#8 Ohio State vs #9 TCU, Thursday March 19, 1215pm ET, CBS

[buckeyemania11]

So Diebler made an interesting comment post-game saying one of the options was to advance the ball some and then call a timeout. Most of us were under the impression that we were out of timeouts. If OSU was not charged a timeout because they were reviewing the clock (saw this suggested online), and we actually had a timeout, how do you not draw up a pass play to get it past half court, and then take that timeout?

Diebler.....struggles with the x's and o's aspect of the game.

 

[Herb Kirkstreit]

Diebler.....struggles with the x's and o's aspect of the game.

But every team practices that situation a bunch, right? It's like a basic tenet of being a basketball coach.

 

[buckeyemania11]

But every team practices that situation a bunch, right? It's like a basic tenet of being a basketball coach.

Diebler I think is a coach who needs assistants who are really high level when it comes to those sorts of things. I think the aspect of managing everything has been a bit much for him and he's proven to be a bit in over his head so far.

 

[bigdog3300]

We took a step forward this year instead of backward, so I at least have more optimism for Diebler than I did this time last year. Very interested to see how next year looks after the portal, but with some pieces like Bynum, Mobley, Thompson, you have a foundation if you can hold it together.


The one thing I'll still be concerned with...if Diebler isn't a great recruiter, whether based on skill or lack of NIL assets, don't you need your coach to be very strong on the x and o side? Otherwise, what is he giving you....if he's not a recruiter, a strategist, loaded with experience, elite staff builder, etc., what is he excelling at?

 

[Herb Kirkstreit]

 

[DZ83CK]

We took a step forward this year instead of backward, so I at least have more optimism for Diebler than I did this time last year. Very interested to see how next year looks after the portal, but with some pieces like Bynum, Mobley, Thompson, you have a foundation if you can hold it together.


The one thing I'll still be concerned with...if Diebler isn't a great recruiter, whether based on skill or lack of NIL assets, don't you need your coach to be very strong on the x and o side? Otherwise, what is he giving you....if he's not a recruiter, a strategist, loaded with experience, elite staff builder, etc., what is he excelling at?

We definitely need a strong portal season. There's potential for a good core group coming back, and when you add in Thompson, they have the makings of a decent team, but it's really easy to slip and take a step back if they make the wrong choices. They need to add at least two big-time players, PG and C. Can't settle for guys who averaged 4 or 5 points per game.

 

[buckeyemania11]

We definitely need a strong portal season. There's potential for a good core group coming back, and when you add in Thompson, they have the makings of a decent team, but it's really easy to slip and take a step back if they make the wrong choices. They need to add at least two big-time players, PG and C. Can't settle for guys who averaged 4 or 5 points per game.

We can't do what we did this year and wait around forever for higher level guys to make their decision, we were supposedly "heavily in" on Swain, Williams & Peterson, but in the end were we really? The hoops portal moves VERY quickly. We need to identify the best more realistic options quick who aren't going to take forever and end up leaving us hanging. That's how you end up with a Cupps type having to play big minutes at point next year.

 

[DZ83CK]

IMO it was a strategic error to play Tilly 31 minutes in this game. TCU is not a big team, they played bigger than their size but this was the textbook example of a team you can play with a small ball lineup against. OSU went on a huge run when Tilly was on the bench in the second half, then when he came back in, that's when TCU went on a run and won the game. Jake made a mistake in not adjusting his lineup to the matchups in this game.

 

[buckeyemania11]

IMO it was a strategic error to play Tilly 31 minutes in this game. TCU is not a big team, they played bigger than their size but this was the textbook example of a team you can play with a small ball lineup against. OSU went on a huge run when Tilly was on the bench in the second half, then when he came back in, that's when TCU went on a run and won the game. Jake made a mistake in not adjusting his lineup to the matchups in this game.

This goes back to my point about Diebler struggling with making adjustments on the fly.

 

[Zem]

Bucks have been average at best for so long now, it's hard to be enthusiastic about next season. They need to play faster and more physical and get more rebounds. Put pressure on the other team's defense, put them on their heels. I suppose they need a deeper bench for faster play. They seemed to be too tired to score late in almost every game this season, even with the slow tempo.

Frogs outrebounded the Bucks by 6, which was the average rebound margin for the frogs over the last month or so. So we're totally average among Big12 teams, even with two 7-footers against a team whose tallest player is 6'-8". Trash talking butthole, Dave Punch (6'-7"), had 13 boards. That's disgusting. He's only a sophomore, not some wily senior.

If they do well in the portal, we'll see what Dieb does with that. As of now it's hard to have hope they will win 25 games next year.

 

[DZ83CK]

This goes back to my point about Diebler struggling with making adjustments on the fly.

I mean, it's not even something you had to adjust on the fly. I said before the game, this looked like a game where a Devin Royal small ball lineup would work. I don't know if that's a coaching decision or it may be they made promises to Royal that he would play the 3 this season and didn't want to go back on that. If they didn't play Devin inside just because of a promise, this was a game where trying to stick with that plan backfired as he clearly was more effective in the paint & they needed to get him the ball more down there (and less to Tilly).

 

[DZ83CK]

Bucks have been average at best for so long now, it's hard to be enthusiastic about next season. They need to play faster and more physical and get more rebounds. Put pressure on the other team's defense, put them on their heels. I suppose they need a deeper bench for faster play. They seemed to be too tired to score late in almost every game this season, even with the slow tempo.

Frogs outrebounded the Bucks by 6, which was the average rebound margin for the frogs over the last month or so. So we're totally average among Big12 teams, even with two 7-footers against a team whose tallest player is 6'-8". Trash talking butthole, Dave Punch (6'-7"), had 13 boards. That's disgusting. He's only a sophomore, not some wily senior.

If they do well in the portal, we'll see what Dieb does with that. As of now it's hard to have hope they will win 25 games next year.

I think in hindsight, much of Punch's confidence & comment was based on the expectation of matching up against Tilly. He owned Tilly in this game & OSU played right into his hands by not changing the lineup more.

 

[buckeyemania11]

I mean, it's not even something you had to adjust on the fly. I said before the game, this looked like a game where a Devin Royal small ball lineup would work. I don't know if that's a coaching decision or it may be they made promises to Royal that he would play the 3 this season and didn't want to go back on that. If they didn't play Devin inside just because of a promise, this was a game where trying to stick with that plan backfired as he clearly was more effective in the paint & they needed to get him the ball more down there (and less to Tilly).

Sometimes you have to break promises for the sake of the team and if the players can't understand that then I guess it's just too bad. This is where you hit the wall when you have a "nice guy" coach. Sometimes those difficult decisions have to be made for the good of the success of the team and if Diebler is unwilling to do that he's definitely not the guy.

 

[buckeyemania11]

Sometimes you have to break promises for the sake of the team and if the players can't understand that then I guess it's just too bad. This is where you hit the wall when you have a "nice guy" coach. Sometimes those difficult decisions have to be made for the good of the success of the team and if Diebler is unwilling to do that he's definitely not the guy.

@Mike80 if you want to laugh please explain how a coach possibly being hard set on sticking with position promises to players is helpful to the team when that player always being at the promised position isn't helping the team.

 

[Mike80]

@Mike80 if you want to laugh please explain how a coach possibly being hard set on sticking with position promises to players is helpful to the team when that player always being at the promised position isn't helping the team.

Because, you know, the BEST way to maintain team chemistry is to upset it and one of your better players in the NCAA tournament.

Just stick to bitching about Diebler. You're better at that than any team make-up or chemistry arguments