#2 Ohio State 64, Penn State 62 (Final)

[crazybuckfan40]

Guys come on...

Look at this from an 18 yr old perspective...

Playing against a team that was basically handing us the game in the first half, we were hitting all of our shots...The thoughts in the mind is wow this is easy, then complacency sat in, PSU started hitting some tough shots, started getting soem bounces, Oden went out of the game on that technical foul call and bam all of sudden PSU is back in the game...

Shoud it of happened, well hell no, but it did, we still won the game, we showed in the first half that we are the #2 team in the country in the second half we showed that we are a very young team...

Young teams that are very good usually don't have that show up in every game for every minute attitude, especially on the road.

Not trying to make excuses b/c I am just as upset as some of you are at the reason that it was actually close, but what the hell do you do when all of a sudden your same shots that you were making in the first half just arent falling and you feel, not to long ago I was knocking them shots down and then you see that same shot wide open again, you feel hell I made it a while ago and I know I can make it and I am open, and we need a little booster to get our team going, well hell I will just fire it up, and I think it will go.

Also we have had to deal with the fact that we havent been playing real great teams, and thus the reason for all the complacency...I am still waiting for the Wisky game to really judge where we are as a team, when we bring 100% intensity for the whole game...

And for those bashing Matta, well that is just off base IMO...

 

[OH10]

I just cannot see how this is supposedly the second-best college basketball team in the entire country...

It isn't. Somehow Wisconsin loses to a pretty damn good Indiana team in Bloomington, UCLA gets snake-bitten in a trap game 3 time zones away, and all of a sudden an Ohio State that hasn't played ANYBODY since early January gets bumped up. It's absurd.



This team would have been better served if it had lost this game. Maybe then the alarm would go off. That, of course, is the beauty of college basketball - you can learn by losing.

I agree with those that think Matta deserves to be criticized. It's a mental problem with team. And that comes from the coach. He treating these guys with kid gloves. Time to bring out some bite.

God damn... I guess the ire on this thread re: a win, is a sign that Basketball is becoming serious business in C-Bus. Which, of course, is a good thing. Wasn't long ago such a win would have been received with words like, "Way to stick it out, tough win on the road" etc.

Honestly, I had much more fun watching last year's team. That was a team without much in the way of expectations (and to be fair - talent as well). But they played better than they were, beat teams better than they were. This team is so fucking talented that it is painful to watch them play such lazy basketball.

 

[Buckeyeskickbuttocks]

Absolutely agree with the suggestion that youth played the biggest part here (in 2nd half collapse) And even more with the opinion that people bashing Matta is off base. Perhaps the Matta bashers would prefer to have O'Brien back? Randy Ayers? I mean, I suppose I liked 16 - 10 as much as the next guy...

 

[scooter1369]

When a tennis player wins a match 6-0, 6-0, 0-6, 6-0, we call that third set a "breather".

this second half was a breather. They took a break and went into cruise control.

 

[Buckeyeskickbuttocks]

Honestly, I had much more fun watching last year's team. That was a team without much in the way of expectations (and to be fair - talent as well). But they played better than they were, beat teams better than they were. This team is so fucking talented that it is painful to watch them play such lazy basketball.

Yeah, I can see what you're saying... But, I think it still goes towards my point in that post... last year, we were all thrilled with hard play, etc.. Now, we expect blowouts, etc.

 

[OH10]

Yeah, I can see what you're saying... But, I think it still goes towards my point in that post... last year, we were all thrilled with hard play, etc.. Now, we expect blowouts, etc.

I think part of it is that I wish the Big Ten were better. Let's be fair. It's an awful conference. There's no competition out there. And the games really shouldn't be close. It's frustrating to know that this team will only play one, maybe two, more tourney teams this season.

 

[crazybuckfan40]

Really what does a blow out do for you...

UNC blew out Wake by what 40 and then they come back and lose to Va Tech...

It really proves nothing, people were down on Florida all year in football b/c they didnt win pretty, but when push came to shove and they had to show up for big games, they showed up and played big time like SEC championship game and NC game. They were a young team with some leaders that had so so years until it matter, Ron Lewis could equal Chris Leak when push comes to shove in the big games against Wisky and then on into the tourney...

Also remember that this team left Columbus at like 4 in the morning and not last nite due to weather...

 

[Buckeyeskickbuttocks]

I think part of it is that I wish the Big Ten were better. Let's be fair. It's an awful conference. There's no competition out there. And the games really shouldn't be close. It's frustrating to know that this team will only play one, maybe two, more tourney teams this season.

Well, I can't argue otherwise. But, I do hope having grappled with Fla and UNC and Wisky on their floors will help.

 

[Best Buckeye]

Part of it is the expectations WE FANS put on this team. They just have to work through it, and so do we

 

[Yertle]

Bashing Matta!?!?! HA! I didn't notice any "bashing". I simply said (or wrote) that he has a long way to go to be one of the great in-game coaches. Just because he's a Buckeye and a hell of a recruiter doesn't make him flawless. If someone would like to step up and argue that he can go toe to toe with Coach K and other greats, then point out some of his in-game coaching highlights. There's no question in my mind that he wins on a preconceived gameplan and outstanding talent. If the talent slips off, the team doesn't make the proper adjustments.

North Carolina - double digit lead... no adjustments - 9-point loss
Florida - close game... no adjustments - crushed.
Tennessee - It almost seemed that they adjusted away from a dominating Oden...
MSU - blow out... no adjustments - easily could have lost
Purdue - no fire, no adjustments - down 5 with 7 minutes to go.
Tonight - 24 point lead against THE WORST TEAM IN THE BIG 10! No adjustments - ugh.

I'm not bashing Matta. However, I'm pointing out an area in which he could improve. I'm not sure how that makes me an O'Brien fan, but whatever.

I do want to add that he's only 38 or something really young like that, so I'm confident that he'll improve.

 

[bucknutz]

Congrats to the bucks. another great big ten win.

 

[TRON]

At what point in the game did Oden get the T?

I missed the 2nd half but tivod it and wanna see what went down.

 

[buckeyeboy]

UNC also lost to 9-loss Gonzaga. Wisky lost to Missouri State. A&M got swept by Texas Tech. Pitt lost ugly at home to Louisville. UCLA lost to Stanford.

Texas Tech and Stanford will make the NCAA tourney. Louisville and Gonzaga have a good shot. Missouri St. isn't out of the mix. In short, none of these is as pathetic as PSU, a team with NO shot of making the tourney. Accordingly, I'm not sure how your post refutes my point, as you intended it to do.

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

Now, we expect blowouts, etc.

Really what does a blow out do for you...

UNC blew out Wake by what 40 and then they come back and lose to Va Tech...

It really proves nothing,...

I'm not sure that folks are expecting blowouts every game (I know I'm not)...just don't let shit teams back from a 20+ point halftime deficit to almost beat you.

 

[Mike80]

Really what does a blow out do for you...

UNC blew out Wake by what 40 and then they come back and lose to Va Tech...

.

Wake is 12-13 now. Teams like UNC SHOULD blow out teams like Wake this year.

Just like teams like OHio State SHOULD blow out teams like Penn State.

Va Tech is different. Va Tech will probably be at least a 5 seed and they make plays when they need too.

I wouldn't want to play VA Tech right now either for whatever it's worth....