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

[itownbuckeye]

not to bash

but if BJ and Buford think they are ready for the NBA, they are dreaming

but I guess being ready doesnt really matter since the NBA drafts on potential

i didn't think daequan cook was ready either. dude has one skill and was a much lesser player than Buford has been in his freshman year. yet there he is as a solid contributor for a playoff team in only his 2nd year. if you can stroke it, there's a place for you in the league. hell, i think damon jones is still in the league somewhere. i think Buford has some big time potential though(moreso than cook). if he can add the ability to dribble drive and some sort of post-up game, he goes from borderline 1st round to lottery pick. he needs to stay.

BJ's game needs some work but I think his stock is still high enough where he should go. would love to see him stay but i think OSU will be okay with Dallas & Z.

 

[buckeyemania11]

I developed a dislike for Siena's flopper during that game, the goofy elf looking big man

he isnt going to be getting any calls against Louisville, so flopping will be basically useless

 

[BuckeyeMafia]

so flopping will be basically useless

Ah, you mean a Cavs away game?

 

[buckeyemania11]

Ah, you mean a Cavs away game?

 

[Mike80]

I developed a dislike for Siena's flopper during that game, the goofy elk looking big man

he isnt going to be getting any calls against Louisville, so flopping will be basically useless

Louisville's bigs will throw him around all night long.

Hell he's ONLY 6'8 or something like that. our guys should have dominated but it wasn't in the cards. At least they didn't call a flagrant on Dallas for the pretty obvious acting job that kid did.

 

[Dryden]

I developed a dislike for Siena's flopper during that game, the goofy elk looking big man

he isnt going to be getting any calls against Louisville, so flopping will be basically useless

Well, there's that, and the fact that he looked like he weighed 180 pounds soaking wet. If he thinks he's going to stand under the bucket against Louisville he's going to get stomped. He was absolutely a flopper. I thought it was nice of Dallas to flip him over on his jaw and try to correct his overbite.

 

[itownbuckeye]

I made a similar comment to my Dad as we watched the game.

He still thinks OSU would have played up to Louisville's level like they played down to Siena's, but Louisville would run 12 guys at Hill, Turner and Simmons all night long and that would be hard to counter.

yeah, we've got to get a point in the '10 class. hopefully Hill/Simmons will continue to improve and be a solid duo next year but most great teams have a next level guy running the show. with the star power of Sullinger & Thomas in that class already and basically a wide open PG position, you'd think they'd be able to get a top notch lead guard.

 

[JohnnyCockfight]

So you DON'T want your best player attempting to do his best?

I absolutely want Turner to attempt to be his best. That is not a logical conclusion/question.

Sure the 20/20 hindsight look at the play shows he should have passed, but what did it look like to him all night long?

Turner, by and large, was very good tonight. But I don't mind critiquing our best player at the moment of the game where he could have made the most impact. Learning from constructive criticism is how good players become great.

To shoot into a triple team when you have an uncontested slam dunk for the win is a selfish play. I don't hate Turner and I don't mean that in a hateful way. But I would hope that he reviews the play and learns and matures from it.

Bill Paxon, Steve Kerr, and Bill Wennington all hit huge, game-winning shots for the dynasty Bulls. And they made those shots even though their team's best player was the greatest player to ever play the game, and perhaps the most clutch. Jordan realized that sometimes the best play was to draw the double or triple team and then hit the open man.

Sometimes you need a guy to take the game over. Sometimes I wish Turner would have been more of a ballhog since he was the only one seemingly willing to attack the rim all season long.

No doubt. He won many games for us this season, and all of the close wins in the second half of the season.

 

[itownbuckeye]

Louisville's bigs will throw him around all night long.

Hell he's ONLY 6'8 or something like that. our guys should have dominated but it wasn't in the cards. At least they didn't call a flagrant on Dallas for the pretty obvious acting job that kid did.

maybe they could have had more success if the post had been fed more. of course, most people have been saying that all year. at least i don't have to worry about them not getting the ball inside anymore.

 

[buckeyemania11]

Siena turned it over a boatload of times tonight

and Louisville runs a pretty agressive full court press, like I said that game could get really ugly really fast

 

[Dryden]

maybe they could have had more success if the post had been fed more. of course, most people have been saying that all year. at least i don't have to worry about them not getting the ball inside anymore.

That complaint has been valid for the past three years.

Hey Matta, throw the ball to the seven foot tree in the middle!!!!

 

[Mike80]

I absolutely want Turner to attempt to be his best. That is not a logical conclusion/question.



Turner, by and large, was very good tonight. But I don't mind critiquing our best player at the moment of the game where he could have made the most impact. Learning from constructive criticism is how good players become great.

To shoot into a triple team when you have an uncontested slam dunk for the win is a selfish play. I don't hate Turner and I don't mean that in a hateful way. But I would hope that he reviews the play and learns and matures from it.

Bill Paxon, Steve Kerr, and Bill Wennington all hit huge, game-winning shots for the dynasty Bulls. And they made those shots even though their team's best player was the greatest player to ever play the game, and perhaps the most clutch. Jordan realized that sometimes the best play was to draw the double or triple team and then hit the open man.



No doubt. He won many games for us this season, and all of the close wins in the second half of the season.

Yeah but he's selfish so what the hell

That's a very weak criticism of a very good player.

 

[Mike80]

That complaint has been valid for the past three years.

Hey Matta, throw the ball to the seven foot tree in the middle!!!!

And they need to press the ball up the court more.

I think that more than anything could have broken the Siena press....get the ball up the middle of the court within 5 seconds of the possession and make Siena either commit to the trap or back off......

Ohio State seemed to get stuck at mid-court wayyyy too often....

 

[OregonBuckeye]

On the bright side, now I get to watch Siena get murdered by Louisville instead of OSU.

I really wasn't thrilled about that matchup even if OSU had won. If the last seven or eight minutes of regulation demonstrated how well OSU could handle Siena's press, Louisville would have been a disaster of epic proportions.

Don't care. I take the win and the buttkicking any day. I never thought we'd beat UL. I just wanted one tourney win. Plus, you never know. Maybe we get hot from 3 and pull it off. Just wish we had the opportunity.

Really depressing tonight.

 

[hdcolumbus]

Okay. I have been pussing out of this thread by starting to type how I feel about this game 2 or 9 times and then quitting. Now, I have a little more vodka in me so I'll just rant.

FUCK Siena. Do you have more NCAA Tournament experience than tOSU? Yes. Will you get the ever-living-fucking-shit kicked out of you by a pissed-off Louisville team? Yes. kthx4playingbye.

Now that's out of the way; I really do NOT understand how we lost this game. I really LOVED how for the first 12-13 minutes of the game we simply pounded it inside. To BJ, to DL, it was what (we all) wanted to see in the Big Ten Tournament Championship game a few days ago.

Imagine, Siena would find themselves in foul trouble and we would keep pounding it inside--wait--no, now we will play into Siena's game and fire it up the court, spend 15 seconds on developing "a play" and rely on forced perimeter shots. Our defense never changed. I simply do NOT understand WHY our offensive scheme would change when it WAS working.

In the second half; I do NOT understand why the gameplan was for ET to draw screens and dish the ball to PJ. With a lead in the first half--sure, great gameplan; but, when trying to close a team out in the NCAA Tournament, why not let ET just slash and draw fouls? It worked against the Big Ten Tournament field, why change it now?

ET was NOT utilized in the capacity that he has available. AND THEN, to rely on him, to take the last shot--in a poorly designed offensive scheme--is rediculous.

With a sizable lead in the second half of the game, let your playmakers make plays! Our perimeter game was shit; but, our inside game (throught 3/4 of the first half) was spectacular. I do not understand why BJ and DL were not utilized more--especially in OT.

Although I draw a blank as to the coaching decisions to rely on our point guard play througout the second half--and not simply let ET just drive to the basket and draw X2 more fouls than he did is beside me.

If I drew anything from the NCAA and Big 10 tourneys--it's that BJ is not ready for the NBA.. I am aware of the family situation; but, I cannot see him at the NBA level yet.

Cliffs

1. Keep feeding the ball inside.
2. Let KT drive the ball
3. Score
4. ???
5. Profit!