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#8 tOSU 72, #9 Siena 74 (Final, 2OT)

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I thought this was interesting from a different perspective.

Cleveland.com

Ohio State basketball: Exchanging emails on Ohio State and Siena
by Doug Lesmerises
Thursday March 19, 2009, 9:43 AM

In the name of NCAA enlightenment, I exchanged emails with Pete Iorizzo, the Siena beat writer for the Albany Times-Union. He does a great job with his blog here, but we also took a minute to write back and forth about how we think the first round NCAA Tournament between the Buckeyes and Saints might play out.
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PETE: To answer your question, Siena loves to trap and press on defense. The Saints play both zone and man, though more man. Their press varies, but it's often a three-quarter-court attack that tries to set up a trap near the 10-second line. Siena also blitzes ball screens all the time. So if Turner has the ball in a half-court set, he can expect two Siena players waiting for him every time he comes off a screen. Of course, if Ohio State is quick with its passes, there are opportunities for open looks in the paint and behind the 3-point line.

I'd expect Edwin Ubiles, a 6-foot-7 swingman, to play Turner. Ubiles is long and athletic. He wasn't known much for his defense early in his career, but now, as a junior, he's coming around. In last year's tournament win over Vanderbilt he locked up Shan Foster, the SEC Player of the Year.

Here's a quick rundown on Siena's offense:

Siena's definitely a full-court team that will look for the quick, easy score in transition. If Ohio State is slow getting back on defense, point guard Ronald Moore is capable of beating everyone to the basket. Ubiles is athletic; he can get to the basket but also has a nice short jumper.
Kenny Hasbrouck, the MAAC Player of the Year, does a lot off the dribble and can shoot the 3. Alex Franklin is athletic but undersized at the four spot; at only 6-5, he's vulnerable to blocked shots, but he is pretty
crafty around the basket. Ryan Rossiter, a 6-9 center, is not a big-time scorer but does have some low post moves; he can score with his back to the basket. And keep an eye on sharpshooter Clarence Jackson off the bench -- if he gets hot, he can score in bunches.

Doug, it seems as though there's a feeling among Siena fans that Ohio State is your typical plodding, deliberate Big Ten team. Is that case? Or is this team more athletic than they credit for?
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PETE: Interesting to hear the OSU players talking about letting Siena "run itself out." I haven't seen a team take that approach with the Saints this year. Most times, teams try to slow them down -- usually with poor results. (See a blowout of Northern Iowa in the BracketBusters.) The thing is, Siena is very opportunistic when it runs. If you miss a shot, they come back down the court in a hurry. If you turn it over, they get down even faster... If Ohio State shoots a low percentage, doesn't rebound and commits too many turnovers, Siena will score easy baskets all day. On the other hand, if Siena -- a motion team -- is running half-court sets, it's advantage Ohio State.

As for 3-point shooting, Siena's a hot-and-cold team from beyond the arc. Kenny Hasbrouck probably is Siena's most consistent 3-point shooter. But Clarence Jackson is the most dangerous. Jackson is only about 33.3 percent for the season, but he's an either 0-for-5 or 6-for-8 kind of player. He's very adept at influencing a game with only 10 to 15 minutes of playing time.

Size is definitely not a Siena strength. Rossiter is a solid 6-9, but he's not a big, physical Big Ten-type guy. Josh Duell, a senior who comes off the bench, is a bulkier 6-7, but it sounds as though Mullens may be able to out-run him. Siena's not the type of team to have trouble getting back. But the question is, can someone capable of guarding Mullens going to get back?

All right, not to put you on the spot, Doug, but let's get a prediction: Who wins, and why?
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PETE: First off, I should say from the start that I'm notoriously terrible at picking the outcomes of Siena games. Seriously. I tried to do it all last season and went about .500. Without the points, that's more than a little pathetic.

So I'll give two scenarios:
First, I don't think this is the terrific matchup a lot of Siena fans think it is. As you pointed out, this is not your slow and plodding and boring Big Ten team. Ohio State's a little different. Mullens can move. I think him and Lauderdale can create a lot of problems. And Siena's not a terrific defensive team on the perimeter. You can't help on Mullens and help on 3-point shooters. If Ohio State is scoring several ways, Siena's not getting a second consecutive upset.

That said, I think Siena can create turnovers with its press and get Ohio State out of rhythm with its aggressive defense. Mullens probably will score when he gets the ball, but I'm not convinced Siena is going to make it easy for that to happen, especially if Ohio State's point-guard play is suspect. I'm telling you, Siena capitalizes on every single turnover. They thrive on turning mistakes into points. If Ohio State is fumbling the basketball, Siena will win the game.

And to answer your question, no, I didn't think Siena would beat Vanderbilt last year. Shows what I know, right?
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The popular thinking that Siena will be favored in a fast-paced game shows a lack of awareness. If you look at Pomeroy's game-by-game stats, Ohio State does much better in high-possession (i.e., fast-paced) games than it does against slowdowns. I think this matchup favors the Buckeyes, though I fully expect at least 16 turnovers from the Bucks. Rebounding will be a key; we don't need to win the battle, but we cannot afford to lose it substantially.

Should be fun! Siena is obviously a quality squad.
 
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The writer in the above article who talks to the writer who covers Siena talks that the Buckeyes might like to get out and run like they did against UMass last year in the NIT. The only thing that really concerns me about this game is that Siena presses a great deal and tries to trap at half-court. We will have to be strong with the ball.

This Siena writer also indicates that the player who will defend against Turner defended against Foster from Vanderbilt last year and held him down. Turner and Foster are two entirely different players.

The article is a very good read from both sides.
 
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Good read. Sounds like Siena is going to live and die by defensive pressure. Earlier in the season, that would have worried the shit out of me, but OSU improved greatly in securing the ball once the team started to gel, and even more when PJ got the starting spot. The Buckeyes seem comfortable with passing their way out of the press, although in the Purdue game, I was a bit concerned by our point men playing with their heels on the center line after breaking the full-court. Seemed like they were flirting with an over-and-back, but nothing came of it. One thing I will be watching is how Siena defends ET when he drives. The teams that had success in limiting him figured out that if the man in front of him plays position, it's not that hard for a second defender to pick his pocket, as he tends to dribble too wide. One thing that ET really needs to work on is being aware of defenders who are not in front of him, because they are all watching him. OSU has moments when they get lazy or sloppy with dribbling and passing, I'm sure Siena will be on the lookout for those opportunities. But, I'm hoping that the Buckeyes will come out focused and with the same intensity they brought against MSU.

In the end, I think this game will come down to the size differential. The obvious advantage is inside, where BJ should be dominant if they can get the ball to him over the top. One thing BJ needs to stop doing is bringing the ball to his knees after he receives the pass. If he does that, the Siena players will collapse on him. He needs to grab the ball above his shoulders, and go straight to the hole. Dallas won't have a clear height advantage, but I think he will be the most physical player on the court. Even Madsen can be effective, if he plays smart. And I think we will match up well with the trio of ET, Diebs, and Buford, as well. They all have good size for their roles, and should be able to shoot over their man (JD and WB, especially). Size should give us an advantage on defense, as well, but perhaps the most important thing is making shots to allow us to set up the zone. The zone has it's problems, but it has allowed us to hold opponents in the < %40 shooting range, even with many teams lighting it up from deep. If Siena plans on scoring most of their points inside the arc, I think they'll have a hard time finding open looks. Of course, it wouldn't surprise me at all if Siena's equipment manager came out and started draining 3s like Reggie Miller. Definitely not a game that I think will be easy, but our size and talent should make the difference. They just have to go out there with the attitude that they have to earn the right to play another game. With the exception of the Big Ten Final, it looks like they're playing their best basketball at the right time of year. Here's to extending the season as long as possible. Go Buckeyes!!!
 
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Siena scouting report from O-zone:

"They're fast, very fast, maybe one of the fastest we've seen this year," said OSU center Dallas Lauderdale after watching tape on the Saints.

"Moore their point guard is very quick with the ball and makes great decisions," added sophomore center Dallas Lauderdale. "He takes care of the ball."​
It didn't take the Buckeyes long to figure out that Moore is special. For starters, they began studying tape on Siena before they even arrived back in Columbus from their Big Ten Tournament championship game in Indianapolis. The Buckeye coaching staff had taped games of Siena during the season, and the team watched them coming back from Indy. How did they know that Siena would be their opponent and to bring their games? They didn't.​
"We tape every game we can off television all season," explained OSU Head Coach Thad Matta. "When we left for Indianapolis we took CDs of all the games we had with teams we thought might be in the tournament field. We had a big box of them. When we found out it was Siena, we watched their games. We had four or five of them."​
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The thing that stood out to me is that PG Ronald Moore put up Mike Conley level numbers this season (208 assists, 74 TO), however, the overall team stats are much less spectacular (504A, 431TO). What that says to me is once Moore gives up the ball, take away his passing lane, and amp up the pressure on the ball. The Saints did create an impressive 292 steals. The matchup of PJ on Moore should be a real battle.

The-Ozone, Ohio State Football, Wrestling, Softball, Basketball, Hockey, Baseball and More
 
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I live in Indy and during the local cbs news before today's games they just listed freakin' Michigan State vs Robert Morris as the late game. If they switch from Ohio State/Sienna in favor of a 15 vs 2 I will be incredibly shitty. There are more Buckeye fans here anyway; hardly anyone wants to see fucking MSU vs Robert Morris.

I'll have online as a backup plan but it would still suck. You would think with all these feeds every game would be on some channel by now.
 
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naptownbuck;1434182; said:
I live in Indy and during the local cbs news before today's games they just listed freakin' Michigan State vs Robert Morris as the late game. If they switch from Ohio State/Sienna in favor of a 15 vs 2 I will be incredibly shitty. There are more Buckeye fans here anyway; hardly anyone wants to see fucking MSU vs Robert Morris.

I'll have online as a backup plan but it would still suck. You would think with all these feeds every game would be on some channel by now.
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While it may suck not to have it on the big TV screen, this MMOD is awesome!! I remember having some trouble with the streaming the last few years, but its nice this year.
 
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naptownbuck said:
I live in Indy and during the local cbs news before today's games they just listed freakin' Michigan State vs Robert Morris as the late game. If they switch from Ohio State/Sienna in favor of a 15 vs 2 I will be incredibly shitty. There are more Buckeye fans here anyway; hardly anyone wants to see fucking MSU vs Robert Morris.

I'll have online as a backup plan but it would still suck. You would think with all these feeds every game would be on some channel by now.
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I was going to come in here and post the same thing. wishtv.com says MSU/Robert Morris at 9:40.

Straight BS.

The showing the 15/2 game...WTF?! There's a 9/8 game on at the same time and they go with the 15/2 game? Ridiculous. I'll be going out and watching the game at a restaurant now, I guess. March Madness on Demand is an option, but not the same...then again, I'm not too big on watching games in public establishments. Ugh. This sucks.
 
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