Sparty @ Ohio State, 2/23/16, ESPN

[Systems_id]

That's what we have to hope for. But I'm not sure about the talent comment. Lyle has some potential, but will he ever meet it, or will he always be a guy that has skill, but can't harness it? You would hope to see improvement as the season has gone on, but to me he doesn't look much better than he did in November. Who else? Tate is a glue guy, a heart guy, but I don't see him as a major "talent." I doubt he sees as much playing time at MSU or Indiana, or even Purdue or Iowa. Giddens looks like a good defensive big man, but his offensive game needs a lot of work. Maybe one or both of Loving or KBD take a step forward, but they're both wildly inconsistent, and Loving is running out of time. Kam can shoot, but defense is an afterthought, and that will always limit his minutes. Harris is a smaller Shannon Scott to me. Mitchell is an athlete, but needs a lot of work to be a legitimate B1G basketball player.

That's a lot of question marks. If we had seen some consistent improvement over the season, I'd be a little more optimistic, but we really haven't. They'll look great for a game or two, then go out and play a couple of clunkers. And it's team wide. I can't point to really any single guy and say "yeah, he's gotten better as the year has gone on." That's worrisome and leads me to believe it's one of two things, neither of which are particularly encouraging--talent or coaching.

You bring up a lot of good points, especially in terms of fundamentals. I also think the team has improved from where they were at the beginning of the year. Hell this is the same team that lost to Texas Arlington and LT. One thing that's improved is that they give consistent effort all the time. Well except for Marc Loving. I have gone on record to say that Thad should make a couple of assistant coaching changes, namely on the offensive end. I personally think he's probably going to let the current coaches finish out this class to evaluate them. There's really no reason this team shouldn't be able to make a deep run in the tournament in a couple of years.

 

[NFBuck]

I agree, the effort has improved, IMO. But the poor results continue, and that's also concerning. I'd love nothing more than to be wrong and for this team to come out next year and look totally different. We're nearing the end of a third straight subpar seasons compared to the lofty standards Matta's teams established over his first 7-8 years, so maybe I'm becoming a little pessimistic; but the lack of progression individually and as a team doesn't leave me with a "warm fuzzy" about next year.

It might be early to write a "post-mortem" on this season, as they still have a couple of games, then the B1G tournament and likely the NIT to show some life. But, it's been a season full of countless starts/stops and they're running outta time. Been a frustrating couple of seasons.

 

[wigmon]

I think Lyle is the guy to build around. He has some PG skills, but his dribble isn't quite tight enough and is just a little slow, but he does have some nice stop and go moves and can finish in traffic and through contact. If he can tighten up his handle just a little and become a consistent 3pt shooter, he's going to be a heck of a player. His A:TO ratio is pretty decent for a frosh on an inexperienced team with few ball handlers, he rebounds well and understands the game. I look for him to make a nice jump next year.

I don't know what to think of KBD. Great length, good athleticism, great touch around the rim. He needs to work on ball handing and/or a post game so that he can create his own shot better and work on his shooting mechanics (foot work and body positioning), but right now he doesn't handle the ball well enough to play the wing. IF our roster makeup were more balanced, I'd tell him to bulk up a little and try to be a mismatch at the 4, but we need guys who can handle the ball and can play the wing.

IF Tate could shoot the ball a little better, I think he could be a heck of an offensive player because he could go inside and out. Right now , he's just not enough of a perimeter threat to be effective off the dribble.

Loving, Kam and TT have been in college 3 years, so I don't expect much more out of them. Maybe little improvements here and there, but nothing drastic.

MM doesn't seem to have an ability to put the ball in the basket. He doesn't look for his shot, can't finish drives and gets stuffed around the basket. He's 20 years old and probably peaked athletically and I really don't see him growing that much as a player. Good passer, plays hard, but just doesn't have an all-around game.

DG has all the athleticism and effort is great, but his BB IQ isn't good and has no touch whatsoever. Best bet is that he bulks up and becomes a beast on the defensive end and on the boards, but don't think he'll ever be much of an offensive threat.

AJ is limited by his physical stature. He's played pretty well this year, but just is too small to finish in the lane and has issues defensively in preventing the post feed and contesting perimeter shots. If he were 6', I'd project him to be an all B1G guard some day, but you can't hide his limitations. One thing he can improve is more consistency on his shot (FTs and jumpers).

 

[Onebuckfan]

This is the team we have its up to the players and coaches to make it more efficient. Effort gets you only so far.

 

[NFBuck]

As an aside, when our bad years still likely get us to 20 wins and finishing in the top half of the conference, we're in a pretty good spot overall. Younger fans that began following Buckeye round ball after 2005 might lack perspective. They also likely make of a large majority of the crowd calling for Matta's head. Those of us that lived through the late Ayers years shouldn't be so rash...

 

[ScriptOhio]

Otherwise, I agree with you--KBD seems like he has the tools, with the length, height, and skill, that he could be a superstar, but here he is at the end of his sophomore year, and while he's solid, he's far from a star;

On 27 Oct 2015 someone thought Keita Bates-Diop was a "sleeper" in the NBA draft. He does make some valid observations though; I wonder what he thinks now about KBD's draft status. Let's hope he stays in school and 2016-2017 is his "breakout year".

Keita Bates-Diop

Ohio State | Small Forward

This is probably the guy I'm least confident in performing well this season, just simply due to the fact that no one has any idea what the Ohio State rotation could look like. He could become the Buckeyes' primary scorer, or he could become a weapon off the bench that plays 18 minutes a game. I do lean more toward the former being likely though, because the skillset is there for a breakout year and he began to play well late in the 2014-15 season.

At 6-7 with a 7-2 wingspan, he has great size for a 3 in the NBA. He's also a terrific shooter that's always been known as such, which makes the 46 percent he shot from 3 last season on limited attempts a bit less of an outlier. He's also a really good athlete who can get past defenders, score at all three levels, and get out into transition. His key will be like many on this list: diversifying his game off the dribble and adding strength. The motor, frame and shooting is there. Strength and ball-handling will be the key, as that would allow him to defend better and finish at the rim.

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on...eason-sleepers-to-watch-in-college-basketball

 

[ScriptOhio]

You bring up a lot of good points, especially in terms of fundamentals. I also think the team has improved from where they were at the beginning of the year. Hell this is the same team that lost to Texas Arlington and LT. One thing that's improved is that they give consistent effort all the time. Well except for Marc Loving. I have gone on record to say that Thad should make a couple of assistant coaching changes, namely on the offensive end. I personally think he's probably going to let the current coaches finish out this class to evaluate them. There's really no reason this team shouldn't be able to make a deep run in the tournament in a couple of years.

Just sayin': The problem will be to keep this team together for another 2 years. Good players passing up their last year or 2 of college for a chance in the NBA seems to be the rule rather than the exception now.

 

[Systems_id]

Just sayin': The problem will be to keep this team together for another 2 years. Good players passing up their last year or 2 of college for a chance in the NBA seems to be the rule rather than the exception now.

No lies detected but a man can dream. Here's to hoping we cut down the nets in 2018!

 

[Mike80]

Just sayin': The problem will be to keep this team together for another 2 years. Good players passing up their last year or 2 of college for a chance in the NBA seems to be the rule rather than the exception now.

Honestly I don't think anyone other than maybe Lyle has a high enough profile to go pro at any point and even then, his play is going to have to significantly improve. Guys like Tate, Giddens, KDB, Williams, etc aren't going to play in the NBA.

 

[NFBuck]

Honestly I don't think anyone other than maybe Lyle has a high enough profile to go pro at any point and even then, his play is going to have to significantly improve. Guys like Tate, Giddens, KDB, Williams, etc aren't going to play in the NBA.

Unfortunately, often that doesn't seem to stop kids from going. Look at LQ Ross recently. Kids that are decent-to-good players in college like KBD can make a decent salary playing overseas. If they grew up without much, and realize that they are longshots to make the NBA anyway, they might just go for the paycheck to help out their family.