BEER WE GO, BUCKEYES!!!
TV REMINDER: Basketbucks tangle with Arizona at 5:15 on CBS.
DOES OHIO STATE STAND A CHANCE? When J.T. Barrett went down, there was no doubt in my mind The Iron King, Cardale Jones, First of His Name, Poacher of Badgers, Controller of Tides, Slayer of Dragons, Troll Sultan and 12th Son of Ohio, would be ready to pick up the fallen sword of his comrade.
At the time, it seemed irrational to anybody unfamiliar with the (seemingly) irrational confidence of Irondale. It's a ride I'll never forget.
And last night, while at dinner, a familiar tingle ran down my spine. It wasn't the lightning bolt of clairvoyance that struck me upon Barrett's fall, but it did give me pause.
Is there an upset brewing in Portland today?
From Patrick Murphy of TheOZone.net:
In two of the Wildcats’ three losses this year, the opposition shot better than 45-percent from three-point range. Arizona will concede the outside shots if it means keeping the opponent out of the paint. They have the size in 7-footer Kaleb Tarczewski (fourth among active Pac-12 players in career rebounds) to clean up the boards on missed shots.
The Buckeyes can’t just rely on the three-point shot if they want to remain in the game with UA. On the season, Ohio State shot just 37.3-percent from behind the arc and have shot 40-percent from three just once in their last five games.
The three teams to beat Arizona have all attacked their interior defense and either forced the Wildcats to foul or made tough shots in the paint.
On paper, there's no reason to think Ohio State wins this game other than "D'Angelo Russell could drop a double nickel on 'em." BUT THIS GAME AIN'T PLAYED ON PAPER.
I'm not guaranteeing a victory like I did over Alabama, but, from my ergonomic chair in some dilapidated LaQuinta on the banks of the Gulf of Mexico, I feel a whisk of friskiness emanating from Ohio State.
If OSU gets waxed, so be it, but I am never more confident in my teams than when the streets count them out.
WHY D'ANGELO RUSSELL IS A TOP 5 PICK. When championship-hoarder Phil Jackson declared D'Angelo Russell to be a "good kid," it's not as though we needed Phil Jackson to point out Russell's prowess. (It does, however, beg the question why Jackson, if he is so high on Russell, is working to subject him to playing for the Knicks?)
But, what I liked about this Kevin O'Connor/SBNation.com profile of Russell is it takes the VCU tape and shows why he's going to be making millions next year.
Here's but one example:
Russell's natural ability as a point guard shows in his sense of space. The first clip above is a prime example: He notices his defender ball watching, so he fills the space to his right, which creates a perfect passing lane for his teammate. He then makes a patient play by pump faking and drawing the foul.
With a 6'9 wingspan and a speedy release, Russell towers over most point guards and will have no trouble getting his shot off in the NBA. He has had consistent success hitting shots with a hand in his face and he has actually been even better off the dribble, which bodes well for his versatility. Russell's footwork is still developing, but he will likely become an even larger threat off screens and dribble handoffs.
At 6'5, Russell is fully capable of snatching rebounds and taking it the length of the floor. His ability to play in space usually leads to positive results for the Buckeyes, and that was certainly the case against VCU.
The NBA's one-and-done rule is a shambolic protection of their idiot executives who couldn't stop giving teenagers millions of dollars, but I'm not upset about watching Russell ply his trades for my favorite team.
KING CARDALE WANTS BLACK JERSEYS. I know alternate jerseys — especially black ones — are the bane of some fans' existence, but I don't mind them. I consider Ohio State's normal home jerseys to be regalia, but I'm also cognizant of the fact those jerseys aren't the same as the ones OSU donned during its first football game. Change happens.
I'm not as high on black jerseys as I was before midtable programs like Georgia trotted them out, but dang, whoever crafted that mockup did a bang-up job.
Seinfeld, the most overrated comedian in American history, did that famous "we're cheering for clothes!" skit.
That bozo might be cheering for laundry, but not this one. Go ahead and throw Ohio State out there in pink tutus for all I care; I'll still tune in to watch the band of "amateur" athletes from my geographical region bludgeon bands of "amateur" athletes from other geographical areas. The reasons I cheer for Ohio State run deeper than laundry.
WRESTLING UPDATE. Michael Cirtro's breakdown is this way, but the rub of it is this: While work remains, OSU is in pole position for its first wrestling team national championship. Tomasello, Stieber, and Snyder will all wrestle for titles today.
As a Saturday bonus, here's Luke Fickell destroying some dude in an OHSAA final:
THOSE WMDs. The Largest Craft Brewery Per State... Suge Knight won't be free for a long, long time... All of Americas Folk Heroes in One Map... This man is a genius... Warren G. Harding's last words... Foot golf? Foot golf.
