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Ohio State 79, #21 Syracuse 65 (Final)

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Here is what I have gaged from different articles, boards and what not...

Syracuse at the moment is a 6 man team...They have only played 8 I think on the season, but the last two guys they have played have seen about 2 minutes per game. The first guy off the bench is only averaging 9 minutes per game and got benched the other night for bad defense...

So really we are going to be seeing much of the same 5 guys the entire night.

Johnny Flynn - He is a freshmen pg, that had a huge game against Sienna, but followed that up with a not so good performance until the final seconds against St. Joe where he hit the game winning 3 pointer...His only points, following his 20+ point game the first game. He is very quick, and will give Butler fits at times, but I think Butler's size will get to him...We need to stay out on him and not let him get any open looks...He will knock them down.

Eric Devendorf - He is a good shooter, unorthodox type player, takes weird looking shots that go in...Cuse' is probably going to need a solid game out of him...He turns the ball over some but is a steady player.

Paul Harris - Most know about him, he is a bit undersized for the PF spot, but he is strong as an oxe, a great defender, and will crash the boards, and do most of his damage on the inside in terms of scoring. Lighty will be a good matchup for him...I think that his strength will hurt guys like Diebler and Turner.

Dante Green - Another frosh, and another undersized guy at the PF spot...He is a great scorer tho, will step outside and play inside...His game is more for the SF spot...

Arinze Onuaku - a huge body at center, and he had a breakout game against St. Joe's. He is about 260 and he is a guy that we could have to bring Lauderdale off the bench to be able to match up with his size. He is only 6'9'' so I think that KK should have no problem getting shots off over him, but his strength could really bother KK in the post...

So overall we are going to see a very solid scoring lineup, that is really undersized, but they have strength to make up for them being undersized...They are an off and on type shooting team and have been challenged already against St. Joe's which they needed a last second shot to win.

I think that we might be able to wear them down if we run some, especially the big guy. Also any type of foul trouble we can get them in would really help...

It is great that we are playing another team that is inexperienced like us, but with talent...

This is going to be a good test for us to see where we are at, and I think that we are going to show that we are the better of the two teams...Should be a great game tho...
 
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OH10;994663; said:
Someone other than David Lighty has to learn to attack the gaps in the zone.
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What I would like to see more of his a high low game with Hunter at the high post and then KK pinning his guy...

But Yeah I agree with you, but really we just need more of inside out, and with the shooters we have hopefully we can shoot them out of zones this season, as we have a very good shooting team...We will just have to realize on nights when the shots aren't falling we need to look in more, and do more attacking the bucket, and try and get out in transition and get some easy buckets...
 
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crazybuckfan40;994679; said:
What I would like to see more of his a high low game with Hunter at the high post and then KK pinning his guy...

But Yeah I agree with you, but really we just need more of inside out, and with the shooters we have hopefully we can shoot them out of zones this season, as we have a very good shooting team...We will just have to realize on nights when the shots aren't falling we need to look in more, and do more attacking the bucket, and try and get out in transition and get some easy buckets...
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I really don't think we have anybody else on this team that can attack the "gaps" in Syracuse's zone.

I also don't think that this game is going to boil down to who has the best talent but whether if we can hit from the outside. We shot the ball extremely well against Wisconsin Green Bay but our outside shooting was not very good against Colombia. I do think KK has to become more physical for a high low game to work.
 
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crazybuckfan40;994679; said:
But Yeah I agree with you, but really we just need more of inside out, and with the shooters we have hopefully we can shoot them out of zones this season, as we have a very good shooting team...We will just have to realize on nights when the shots aren't falling we need to look in more, and do more attacking the bucket, and try and get out in transition and get some easy buckets...
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The problem is that we didn't force Columbia to collapse their zone. They were able to maintain pressure on the perimeter and our guys were content to just toss the ball around the horn like it was a hot potato. Guys like Evan Turner, Jamar Butler and Diebler need to be more aggressive taking the ball in the gaps, forcing the defense to collapse, and kicking outside for the open jumper.

Kosta has got to learn to hold the ball for the double team and spot the open man on the perimeter. He seems to only have eyes for the basket once he gets it - which sometimes isn't a bad thing because he has great touch. But you've got to keep the defense honest.

If they couldn't do it against Columbia though, I've got a bad feeling for this game.
 
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OH10;994920; said:
The problem is that we didn't force Columbia to collapse their zone. They were able to maintain pressure on the perimeter and our guys were content to just toss the ball around the horn like it was a hot potato. Guys like Evan Turner, Jamar Butler and Diebler need to be more aggressive taking the ball in the gaps, forcing the defense to collapse, and kicking outside for the open jumper.

Kosta has got to learn to hold the ball for the double team and spot the open man on the perimeter. He seems to only have eyes for the basket once he gets it - which sometimes isn't a bad thing because he has great touch. But you've got to keep the defense honest.

If they couldn't do it against Columbia though, I've got a bad feeling for this game.
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I agree with everything except for the last sentence... as has been pointed out ad nauseum, this is a very young team, and a week of film and practice will help to get them going the right direction.
 
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jimotis4heisman;995071; said:
i dont agree so much, you can beat a zone by dribble drive, kick and shot. you dominate a zone with interior passing...
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True, but you have to have a couple guys knocking down the wide open shots. Who is ready to do that for us?
 
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Syracuse game tips off at 9 p.m. : The Buckeyes' game against Syracuse next Wednesday in the NIT Season Tip-Off in New York is scheduled for 9 p.m. on ESPN2 but is likely to start later. The first semifinal between Texas A&M and Washington starts at 7 p.m.
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True, but you have to have a couple guys knocking down the wide open shots. Who is ready to do that for us?
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I believe Butler and Lighty are ready and just my opinion but Diebler will start finding his range.
 
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This game is the right test at the right time. With two games back-to-back and then a week off, the team has time to work on a lot of things (like passing) that were issues in the Columbia game. Syracuse is a good step up from what we've seen, just as the first two NIT games were the right step up from exhibition play.

I like how the two teams match up, and I think this should be a fun game. Matta will have the Bucks ready to play, and we should see their best performance to date. Syracuse is a team that's in a position not much different than ours, and they'll be looking to show some growth and development also. Win or lose, we'll get a second game at a neutral site, which is also good as a developmental step.

Another upside is that this is a ranked opponent, so Matta will have the team's full attention this week. A win would go a ways towards reminding people that we're still here. :wink:
 
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