Is this the last home game for Mullens?
Ohio State
19-9, 9-8 Big Ten
Roster | Schedule
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March 8, 2009 5:00 PM ET - BTN —— The Schott Columbus, OH |
Northwestern
17-11, 8-9 Big Ten
Roster | Schedule
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It is senior night on Sunday, for the managers, as the Bucks look to secure their NCAA tournament bid.
Win this game and Ohio State likely ends up with the 6th seed in next week's B10 tournament and an 8-10 seed in the dance, lose it and they potentially could drop all the way to 8th.
Northwestern is not the push over they used to be, beating Ohio State 72-69 a few weeks ago on a last second three and taking down Purdue in West Lafayette Wednesday night.
| # | Name | PTS | REB | ASST | POS | # | Name | PTS | REB | ASST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | PJ Hill | 2.8 | 1.4 | 1.6 | G | 22 | Michael Thompson | 10.1 | 2.0 | 3.9 |
| 33 | Jon Diebler | 11.3 | 3.4 | 2.5 | G | 20 | Craig Moore | 14.3 | 3.2 | 2.8 |
| 21 | Evan Turner | 16.8 | 7.1 | 3.8 | F | 44 | Kevin Coble | 15.4 | 4.8 | 2.5 |
| 44 | William Buford | 11.1 | 3.4 | 1.2 | F | 24 | John Shurma | 7.7 | 3.0 | 1.0 |
| 52 | Dallas Lauderdale | 4.6 | 3.7 | 0.3 | C | 54 | Kyle Rowley | 3.9 | 1.9 | 0.6 |
Opponent
I must admit, I did not get to watch any of the first matchup and with all due respect to Northwestern, I can't watch them play in any other games. For me, it is just a boring style of play, but I'm sure the Cats will find a way to keep this one close for a while. The Wildcats come in scoring 62.5 points a game in conference play, shooting an overall 43.4 percent from the floor and 37.6 percent from deep.
Northwestern connected on 13 of their 25 three point tries in the first meeting with OSU and rank just behind Michigan atop the league with 8.06 bombs made per game. The Wildcats also pass the ball very well and don't turn it over. Their 15 assists per game rank them second, behind Illinois, but the most impressive stat with the Cats is their 9.9 TO's a contest, leading to a +4.59 in TO margin.
The Cats' big three will all play at least 35 minutes in this one, with a mixture of 5-6 guys rotating in along side them. No one coming off the bench scores more than 4 points a game, so look for one of their reserves to have a career night against the Bucks zone.
Buckeye Breakdown:
The players know what is at stake here and I have a funny feeling Evan Turner is not going to let Ohio State lose this one. He was putting on a clinic in Iowa City (except for the last 40 seconds), essentially willing his team to a victory and once again proving why he should be Big 10 POY.
It's amazing Ohio State is still shooting over 50 percent in league play and lead the conference in made field goals, but yet sit just one game above .500. That's what will happen when you play a style of defense that allows open 3-point shots and plenty of offensive rebounds. The Buckeyes still sit second to last in scoring defense at 65.3 points a game, while allowing teams to shoot 44 percent from the floor, including 39 percent from deep. Four of the last five opponents have connected on at least 41 percent of their 3-point attempts.
Will this be the last game at the Schott for BJ Mullens, William Buford or Evan Turner? According to yesterday's poll results, many of you think BJ will return for his sophomore season, I hope we're right. There are obvious aspects of his game that still need developed, but the lure of being a millionaire at the tender age of 19 might be too much to pass up for a kid from Canal Winchester. I think Turner and Buford are more likely to come back. Buford simply isn't ready and Turner could be an All-American if he returns next season.
I just have a good feeling about this game. Ohio State will be seeking revenge in their final home game and a victory almost assures them of a dance ticket. They know deep down they can handle the Wildcats, it just takes a little patience, ya-ya, just a little patience to come out on top, which they will do, 68-59.
Etc
- A victory will give Thad his 9th straight 20 win season to start his career.
- Buford needs 15 points to enter the top 10 in all-time freshmen scoring at Ohio State.
Comments
63-60 OSU. The Purple Kitties will attempt to send the game into OT,but will miss and Matta will have another 20 win season under his belt.
While it's nice that the basketball bucks shoot over 50%, it would be better if they didn't turn it over 10-15 times per game. That would mean a few more shots and if the math holds up more points. They can win this game, but they need to play some defense. I thought the zone was good when Mullens and Lauderdale were running out to the wings with their lenth it was hard for Iowa to shoot over them. Thad needs to throw more than that zone at them if he wants to win as well. Another HUGE game, we'll see how the kids play.
What is the over/under on [insert random slow sharpshooter here] on going off for:
1) Career high in Points
2) Ten 3's out of 12 attempts
3) Having a Buckeye defender in his jock for 40 mins (a fan can dream can't he)?
It's not a random guy Ohio State needs to worry about, Craig Moore is likely to have a big night. If it's not Craig Moore, then Michael Thompson, if not Thompson then Coble (although Coble is much more likely to just take it baseline past our wings). At the end of the Iowa game there was a much better effort to identify and communicate where Bawinkle was, lets see if the staff and players can identify Moore before he hits 8 deep balls.
It is time to step our game up and take it to Northwestern. If we could sustain some of the periods of great play that we have had over the season for 25 or 30 minutes we can blow these guys out and show the tournament committee that we have turned our backslide around. Win two games in the Big 10 tourney and we might be looking at a 6 seed. If we get in with an 8 or 9, say goodbye on Saturday or Sunday because there is no way we beat a 1 seed the way we are playing right now.
i couldnt find anything online about it although im sure it's out there. what is the tiebreaking procedure for the b10 tourny? overall record and then head to head?
Hope this helps Jared...
http://bigten.cstv.com/sports/...
I couldn't find anything myself last night, but Doug-E-Fresh laid down possibilities in a post today.
http://www.cleveland.com/bucke...
thanks j.b., time to break out the excel solver to do a linerar program to figure it out lol.
While it is exciting to think where this team could go in the next few years, they have absolutely nothing that it takes to make a run in the dance this year. No great guard play, no inside presence, no depth, no veteran leadership, inconsistent balanced scoring, and at times no heart. Most of the victories came from our raw talent being able to overcome.
I really think Buford and ET will be back, and I am back and forth on BJ. There is no question he could use another year, but money and women talk.
I also think the bitter feeling from getting a beat down in the first round will do these youngsters better in that they may be that much more motivated going into the off-season. I think winning the NIT left more of an " I told ya so" feeling. Also, losing Doufos didnt help.
Maybe the best thing for the program is a good ol' fashion butt whoopin.
I agree iball 100%
Its a weird feeling this year going into the tournament. It seemed like the Bucks were 'on the rise' this time last year. I don't have that feel this year which makes me less interested in them making the dance.
I'm still hoping they do make it in, but they are so painful to watch at times lately I'm not too excited about the prospect. That said I'm also not excited about another NIT performance.
These guys have done an outstanding job this season under the circumstances. Besides the few minutes that Offut and Madsen have contributed, theyve basically done it all with seven guys. Thad Matta is not only a top B10 coach, but one of the best in all CBB.
I hope Thad is forcing Dallas and BJ to watch this Pitt UConn game to see how big men fight and battle underneath without picking up stupid fouls.
+1 for the GNR reference
ya it must be really hard to pull it off with the number one recruit in the nation and the big ten player of the year. Let's not over state how good of a coaching job this has been. However all will be forgiven if we can pull together and get to the sweet 16.
No point guard.
No.
Point.
Guard.
No guard of point.
No pointing guard.
No point guard.
A team with an average coach and Simmons and Hill at the point would be lucky to go .500.
well we are one game over .500 in the big ten. so i stand corrected great job matta.
I meant .500 overall, but the point stands. The team went the entire year with only a reasonable facsimile of a consistent player at the 1. It was a damn good coaching job, especially after Crater left.
Honestly, Purple Kitties?
Call it a boring style of play if you like. It's been a style that has been winning games. Time to give Northwestern a lot more respect than they've been getting here. And lately, they've been playing a bit more consistently than the Buckeyes.
This game could go either way.
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