Hill went off for a career high 13 points (AP/Gilliam)Caution: You may faint upon reading the next sentence so consider yourself warned.
Much maligned point guards Jeremie Simmons and P.J. Hill combined for 27 points on 10/17 shooting as Ohio State stopped a three game skid with a 73-59 victory over Penn State tonight in the Schott.
The win moved Ohio State into a four way tie for fourth place in the Big Ten, improving OSU to 8-7 in conference and 18-8 overall.
It looked like the Buckeyes might have an easy night jumping out to a 19-2 lead during a seven minute stretch in which they held the Lions scoreless in mostly man to man defense (or a triangle and two) but Penn State would respond with a 21-3 blitz of their own, against what seemed like mostly zone to reclaim the lead at 23-22.
Giving props to Hill, he camped out in Talor Battle's shorts during the 19-2 run in addition to scoring five points in what was his first start of the year while Simmons came out cold.
Sensing the need to do something, Simmons stepped up toward the end of the half with a nifty drive and a three at right before the buzzer putting OSU in front 32-30 at intermission.
The combined first half contributions from Hill and Simmons (10 pts, 4/8 FG) along with 11 points from Wil Buford helped offset a scoreless half from Evan Turner who simply couldn't create any space to get his shot against the bigger, more physical Jamelle Cornley.
I might be on the hippie lettuce but I think Matta sensed the same thing and subsequently kept two bigs on the floor together much of the second half to take advantage of other match ups with Turner serving as a key distributor.
Turner would finish with a career high eight assists, five in the second half, though the final 20 minutes didn't start well as Penn State went on a modest 16-9 run to take a 46-41 lead at the 12:40 mark. Enter Simmons.
The guy who lost his starting job after shooting just 2/13 during the three game losing streak ignited a 23-6 run with three triples while B.J. Mullens added eight points providing OSU a decisive 64-52 cushion with 3:29 left.
The stellar efforts from Hill (13 pts, 5/8 FG, 2 asst, 1 TO) and Simmons (14 pts, 5/9 FG, 2 reb, 1 asst) weren't the only bright spots as Kyle Madsen also deserves some props for 18 solid minutes. Madsen battled down low grabbing four boards and tipping a few other boards to teammates while scoring four points.
Mullens also showed up tonight posting 13 points (5/7 FG)and five boards with four coming on the offensive glass. On the other hand, Invisidale was, well, Invisidale with three points and two boards in 15 minutes.
Jon Diebler finished with nine points overall and five boards in the second half while Wil Buford once again showed up in the first half (11 pts, 5/10 FG) only to disappear in the second going 0/1 in very limited action. It looked like Buford got yanked for another lost rotation early and never came back in the game as Matta shifted to a bigger lineup.
Looking at the final numbers, the Buckeyes got back to form hitting 52% from the floor while the man/zone combo held PSU to 43%. Ohio State also posted a 29-23 edge on the glass and after checking the box score about ten times, they also turned it over just SIX times.
Obviously, this game was correctly hyped as a must-win and the Buckeyes responded. Now, they take the show on the road to face arguably the second best team in the conference in West Lafayette.
I don't forsee an upset but I like the fact the game will be much more important to Ohio State than Purdue.
Jeremie Simmons and P.J. Freaking Hill...I still can't believe what I just witnessed.
Comments
Hill typically plays with a ton of energy, likely inspired by his numerous (justified) doubters. Tonight he actually channeled it in (mostly) all the right ways. But I'm going to have to get use to this "competent play at the point thing". Another thing I noticed is that the team took a few body blows in terms of Penn State runs, but this time, it bounced back with a run of its own, bolstered by some stellar defense. And ye gods, we actually saw man-to-man on occasion. Good start for this final four-game stretch. Don't make me break out the "REPEAT" shirts yet, guys.
Also, thanks for the link in the sidebar. I just need to settle a few housekeeping issues with Peter and the blog will be off and running.
hill has clearly stepped up his game, i totally agree that he's finally channeling all that energy into actual production. i think what helps him the most is increased minutes, if he can get into the flow of a game he can make a difference. but i think his style of play is too staccato and out of hound to just shove him in the game for a few minutes at a time
Pogue, are you taking over AtO?
No, I'm setting up a new site. I didn't want to cramp Sean's style. I sent you guys an e-mail about the name of the site, wanted to see what you thought.
Oh, and in case you didn't know, Sean had told Peter he'd have to close down the blog sooner or later due to work obligations.
I figured Sean was getting eaten-up with his new job. So will SBN have two Buckeye blogs in the stable for the short term?
I'm not sure, but if I had to guess, AtO will be gone once the new site is up.
Glad they got someone quality to replace me. I was curious to see where they'd go to get someone to take over for me. I figured most of the Buckeye blogs are pretty well-entrenched, and that Peter would have a hard time getting someone good. I stand corrected. Smart move on his part.
And yeah, work's been killing me. Between long hours and a surprisingly effective internet filter at the office, I have a hard time keeping up with the Buckeyes as well as I'd need to. Pogue, if you get an address and name set up, drop me an e-mail at sean36osu@gmail.com, and I'll put something up on AtO telling everyone to keep an eye out for your site. Not that there are any OSU fans on the blogosphere that aren't reading 11W, but whatever.
As for basketball, I was pleased, but I'd be more so if I were convinced that what happens in one game (or one half, or one minute) had any effect on what happens the next. Plus, PSU's bigs are either short or pretty mediocre, so I wouldn't be surprised if the Mullens appearance was just a one-night-only deal.
And something I noticed during the game when my roommate was hoping in vain that a foul committed on Lauderdale was non-shooting: the team averages 1.051 points per possession (per Basketball State). Lauderdale is shooting 47.5% from the line. If teams fouled him every time he got the ball, it would make this offense less effective. I wonder how many starters there are in D1 about whom you can say that?
From the dead! Replete with reasoned analysis and proper grammar too, something the new site will noticeably lack. Good to see you're still around, Sean. Hope that job is bringin' in some cheddar.
I was glad to see Hill and Simmons pick up the slack tonight since ET couldn't get any great shots off. And to think in December, Hill was way LOW on the PG depth chart. I'm glad to see that his hard work in practice is finally paying off.
Why is Lauderdale still starting?
So, are you guys finally coming around to the P.J. Hill bandwagon?
Not really coming around but happy to see him start and get quality minutes and points.
Watching Turner get abused by Cornley all night made me think he needs to stay b/c he isn't ready for the NBA and those big bodies, they should all stay b/c I'm selfish and want a top 10 team next year. Huge win, they need 2 more to have a chance in the tourney, beating Purdue would really help but I doubt they can do that.
"the pj hill bandwagon" - i dont know why, but i find that term hilarious. oh wait, i do know why - pj hill is a geek, dweeb AND a spaz all in one. love it.
last night was a good win and it was nice to finally see something out of the PGs. that being said, this is exactly what we should have done at home against penn state. lets try to remember that.
PENN STATE WAS WHO WE THOUGHT THEY WERE. NOW IF YOU WANT TO CROWN THEM, THEN CROWN THEIR ASS. BUT THEY WERE WHO WE THOUGHT THEY WERE.
After the last two games, I at least have one leg up there and will fully jump on if this continues, I'm skeptical against Purdue though.
I can't wait for the racist and antisemtic cartoon section.... I hope you put more thought into your blog than you do your entries on this blog.
I'm just a lurker for the most part but I am wondering why Pogue would seemingly go out of his way to alienate folks on this blog if he has plans of having a solid readership over at his own blog with SB nation? Sure, I don't have to like the guy if I like the content but it strikes me as odd that Pogue practically goes out of his way to be a jerk to people on this site even though he has aspirations of having his own popular site.
Teddy that's what a lot of us are thinking.
Not selfish, it's the truth. None of these guys, NONE, are ready to step into the League and make an impact for a few years. Will they be drafted, sure, but they'll not be playing much for a few years, but that paycheck will be fat.
[...] “Caution: You may faint upon reading the next sentence so consider yourself warned. Much maligned point guards Jeremie Simmons and P.J. Hill combined for 27 points on 10/17 shooting as Ohio State stopped a three game skid with a 73-59 victory over Penn State tonight in the Schott. The win moved Ohio State into a four way tie for fourth place in the Big Ten, improving OSU to 8-7 in conference and 18-8 overall.” [Chris/Eleven Warriors] [...]
Speaking as a (soon to be ex-)blogger, it is different, blogging versus commenting (or so I think. Your mileage may vary). Down here below the post, it's kinda like being at a bar. Sure, you can talk to people and respect their opinions, but it's also very easy to get drunk and just pick fights for the hell of it. Doing it while blogging is closer to, I don't know, talking with coworkers at lunch or something. Even if you think they're idiots, you're less inclined to say so, because it's very easy for people to point at you (or your site) and say "that dude's a jackass."
You're right that content's the most important thing, though. Brian at mgoblog can occasionally be a bit of a jerk, but he's right often enough and entertaining enough that I'll still read. Jay Mariotti is both a jerk and an idiot that makes me dumber every time I read him, so I don't read anything he writes. Regardless of what you think of him, I'd give Pogue a chance, see if he produces something that you like.
Also, the P.J. Hill Bandwagon will likely be my next band's name in Rock Band.
yes.... the guy has been abrasive to so many people-- why not build goodwill instead of pissing off fellow Buckeyes... some people can't help but let their true personality shine through.
I figured I wasn't the only one who felt that way. The content better be damn good, it is tough to play catch up with fellow Buckeye fans.
I will not frequent that site at all....... Pogue is a jerk, refuses to apologize and continues to be a jerk...... good luck to him and best wishes, but I won't be there.
pogue is a douche. thats why.
Hey how is everybody? First off I would like to thank all of you haters on here. I couldn't of done it without you. Also big ups to my main man down in the dirty south Tampa Buckeye. Thanks for holdin it down for me all year long. Much Love.
regards
PJ Hill
If you make it big I want compensation for coming up with the name!
Morgan, I didn't know you started for a D1 basketball team.
Did Pogue just say "cheddar"?? Thats just out of hound. I got shelled for sayin that.
Also, will there be an "I hate BJ Mullens" column on this new site?
Even in light of my recent run in with Pogue, racial comments and all, I'll still read him.
The guy is a dick, but hey sometimes you need dicks.
11W is still the SEC of Buckeye blogs..... oh wait.
http://www.daytondailynews.com...
PJ,
You can add the DDN to your hater list, apparently Simmons fueled the Buckeye win. Your meager 13 points were only a small contribution, I guess if you had one more, then you would have split credit. Keep up the hard work, keep the dreads floppin'.
I'll take that as a compliment, thanks
I'm not going to apologize for pointing out hypocrisy, inconsistency and stupidity when I see it, regardless of who the hypocritical, inconsistent or stupid person roots for. You'll see I'm just as much of a "dick" over on MGoBlog, where I have to do a lot more correcting than I do here, because the people on MGoBlog suffer from multiple fundamental misunderstandings of OSU as a team, program and school.
I agree, the manner in which I "police the board" (which I don't do at all, since I don't police and since this is not a board, for chrissakes) is not always kind, constructive criticism. That's because no one remembers kind, constructive criticism. So I beat them over the head a little bit with it. I don't attempt to defame them or ruin their apparently sacred internet reputation.
Everyone remember when I said bitchtits was juicing? A little fuel for that fire:
http://www.thedirty.com/wp-con...
WTF is up with his shorts in the pic on the left??
I'm more fascinated by his perfectly sculpted moobs. Guy weighs what, 200 in that pic? Has the chest of a 14-year old girl.
Bitchtits Brian and his Magically Mysterious Manboobies
Thats gotta be doctored or Im just an idiot and its supposed to be doctored.