Monday Skull Session

By D.J. Byrnes on February 23, 2015 at 4:59 am
The Manimal
116 Comments

ICYMI: The men's basketball team, after an eight day layoff, failed to overcome a slow start and were upset in Michigan yesterday by a man named Spike. The Basketbucks will be in action again on Thursday at 7 p.m. when they play host to Nebraska.

IS OHIO STATE ASKING TOO MUCH OF D'ANGELO RUSSELL? I'm not sure it's an entirely fair question (because Russ is OSU's best player by a wide margin), but it's one being asked by Scott Phillips of CollegeBasketballTalk.com:

The last nine games, Russell has at least five rebounds in each game — with multiple double-digit rebound games. Entering Sunday’s road loss at Michigan, Russell had also logged at least five assists per game in six consecutive games. For a freshman being asked to also take most of the shots on offense, Russell is also producing all over the floor at an elite level while also being pretty efficient. It’s a big reason why he’s started to rocket up NBA Draft boards and into the top-five discussion.

Going into Sunday’s game, Russell was shooting 46 percent from the field, 43 percent from 3-point range and 77 percent from the free-throw line. For a player averaging 19.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game, he’s been very efficient and consistent for a freshman playing his first season of college basketball.

But over the last five games, Russell has shot poorly in four of those outings. The freshman wall might have crept up and finally hit the brilliant Russell and slowed him up a bit.

Being the best player on the team, but also one of the youngest, is a bane on any player, no matter how talented However, this might be the best preparation for the NBA, because it's not like Silk will be around long enough to be drafted by someone like the San Antonio Spurs.

Teams are going to continue throwing the kitchen sink at Patient 0, because who else is going to step up and beat somebody?

WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH THIS SENIOR CLASS? I'm never going to drag an Ohio State student-athlete for their play, but some of the performances yesterday were frustrating to put it mildly.

From Doug Lesmerises of cleveland.com:

As Ohio State heads down the homestretch of a season of shortfall, you wonder if the Buckeyes are Ohio enough to get this right. If things start to get away from a team now on a two-game losing streak, will the Buckeyes want to get it back not just for themselves, but for the fans and the tradition and the scarlet and gray?

If they didn't grow up dreaming of being Buckeyes, how hard will they fight if their postseason hopes begin to shatter?

That starts with a senior class of four seniors who have played for four seasons - two from Michigan, one from Georgia and one from Chicago. Amir Williams, Trey McDonald, Shannon Scott and Sam Thompson could have as few as six games remaining in their college basketball careers. Yet they couldn't get their team up for this one.

When I asked how much of Sunday's loss was on the seniors, Thompson, the only senior sent to speak with reporters, said "All of it."

Well, kudos to Sam for taking ownership of this blunder. (And yes, losing to that Michigan roster in that fashion can only be categorized as a blunder.) It might be too little too late, though.

I know it's a bankrupt phrase, but this senior class could literally be the definition of "It is what it is." It's a shame D'Angelo Russell's prodigious talents will be squandered on a team that looks content with being forgettable.

THE HUNT FOR A SIGNATURE ROAD WIN. What's Ohio State's best win on the road this year? At Minnesota? At Northwestern? RUTGERS?

From Asa Hans of ISportsWeb.com:

The fact of the matter is that they’ve beat Indiana and Maryland on their home floor. But, Ohio State has now lost to Louisville, North Carolina (neutral court), Iowa, Indiana, Michigan State, Michigan and Purdue on the road. The Buckeyes only true road wins this year have come against Minnesota, Northwestern and Rutgers. All three of these teams are tenth, 12th and 14th respectively in the Big Ten standings.

So if you’re an Ohio State fan, do you panic? The answer is no.

This is nothing but good news for the OSU fans. Head coach Thad Matta needs to find a secondary scorer to complement the head scorer in D’Angelo Russell. There are four seniors on this team in Shannon Scott, Sam Thompson, Trey McDonald and Amir Williams. These are the guys who need to step up and set the tone for the younger guys to follow. Russell, Marc Loving, Jae’Sean Tate and Keita Bates-Diop are the leaders on this team, three freshman and one sophomore.

I'm not sure I'm as optimistic as Mr. Nothing But Good News for Ohio State Fans, but my solution is give all the minutes to the younger guys. I'm not sure how, after yesterday's debacle, anyone could expect the senior class to put steel into this team at this point.

It. Is. What. It. Is.

(What's that? It is obvious I'm still salty about this one? In my defense, I almost forgot what it is to be disappointed by an Ohio State team.)

As for the signature road win, I'm not sure they'll get one this year. Their only remaining road trip is to Penn State. Regardless, OSU's road performances this year don't project well for the Big Ten Tournament or the NCAA Tournament N.I.T.

CARDALE JONES: BUDDING NBA ANALYST. In better Ohio basketball news, the Cleveland Cavs dumped the New York Knicks yesterday, 101-83. King Dolodale, your analysis?

You know, if football doesn't workout for him (lol), Dolodale might have a future in NBA media:

#SHOUTOUT TO J.K. SIMMONS. J.K. Simmons won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor last night, which would not be mentioned here if I did not later find out he's apparently a massive Ohio State fan?

I guess this means I have to work on seeing him as someone more than one of TV's greatest villains, prison skinhead leader Vernon Schillinger. (I'm sure this is a problem suffered by anyone who ever watched Oz, which is a testament to Simmons' acting.)

(I'd also be remiss if I didn't #shoutout Buckeye John Legend, so #shoutout to Buckeye John Legend.)

THOSE WMDs. Still can't believe the Slobs were only called for holding twice all year... Say what you will, I will always consider Jonathan Newsome a Buckeye... Oh, just a photograph of Wilt Chamberlin, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Andre the Giant hanging out... Tom Crean stays creepy... SEAT FILLER... Richard Jefferson can still do this?

116 Comments
View 116 Comments