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LitlBuck
Kevin Warren is an ass
I think Smith brings a little more to the table than Thompson and that is probably why Matta decided to start Smith plus the fact that he is a senior and Thad has always shown a preference towards a senior player. I know that Scott really pushes the ball and is an excellent defender but he needs to show me more at the offensive end to win me over. I know they did not show me much offensively in the Walsh game.
I would not be surprised, as others have mentioned, to see Matta go with a smaller lineup at times with Ross playing the #5. I guess that will all depend upon match ups but it sure would be nice to see Smith, Thompson, Scott, Craft, and Ross on the floor together. That would be some real firepower.
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DZ83CK
Not Banned
Scott-Craft-Smith-Thompson-Ross is a bit on the thin side, and they'd have to be playing against a pretty small team for that to work. I would think that is where Loving's role could be, coming in and playing the 4 when they want to go small, as he's bigger and longer than Thompson, so he's got more of the size for a 4-man than Thompson, who has struggled trying to guard bigger players in the past.
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LitlBuck
Kevin Warren is an ass
Well, there were size mismatches last season when Thomas played the #5 but I do realize that this lineup would not work against a team who had a pretty good scoring 6'10" or taller center. I realize that Thompson is not the strongest guy on the team and I know that Loving was a very good high school basketball player. What I do not understand in quite a few of your comments is why you keep wanting to play freshmen over equally talented upperclassman who had been through the Big Ten wars. That is an entirely different game than high school.
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DZ83CK
Not Banned
As I said, Thompson is thin and he is also not as big as Loving in terms of length. Bigger guys can kind of push Thompson around - not as easy to do with Loving. Loving is pretty close to the size you would want if you're going small at the 4. Thompson struggled trying to guard bigger wings like Sam Dekker and Will Clyburn when they got close to the basket last year and he doesn't look to be much stronger this year, so I just don't think he is an answer at the 4 defensively.
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Buckskin86
Moderator
Ohio State men's basketball | Keys to the season: Ross, Williams vital on both ends of court
By Bob Baptist
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH FRIDAY NOVEMBER 8, 2013
KYLE ROBERTSON | DISPATCH
Forward LaQuinton Ross, right, showed flashes of scoring ability late last season, but he also could be a crucial defensive player this season.
Key offensive player
LaQuinton Ross succeeds Deshaun Thomas in the starting lineup, and many assume he will flourish as a scorer after how he teased everyone during the NCAA tournament. Maybe. But the Buckeyes have talked throughout the preseason about sharing the ball and scoring collectively, and that is who they were in their exhibition victory over Walsh on Sunday. This could be a team with a different leading scorer each game depending on the matchups that can be exploited. “The best teams I’ve ever had have been four guys (averaging) in double figures,” coach Thad Matta said. Can this be another?
cont..
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DZ83CK
Not Banned
Certainly Matta has built OSU into a very consistent winner. He deserves a lot of credit for that. I know this 2013-14 team probably isn't among the top-3 teams he's had at OSU (2007, 2011 and 2012 are the top-3), but this year it looks like the race for the NC is pretty wide-open. KY, KU, Duke, Carolina all rated in the teens according to Gary Parrish's latest top-25 and 1. Syracuse and Arizona appear to be the most formidable foes from a national perspective at this time and each of those programs had more to replace from last year's team than OSU did (Michael Carter-Williams, James Southerland, Brandon Triche for SU; Mark Lyons, Solomon Hill, Grant Jerrett for UA).
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#3 in AP, #2 in Coaches with a first place vote. Thad Matta just needs to win one championship to be the best ever here in my book. Yeah we had great teams before but Jerry Lucas would have made any coach look good. Thad just keeps on, business as usual. Well done coach.
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Wasnt meant to be a snub but that is the most successful team that people remember and the measuring stick at Ohio State.
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MaxBuck
SoCal, Baby!
Matta is a much better coach than Fred Taylor was IMO. Taylor couldn't recruit black players, and it really hurt him in the last few years. Man, did we field some pale teams.
Plus, the whole mugging incident in Minnesota pretty much took all the stuffing out of the guy.
Plus, the whole mugging incident in Minnesota pretty much took all the stuffing out of the guy.
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Taylor wouldn't recruit outside the rules. That and the failure of the Big to respond to the Minnie incident did him in.
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BUCKYLE
Washed
Consistently winning in the one-and-done era is a tremendous accomplishment. Had Oden and the rest of the Thad 5 not had to play the defending champs he'd already have a National Title. Imo, he's the best coach in tOSU history. The most consistent winner for sure. This is the golden age of Buckeye Hoops, and I'm enjoying the shit right out of it.
I never thought I'd see the kind of run tOSU has had. Thanks to Thad and Andy Geiger.
I never thought I'd see the kind of run tOSU has had. Thanks to Thad and Andy Geiger.
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