#7 Georgetown 70, #2 Ohio State 52 - NCAA Tournament (Final)

[tibor75]

Interesting bit in Luke Winn's blog:

3/17/2006 02:45:00 PM
Scarlet and Gray and Ice-Cold

Je'kel Foster is seriously struggling with his shot in March.
AP
Ohio State weathered Davidson's storm today, 70-62, after trailing 29-25 at halftime in front of a partisan crowd in Dayton. And while the Buckeyes avoided the embarrassment of becoming the first No. 2 seed to bow out since Iowa State in 2001, there were some troubling numbers in the box score:

- As a team, OSU shot 5-of-22 from 3-point land, and its five starters were just 1-of-11.
- Guard Je'kel Foster, who was once the NCAA's top long-distance shooter, was just 1-for-5, and showed no signs of breaking out of his deep freeze. In February, Foster shot 22-of-45 from 3 (48.9 percent). In March, he's shooting 16.6 percent, making just 6-of-44 -- a total free-fall.

The conventional response to this is, Sure, the Buckeyes may not be hitting 3s, but they can just depend on the nation's best power forward, Terence Dials, in the post. Dials may have been the Big Ten Player of the Year, but the following chart tells the story -- of 65 NCAA tournament teams, only eight (and just four that are still alive) depend on the 3 more than OSU.


Rk. Team Sd. Pct. of Pts. on 3s
1 West Va. 6 42.6
2 Air Force 13 42.1
3 NC State 10 37.0
4 Indiana 6 36.3
5 Villanova 1 36.2
6 So. Alabama 14 35.1
7 Davidson 15 34.2
8 Marquette 7 34.1
9 Ohio St. 2 33.7
Foster needs to be defrosted. Because at their current rate, the Buckeyes could be headed for a second-round exit.

 

[themongoose32]

OSU ppg: 74
GU ppg: 55

Do you honestly think we can beat georgetown by that much? We haven't beaten a team by that much in the longest of times and you think now in the tournament we are going to pull out a blow out. I've got a feeling that the rest of our games are going to be close from here on out. I wouldn't expect a blow out like that till sometime this November. I like the confidence though.

The Mongoose

 

[BuckeyeKid789]

Not everyone on this website wears scarlet blinders.

I actually think the 3-point slump will end in the 2nd half on Sunday and we'll end up winning by 7. If it doesn't though, it could get ugly.

It's not about that. It's about the confidence. I'm just surprised so many people think we'll lose. OK?

 

[tibor75]

OSU ppg: 74
GU ppg: 55

we don't have to hit tons of threes to win this game. We just have to hit some of them (30%+ should translate to a W imo, unless they get tons of second chances on the glass).

They do provide size mismatches, but actually average less rebounds a game. We also did a great job protecting the glass today, preventing second chances, like we have at times in the past.

The fact that OSU scores more than Georgetown is a meaningless stat by itself. Of all the tournament teams, Georgeteam averages the second to fewest possessions per game at 59.6. So, one would not expect them to score that much.

 

[jwinslow]

Do you honestly think we can beat georgetown by that much?

Can we? Sure. I don't think it is likely. They win their games by playing tough defense (they are top 25 in scoring D, a better statistic, I agree tibor). With their size, I doubt they will be able to stop our perimeter game. If we go on a small run, can they keep up?

here are some of the scouting reports:

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]KEYS
Georgetown is a tough team to figure; its defense keeps them in almost every game, but its offense tends to keep the game close as well. Jeff Green and Brandon Bowman are the pivotal points on offense; if they can't get on track, this team has a hard time scoring enough points to win.[/FONT]

Will Lose When ...
Jeff Green gets bottled up. Take his sterling passing skills out of the offense, and the Hoyas suddenly get out of synch.

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]-The Georgetown-Syracuse game was a tale of two halves. The Hoyas shredded the Orangemen zone in the first half on their way to taking a 36-21 lead at intermission, then couldn't find the net at all after intermission and lost 58-57.[/FONT]

 

[crazybuckfan40]

I keep hearing that the only guy to really worry about his size is the big guy.

The other two are more perimeter oriented much like a Ivan Harris.

I think that a combo of Sylvester/Sully/Lewis/Harris can hold them two. Then have Dials bang with the big guy down low.

Then we have an advantage in the backcourt.

 

[Golferdow01]

So is GTown, it goes both way.

Don't give up on this team guys.

I know thar your quoting me doesn't mean you think we'll lose right?

You know me better than that :)

 

[OSUBuckeye4Life]

We have a matchup problem in the paint and they dont have the guard play to keep up with ours.......

Should prove to be a good "chess match" and I think the better prepared team wins. Both teams have a tendancy to go "cold" though, that could be a major factor.

 

[Crayfish]

-- of 65 NCAA tournament teams, only eight (and just four that are still alive) depend on the 3 more than OSU.


Rk. Team Sd. Pct. of Pts. on 3s
1 West Va. 6 42.6
2 Air Force 13 42.1
3 NC State 10 37.0
4 Indiana 6 36.3
5 Villanova 1 36.2
6 So. Alabama 14 35.1
7 Davidson 15 34.2
8 Marquette 7 34.1
9 Ohio St. 2 33.7

Just to further point out how their size hinders their ability to play perimeter oriented teams, of the 8 teams more reliant on 3's that made the tournament, Georgetown only played 2 of them for a combined 4 times (WVU twice, Marquette twice). They lost 3 of the 4 including to WVU at home, one of the nations worst rebounding teams. Not once did WVU shoot over 31% from downtown and WVU even outrebounded them one of the games. Marquette never shot over 40% as a team from downtown and was never dominated on the boards either. Illinois beat them soundly on the boards (and on the scoreboard) earlier this year, even though they were overmatched size wise. And Vanderbilt, a NIT team that likes to shoot bombs away, beat them @ Georgetown.

Sounds like they really struggle against teams that shoot primarily from the outside, meaning long rebounds that they are not quick enough to get to. While we can't continue to have halves of 1 for 15 shooting (or whatever it was) from downtown and expect to be beating anyone, we can just shoot a reasonable percentage and feel confident we can win this game.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Some of you bring up valid points and counter points depending on wether you believe OSU will once again struggle or play well against Georgetown, but the key to this game is simple.....

1. Limit Turnovers (OSU had a total of 4 yesterday)
2. Force the tempo (OSU needs to up the tempo, Georgetown likes to grind it out)
3. Use our strengths to are advantage (ie perimeter play)

I have watched Georgetown on several occasions, they are a tough defensive team that excels when they can force the other team to play their style. I personally do not believe they will be able to contain OSU on the perimeter. It will come down to who is more aggresive and can make shots when they need to.

I am not hoping OSU shoots 50% from downtown, but I am hoping they use the three point threat to their advantage when they need to, which simply means taking smarter shots within the offense. Make them play defense.

If anyone thinks we will not stand a chance against Georgetown, well are biggest loss has been just 7 points, we will be there at the end.

 

[coastalbuck]

We have a matchup problem in the paint and they dont have the guard play to keep up with ours.......

Should prove to be a good "chess match" and I think the better prepared team wins. Both teams have a tendancy to go "cold" though, that could be a major factor.

If Dials stays out of trouble, I don't think the match up at the post is that big of a problem. As for the second point, that's an easy one, we will be better prepared, bank on it...

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

DDN

3/18/06

Hoyas' Hibbert a huge hurdle for Buckeyes

Georgetown's latest 7-footer looked great in opening win

By Sean McClelland
Dayton Daily News

DAYTON | When Roy Hibbert first showed up on the Georgetown University campus as a freshman, he was missing some of the basics.

"He was awful. He could barely walk. We had to teach him how to run," Georgetown coach John Thompson III said. "The trainer had him working on his running, like, 'This is how you run.' His development has been tremendous. It's a tribute to his caring."

Hibbert, a 19-year-old sophomore center who stands 7-foot-2, scored 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting, picked off nine rebounds and blocked a shot Friday in UD Arena, powering the Hoyas past Northern Iowa, 54-49, and into a second-round NCAA tournament matchup Sunday against Ohio State.

"He's a big factor," UNI guard John Little said. "He takes up a lot of space in the paint. And he passed the ball so well, too."

Six inches taller than anyone in UNI's lineup, Hibbert helped limit the Panthers to 19 points and 25-percent shooting in the second half of what lived up to its pregame billing as a grinding defensive struggle.

Hibbert's game is still raw. As Thompson put it, "God blessed him with that body, but he's a long way from where he's going to be. This is just the tip of the iceberg."

That can't be much comfort to Ohio State, which, after squeezing past Davidson, now draws one of the best of the Big East, a confident and athletic team with a force in the middle coming off his most productive game in a month.

"The first-game jitters are out of the way. Now it's time to play ball," said guard Ashanti Cook, who hit some big shots and sealed it with free throws.

"We're not here to participate. We're here to win the whole thing."

What does Thompson think of the Buckeyes? He wasn't too sure in the moments immediately following the Hoyas' advance.

"We'll start thinking about them in about 15 minutes," Thompson said.

"They're going to be tough, especially in this building. We were sitting in the locker room (during the OSU-Davidson game) and it was very loud out there."

Contact Sean McClelland at 225-2408.

 

[buckeyeinfla]

it would also help if OSU doesn't come out bored like they did against Davidson..they need to start like they did against Illinois...no more screwing around

 

[Catfish Biff's]

it would also help if OSU doesn't come out bored like they did against Davidson...

I thought the team looked very nervous. Butler, Foster, Dials. I thought Slyv was very frustrated. JJ seemed to have his composure about him.

 

[OH10]

I they don't move on offense, they are going to get rocked to sleep in this game. We need to look for our shot earlier in the shot clock and stop waiting on TDials or Butler to make something happen.

Push the tempo. Attack the basket. Move without the ball. Avoid turnovers. And they'll win the game.