OSU: 14/43 FG (32%), 11/19 FT (58%)Unfortunately, the first sans-Turner conference game turned out like I was afraid it might as the Wisconsin defense harassed the Buckeyes into a 32% shooting effort on the way to a convincing 65-43 victory this afternoon in the Kohl Center.
After Dallas Lauderdale banked in a free throw to cut Wisconsin's lead to 9-8, the Badgers unleashed a 19-4 run to take a 28-12 lead behind eight points from Trevon Hughes as the Buckeyes were repeatedly slow to rotate and cover open shooters. They were even worse at the offensive end going 0/5 from the floor with two turnovers at one point while going without a field goal for 7:46 of game time.
Shortly after the blitz, Ohio State showed their only sign of heart all day by closing the half on an 11-4 run thanks to two triples from P.J. Hill allowing them to close the gap to 34-25 at halftime.
Ohio State failed to bring any of that momentum to the second half as the Badgers charged out of the locker room on a 16-5 burst putting the Buckeyes in an insurmountable 50-30 hole with 11:55 remaining.
As expected, Jon Diebler had a tough night against the physical Badger defense finishing with with just to made field goals (2/7, 8pts). He hit his first shot 13 seconds into the game but wouldn't hit his second FG until 4:30 left in the game. His inability to contribute anything to the Buckeye offense put even more pressure on Will Buford and David Lighty. Buford finished with 14 points (7/16) and eight boards though he missed two layups and his only two free throw attempts before leaving late with an injury. It looked like he either knocked knees with a Badger or came down on it wrong after a jumper.
Lighty struggled to get anything going shooting just 2/7 (8 pts) with four turnovers as the Badgers forced him left and doubled him every time he drove the lane. The result was a missed shot or a kick out to a teammate for a missed shot which didn't help the cause as OSU lost the battle of the boards 31-23.
P.J. Hill finished with eight points in 32 minutes while Jeremie Simmons added squat offensively (2 pts) in addition to playing sketchy defense on Hughes.
To keep perspective, it's important to remember that this game was penciled in as a probable loss even with Turner so it's not that damaging in the grand scheme of things. That said, it's getting increasingly frustrating to watch this team (even with Turner at times) go through such prolonged scoring droughts. I'm not sure what the answer is but it's hard to beat good teams when you go without a field goal for six or seven minutes in a given half. Unfortunately, this trend is likely to continue against solid defensive teams if at least two of the Lighty, Diebs, WB trio aren't feeling it. In the second half, no Buckeye not named Lighty or Buford made a bucket until Diebler's shot with less than five to play.
Diebler, in particular, hasn't been able to get anything going in the five games without Turner reaching double figures only once and that was against Presbyterian (12). He clearly needs Turner to set him up for shots since he can't get his own. Need evidence? In the five games since ET went out, Diebler hasn't taken more than seven shots in a game save the 10 against Presbyterian and he's averaging 6.8 FGA per game. In games with Turner on the floor, Diebler averaged 10.1 FGA per game. In his defense, it's not all his inability to get his own shot. Some of it falls at the feet of not enough screens being set for him though he still needs to rub tighter off the screens he gets in addition to mixing in a few curl cuts off them once in awhile.
Another issue facing the Buckeyes is an even shorter bench than when Turner first went down. Sixth man Simmons played just five minutes against Cleveland State and 15 today, which he really didn't deserve but Matta was desperate to see if he might be hot since Diebler went ghost while WB and Lighty were cold. No other reserve saw the court until the game was out of reach since Dallas wasn't in foul trouble until he picked up three quick ones as the game got away from OSU during the aforementioned 16-5 Badger run to start the second half.
Ohio State needs to regroup quickly as the face another roadie Sunday against a beatable Michigan team that lost earlier today in Bloomington.
Comments
I think this game will be forgotten after tomorrows game thank god.
I'm not a huge OSU basketball fan Chris, but when I do watch I've found the inability to consistently score since the Thad Five left for the draft, other than in prolonged stop-and-go streaks, extremely frustrating. Even with Turner out, I feel like there is more talent on this team than is reflected in the play against top tier teams. Eventually, it has to come back to the coaching. What are your thoughts as to whether there is something to be said about Matta's inability to coach his guys to work as an effective unit? He is probably the best recruiter in the country, by far, especially since OSU isn't exactly a hot spot for basketball and can't sell itself like Kentucky or Kansas; but I can't shake the idea that Matta simply isn't a top tier x's and o's type of coach. And honestly, I'm okay with that deficiency; if he can maintain recruiting like he has and get us deep into the Final Four every four years or so based on a Thad Five class like in 2006 or in 2010, that sounds about right to me. But again, that ennui comes from a very casual OSU b-ball fan, who spends the majority of his time obsessing over Buckeye football.
I don't care who you are playing and who is hurt, 43 points is not acceptable for a Big10 team.
The issue of Matta's x's and O's ability has definitely come up before but I'd have to dig through the archives to find where we've discussed it. I do know I've been critical in the past because there's no question the offense has floundered at times during Matta's tenure. That said, you take the good with the bad with Matta because he's a ridiculous recruiter. I do know that I've mentioned before on here that the ideal coach would be Jim O'Brien's x's and o's combined with Matta's recruiting. OB was light years ahead of Matta when it came to set plays, especially out of bounds. He always got the most from lesser talented rosters because of this whereas it can be argued that Matta hasn't gotten the most of his talent especially when facing top tier competition. Very few coaches are perfect in all phases and the few that are would never leave where they are to come here. As a result, I'm content to stick with Matta for the forseeable future.
It appears as tho Bucky found a sport they can beat us at......
Your commentary is right on.....& you are being very kind. Without Evan Turner this is an average team at best. While there are several players with talent, without that one serious threat, their talent is negated. There are no easy baskets, no penetration & dish off, no fast break points. Diebler is truly lost without the ability to get off an uncontested three. He cannot score off the dribble & has a hard time even taking a shot unless he gets a really good look. Buford & Lightly end up forcing the action & more often than not are playing out of control. Foul shooting is an area where they are weak, & often don't get to the line. Hopefully Turner gets back soon to make them competitive, but they are not going deep into the tournament.
Yup, in order for us to be successful without Turner Diebler MUST score and hasn't. I hope the kid comes around for his sake. Up to this point he hasn't realized the success necessary for the team to get better without Turner. With Turner back, Diebler gets freed up for some looks. Without Turner, we are average at best.
I was screaming for Matta to get Lighty some post-up chances. Have Diebler enter the ball, if his guy leaves he will be open if not I like Dave's athletic ability to get a quality shot. Also, I was very frustrated with Lighty yesterday trying to drive right into Wisky's defense after one or no passes. How about a couple ball reversals then attack the basket when the defense has actually had to move and there are not 4 guys standing in the lane waiting for him. Basketball IQ on this team seems very low. I have been a huge Diebler fan and supporter but he is getting hard to watch, maybe the worst balance of any player in the country. He needs to watch some tape on JJ Reddick, he seemed to be able to get shots and I guarentee Deibs is more athletic than he was. Not supprised by the outcome of the game just very dissapointed by play.
Without a true "big man" inside scoring presence this team was limited even with ET. Before the year started I thought they would go as far as Sweet 16/Elite 8 at the most and that would all depend on how hot their perimeter game was at the time.
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