Men's Basketball Buckeye Tidbits 2007-08 Season

[osugrad21]

OZone

Men's Basketball
Buckeyes Hoops Outlook
A look forward to the 2007-2008 season
By John Porentas
[Editor's Note: Before you read too much into this, no, we don't have any special insights or knowledge as to whether specific players are going to the NBA or not.
We are presenting this piece using the roster as it is now, today. That could change if players opt for professional basketball.]
The Buckeyes concluded a tremendous season with an appearance in the NCAA Tournament championship game and fell just short of bringing home the hardware. We'd like to take a position-by-position look forward to next season to see what the Bucks will bring to the table when that season begins.

Cont...

 

[OSU_Buckguy]

it looks like we can start a real discussion of how it will be without oden, conley, and cook for the 2007-2008 season. by very reputable accounts, oden is gone. in all likelihood, conley and cook will declare and will not withdraw. so...

butler, turner, diebler
turner, diebler, lighty
lighty, diebler, turner, wallace
koufos, hunter, madsen, wallace
hunter, twiggy, madsen, lauderdale

as far as playing time goes, it may be much like this year. the team will probably have ten players, all of whom will get considerable minutes. the team will be deeper than it appears. will matta get a juco point guard? as long as jamar *knock on wood* doesn't get hurt, the team should be fine having turner and diebler as back-ups. koufos, diebler, and turner must bring their offense. fortunately, we know that koufos and diebler will. because of turner's all-around game, i won't be surprised if he gets considerable minutes.

silver lining with occ leaving? 08-09 team will be stronger.

 

[LitlBuck]

it looks like we can start a real discussion of how it will be without oden, conley, and cook for the 2007-2008 season. by very reputable accounts, oden is gone. in all likelihood, conley and cook will declare and will not withdraw. so...

butler, turner, diebler
turner, diebler, lighty
lighty, diebler, turner, wallace
koufos, hunter, madsen, wallace
hunter, twiggy, madsen, lauderdale

as far as playing time goes, it may be much like this year. the team will probably have ten players, all of whom will get considerable minutes. the team will be deeper than it appears. will matta get a juco point guard? as long as jamar *knock on wood* doesn't get hurt, the team should be fine having turner and diebler as back-ups. koufos, diebler, and turner must bring their offense. fortunately, we know that koufos and diebler will. because of turner's all-around game, i won't be surprised if he gets considerable minutes.

silver lining with occ leaving? 08-09 team will be stronger.

I posted very similar thoughts in the Recruiting Forum. Great minds must think alike

 

[OSU_Buckguy]

I posted very similar thoughts in the Recruiting Forum. Great minds must think alike

dangerous. i would like to recant my statement about a "very reputable" source, though.

 

[LitlBuck]

dangerous. i would like to recant my statement about a "very reputable" source, though.

That would be nice if he were not so reputable:)

 

[OSU_Buckguy]

2007 Big Ten/ACC Challenge Schedule
(All Times ET)
​

Monday, Nov. 26
7:00 p.m. ESPN2 Wake Forest at Iowa


Tuesday, Nov. 27
7:00 p.m. ESPN Georgia Tech at Indiana
7:30 p.m. ESPN2 Minnesota at Florida State
8:00 p.m. ESPNU Northwestern at Virginia
9:00 p.m. ESPN Wisconsin at Duke
9:30 p.m. ESPN2 Purdue at Clemson


Wednesday, Nov. 28
7:00 p.m. ESPN N.C. State at Michigan State
7:30 p.m. ESPN2 Illinois at Maryland
8:00 p.m. ESPNU Boston College at Michigan
9:00 p.m. ESPN North Carolina at Ohio State
9:30 p.m. ESPN2 Virginia Tech at Penn State

 

[OmahaBeef]

2007 Big Ten/ACC Challenge Schedule
(All Times ET)
​

Monday, Nov. 26
7:00 p.m. ESPN2 Wake Forest at Iowa


Tuesday, Nov. 27
7:00 p.m. ESPN Georgia Tech at Indiana
7:30 p.m. ESPN2 Minnesota at Florida State
8:00 p.m. ESPNU Northwestern at Virginia
9:00 p.m. ESPN Wisconsin at Duke
9:30 p.m. ESPN2 Purdue at Clemson


Wednesday, Nov. 28
7:00 p.m. ESPN N.C. State at Michigan State
7:30 p.m. ESPN2 Illinois at Maryland
8:00 p.m. ESPNU Boston College at Michigan
9:00 p.m. ESPN North Carolina at Ohio State
9:30 p.m. ESPN2 Virginia Tech at Penn State

Wow, I really hope Oden and/or Conley stay. That will be a hell of game. (And I'll make sure to remember to get season tickets order in on time next year .)

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

cbssportsline.com

Exodus at Ohio State not so bad, really

Greg Oden, Mike Conley Jr. and Daequan Cook are each expected to formally announce in the next 48 hours they will enter the NBA Draft. Across the nation the reaction will vary if it happens, and some people will scream this is the problem with college basketball, that Ohio State is getting a raw deal because 60 percent of the heralded Thad Five recruiting class is on its way out the door, leaving the Buckeyes as mere mortals next season.
But those people will be wrong.
Ohio State isn't getting a raw deal.
Ohio State is getting the exact deal it made two Novembers ago when it signed a five-player class featuring three McDonald's All-Americans. When a school does that, the best the school can hope is that it's setting itself up for two things that always happen in the same order.
First comes a huge amount of success.
Next comes a huge number of departures.

Continued.....

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

CPD

OHIO STATE BASKETBALL
Clouds' scarlet and gray lining


Saturday, April 21, 2007 Doug Lesmerises
Plain Dealer Reporter
Columbus- Ohio State coach Thad Matta interrupted a recruiting week of suitcases and rental cars to say goodbye to three of his freshmen on Friday. That farewell was one of the best recruiting tools a coach could hope for. Matta took advantage, saying he viewed the official NBA draft declarations of Greg Oden, Mike Conley Jr. and Daequan Cook as a celebration.
"I'm looking at this as a positive," Matta said. "This is a tremendous building block."
It wasn't a coincidence that he ended an afternoon news conference with a story about talking with Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski about losing players early to the NBA. The obvious implication for any high school sophomores paying attention: When your guys are too good to stay, you've really made it as a program.

Continued.....

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

espn.com

Buckeyes will have plenty, even without Oden and Co.


Ohio State will be fine. Maybe even better than fine. Maybe NCAA Tournament/Sweet 16 fine.
Yes, even with the departure of Greg Oden, and likely Mike Conley Jr. and Daequan Cook for next season.
You see, no one outside of Ohio State seems too concerned about the Buckeyes' plight. Even the Buckeyes' coaches and staff aren't whining, either. Will Ohio State be a Final Four team next season without Oden and Conley, let alone Cook and seniors Ron Lewis and Ivan Harris, too? Probably not, but the Buckeyes shouldn't drop that far, staying in contention with Michigan State and Indiana for a possible Big Ten title in 2008.

"Are they a Final Four team on paper? No. Will they compete for the Big Ten title again? I believe they will, and I believe that's where the program will always be," Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl, who lost to Ohio State twice this past season in games that came down to the final possession, said on Friday.
"Ohio State had a great year," Indiana coach Kelvin Sampson said. "But the difference is that that they have a very good program. It wasn't just a great team."
Here's why everyone is so high on the Buckeyes, even sans Oden, Conley and friends: The Buckeyes return Jamar Butler at the point, where he will be a senior playmaker. He already has led the Buckeyes to a Big Ten title (as a sophomore) before the Thad Five arrived.
Freshman David Lighty likely will be one of the team's top defenders. He seems poised to become one of its top shooters as he improves on his skill work.
The shooters are there in droves with the arrival of Jon Diebler, the all-time leading scorer in Ohio high school history, and Evan Turner.
The frontcourt will be as deep as any team in the Big Ten with incoming freshman Kosta Koufos, a 7-foot-1 3-point shooter who can handle the ball, post up, rebound and block shots. "He's good, very good," Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said.

Continued......

 

[osugrad21]

Morning Journal

In long run, one definitely does not mean OSU is done
Jason Lloyd, Morning Journal Writer
04/24/2007


http://www.zwire.com/site/printerFriendly.cfm?brd=1699&dept_id=46370&newsid=18251355

THE rock concert has officially ended. There will be no encore, just a guy with a broom sweeping up the confetti.


And Thad Matta is that janitor.

It's not a bad broom to push. By the time Greg Oden and Mike Conley Jr. are sitting in rocking chairs, Matta could be boasting about coaching the greatest big man and one of the best point guards of the new millennium.

Ohio State fans likely won't appreciate what we just witnessed until 10 years from now, when both Oden and Conley have Olympic gold medals. That's fine. It's difficult to truly appreciate greatness when it comes in the form of a couple of teenagers, so instead appreciate what their brief presence has done for Ohio State basketball.


Cont...

 

[OSU_Buckguy]

After getting advice, Vols' Lofton likely staying put

espn.com

Tennessee junior guard Chris Lofton was evaluated by the NBA's draft advisory committee as a middle second-round pick and as a result coach Bruce Pearl doesn't anticipate Lofton will declare for the NBA draft.

Pearl said the NBA's Stu Jackson informed him and Lofton that he wasn't on the first-round bubble. An official statement from Lofton is expected later this week.

Continued...

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

FoxSports.com

Defections cause Buckeyes to drop
My Top 25 continues to evolve as guys declare for the draft. Don't believe me? Just check out the previous version.

Now, keep in mind, this version isn't set in stone heading into next season as there will be plenty of players that return to campus after testing the NBA waters.

23. Ohio State (35-4)
With Greg Oden, Mike Conley Jr. and Daequan Cook each declaring for the NBA (Conley and Cook haven't signed with an agent ... yet), Thad Matta's talent level obviously took a significant hit. Ron Lewis and Ivan Harris graduated, but the Buckeyes still have Jamar Butler, David Lighty and Othello Hunter back and a strong incoming freshman class highlighted by skilled 7-footer Kosta Koufus. Key Addition: Kosta Koufus Key Subtraction: Greg Oden

 

[Wells4Heisman]

Im looking forward to North Carolina coming and visiting us this year. Oh it will be fun!

 

[osugrad21]

Dispatch

Academic Progress Rate
OSU men's basketball faces real challenge
Scholarships might be lost without big boost
Thursday, May 3, 2007 3:58 AM
By Ken Gordon


The Columbus Dispatch

Unless the Ohio State men's basketball team improves its Academic Progress Rate score significantly, it could be subject to a loss of scholarships next year, based on data the NCAA released yesterday. As expected, no Ohio State athletic teams were penalized for having an APR score lower than 925. That translates roughly to a 60 percent graduation rate.

Cont...