Get the man more minutes. That is all.
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D. Anthony
+ 1
I agree with all .... I think Ross should be playing more instead of Thompson & Scott. This has stood out to me all season long so far. I would like to see what LQ-Ross could do when he's in rythym, playing a long extended period of minutes. Shannon Scott needs to work on his shooting. Craft was off from beyond the foul line big time. But LQ-Ross looks like the spark that's needed. I'm a big Thad Matta fan, but he can't be afraid to play a guy like Ross. Maybe his defense isn't there yet, but I'd rather see him work out any kinks in November, December, instead of March. Play these young guys earlier in the season, and it will pay dividends come March.
Ross has the "it" factor.
p.s. Ross had 9 points in 11 minutes at Cameron Indoor, tonight
"You win with people." - Woody Hayes
nicely said upvote
O'Deez330
stark county football
I'm gonna say this with respect but Craft just flat out cant shoot the ball, yes he has good and bad games but when push comes to shove, we can't just have one shooter on the floor(thomas) so predictable.
Sample size buddy...
But I agree somewhat. This team is built so well that he doesnt need to be a scoring theat, in other words...OMG WHY IS HE TAKING 15 FREAKING SHOTS!
Give 5 or 6 of those to LaQ or Deshaun or Lenzelle (he had an off night too, I'm not mad..it happens) ...but yea.
I liked what I saw from Shannon Scott too. He needs to be on the floor more as well.
Also, it is so imperitive to have another scorer out there other than Thomas. Sometimes Smith & Craft can score, but it can be forced and they're inconsistent scorers --- I think Ross is that natural other scoring threat. If he is --- this would be huge. Last year opponents couldn't leave a shooter like Buford, because Thomas was a threat. It's like that 2010 team, (which, i.m.ho., is still one of the best teams I have ever witnessed), they had a plethora of pick-your-poison guys: Diebler the sharp-shooter, Buford could get buckets, Lighty could make plays, Sully inside...they were loaded...gotta have more than one big threat.
Overall, this would be deemed a "good loss", on paper, I guess. But, all of us watching - know OSU should have won that game. Williams needs to be more agressive and finish those little bunnies around the hoop. He's got to. But, again, the key I think - is LQ-R. Get Ross in that lineup and let him do his thing.
p.s. that Cook kid from Duke is a punk
"You win with people." - Woody Hayes
I was wishing I could reach through the screen and punch Cook last night. His facial expressions were driving me nuts - couldn't take it. He did a lot of talking for not producing much.
"As long as we're keeping score, we're gonna try to win this thing." - UFM
uh, he did alot in the second half! He was the only Duke that was hitting clutch FT at the end. Curry missed, Sulaimon missed.
he is a punk though. He kept trying to start something with Craft, Smith and Scott. He was getting away with alot due to the game being at Cameron. At a neutral court, he wouldn't have gotten away with all that.
Until Thad puts him in the starting lineup or is his immediate 6th man, we'll struggle to score against better competition. Thompson is flat out awful offensively besides dunking.
I counted at least 4 layups he missed, where he really didn't have any pressure on him. It was awful.
I'm not sure what the answer is. I though LQ looked good at times, but other times he looked completely lost - especially when he and Scott were in there together.
Young team with much improvement to be had, but their play in the 1st half was very promising. We should have been up by 15 at half.
"As long as we're keeping score, we're gonna try to win this thing." - UFM
Could you imagine even if they still shot bad, but it was like 40% last night? The game wouldn't have been close. There were just so many dumb shots and forced shots. I couldn't believe the way Smith was firing shots up there. I thought he was more disciplined than that.
I am sure its hard for craft, who was a defender first, pg second and scorer third the past few seasons, to be put in a larger role. Thomas will get his shots, Ross is solid if he gets in a groove, but Rav and Amir need to make up for what they lost in Sully. A big guy who can grab a rebound and put it in. Seemed like last night we became Wisconsin, living by the three ball, and defense will only hold for so long, if the shots are not falling. The one guy who shouldnt be shooting as much in my opinion is Scott, have yet to see anything impressive with his play.
Pay It Forward!
Yea I didnt like how they sat him in the 2nd half. They needed a jolt from the bench when Duke started making its run and Ross was the guy to do it. I keep hearing he doesnt play defense but I thought he played it well last night. I love Craft, he is one of my all-time favorites but he himself should know if he cant score he needs find someone who can. He was taking jump shots with 20 seconds left on the clock. Still think this team will end up being good in March especially if Matta lets Ross loose.
Casey
This team looked amazing defensively, and quite the opposite offensively.
“Any time you give a man something he doesn't earn, you cheapen him. Our kids earn what they get, and that includes respect.” - Woody
Which is exactly what most expected of this team coming into the season. They have established defenders, but not many established scorers.
I agree Ross needs to see more time, especially in situations where it is obvious the team is having a tough time scoring points. That second half was brutal when you look at the way the offense was executed (or the way it was not). Way too many possessions where Duke could focus solely on denying Thomas the ball, and OSU had no one else who could make a play.
"What we do in life echoes in eternity"
The Buckeyes defense should be amazing this year and will need to be if they want to contend for another B1G title. The offense will struggle at times this year when Deshaun is doubled constantly and Craft has off nights. Lenzelle, Thompson, Scott, and Ross will need to develop into more consistent scorers as the year goes on and one of them really needs to step up every game when tOSU is playing a quality opponent. I like this team and they will continue to get better but last night was a blown opportunity. Way too many 3's were jacked up and the offense was a jumbled mess at times.
As for Ross I think Matta messed up big time with waiting so long to play him in the 2nd half. LaQ is a mismatch considering he can shoot it and put it on the floor and attack the rim. Thad needs to let these young guys develop so they are ready in February and March!
And I think we will indeed see more of Q after last night's performance. He did what was asked of him when he was in the game. Thompson and Scott's lack of offensive ability hampered OSU at times in the 2nd half, and I think Matta will undoubtedly realize another "scorer" is needed on the floor.
I have a feeling Ross will begin to see more meaningful minutes.
"What we do in life echoes in eternity"
Matta doesn't trust Ross. He's defensive liability and he looks lost on offensive sets as well. He may be a scorer, but unless he picks up other areas of his game, I doubt he's gonna see more time.
Matta needs to start trusting Ross because you can mask a bad defender with help defense or by letting him guard someone who isn't explosive on that end. The offensive droughts cannot be masked and cost tOSU the game. When the offense is struggling sometimes it's best to give up some defensive pressure for offensive firepower! I think Ross will see the floor more because you can't keep Sam Thompson out there if he can't make a 3-5 foot bunny.
I agree. Just trying to provide an explanation for why I believe Ross isn't getting more minutes. I would prefer to see Ross starting over Thompson and getting more PT.
In all fairness to Ross, this season is essentially his freshman year. His eligibility problems last year limited him to less than garbage time. He didnt learn anything that way. I hope by the end of the season he is a bigger contributor. My guess is his impact is still a year away though. Hope I'm wrong because the Buckeyes need him.
"Sherman ran an option play right through the south" - Greatest.Civil.War.Analogy.Ever
Through the whole first half, I was all like "hey, we have a lot more depth than usual"
Through the whole second half, I was all like "oh... never mind"
Matta needs to get rid of this whole notion that he only plays 6 players. He has mad talent on that bench... McDonald's All Americans even... Just sitting there. Ross was one of the more sought after recruits coming in. I'm ok with sitting him most of last year but he provides a much needed spark off the bench this year and Matta needs to play him more. Who cares if he is a defensive liability. He's never going to get better at D without experience.
Oh and I forgot to mention...
This is going to start hurting him in recruiting (if it hasn't already). Players these days don't want to come to college and sit on the bench. They will start to transfer (some already have)
It is hurting, and players have left. I have hated this for years, for many reasons. The biggest being the bench has no experience when they need them in a game (fouls, injuries etc).
great points, Jeremy
"You win with people." - Woody Hayes
Unless he works on his defense, he will continue to have limited playing time.
He sometimes has mental lapses where he stops defending his assigned player, he should work on that.
Offensively, he is very well improved from last year.
This is my humble opinion and I know some might disagree.
I don't think it should be Ross over Thompson did alot of great things despite his ugly floaters. Ross should be the first off the bench instead of Scott. Scott was the player who F'd up in the second half bigtime. No ball movement, horrible shot selection. I just don't get why he had the ball in his hands for most of the second half. Craft is not an off the ball offensive player. He is much better at distribution than a shooter.
Agree that Scott is the problem, not the answer.
Poor shot selection, bad angles, and low percentage trajectories.
Poor risk/reward thinking on perimeter passes, and gives the ball to the wrong guys in the wrong positions when he forces his passes inside.
This cannot be corrected - it is a basketball IQ problem
I love Matta but in bg games there are usually 2 or 3 little coaching moves that leave me scratching my head. I really, really want him to outcoach someone else in the 2nd half of a big game.
You mean like he did against MSU last year in the regular season finale, or against Gonzaga/Cincinnati/Syracuse in the tournament last year? Or how about 2010 in the 2nd half against Purdue, when they came back from like 12 down in the last 3-4 minutes?
I'm not trying to be a pompous ass, I'm just saying that "outcoaching someone else in the 2nd half of a big game" has much more objectivity to it than just the winner or loser of a game. People may not have liked his substitution patterns and what not last night, but frankly the outcome came down to the fact that Duke had a stretch where they hit several three's and other tough shots in a row, and OSU didn't/couldn't.
Craft missed some wide open shots, including a runner he could have layed into the basket. Thomas had some opportunities where he could have pulled up from mid-range, but instead drove into two or three defenders at the rim. Ohio State was in position to win the game, even while shooting horribly. Do you think it was just coincidence?
"What we do in life echoes in eternity"
I rarely have a coaching beef with Matta. One being he's been to more Final Fours than any OSU coach in my memory; 2, he's a heck of a recruiter; 3, he's a defense-first coach and I like that. 4, when his team is firing on all cylinders they are extremely hard to beat. OSU as stellar in the first half and terrible in the second. Buckeyes biggest problem vs. the Dookies was the intensity wearing down in the second half. If their biggest flaw is conditioning they can fix that.
"Sherman ran an option play right through the south" - Greatest.Civil.War.Analogy.Ever
Really, the only reason he didn't get more playing time in the second half is because Coach Matta was most likely not comfortable with how the defense suddenly couldn't stop anybody on Duke. In the first half, it was no problem because OSU was shutting Duke down. After that, though, Q just isn't a good-enough defender quite yet to earn that starting spot over Thompson.
Writer at http://www.landgrantholyland.com
Wait... If they couldn't stop anyone when he was on the bench, I fail to comprehend how having his offensive prowess on the floor is problematic.
I haven't looked at the numbers, and I don't think he hit a jumpshot, but I thought Sam Thompson had a great game last night. He altered a handful of shots (won't show up in stat sheet) was a monster on the boards, and finished with a couple nice dunks. I know his offensive game is limited, but he excells at everything else. Yes, OSU has an offensive problem, but I don't think that means you put in a scorer (Ross could become one but obviously isn't there yet) in place of a great defender/rebounder. Our defense will win us games, and stops will lead to easy transition buckets. We couldn't stop penetration in the second half, and that opened everything up for Duke, and then off made buckets, our halfcourt offense was atrocious. I think better defense is the answer, not better shooting. We already have DT as our scorer/defensive liability. I think Sam Thompson would start for every team in the country because of his defense, rebounding, ridiculous atheleticism and how it leads to transition points, and general versatility. I'm more excited/optimistic to see Sam fill a couple of his holes on offense, than Ross get up to high-level game speed in all facets of his game.
1st half Duke - 23 points Ross 7 or 9
Seconf half Duke 50 points Ross played what 60 seconds
Not sure what "liability" Ross had when Duke was going 10 min without a score in the 1st half with our All American on the bench. The offense ran through Ross and Scott.
Ross needs to play more. Thompson is great love his game but he, man I swear he jumps so high at times and is so hyped up he does not know where he is. How do you air ball a 3 ft chip shot when your knees are above the rim?
The problem is Ross plays the same position that Deshaun Thomas plays. Ross obviously has shown he's better playing/defending the 4 than he is playing/defending the 3. With Thomas out of the game toward the end of the 1st half with foul trouble, Ross saw extended minutes.
I do think we'll see more of Ross at the 3 in place of Thompson as the season goes on. Maybe even Ross at the 3 and Thompson at the 2, though that means no Lenzelle Smith Jr. Either way, I think these next 2-3 weeks would be a great time for Matta to experiment with those types of lineups to see what combinations are effective, and which will allow the team to still play good defense while also being efficient on offense.
"What we do in life echoes in eternity"
I think over the next 3-4 games is a GREAT chance for them to get Ross's confidence up and get this kid ready for the BIG TEN because regardless of his defense this team needs another scoring option.
Well over the last 3 games with playing time Ross is avg. 17 pts 8.6 rebs 1.6 Asst 1.3 stls a game.
That is not too shabby.
Which is a good thing because Craft has not been scoring much and in those three games is avg 3 pts a game. Hopefully soon his shot starts falling we need him getting around 8 to 12 points a game to keep defenses honest on the perimeter.
Scott and Thompson have both been playing well too! Which is great for their confidence during this stretch.
Scott is becoming a really nice looking PG he has a Defense to him as well but he can take it to the bucket he just needs to learn what to do with the ball when he gets there. He is moving so fast sometimes he gets lost. Reminds me of how Mike Conley was the first few games in 06. He would be to the bucket so quick he would be under the rim before he knew it.
I agree with the notion that Craft seems to be shooting too much - we all want his defense, assists, and overall leadership out there, but outside shooting has frankly never been his strongest suit. I too would like to see any adjustment to the scheme that gets LQ more minutes - even with he and DT on the floor together.
We only see what is publicized on tv.. Maybe Matta has his reasons why things are the way they are, it's working so why try and fix it? From what I've seen so far there is way to much talent, so why not let everyone play and contribute because not everyone will " be on" every game.. It is what it is and I'm loving what I'm seeing so far.. I'm sure things will change once conference play starts, but we will see..
I know we've been on Craft for his poor shooting thus far. The Duke game - he took 15 shots.
But, he actually hasn't shot enough the past few games. I know from playing basketball back in the day, (just high school), that if you have a bad shooting game, (like he did against Duke), your confidence level is down and you're more likely to not shoot as much. This is actually the worst thing you can do. The best thing to do is to keep shooting the rock, especially against inferior opponents. You're not gonna get yourself out of a shooting slump by not shooting the ball. You just have to keep firing away, and eventually you'll by your rythym and get your confidence back.
Case in point: Craft only took 4 shots last night, in 28 minutes. Against LBSU, he only took 5 shots. Against a bad team like Savannah State, I would actually like to see him take at least 10 shots. You know...work out the kinks against a team you're beating by 40, what do you have to lose? He needs to keep shooting the ball. Eventually he'll get back in a decent rythym. And, hopefully he'll have a decent shot back going into March...when it really counts. I have faith in Craft.
I agree his #1 asset is defense, primarily on-the-ball defending...which I think nobody in the country does better, but we're gonna need him to hit a clutch shot at some point down the road. So, I hope he keeps shooting and gets that confidence back. He will.
well said. that is so true about shooter's confidence...gotta keep shooting
&
the more I watch Ross - the more I think he's the best player on the team. I think he'll end up being the best pro out of anyone on the team. There's just something about him...smooth
reminds me of George Gervin
you will always miss 100% of the shots you dont take
I'm a friend of thunder is it any wonder lightning strikes me
Ross has a big game and helps OSU beat Kansas next Saturday I think the Buckeyes are going to be awfully hard to beat in the B1G. If Matta doesn't put him on the floor much or if he has a poor outing OSU will still be good but not elite. This kid will make all the difference.
"Sherman ran an option play right through the south" - Greatest.Civil.War.Analogy.Ever
dont worry yall...he will be a major factor in many big ten games this season
with deshaun drawing double teams(still cant stop him) ross' play will have to force matta to play the 'youngster' a lot more in crunch time of these close games.
someone needs to fill in for the loss of buford on the perimeter...ross is the guy
scott and thompson need to play, but they should look drive to the bucket or set up ross or thomas
wonder if sibert would stayed if he would be gettin more PT....
btw...della valle is a pretty darn good shooter himself...get him in there
Yeah, I agree...and Della Valle looks to be improving every game. The more he's out there --- the more comfortable he looked. He played some tough defense Saturday.
Ross had a tough game tonight, not many minutes a couple of turnovers.
* bump * for Q!
"You win with people." - Woody Hayes
When Arizona's HiIll went on a personal run in the second half, Matta took Ross out and told him if he didn't start to play defense he wasn't going to put him back in the game. An Ohio State gunner must at least make an effort to play defense to play for Matta. Thomas found that out last year. Ross is learning the same this year. As Matta ALSO said in his press conference, he told his players at half time, "We're only going to win, if we play like who we are."
I love Q's game. He is so special because of his length and skill. He's got that long stride. His stride is 1 1/2 steps compared to his opponent's 1 step.
"You win with people." - Woody Hayes