Ohio State 76, Minnesota 60 (Final)

[Dryden]

I don't know if it was a sellout, but the crowd was pretty vocal at times.

Wife and I went to the game, and if it was a sellout, then there were about 8,000 people holding tickets in their living rooms. There were large sections of empty seats. Not a few seats or rows, but entire sections! Behind the students, and all those prime seats that the students aren't allowed to sit in right near the court in the 100 sections? Empty. All those ticket holding business people that have all the seats on the Club Level locked up? Somewhere else tonight. Even the $17.00 seats in the 400 sections were patchwork. If VCA was even half-full, that'd be a generous count.

But I will say this, when Jamar dished to Twiggy on the alley-oop jam, it got loud. Everybody was on their feet when Tubby got T'ed up. When Diebler and Turner threw down dunks on the ensuing two possessions, it was electric ... as loud as I've ever heard for a men's bball game at the Schott. You could see the team feeding off the crowd through that run, and through the opening 10:00 of the first half. Koufos, in particular, was really amped up during the 2nd half run, and the crowd cheered louder in response.

If that's the atmosphere we can get when the 8,000 killjoys that sit on their hands stay home, then stay home from now on!

 

[BuckeyeParalgl]

The students seemed to be really into this game from the beginning. They were so loud and vocal, you would have thought the game was closer; or the opponent was bigger. Granted Minnesota is a decent B10 team, but the atmosphere was still as good as it would have been for a bigger OOC game.

 

[Tlangs]

Great game by the Bucks....

It seems that Matta has decided to go 8 deep for the rest of the year. He is really only going about 7 deep though. Hill 1 minute, Deibler 10 min, and twigs with 14. That just aint gonna cut it against Indiana, Wisky, and MSU. I was disappointed that we didn't see more minutes from the bench tonight since the game was in hand. we are going to need the bench players to perform down the stretch if we are going to win close games.

Look at the Tennessee game... We had zero bench points and we were down 3 with 11 seconds to go. I am not trying to be a downer, but we need to give the bench minutes when the opportunities present itself. Tonight was a good chance to distribute some minutes (assuming Butler will remain on the court..he is the glue and we need him on the court unless we are up 35) and it didn't happen.

Still a great win. Koufus was solid, Butler was out of his mind, turner has put 3 solid games in a row together. PSU is in for a beat down on Tuesday if these 3 gus show up in Happy Valley.

 

[crazybuckfan40]

Wife and I went to the game, and if it was a sellout, then there were about 8,000 people holding tickets in their living rooms. There were large sections of empty seats. Not a few seats or rows, but entire sections! Behind the students, and all those prime seats that the students aren't allowed to sit in right near the court in the 100 sections? Empty. All those ticket holding business people that have all the seats on the Club Level locked up? Somewhere else tonight. Even the $17.00 seats in the 400 sections were patchwork. If VCA was even half-full, that'd be a generous count.

But I will say this, when Jamar dished to Twiggy on the alley-oop jam, it got loud. Everybody was on their feet when Tubby got T'ed up. When Diebler and Turner threw down dunks on the ensuing two possessions, it was electric ... as loud as I've ever heard for a men's bball game at the Schott. You could see the team feeding off the crowd through that run, and through the opening 10:00 of the first half. Koufos, in particular, was really amped up during the 2nd half run, and the crowd cheered louder in response.

If that's the atmosphere we can get when the 8,000 killjoys that sit on their hands stay home, then stay home from now on!

Were you at the same game I was at???

 

[BuckeyeParalgl]

If I were to try and explain what made this game different from a lot of the other games I've seen this year (particularly UNC), is that we played two solid halves of basketball. When Minny pulled within a few points of us, we answered. We went on some pretty solid runs, and I'm becoming more and more impressed with Turner. I've always thought that we had the talent to be a good basketball team, but we seemed to be missing solid effort in both halves of the game. Good first halves; weak second halves. Tonight it looked like we were getting close to putting it all together. It remains to be seen if this team can finish the season strong, but I think we're one step closer.

 

[BengalsAndBucks]

Butler looked very good, made some poor passes out of the trap that led to turnovers but shot the ball very well and passed it well.

Turner looked good, he shot the ball well. Only took it to the hoop once that I can remember and would have liked to see him drive more but he was effective. Very effective trapping the on the defensive end himself.

Lighty- besides playing well on the defensive end, I honestly can't remember a lot about how he played tonight. He was very quiet on offense.

Koufos played well, he was putting forth a lot of effort on the boards, which was nice to see for a change. Got to the line a lot and converted from there, which is excellent because we need to get some easy points in games this year. But the one thing I was thinking all game is he just doesn't go to the hoop strong. There was one alley-oop he got, and as he was going to dunk it he got blocked. I just think of last year and Oden and how people would jsut get out of his way when he went to the rack. With Koufos, its like they know they can man him up and deny him. I realize he isn't very explosive, but there has to be something he can do to go stronger to the hole.

Hunter was excellent on defense, quiet on offense. Can't complain about his game, but we are going to need to feed the post more and have them deliver if we want to beat Wisky, Purdue, and MSU.

Diebler- it looks as though his lack of shooting confidence has spilled into other parts of his game. Tonight he just looked timid everywhere, from bringing the ball up on the trap to dribbling around the top of the key, it just seemed like he didn't want the ball tonight, and that's not a scorer's mentality. He seemed to gain confidence as the game went on, and I think the steal dunk really helped. Matta had him out there when the game got tight late, so clearly he likes something Diebs brings to the table. I truly believe against Penn State he needs to play 35 minutes and take 20 shots and just shoot till he hits consistently and get his confidence up. I still feel like he is the x-factor to the team that will determine how far we can go this season.

Twigs- how is this for efficient: 4 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 2 steals in 14 minutes. And oh, yeah, one of those buckets was the alley-oop when we desperately needed a basket. I will take that kind of contribution from a bench player any day.

We still play great team defense out of the zone, and the rebounding effort has picked up, which was a must. But we just simply are not deep enough. Its going to hurt us down the stretch.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

Ohio State 76 Minnesota 60
Victory takes effort
Buckeyes finally turn back Gophers in uneven game
Sunday, January 27, 2008 3:48 AM
By Bob Baptist


THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

ANDREA KJERRUMGAARDdispatch
Ohio State guard Jamar Butler gets whacked in the face by Minnesota's Al Nolen while trying to gain possession of the ball.


Minnesota coach Tubby Smith said it "wasn't a very pretty game."
Ohio State coach Thad Matta found something that pleased his eye.
"I thought we were a little bit better at finishing off the game," he said.
One man's mess was the other's ray of sunshine last night in Value City Arena. The Ohio State men's basketball team let a 16-point first-half lead dwindle to three with more than 13 minutes left in the game but finally put away the pesky Gophers in the final five minutes for a 76-60 victory.
It wasn't the easy win it appeared it might be at the start, when the Buckeyes led 19-3 less than 10 minutes in, but they did what they had to do to, beating an opponent they were supposed to and avoiding a blemish on the NCAA Tournament resume they hope to build.
"I think any team in the Big Ten still has a chance to win this," guard Jamar Butler said after the Buckeyes (14-6, 5-2) solidified their hold on fifth place in the conference standings. "The team that gets the big road wins, I think, is the team that's going to pull it out and win it."

Continued.......

 

[MaxBuck]

Diebler- ... I truly believe against Penn State he needs to play 35 minutes and take 20 shots ...

God help us if Diebler plays 35 minutes against any opponent, or if he takes anywhere close to 20 shots.

He is just dreadful right now. Too slow afoot, too indecisive in all aspects of the game. A couple of Butler's TOs against the Goophers rightfully belonged to Diebler, who was so indecisive that he started in one direction, then changed right as the pass was being thrown. He is a genuine liability on the court, and needs to get his head right. His attitude is great, and it seems like there must be talent there somewhere, but his psyche must be pretty fragile at the moment.

 

[crazybuckfan40]

God help us if Diebler plays 35 minutes against any opponent, or if he takes anywhere close to 20 shots.

He is just dreadful right now. Too slow afoot, too indecisive in all aspects of the game. A couple of Butler's TOs against the Goophers rightfully belonged to Diebler, who was so indecisive that he started in one direction, then changed right as the pass was being thrown. He is a genuine liability on the court, and needs to get his head right. His attitude is great, and it seems like there must be talent there somewhere, but his psyche must be pretty fragile at the moment.

WOW, just WOW...

Butler needs to look before he makes those passes...Those weren't Diebler's fault...

You are greatly missing what Diebler is brining to the court...You honestly believe that Diebler is going to be down forever...

I don't understand the hate towards Diebler...I guess because he isn't putting up the high number of points, but really the kid is only taking 2-5 shots a game so it isn't like he is getting into much of a flow on the offensive end...When he gets going and starts hitting those shots we will be that much better...Why don't we all want to see him start knocking them down instead of saying he is dreadful...

The teams are still playing real tight on him, and that is opening up the floor for other guys...

There is a reason why Matta had him in there during that run in the second half and wasn't going back with Lighy...

Come on Max you are better than that post...

 

[MaxBuck]

Sorry, cb40, but I had a perfect angle from my seat low in Section 110 to see what Diebler was doing (and by extension what Butler was doing) on the 2 TOs where Jamar passed to the spot where Jon had just vacated. If JD had been playing properly at those junctures do you think Matta would have used the hook immediately after?

Diebler played 10 minutes last night, which was about 5 minutes too many IMO. I really hope the young man gets his stroke back (and his psyche), because he is clearly a popular teammate and a hard worker.

JMO. I sure don't "hate" him, and boy, do I hope I'm mistaken as to his potential.

 

[LitlBuck]

God help us if Diebler plays 35 minutes against any opponent, or if he takes anywhere close to 20 shots.

He is just dreadful right now. Too slow afoot, too indecisive in all aspects of the game. A couple of Butler's TOs against the Goophers rightfully belonged to Diebler, who was so indecisive that he started in one direction, then changed right as the pass was being thrown. He is a genuine liability on the court, and needs to get his head right. His attitude is great, and it seems like there must be talent there somewhere, but his psyche must be pretty fragile at the moment.

Have to agree with 40 here, a couple of Butler's turnovers were not Diebler's fault. I remember one specifically he was going up court and Butler threw the ball behind him. What was he supposed to do?
He really isn't taking that many shots and the shots that he does take are not forced. There just shots he is not hitting right now. You would be yelling "hallelujah" if his shots were falling.

He also plays with great intensity on defense and communicates very well with the other two guys out front.

PJ is the guy I am having problems with when he gets into the game. He just seems to go a mile a minute when he has the ball and really doesn't know where he is going.

I thought that the team played very well during most of the game. I wish Hunter would get the ball more down low. Very pleased with Turner's game but Lighty review needs to step it up. We have to cut down on the turnovers.

Very pleased with KK's game last night. He seemed like he really wanted to play and brought some enthusiasm that I have not seen from him in the past.

I have no idea where this team would be without Butler. He is the man despite some of his reckless turnovers.

 

[crazybuckfan40]

Sorry, cb40, but I had a perfect angle from my seat low in Section 110 to see what Diebler was doing (and by extension what Butler was doing) on the 2 TOs where Jamar passed to the spot where Jon had just vacated. If JD had been playing properly at those junctures do you think Matta would have used the hook immediately after?

The one was clearly on Butler and he knew it, as Diebler came to ball and Butler threw it behind him...I is merely splitting hairs tho...

Diebler played 10 minutes last night, which was about 5 minutes too many IMO. I really hope the young man gets his stroke back (and his psyche), because he is clearly a popular teammate and a hard worker.

You don't forget his 2 steals in a row that got us going after the Twig dunk...There was a reason why Matta left that lineup on the floor...

The kid understands the game, and I understand that Turner is playing at a much higher level than Diebler, but once Diebler gets hot, which is just a matter of time he has the ability to put this team over the top and that is why Matta is staying with him...

JMO. I sure don't "hate" him, and boy, do I hope I'm mistaken as to his potential.

Not sure what you think in terms of his potential, but Jon has shown an all around game in terms of the things he can do...Yes he is fihghting thru it right now and is playing mind games with himself, but that is no reason to give up on him midway thru his freshmen season...

I am hoping to see Jon get some more minutes in the next 3 games to get him some confidence...

Also I don't think it is a great idea by Matta to play Turner 35 minutes a game...I know the kid is playing very very well, but that is a way to wear him down towards the end of the season, as these kids are not used to playing this man games, and especially not that many minutes...

I think we need to see Diebler and Wallace get some of the those minutes, and allow them to try and gain some confidence...I feel the same way about Hill as well...He game in and gave great energy last night and only got to play 1 minute, yet we had times when we had a comfortable lead when I thought he could of gotten some more minutes...

 

[MaxBuck]

Have to agree with 40 here, a couple of Butler's turnovers were not Diebler's fault. I remember one specifically he was going up court and Butler threw the ball behind him. What was he supposed to do? He was supposed to not change his direction 180 degrees the moment Butler started his pass! His change-of-direction twice was precisely when JB began to pass the ball to him! Diebler needs to pay better attention to the passer in that situation.

I hated to see Jamar saddled with those TOs when he wasn't to blame -- though the burden should also not lie only on Diebs's shoulders, since nobody else made a move to help Butler out of the trap.

He really isn't taking that many shots and the shots that he does take are not forced. There just shots he is not hitting right now. You would be yelling "hallelujah" if his shots were falling. True dat; I have done so! (Too bad it's been so infrequent.)

He also plays with great intensity on defense and communicates very well with the other two guys out front. His D has at times been very good, and I suspect defensive intensity is why we see Diebler rather than the more explosive (and better-shooting) Eric Wallace. Unfortunately Jon lacks foot speed, and consequently can put pressure on the inside of the zone when his man blows by him.

PJ is the guy I am having problems with when he gets into the game. He just seems to go a mile a minute when he has the ball and really doesn't know where he is going. We have no other option at point when Jamar needs a blow, unfortunately.

I thought that the team played very well during most of the game. I wish Hunter would get the ball more down low. Very pleased with Turner's game but Lighty review needs to step it up. We have to cut down on the turnovers.

Very pleased with KK's game last night. He seemed like he really wanted to play and brought some enthusiasm that I have not seen from him in the past.

I have no idea where this team would be without Butler. He is the man despite some of his reckless turnovers.

Good comments, and I enjoy the interchange with you guys. I know I seem hard on Diebler, but I think it is something of a reaction to those who continue to sing his praises when objectively he is playing poorly right now. Believe me, nobody wants Jon Diebler to succeed more than I do. (I was a big believer in Brandon Fuss-Cheatham, too.)

 

[crazybuckfan40]

Good comments, and I enjoy the interchange with you guys. I know I seem hard on Diebler, but I think it is something of a reaction to those who continue to sing his praises when objectively he is playing poorly right now. Believe me, nobody wants Jon Diebler to succeed more than I do. (I was a big believer in Brandon Fuss-Cheatham, too.)

Other than his shooting which of course needs to be his strongest asset of his game he is not playing that bad...

Even Matta mentioned in his post game last night that Diebler gave us the spark we needed along with Twig when he got those two steals...

I have heard from teammates that they believe in Diebler, Thad has put comments his post game, he continues to play him, and while I know there aren't other options, he is doing other things that are helping the team...

BFC was a totally different situation IMO...He showed that he didnt have the skills, his stroke was so ugly, couldn't make free throws, was quick enough to break guys down off the dribble...

Diebler has shown the potential, and is just a frosh struggling thru mind games...I would compare his situation more to Jamar Butler when everyone knew he could shoot, I was having these same type of arguments with people that never believed he could shoot and they were saying what a wasted schollie, and blah blah blah, just a small combo guard that couldn't shoot...Look where he is now...

 

[MaxBuck]

...I would compare his situation more to Jamar Butler when everyone knew he could shoot, I was having these same type of arguments with people that never believed he could shoot and they were saying what a wasted schollie, and blah blah blah, just a small combo guard that couldn't shoot...Look where he is now...

Remarkably apt comparison, at least statistically -- Butler struggled with 33% shooting as a frosh, and shot only 23% (!) outside the arc, while limited to less than 0.2 points per minute (Diebler is a relatively robust 0.27 ppm). I hope this comparison continues to be valid, because I'd love to see Diebler have the impact as a senior that Jamar has this year!