Eleven Warriors

Probably would have Diebler coming off the bench for a pure shooter, which is important to every team. For a 10-person team I would go:

PG - Conley

SG - Butler

SF - Turner

PF - Sully

C - Oden

This would certainly be a stacked starting lineup with the only question being how Conley, Butler, and Turner would coexist as they all like to have the ball in their hands. Definitely plenty of athleticism, defense, and scoring, however. 

Bench:

PG - Craft

SG - Cook

SF - Lighty

SF - Diebler

PF - Dials

The only missing piece would really be a backup C for Oden but a combination of Oden, Sully, and Dials would still be pretty deadly. Craft and Lighty would bring great defense and leadership off the bench while Cook and Diebler could provide much needed 3 point shooting.

Left off Koufos and Mullens because I never liked them much...

what about ken johnson? did he almost break the record for blocks at some point?

Here's my 10 man team:

PG: Mike Conley / Aaron Craft

Almost impossible to argue against these two. The only question is which 'in which order?'. For me, Conley's insane quickness and ability to get into the lane at will is what sets him apart from Craft right now, but it's DAMN close.

2G: Evan Turner / Jamar Butler

Neither of these guys are pure shooting guards, but they both bring interesting things to the table. Turner is a great playmaker, shotmaker and rebounder while Butler can make plays and hit deep shots. With penetrating guards like Conley, Craft, Turner and Lighty on the team, guys like Butler and Diebler fill an important role as 3 point shooters.

3G: David Lighty / Jon Diebler

Lighty is the heart and soul of the modern Buckeye ethos. He is an elite defender, an elite athlete, a very good shooter and a fantastic dribble-drive penetrator with the ability to finish at/above the rim. He brings an element of physical athleticism that no one else on this list gets close to - and his wealth of experience makes him the heartbeat of this team. Diebler is only the greatest shooter in Big Ten history and an excellent all-around player who could play extended minutes at either off-guard position without any drop off in production.

F: Deshaun Thomas / Othello Hunter

CURVE BALL! Thomas is truly the ideal 4 man in Matta's offense. Athletic, good size, great shooter, threat in the paint, can create his own shot. In this offense, Thomas would THRIVE. Attention would have to be paid to Oden primarily and that would leave Thomas alone for weak side rebounds and all sorts of beneficial 1v1 matchups. Hunter brings something that this team would need - industrious, athletic defense and rebounding. Matta hasn't had many effective forwards in this vein and that would be a nice complement and change of pace to Thomas' explosive offense and sometimes porous defense.

C: Greg Oden / Jared Sullinger

Oden is the most fearsome college player I have ever seen. He dominated the paint offensively against two future NBA all-stars in the NCAA championship game and his defense and athleticism are off the charts. The understanding between Oden and Conley is the launching point for everything this team does. The attention Oden demands in the paint opens things up for everyone else. Sullinger is the most complete big man to play for Ohio State since the invention of color television. He shoots, he posts, he rebounds, he defends, he makes free throws, etc. And all this despite lacking elite athleticism. This 1-2 punch is terrifyingly good and also diverse in their skillsets.

Other guards considered: Ron Lewis, William Buford, Lenzelle Smith

It basically came down to Ron Lewis vs. Jamar Butler. I took Butler because he has a far more diverse skill set, which is more useful in the bench role. Buford was far too inconsistent over his career whie Lenzelle might be able to stake a claim to this team with a couple more impressive years. 

Other forwards considered: Ivan Harris, Kosta Koufos, Matt Terwilliger, Kyle Madsen

Harris/Koufos/Madsen vs. Deshaun Thomas is a landslide in Thomas' favor for the 'offensive 4' position. Hunter is far more athletic and skilled than Twiggy. So this was pretty simple overall.

Other centers considered: Terrence Dials, Dallas Lauderdale, BJ Mullens

With only two positions at center, the choice was easy. But I would've loved to find a place for Dials. Problem is that Matta almost never plays big men like Dials, Sullinger or Oden together at the same time - He prefers smaller, quicker, more athletic lineups. Thus, it made little sense to try and squeeze Sully or Dials into a PF position alongside Oden that Matta would really never use.

I must say I completely agree with this list.  I'd put in Craft as the 8th man in a rotation, and to round out the bench, Ron Lewis, Diebs, Koufos, and TANK.  I may even start Craft over Conley.  Maybe.

RunFido: Thanks for the compliment!

And you're exactly right about a straight all-star team being a mess - I would rather find the team that would work well together and complement all the skill sets involved.

As for Craft vs. Conley: I agree that Craft's defense is better overall and that Craft has certain leadership intangibles that Conley does not. But I think Conley has something that no one else on this roster has - The ability to get into the lane and make a play at the rim or get an open shot for someone else WHENEVER he wants. I love Craft and would give him a lot of minutes with this squad, but I think this team needs Conley's playmaking more than it needs Craft's intangibles. Give me a couple more years of Craft's amazingness and I might change my mind :)