Will Buford step up in his expanded role?
(AP: Jay LaPrete)
#16 Ohio State
7-0, 0-0 Big Ten
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December 20, 2008 12:00 PM ET - BTN —— The Schott Columbus, OH |
Iona
4-6, 0-2 MAAC
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Wow, things can change in a hurry. No sooner does Ohio State run their winning streak to 12 and they are hit with the news David Lighty will be out 6-12 weeks, due to a broken bone in his foot.
Lighty is clearly the leader of this team and is coming off perhaps his finest game as a Buckeye, going for 21 points and 7 boards on Wednesday. I think he probably hurt it when he avoided the charge on a fast break in the second half, dropping a four foot tear drop instead. He fell on a Dolphin when he came down and limped back down the court.
This is definitely a temporary set back for Thad's young team, but it excites me to potentially have William Buford out there for 30+ minutes. The Bucks have two games to work out the kinks before Bob Huggins and WVU stumble into the Schott.
| # | Name | PTS | REB | ASST | POS | # | Name | PTS | REB | ASST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Jeremie Simmons | 7.6 | 2.4 | 2.4 | G | 11 | Milan Prodanovic | 6.7 | 1.4 | 1.8 |
| 33 | Jon Diebler | 10.7 | 2.4 | 1.9 | G | 15 | Jermel Jackson | 4.8 | 2.6 | 2.2 |
| 21 | Evan Turner | 16.3 | 7.4 | 3.1 | F | 5 | Rashon Dwight | 6.4 | 3.0 | 2.6 |
| 44 | Willaim Buford | 5.9 | 2.3 | 0.7 | F | 1 | Kashif Pratt | 8.7 | 2.1 | 0.9 |
| 52 | Dallas Lauderdale | 7.7 | 5.0 | 0.1 | C | 30 | Jonathan Huffman | 6.6 | 3.3 | 0.3 |
Opponent
Due to production deadlines, the numbers used for the Gaels do not include their 68-55 loss to 2-8 Western Michigan on Thursday and their starting lineup in the preview box is a wild guess, considering they have used about 10 different combinations.
The Gaels have 11 freshmen and sophomores on their roster, thus the many lineups, but coach Kevin Williard will run 10 players, as 9 of them log more than 13 minutes a game. Due to constant fresh legs, Iona will use an in your face defense, allowing teams to score just 60.7 points and shoot only 40.9 percent this season.
Iona's best player Gary Springer was hurt a few games ago, so they don't have a regular that averages in double digits, but they do have 8 players that score between 5-9 points a contest. As a team, they rank 240th in the country with 65.4 points on 43.4 percent shooting.
I don't think Iona will pull the upset, but they did take Wisconsin to overtime earlier this year and have lost 4 games by a total of 6 points. The shock of losing Lighty may still be lingering on Saturday, so don't be surprised to see another close game.
Buckeye Breakdown:
The good news for Ohio State was the performance of Jeremie Simmons and Jon Diebler on Wednesday. Simmons scored in double figures for the first time since the opener, also adding 4 dimes and 3 boards, while Diebler scored 14 to go along with 4 assists. Diebler is really squaring up his body on the jumper and it is starting to show in his confidence, connecting on 41.9 percent from deep thus far.
I'm still concerned with the lack of inside scoring from Dallas and BJ, but they simply don't get enough opportunities. The two combined for only 3 shot attempts against Jacksonville, after getting just 11 in the Butler game. Mullens has now had 3 games with only 1 FG made and has only 4 FT attempts in the last two. I still don't think we will see them at the same time, but the Bucks have to get inside touches if they are going to have success in the Big Ten.
As mentioned, William Buford should start logging heavy minutes, with spells from Walter Offut and perhaps Kyle Madsen. I like Buford's scoring touch and he could turn out to be more of an offensive threat, but he has to step it up on the defensive end. Lighty is OSU's second leading rebounder and one of the reasons the team is cleaning the glass better this year, Buford is grabbing 2.3 in his 15 minutes, but has to continue Lighty's pace.
The keys for tonight will be tightening up the defense, limiting offensive rebounds and continue to drive the ball on offense. As mentioned, don't be surprised to see a close game, especially with a guaranteed slow start, but expect OSU to pull this one out.
Etc
- Thad Matta is now 101-4 when leading with 5 minutes left. Incredible!
- Seven players have scored in double figures for the Bucks this season.
- OSU has won their last 27 at the Schott as a ranked team.
Comments
Mark Titus should start (and only play one minute) for D-Light.
What do you think of Kecman? He should be available soon.
Kecman will be available after the Iowa game, but I'm worried he is a typical European player, who is going to shy away from contact and stand outside on the perimeter. The great thing about Lighty was his aggressive nature, physical mentality and defensive presence. I am confident his offense can be replaced, but the defensive side makes me nervous.
I watched Kecman closely at the open practice/scrimmage and he definitely gave off that European vibe. He looked pretty uncomfortable with his back to the basket and got moved around the paint very easily by Dallas and Mullens. That said, that was a 90 minute session and I will say he looked comfortable roaming the baseline and showed a nice touch on his jumpers. If he were to ever see extended minutes, I can't imagine him getting more than 4 maybe 5 boards a game.
Wait, I thought the season was over?!?! Surely we can't win a single game without David Lighty.
Seriously, this team is good, and it is deep. Lighty will be missed, but if the Buckeyes miss more than a half-step I'll be surprised.
This season is just getting interesting. Lighty's leadership will be missed the most. His defense will be missed as well. But, really all season all anyone has said was Lighty isnt showing up. He is a waste of talent. Now that he is out everyone is jumping at the season being over. People need to make up their minds. He really was a role player at best. Unfortanetly other then Turner that seems to be all we have. Buford and Offut are going to see a lot more playing time. We also may go big with Swat-a-ball and Mullens. I for one would like to see more of that. Just as long as they stay out of foul trouble. I just think it was funny how everyone was getting down on Lighty and now that he is out everyone thinks the season is over.
We lose something on defense, but we play a zone anyway so I don't think it makes a difference. Half the time he doesn't play very well. He has no jumper but Buford does and can give us a better scoring threat.
7-footers banging down threes?
Diebler with a fresh no-look pass to the crowd
Back in Ohio for the holidays, and finally get to watch the Buckeyes play on the BTN. Buford looks terrified every time he has the ball. Dood dribbles way too high and looks slower than advertised. Hell, they all look sleepy.
These PGs blow monkey nuts
Buford beginning to slash, finally.
finally some life from these guys
man, espn "gamecast" sucks, it keeps missing stuff or assigning points to the wrong team
Turner just exploded, blocking shots and hitting floaters, threes, etc. And then jermie simmons started picking off passes, Diebler just made 4 point play. Finally showing life.
awesome. i saw the 4-point play, but of course missed everything else. i really need BTN, haha
Yeah, and they are about to lose most of their best players to foul outs, and Bcukeyes are in the double bonus now. OSU needs to defend the three better though.
heh, right as they hit another 3 (unless they hit it before you said it, and it just now showed up online)
I enjoy that Cheerleaders butt
Oooh, shoving match, Buford getting chippy.
Okay, Ohio State shouldn't be jawing and shoving with Iona. That's kind of sad. It's Iona. I think the Lighty's absence isn't felt so much athletically as much as his leadership, cause these guys are playing without a true leader and getting a little sloppy with the spats and lack of self-discipline.
another missed 3 by crater...
nevermind, it disappeared, must have been another screwup by gamecast... go figure
wow, so looks like another mediocre first half, and then a great second half by the bucks, huh?
Yeah, well at least after the 7-0 run that Iona ripped off to begin the half. Then all of the sudden they started playing with intensity on defense, and they began to penetrate. It was really keyed by Turner, he had a couple of sick blocks and then hit some floaters in traffic, made a 3 point play the old fashioned way, etc. He's a special player, there's no doubt.
damn, looks like if offut hadn't tried that 3 at the end of the game, he would have had i think a 10 trillion or something like that. unless i missed something anyways
cheerleaders butt? which one..good win for the bucks..came out the second half guns blazing...keep up the good work fellas..stop scaring me in the first half when i have to watch the damn games on gamecast
you had to figure Ohio state would start off slow. I think thad used a coaching moment for BJ and Dallas in the second. I don't like them playing together. Another great job of driving to the basket. It makes it easier when you put foul pressure on the other team.