BrutusBobcat
Icon and Entertainer
Okay, we're pretty much done with the non-conference games. Reflecting on what we've learned, what have we learned?
First, these young Bucks will dominate any team that doesn't show up with equivalent talent. Clearly, on talent alone, this is one of the best teams in the country.
Second, this team is YOUNG, and in my opinion, lacks a true leader. While I think that Noah is kind of a clown, he's the emotional sparkplug for the Gators. Several of their other players show leadership in their own way -- stepping up to make shots, putting in clutch minutes -- very impressive. We aren't there yet, but with some more time to gel, I think that there are some guys who will step up. Oden can be that emotional leader, not in terms of waving his arms and crap like that, but in terms of making big, crowd-pleasing plays. His blocks and dunks are the kinds of things that can and should fire up both his team and the fans. Cook is a guy who can lead by scoring when points are needed. Every hoops fan I know who follows other schools comments to me when they first watch OSU, "Who's that Cook guy? He's unreal." Of course, point guard has to be a leader, and I'd like to see Conley be the guy who keeps everyone focused and calm. One observation that a friend of mine, who used to play college and coach high school, mentioned is that when Florida went on their run that a lot of guys started to get anxious, rush shots and panic a little. A floor leader who keeps guys calm, runs the offense and reminds them to take good shots is key in those situations. Virtually everyone watching the game is still wondering why Matta didn't call time out, probably including Matta himself.
Third, conditioning and depth. These are related, and we're stuck with the lineup we have. It would be great to have another one or two inside guys on scholly, but we don't. As has been observed, Greg Oden is still not quite ready to play the number of minutes and do the amount of running that we're doing. Add to that the fact that he's defending all the way out to the arc, and we have an issue. Depth can't be cured, but Oden's endurance will improve. Still, Hunter and Twigs have GOT to put in quality minutes in the B10, especially against the lesser teams.
Fourth, coaching. Dare I say it? Thad Matta has proven to be potentially the best recruiter in the country. Is he up to par as a big game coach? He's done some amazing things with underdog teams in the past, so you'd have to think that he can X and O with the best of them. However, he got flat outcoached by Donovan this weekend. He's now under a totally different spotlight, and will have to prove that he deserves to be named along with guys like Williams, Donovan, Izzo, et al, as one of the very best gameday coaches as well. All of the college basketball world expects him to do great things with great talent -- not only to develop the players, but to utilize them in a way so as to win the difficult games. What happened this weekend didn't show much of either.
Fifth, though it should be first, is DEFENSE. Someone, or several someones, have to decide that they love playing the other end of the court. Oden is going to be one of those guys. There are flashes -- steals, blocks and boards from a variety of players -- it needs to be contagious. There has to be a love and passion for great defense and rebounding spread throughout the whole team. Right now, it's strictly a part-time gig.
Honestly, I am not totally sure what to make of this team. The first 30 minutes against North Carolina may have been some of the best minutes played by an Ohio State team in a few decades, and that's without Oden. The sky's the limit, at least talent-wise. Clearly, we will steamroll over seven or eight of the ten conference teams we'll play, but will we be ready to go deep into the tournament? I'm concerned right now that the Big Ten may be a little thin, and with the exception of a couple of games, not provide the learning experiences that this team is going to need to get to and through the Final Four. I'm certain that this is a squad that should expect to make the Elite Eight as a minimum goal, and is at least a #2 seed right now, with a #1 seed within reach, despite this weekend's game. We should win the Big Ten regular season without much difficultly. What I'm not sure about is how the Bucks will develop as a true title contender. The potential is there to grow into being an utterly dominant team that could reverse what Florida just did to us, but it needs to be developed. Ironically, it's going to take a pretty solid coaching job by Matta to take players this good and make them even better.
First, these young Bucks will dominate any team that doesn't show up with equivalent talent. Clearly, on talent alone, this is one of the best teams in the country.
Second, this team is YOUNG, and in my opinion, lacks a true leader. While I think that Noah is kind of a clown, he's the emotional sparkplug for the Gators. Several of their other players show leadership in their own way -- stepping up to make shots, putting in clutch minutes -- very impressive. We aren't there yet, but with some more time to gel, I think that there are some guys who will step up. Oden can be that emotional leader, not in terms of waving his arms and crap like that, but in terms of making big, crowd-pleasing plays. His blocks and dunks are the kinds of things that can and should fire up both his team and the fans. Cook is a guy who can lead by scoring when points are needed. Every hoops fan I know who follows other schools comments to me when they first watch OSU, "Who's that Cook guy? He's unreal." Of course, point guard has to be a leader, and I'd like to see Conley be the guy who keeps everyone focused and calm. One observation that a friend of mine, who used to play college and coach high school, mentioned is that when Florida went on their run that a lot of guys started to get anxious, rush shots and panic a little. A floor leader who keeps guys calm, runs the offense and reminds them to take good shots is key in those situations. Virtually everyone watching the game is still wondering why Matta didn't call time out, probably including Matta himself.
Third, conditioning and depth. These are related, and we're stuck with the lineup we have. It would be great to have another one or two inside guys on scholly, but we don't. As has been observed, Greg Oden is still not quite ready to play the number of minutes and do the amount of running that we're doing. Add to that the fact that he's defending all the way out to the arc, and we have an issue. Depth can't be cured, but Oden's endurance will improve. Still, Hunter and Twigs have GOT to put in quality minutes in the B10, especially against the lesser teams.
Fourth, coaching. Dare I say it? Thad Matta has proven to be potentially the best recruiter in the country. Is he up to par as a big game coach? He's done some amazing things with underdog teams in the past, so you'd have to think that he can X and O with the best of them. However, he got flat outcoached by Donovan this weekend. He's now under a totally different spotlight, and will have to prove that he deserves to be named along with guys like Williams, Donovan, Izzo, et al, as one of the very best gameday coaches as well. All of the college basketball world expects him to do great things with great talent -- not only to develop the players, but to utilize them in a way so as to win the difficult games. What happened this weekend didn't show much of either.
Fifth, though it should be first, is DEFENSE. Someone, or several someones, have to decide that they love playing the other end of the court. Oden is going to be one of those guys. There are flashes -- steals, blocks and boards from a variety of players -- it needs to be contagious. There has to be a love and passion for great defense and rebounding spread throughout the whole team. Right now, it's strictly a part-time gig.
Honestly, I am not totally sure what to make of this team. The first 30 minutes against North Carolina may have been some of the best minutes played by an Ohio State team in a few decades, and that's without Oden. The sky's the limit, at least talent-wise. Clearly, we will steamroll over seven or eight of the ten conference teams we'll play, but will we be ready to go deep into the tournament? I'm concerned right now that the Big Ten may be a little thin, and with the exception of a couple of games, not provide the learning experiences that this team is going to need to get to and through the Final Four. I'm certain that this is a squad that should expect to make the Elite Eight as a minimum goal, and is at least a #2 seed right now, with a #1 seed within reach, despite this weekend's game. We should win the Big Ten regular season without much difficultly. What I'm not sure about is how the Bucks will develop as a true title contender. The potential is there to grow into being an utterly dominant team that could reverse what Florida just did to us, but it needs to be developed. Ironically, it's going to take a pretty solid coaching job by Matta to take players this good and make them even better.
