey, what about the Boone's Farm for the lady's? (and for that other Boone we all know)
Goo, we already have extra schcolarships because of Cook, Conely, and Oden leaving early. We only picked up 1 late entry last year (PJ Hill) so we still had two extras. Add that to the 3 we'll have with the departures of Butler, Hunter, and THE Turdwiggler.
And Mark, I too share in your sorrow of losing THE Turdwiggler. However, he has now joined Chris Jent on my all-hustle non-athletic white guy team.
Why are we playing USC in football this year?
"Why are we playing USC in football this year?"
Why do people ask retarded questions? (is that another one in itself?) You play to win the game. You play good teams to gain respect...that UT home and home went fairly well (we lost, they won the NC, we won...) all the way up to us shitting the bed against UF.
[...] We’re #66! From the in-case-you-missed-it file, and we know you did, THE Ohio State University played in the Dave Odom Invitational NIT Championship last night against UMass, and since the Buckeyes were not playing Florida in a collegiate postseason event, they actually managed to win this one 92-85. [...]
"...non-athletic white guy team."
Wow.
JC guy is Devon Dumes, FYI.
'Non-athletic white guy'
Yay for redundancy.
Wigs also joined my all-time favorite role player team. I used to hate when he came into the game earlier in his career but I'm gonna miss the sonofabitch next year. Maybe diebler can take his place...
I was thinking the same thing about Dallas. I think its kinda like sitting cook alot last year. Dallas is a player and without question is going to go pro once he gets his offense going. As for diebler i agree 100% he needs to shoot and not think. Go watch his 67 point game on you tube. He played that way against UNC and if he would have continued that play we would have gone deep in the other tourney not the NIT. All in all its looking very good with Mullens coming in. Not super impressed with Buford yet. He needs to hit the weight room hard.
09 starters?
Mullens c
lauderdale pf
Buford f
lighty g
turner pt
or
Mullens c
buford f
lighty g
turner sg
pj hill pt
we are deep at guard and can go with a big or small line up. Teams are going to have trouble with them next year. GO Bucks!
one more thought i'd much rather have mullens than koufus. Koufus will be forgotten very quickly if he bolts for the NBA which i think he will. I think who ever drafts him wont see anything worth while for 3 to 5 years if ever.
Hey poguemahone,
Interesting choice for a name...
[...] in passing them over, the Buckeyes proceeded to destroy everyone in their path, culminating in a 92-85 victory over UMass in the championship game. Koufos had come alive and finished with 22 points to close his Ohio State [...]