2009-2010 Men's Basketball (Big Ten Regular Season and Tournament Champions)

[bucknutz]

some stats from Dan Wallenberg:

* Evan Turner is one of 2 Big Ten players averaging a double-double with 19.8 points and 12.8 rebounds a game. Mike Davis at ILL is other.

* Dallas Lauderdale is the Big Ten's best "shooter" by percentage. He has made 15-16 shots this season. That's 94 percent accuracy.

* Lauderdale also is the Big Ten's top shot blocker. He rejected 6 shots vs. St. Francis to give him 21 on the year, 4.2 blocks per game

* Don't foul Jon Diebler, he leads the Big Ten in foul shooting accuracy with 15 made FTs in 16 attempts. That's 94 percent.

* Diebler is hard to guard from long range as well. He leads Big Ten with 23 made 3-pointers or 3.8 per game. He was 5-7 vs. St. Francis Sat.

Dan Wallenberg (Wally1440) on Twitter

 

[MajesticTurkey]

some stats from Dan Wallenberg:

* Evan Turner is one of 2 Big Ten players averaging a double-double with 19.8 points and 12.8 rebounds a game. Mike Davis at ILL is other.

* Dallas Lauderdale is the Big Ten's best "shooter" by percentage. He has made 15-16 shots this season. That's 94 percent accuracy.http://twitter.com/Wally1440

I would say these go hand in hand. When you have a guy like Evan Turner, your big man is going to get the ball under the basket either as a handoff, finding the cutting man, or (especially true of Evan) he gets the ball stolen and Swatterdale is right there.

Having a guy like Evan Turner can make guys like Dallas Lauderdale into Greg Oden. Lotta good there.

 

[Buckskin86]

Week Ahead: Buckeyes face serious tests without Turner
Mike DeCourcy
Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009

Though he scored only four points in his most recent game, Ohio State's Evan Turner carries a scoring average of 18.5 points today. Though he grabbed only one rebound, he still is averaging 11.4 per game. That's how great he has been this season.

Coach Thad Matta might have been exercising some bias when he said, "Evan was, to this point in the season, the best player in college basketball." But he was absolutely correct.

Evan Turner's back injury could cripple Ohio State's season if he can't return in time.

Turner's production was down Saturday because he played only 7 minutes before injuring himself while attempting a dunk. When he landed hard after slipping off the rim, he fractured two bones in his back and will miss eight weeks. And Ohio State's season can't possibly be the same.

The Buckeyes will be severely tested in their initial post-Turner game: Saturday at noon against Butler in historic Hinkle Fieldhouse. This was supposed to be a great opportunity for the Bulldogs to play a ranked Big Ten team and pump up their credentials for NCAA Tournament selection and seeding. Now, it's more about whether OSU can remain relevant without its leading scorer, rebounder and assist man.

Already a team with limited size and little depth, the Buckeyes declined in both departments when Turner went down. He is a 6-7 point guard but probably the nation's best offensive rebounder and a terrific inside scorer. It's hard to imagine any team being hit harder by a single injury.

The NCAA selection committee can make some accommodation for the damage done by Turner's injury, but the Buckeyes still would have to look like an NCAA Tournament team to get into the field.

There hasn't been a player this great injured so seriously since Cincinnati's Kenyon Martin, on his way to sweeping the major player of the year honors, broke his leg in a conference tournament game. Turner can recover in time to play in March? but will the Buckeyes matter by the time he returns?

Week Ahead: Buckeyes face serious tests without Turner - Mike DeCourcy - College Basketball - Sporting News

 

[Buckskin86]

-- Matta said he has not decided whether P.J. Hill will replace Evan Turner in the starting lineup. But, he added, "It?s irrelevant whether you start or not now" because everyone needs to be ready to pitch in to make up for Turner's lost production.

-- Asked by analyst Ron Stokes whether it would be better to leave Jeremie Simmons as the sixth man, because of how productive he's been in that role, Matta said, "I don?t know the answer."

But, he acknowledged, "Jeremie is playing as well as he?s ever played. He has a great understanding for his role on this team."

-- Backup center Kyle Madsen is "out for a couple of days," Matta said, after he turned his ankle in the Eastern Michigan game and played only seven minutes. Matta said he expects Madsen to be ready to play Saturday.

-- Asked by a caller whether he would use Nikola Kecman more in the rotation in Turner's absence, Matta didn't sound optimistic other than in situations such as Saturday's runaway victory.

"What Kec brings is the ability to shoot the basketball. He has a knack for finding open areas. . . . He can do some different things," Matta said.

"But as far as getting down there and banging (inside), I don?t know if that is his forte. But we have to find ways to put him in position to be successful.

"I give him a lot of credit. He (injured) his knee last (January) and he was out for the year. The diligence he had (during) his rehab . . . his body has changed. Hopefully he can continue on."

Matta radio replay (Hoops & Scoops: an OSU basketball blog)

 

[LitlBuck]

Men's basketball: OSU Insider
Tuesday, December 15, 2009 2:59 AM

Coming up: Presbyterian and Delaware State
Where: Value City Arena
When: 7 p.m. Wednesday and 4 p.m. Saturday
TV: Big Ten Network and ESPNU
Radio: WBNS-FM/AM (97.1/1460)

The week that was
Even with a week to prepare, it wasn't the ideal scenario to get ready for your first road game. Final exams, no Evan Turner, a reconfigured offense and a late-week injury to William Buford (who played anyway) had the Buckeyes "a little out of sync" against Butler, and it was enough to get them beaten 74-66. They weren't as efficient as they had been on offense, but they showed veteran mettle in cutting a 17-point deficit to three in the last 4 1/2 minutes. As in the loss to North Carolina, however, it was too late.

The week ahead
Now that they know what they must work on, they can go to work on Presbyterian and Delaware State, which have lost recent games to major-conference opponents by 40 points or more. The Buckeyes might look at coaxing more players (Jeremie Simmons, Jon Diebler) to attack the basket off the dribble to force rotations and create open shots. They also might experiment with running more offense through the post, giving Dallas Lauderdale an opportunity to finish close to the rim or, if double-teamed, find an open shooter on the perimeter. Could that approach also create more opportunity for Zisis Sarikopoulos, whose prime asset is said to be his passing?

How good are they?
Not as good as they were with Turner. Duh. Against Butler, that looked like an offense without a point guard who can stress defenses and create space for his teammates, which is what coach Thad Matta's half-court sets rely on. The Buckeyes dropped five spots, to No. 18, in the Associated Press poll, although that is still three spots better than Butler. The ESPN/USA Today coaches poll also has them at 18 but one spot behind Butler. They were No. 46 in the Rating Percentage Index yesterday.

More

Bob Baptist

Men's basketball: OSU Insider | BuckeyeXtra

 

[MaxBuck]

The week ahead
Now that they know what they must work on, they can go to work on Presbyterian and Delaware State, which have lost recent games to major-conference opponents by 40 points or more... Could that approach also create more opportunity for Zisis Sarikopoulos, whose prime asset is said to be his passing?

I'm confused. I thought in order to be allowed to pass the ball, you had to actually check into the game.

 

[LitlBuck]

I'm confused. I thought in order to be allowed to pass the ball, you had to actually check into the game.

Well, if he does not see any action in the next two games I don't think we will see him for the rest of the season:(

 

[Buckskin86]

ON TARGET: MEN'S BASKETBALL
Holidays can be a lump of coal
Thursday, December 17, 2009
By Bob Baptist
The Columbus Dispatch

For some parents of Ohio State men's basketball players, coach Thad Matta was the Grinch who stole Christmas last year.

After a game Dec.22, Matta gave his players the next day off to go home for the holiday. But they had to be back in time to practice Christmas Eve for a game Dec.27 against West Virginia.

"I felt awful," Matta said.

When CBS came to him this year and asked for a Dec.26 rematch in Morgantown, W.Va., he balked. The game was scheduled instead for Jan.23.

As a result, the players will get three full days off next week after playing Cleveland State on Tuesday night. They don't have practice again until the day after Christmas.

"I think coach felt bad last year that we didn't get to go home because some guys on our team were not used to being away all the time from their families," senior P.J. Hill said.

Hill, from Minneapolis, said he connected with his family via Skype, a computer-software application that enables users to make phone calls including video using the Internet. "I'm looking at my sisters on the computer opening all their gifts and stuff," he said. "It was tough."

Wanting to be two places at once, doing different things at once, can be distracting to athletes at this time of year. Men's and women's basketball are the only Ohio State sports playing during the holidays. Both teams have Big Ten games between Christmas and New Year's Day. The women play Dec.28 at Illinois and Dec.31 at Northwestern. The men open their conference season Dec.31 at Wisconsin.

"Last year was really hard," said Samantha Prahalis, a sophomore from Commack, N.Y., on Long Island. "Everything is going on back home. My family is back there. My sister is back there. It's almost, like, sad because you get homesick. I mean, you get through it. It is hard, though."

Matta said one of his objections to the Big Ten expanding to an 18-game conference schedule for the men was moving up the start of the season one week, to the last week in December.

"I was like, 'Please don't make us start early because our guys don't get the opportunity'" to enjoy Christmas, he said. "Normally, you want to play a game before you start the Big Ten. Well, (if you do), now you're taking Christmas out of it. I was adamant about that. Let the guys go home for Christmas."

Coaches' families have long been inured to the time demands of the profession. Matta said he missed Thanksgiving with his wife and two daughters this year because they were in Indiana while he was at practice and in the office preparing for a Saturday game.

"I went to Kroger (on the way home), bought myself a big steak and put it on the grill," Matta said. "I couldn't do a turkey."

GameDay+

 

[LitlBuck]

OSU Insider
December 24, 2009

Ohio State finished pre-conference play third nationally in field-goal percentage (.524), tied for 10th in three-pointers made (109) and 12th in scoring (81.6). Points-per-game against (59.2) and field-goal percentage (.387) Have them ranked among the Big Ten's best. Lighty has shouldered a load since Turner was injured, averaging 18.8 points, six rebounds, three assists and shooting 55 percent from the field. Lauderdale also has stepped up his production, averaging 11.3 points the past four games, twice tying his career high with eight rebounds and affecting shooters in the paint while avoiding foul trouble. Likewise, William Buford (15.6 points, 5.6 assists) and P.J. Hill (67 percent field-goal percentage) raised their production in Turner's stead.

Jon Diebler is the one player who has missed most the extra attention Turner draws. Averging 16.6 points before his roommate was sidelined, Diebler has scored in single digits three of the past four games as opponents have locked their best defenders on him. The Buckeyes have shown good ball movement and made open shots against zone defenses, but their efficiency sometimes suffers against man-to-man because they don't have anyone besides Lighty and Buford capable of breaking down a defender off the dribble. And Lighty and Buford have been more turnover-prone as they have tried to take on more of the ballhandling. Rebounding is the most worrisome issue until Turner returns; the Buckeyes' average (34.8) ranks seventh among Big Ten teams. It could cost them shot attempts as the tempo slows in the conference.

Bob Baptist

OSU Insider | BuckeyeXtra

 

[LitlBuck]

1960 NCAA title team to be honored January 31

1960 NCAA title team to be honored Jan.31

Ohio State's 1960 NCAA championship team -- the Buckeyes' only one in men's basketball -- will be honored at halftime of the Jan.31 game against Minnesota in Value City Arena.

Jerry Lucas, John Havlicek and Bob Knight himself are among the members of the team expected to attend, according to a Twitter entry this morning from an athletic department spokesman.

Too bad they can't do the ceremony in St. John Arena, where the team played. But the Schott undoubtedly will be filled, meaning nearly 6,000 additional tickets will be sold than could have in the old place.

The game against the Gophers is at 1 p.m. and will be televised by CBS. It's a good bet another Buckeye legend, Clark Kellogg, will be courtside in the analyst's chair.

Posted by Bob Baptist on December 29, 2009 11:39 AM

1960 NCAA title team to be honored Jan.31 (Hoops & Scoops: an OSU basketball blog)

 

[Buckskin86]

OSU men's basketball: Rugged road test to begin Big Ten
Without Turner, Buckeyes looking for the positives
Thursday, December 31, 2009
By Bob Baptist
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

MADISON, Wis. -- It would be difficult to find a more glass-half-full coach than Thad Matta.

The persona has served him well. In four of his six seasons with the Ohio State men's basketball team, he has had starting players either lost or limited by injuries for a good portion of the season. Matt Sylvester's aching back was followed by Greg Oden's broken wrist the next season. David Lighty's broken foot last season was followed by Evan Turner's broken back now.

Each of the first three years, the Buckeyes made it to the NCAA Tournament. Twice, they won the Big Ten championship.

Matta is an expert, junior Jon Diebler said, at taking "something that might be negative, kind of flipping it and keeping it positive."

He has been spinning reality again leading up to Ohio State's Big Ten opener at Wisconsin today. It is the first of four road games the Buckeyes have among their first five conference games. They also play at Michigan, Minnesota and Purdue in the next two weeks. All are potential NCAA Tournament teams.

"Coach says we get these guys at our place later on down the road," Diebler said. "That's when you want to be playing your best basketball (because) when it comes to the tournament, they remember your most recent wins. So yeah, we've got these four games on the road, but we get them at our place, too."

OSU men's basketball: Rugged road test to begin Big Ten | BuckeyeXtra

 

[LitlBuck]

Now this is good news:)

Before the Buckeyes rang out the old year by shooting blanks at Wisconsin, there was some good news. Matta said on his weekly call-in show on WBNS radio last week that the players posted a collective 3.5 grade-point average for the fall quarter, highlighted by grad student Kyle Madsen's perfect 4.0.

Men's basketball: OSU Insider | BuckeyeXtra

 

[MaxBuck]

Matta said on his weekly call-in show on WBNS radio last week that the players posted a collective 3.5 grade-point average for the fall quarter, highlighted by grad student Kyle Madsen's perfect 4.0.

Apparently I missed the transaction wherein we traded basketball teams with Northwestern.

 

[DZ83CK]

Re: Madsen - can he even be on athletic scholarship for grad school? I don't know the answer.

 

[MaxBuck]

Re: Madsen - can he even be on athletic scholarship for grad school? I don't know the answer.

Of course. It's common practice.