2016-2017 Ohio State Men's Basketball (Official Thread)

[CFPBuckeye]

They may not get 20, but they will definitely get more than 16.

That's a bold statement.

@Ill - L 70-75
Purdue - L 75-76
@Minn - L 68-78

@Wisc - loss
Mich St - loss
@Neb - win?
NW - win
Minn - loss?
@Iowa - loss
Maryland - loss
@MICH - loss
RU - win
@Maryland - loss
@MICH St - loss
Neb - win
Wisc - loss
@ Penn St - win?
Ind - loss

I've got 5 conference wins (?'s next to games that I feel could go either way.) The Buckeyes are more likely to lose one that I have as a win than they are to win one that I have as a loss. That makes them 15-16 to finish the season and 5-13 in the B1G.

 

[billmac91]

I think Archie Miller held onto Dayton job longer than he should with his eyes on the OSU job....

 

[buckeyemania11]

This is a train wreck, and the prospects for next year arent any better.

 

[LitlBuck]

I used to follow OSU basketball and recruiting intensely - watched every game, etc.

I haven't watched more than maybe 4 games this year because it's the same thing now, every year. I'm apathetic which is absolutely pitiful for OSU basketball.

Luke Kennard, Carlton Bragg, Omari Spellman, Esa Ahmad....these guys should be on that court out there, I shouldn't be listening to talks about Micah Potter and David Bell and etc. etc.

Perhaps you need to read the Recruiting Forum a little bit to keep up with things.
Spellman is currently ineligible at Villanova.
Kennard was never going to come here.. Camped at Coach K's camp.
Bragg never was interested in Ohio State.. Are you going to drag him down here..
Ahmad--what has he done at West Virginia that has been so productive.

Potter is only a freshman and I think he has very nice potential. Bell is a decent backup center and has a lot of eligibility left.

 

[LitlBuck]

That's a bold statement.

@Ill - L 70-75
Purdue - L 75-76
@Minn - L 68-78

@Wisc - loss
Mich St - loss
@Neb - win?
NW - win
Minn - loss?
@Iowa - loss
Maryland - loss
@MICH - loss
RU - win
@Maryland - loss
@MICH St - loss
Neb - win
Wisc - loss
@ Penn St - win?
Ind - loss

I've got 5 conference wins (?'s next to games that I feel could go either way.) The Buckeyes are more likely to lose one that I have as a win than they are to win one that I have as a loss. That makes them 15-16 to finish the season and 5-13 in the B1G.

I do not think that you watch many basketball games because Nebraska and Northwestern are both pretty good.. Also, Purdue took down Wisconsin yesterday so you never know what is going to happen.

 

[CFPBuckeye]

I do not think that you watch many basketball games because Nebraska and Northwestern are both pretty good.. Also, Purdue took down Wisconsin yesterday so you never know what is going to happen.

If you've watched Ohio State basketball this year (outside of one half vs Virginia,) you know what is going to happen. I tried to be optimistic, that's how on the road at Neb got a "win," but it still got a "?" because I wouldn't be surprised with an L. NW I gave them a W, again, because of optimism and he fact that "it's NW." I'll give them the benefit of the doubt once they make an NCAA tournament in their history. I am aware that they have played the Buckeyes tough in some games in the past. Again, optimism. That optimism has the Bucks winning 5 conference games, hopefully. As I mentioned, I feel they have a better chance of losing a game I have marked as a win (NW, Neb, etc...) than they do of winning one marked as a loss.

 

[Jake]

Perhaps you need to read the Recruiting Forum a little bit to keep up with things.
Spellman is currently ineligible at Villanova.
Kennard was never going to come here.. Camped at Coach K's camp.
Bragg never was interested in Ohio State.. Are you going to drag him down here..
Ahmad--what has he done at West Virginia that has been so productive.

I think that's his point - the top HS players in Ohio should be interested in playing for Ohio State. Why aren't they?

 

[wigmon]

Ahmad is the leading scorer and second leading rebounder on the #10 ranked team in the country. I think its safe to say he is currently a better all around basketball player than Loving, KBD, Tate, Wesson and Funderburke (guys playing roughly the same position at OSU).

Potter does one thing well (if he takes his time and doesnt rush it) and nothing else average or better. I don't really know if Bell is a quality backup because he hasn't played enough to make any determination, but since I've seen MP and know that he has beaten him out as a frosh, I wouldn't call him a decent backup C. Maybe you meant a decent 3rd center.

 

[LitlBuck]

I think that's his point - the top HS players in Ohio should be interested in playing for Ohio State. Why aren't they?

I have no idea. Maybe some guys want to go out of state to go to college. Bragg never even gave Columbus,, not to mention Ohio State, a sniff. LK was a Duke lock before recruiting even started. I just do not think that you can blame it all on Matta. Maybe some other guys do not like playing in that facility. Why do some football players leave the state of Florida

 

[NFBuck]

In Cleveland on 92.3 they were talking about coaching replacements as they think Thad will walk out on his own accord and they thought the two top names would be Archie Miller and Chris Mack....

Either one of those would be great hires, IMO. The good news, is college basketball fortunes are the easiest to turn around quickly with the right hire.

 

[LitlBuck]

Ahmad is the leading scorer and second leading rebounder on the #10 ranked team in the country. I think its safe to say he is currently a better all around basketball player than Loving, KBD, Tate and Funderburke (guys playing roughly the same position at OSU).

I guess no one ever talks about the academic side of recruiting.
Funderburke is redshirting and he was verily highly ranked coming out of high school.. Even you have to admit that.

 

[Jake]

I have no idea. Maybe some guys want to go out of state to go to college. Bragg never even gave Columbus,, not to mention Ohio State, a sniff. LK was a Duke lock before recruiting even started. I just do not think that you can blame it all on Matta. Maybe some other guys do not like playing in that facility. Why do some football players leave the state of Florida

A decade ago Matta was pulling in some of the top prospects in the country from outside of Ohio. Now he's missing out on the top in-state recruits, forget about top national recruits elsewhere, and the won-loss record is reflective of that. I like Thad as much as the next Buckeye, but he's being paid like a top ten coach as the results continue to fade. Those are just the facts at this point.

 

[NFBuck]

I have no idea. Maybe some guys want to go out of state to go to college. Bragg never even gave Columbus,, not to mention Ohio State, a sniff. LK was a Duke lock before recruiting even started. I just do not think that you can blame it all on Matta.

All? No. But, Matta as a recruiter 2013-on and Matta as a recruiter pre-2013 are two different animals. From the time he was hired until earlier this decade, Matta at least got tOSU's foot in the door. Since 2013, not so much. Compound that with the fact that he's no longer drawing interest from out-of-state blue-chippers, and recruiting is at the center of what has gone wrong with the program. Matta just doesn't have it anymore. He was a machine his first 7-8 years, now he's loading the roster with guys that would have mostly been after-thoughts five years ago. Guys that are being brought in to play major roles would have been bench guys when he was really going.

Why do some football players leave the state of Florida

Apples and oranges. Florida is loaded with D1 prospects every single year, Ohio churns out a couple a cycle in hoops. It's not unreasonable to expect tOSU to land a couple of those. Kids being recruited now don't care about tOSU's tournament runs five-six years ago, because they were 10-12 years old. As they've come of age, tOSU has gone from a middling B1G team, to a borderline tournament team, to an NIT team, to a B1G bottom-feeder. They're arguably the 3rd best program in the state (prestige-wise) now behind Xavier and Dayton. With the resources at the program's disposal, you can't let that last for long.

tOSU has a fickle hoops fanbase. You see it every game as they play in front of paltry crowds. The longer you let it simmer in mediocrity, the harder it will be to get them back. Change has to happen. Matta has done an amazing job at tOSU. He took the program to heights it hadn't experienced in 40+ years. But he just ain't cutting the mustard anymore. And I say that as a guy that was a staunch Matta defender. This year, it's impossible for me to do it anymore.

 

[wigmon]

I guess no one ever talks about the academic side of recruiting.
Funderburke is redshirting and he was verily highly ranked coming out of high school.. Even you have to admit that.

You asked what Ahmad has done that has been so productive, not whether he would or wouldn't have qualified academically at OSU. The answer to your first question is that he is probably a better combo forward than anyone on our current roster. I do not know whether he would have qualified academically at OSU.

I certainly can't deny DF was ranked in the top 75. Do you think DF redshirts if the staff thought he could help this years team win games? Esa would help this team and would probably be the best all around player on the roster.

 

[HabaneroBuck]

All? No. But, Matta as a recruiter 2013-on and Matta as a recruiter pre-2013 are two different animals.

I just feel sometimes things compound and we are in a tailspin right now. I don't know how good of a recruiter Matta is right now, because we have to give him credit for his 2015 class, at least "on paper." They were the number 5 class on 247. The 2014 class with D'Angelo, KBD, Jae'Sean, and David Bell was ranked 6. The 2011 class had Shannon Scott, Amir, Trey McDonald, LaQuinton Ross, and Sam Thompson for a number 6 rank.

I don't know if it's the type of guys Matta is getting or what, but other than D'Angelo, NONE of the guys in those classes have lived up to the billing. They are recruiting the wrong players, or not developing the guys they've got, or something. The magic is missing. I don't think Matta is disliked as much as Cooper was in football, so he's got a long leash with the fans, but we are seeing a similar story arc. After Coop had given us Eddie, Orlando Pace, and David Boston, watching Steve Bellisari throw passes into the ground just wasn't going to be tolerated for long.