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#12 Ohio State 61, Northwestern 52 (Final)

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Padraig said:
Off day shooting from the outside & from the line (at least for Dials) with lapses of intensity and defensive concentration...I'll be really happy to "escape" this one with a W.

But in the Big Ten, I'll take any win, especially this late in the year.

T.D. was huge at the end of this one.
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If Dials and Lewis had just hit 70% of their free throws, we would have won by more than 20!
 
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I think when NW made that run we were just physically and mentaly tired, b/c the same 5 guys played basically the whole game. If we want to make any sort of run in the tourney we are going to need Harris and Mayes to pick up some minutes.

Very ugly game, but who cares a win is a win,now lets get ready for MSU.
 
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I know a lot people think it's no big deal that this was an off game because we won in the end. I hope the team doesn't see it that way. This team needs to realize that they have to bring it every game. This game should be a message that we can't live and die by the 3 all the time. We need to attack the basket.

If this wasn't at home against NW and we weren't getting the calls, this is a loss plain and simple. We need to learn and adjust, and realize that we were lucky today.

This can be a positive game as long as Matta makes the players realize that it is a big deal that they played poorly.
 
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StadiumDorm said:
I know a lot people think it's no big deal that this was an off game because we won in the end. I hope the team doesn't see it that way. This team needs to realize that they have to bring it every game. This game should be a message that we can't live and die by the 3 all the time. We need to attack the basket.

If this wasn't at home against NW and we weren't getting the calls, this is a loss plain and simple. We need to learn and adjust, and realize that we were lucky today.

This can be a positive game as long as Matta makes the players realize that it is a big deal that they played poorly.
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I usually agree with you, but I am going to disagree a little here. The team will always know they have to get better, even like after the Illinois game I am sure they didnt say we don't have anything to work on.

As for the live and die by the 3, yeah that is true, but we shoot 3's usually just as good as what other teams shoot the 2 ball. So for us it is the same thing as having an off day from inside like another team could have. Matta is never going to tell our guys to quit shooting them b/c of how good we are at shooting them. It isnt like we have BFC shooting them this year, we have guys that are top 10 in teh big ten and up in th top 50 in the country. Would Duke ever tell Reddick to stop shooting 3's.

As for attacking the basket that is what a guy like Lewis needs to do when he is struggling, much like he started off doing today.

And the refs were not biased one way or the other today. Our guys were getting mugged, I think they were doing it purposely on Dials when he would catch it real low to send him to the line instead of an easy bucket.

There guys were not taking the ball to the hole and when they were they were wide open backdoor cuts an no one was there to foul them. There were even a couple times when we didnt even touch their guys and we got fouls called on us.

As for being lucky, I don't think so, I think we struggled through playing poorly and still got the win against a very nice ball club. They are one of those teams that make you look ugly, just b/c they make you do the little things to beat them.

There were times to day when we looked out of sync, but if we are making even 35% of our 3's and 70% of our free throws we win this game by 20. No reason to worry b/c all teams have these types of games. See us against MSU at home too, that day we just didnt pull out the win.
 
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What I liked:
-Rebounding was good this game
-Lewis and Butler play tenacious defense again
-Dials making clutch shots
-Butler singlehandedly making our team's free throws...maybe this is a bad thing?

What I didn't like:
-Inability to break the zone
-Giving away layups to a very Princeton-esque offense
-Free throw shooting!
-Sullinger fouling with 30 secs to go in the game

We barely escaped this one alive. A game like this proves how Penn State could waltz into Champagne and steal one from the Illini.

NWU played their hearts out and gave us a run for our money. I'm sure their coach will be bringing up the fact we had 30 free throws to their 3, but they had no answer for our slashers other than foul.

Anyone hear why Syl didn't play today? I don't want to read through the entire thread...illness? injury?
EDIT: His back

Hopefully we come shooting the ball a little better against Michigan St. in East Lansing.
 
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CB40:

I agree with most of what you said. But it seems as if Lewis is the only guy on this team that will attack the basket when his shot isn't falling. I rarely see Foster attacking the gaps in the defense. Butler will drive to the hoop when there is a lapse in defense, and he's very smart about it. Sullinger sometimes will take it baseline. But Lewis is the only player on this team with the sack to attack when he can't hit an ocean.

Of course this team's bread and butter is the three-point shot. But the Bucks will probably face a mid-major team like a Northwestern in the first round of the tournament. If the shots aren't falling against teams like that, you have to take advantage of your athleticism. That is one of the reasons why Sullinger was important today. He was the most athetic player on the court, and I think he knew it.

What has me really frustrated was the guard play in the second half. How on earth does NW force us into lazy passes like that? We let them back in the game with sloppy, ill-inspired play. That's how an Illinois loses to a Penn State at home, and how a Michigan State gets outclassed by a Minnesota. We got lucky ..... because we were the better team by far in the end. Against a bigger, more athletic team, we don't win playing like that.
 
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LINK

(12) OHIO ST 61, NORTHWESTERN 52

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Terence Dials had 14 points and 15 rebounds in No. 12 Ohio State's 61-52 victory over Northwestern on Saturday.

The Buckeyes (19-4, 8-4 Big Ten) got off to a plodding start and then survived a second-half lull to win for the 12th consecutive time against the Wildcats. Dials scored eight of Ohio State's final nine points.

J.J. Sullinger scored 16 points, Ron Lewis added 15 and Jamar Butler 12 for the Buckeyes, who came in leading the conference in field-goal shooting at 49 percent but made 37 percent from the field.

Mohamed Hachad led Northwestern with 19 points -- scoring 15 in a row for the Wildcats (12-12, 4-8) in a second-half surge. Big Ten scoring leader Vedran Vukusic finished with 17 points.

After a listless first half, the Buckeyes got going to start the final 20 minutes. Butler hit a 3-pointer on the first trip down floor and Lewis later added another during a 13-2 run to start the half.

Northwestern managed five points over 16 minutes at the end of the half and the start of the second half.

The Wildcats weren't done. Hachad scored 15 straight Northwestern points -- mostly off backcourt steals or on dribble drives in a patient, patterned offense -- to pull the Wildcats to 50-48 with 5½ minutes left.

With Ohio State hanging on 52-50, Dials took over to score on three consecutive possessions. He hit a turnaround in the lane with 2:34 left, had his shot blocked by Vukusic but scored on the follow, and then had a putback off another offensive rebound with 43 seconds left for a 58-50 lead. He later added two free throws.

The Buckeyes, the league's best 3-point shooting team, had their worst game of the season behind the arc, hitting just 3-of-23.

Northwestern, content to shoot layups or 3s -- where it was just 3-of-20 -- shot two free throws while the Buckeyes were 18-of-30.

The Buckeyes had their worst first half -- scoring a season-low 21 points -- yet still led by a point at the break. They missed their first eight 3-point shots and hit one of their first 14 shots from the field.Northwestern scored the first nine points while holding the Buckeyes scoreless for the first 5:50 and without a field goal over the opening 8 minutes.

The Wildcats were on top 15-5 midway through the half. Lewis -- making his first start in five games -- had accounted for all of Ohio State's points.

But Ohio State closed the half on a 13-3 run, taking its first lead on Lewis' baseline drive with a minute left. The Buckeyes had some nervous moments, but never trailed again.
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Golferdow01 said:
What I liked:
-Rebounding was good this game
-Butler singlehandedly making our team's free throws...maybe this is a bad thing?

Anyone hear why Syl didn't play today? I don't want to read through the entire thread...illness? injury?
EDIT: His back

Hopefully we come shooting the ball a little better against Michigan St. in East Lansing.
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nw is the worst rebounding team in the b10

sylvester played about 2-3 minutes...
 
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