tOSU -9.5 at Illinois (ov/un 124.5) Tue 9 ET, ESPN

[neilmj]

You can't do anything but laugh at what Brandon Paul did, but with the post game comments and the pattern of play this team has developed on the road I am pretty concerned.

 

[MaxBuck]

You can't do anything but laugh at what Brandon Paul did, but with the post game comments and the pattern of play this team has developed on the road I am pretty concerned.

 

[LitlBuck]

I have been thinking about this game since last night because I don't like to see our Buckeyes lose. I have read the majority of the thread and I know it is only early January and there are a lot of games to be played but I am concerned. I guess I thought this team would be a lot better at this point in the season.

I know that Paul scored more than 1/2 of's points last night and some of the shots were unreal but basketball is a team game and I do not think that we played very good team defense last night. When a guy is going off like that, you have to find a way to deny him the ball and we did not do a very good job of that. I might have put Craft on him earlier in the game and let Scott run the point.

I also have a problem with the fact that only 2 players shot free throws last night and that means we are settling too much for outside shots. Also, we did a very poor of feeding the post in the second half. We needed to get Sullinger more involved.

Buford is probably my favorite player and I have no idea what is wrong with him. Perhaps he is pressing too much because he knows this is his last go around. He took it to the basket a little more last night but still missed some pretty easy shots. Hopefully, he will come around because without his outside shooting we have very little perimeter offense. The only other outside shooter we really have is Thomas but he is almost better around the basket.

I don't know how we can blow out a couple teams and then lose to a team like Illinois. Yeah, I addressed Paul earlier in the post. This Sunday will be interesting as will the games against Sparty and TSUN . Both of these teams have improved since the season began and we seem to have gone the other way. Maybe I am overreacting but maybe this team is a little overrated. Only time will tell.

 

[Bill Lucas]

Expectations may very well be too high for this team.

Chemistry isn't there when games need to be ground out and only having one senior could be an issue. I still want to see how the team progresses over the next 3-4 weeks. The other factor is that the Big Ten may be on a good year. Last year was a bit of a down year overall for the conference and a couple of teams might be a good bit stronger than expected.

 

[Systems_id]

Expectations may very well be too high for this team.

If we had gotten thoroughly beaten down then I would agree but all three of our losses took extenuating circumstances, not to mention they were against fairly good opponents. We put up a valiant effort at Kansas without Sullinger, the refs were determined to give the game to Indiana (ask the current #2 team in the country about the refs in Indiana), and Brandon Paul had to put up damn near 50 fucking points to eke out a win against tOSU. Does this team have flaws? Sure it does. But I don't believe for one second that this team isn't at least a top 5 team in the country and I'm struggling to even come up with teams that are clearly better than us.

 

[BuckTilIDie6]

The more I watch the conference play, the more I think (and have seen thus far) it's going to be a year where anyone can beat anyone on any night. B1G is hands down the best conference in the country. Still think this is a top 5 team.

Also, I am NOT into the "a loss is a good thing" most of the time, but I will say that if you are a Buckeye player that loss last night has to get you pretty (mark may)ing ticked. Interesting to see how we respond Sunday against IU.

And as has been harped upon many times throughout this thread, seeding in the big dance is meaningless. Last year we had a 3, 4, 8 and 11 in the Final Four. You will have to beat good teams regardless of your seed.

I think as we move forward in B1G play, we are going to see Craft step his game up not only from his play on the court, but really in his leadership. Sully is the most talented player no doubt, but Craft when he is playing well really drives this team. Should be fun to watch how they respond! Can't wait to watch this game against IU!

Great time to be a Buckeye!

 

[Mike80]

If we had gotten thoroughly beaten down then I would agree but all three of our losses took extenuating circumstances, not to mention they were against fairly good opponents. We put up a valiant effort at Kansas without Sullinger, the refs were determined to give the game to Indiana (ask the current #2 team in the country about the refs in Indiana), and Brandon Paul had to put up damn near 50 fucking points to eke out a win against tOSU. Does this team have flaws? Sure it does. But I don't believe for one second that this team isn't at least a top 5 team in the country and I'm struggling to even come up with teams that are clearly better than us.

Top 5 teams find a way or have someone step up to win 2 of those 3 games.

I think OSU is more dangerous if all of the expectations go away.

Before this team is a legit title contender, 3 things MUST happen:

1. Bench scoring - they usually get some, but last night they didn't get a single point from a bench player.

2. Outside shooting - maybe the most damning as when the Kentucky game last year occurred, and nothing was really working on the inside, the outside shot also disappeared. This year the outside shot is practically non-existent. Unless someone steps up soon, that is this team's fatal flaw. If I am an opposing coach, I cram the lane and dare someone to start hitting shots at this point.

3. Someone needs to be able to get from the perimeter to the basket consistently. Ohio State hasn't had a guy who can dribble drive since ET. Craft can do it consistently, but he doesn't.

Without the inside/outside game working and with no one really going at the hoop hard, the offense is severely stagnant and I honestly think the offensive issues are starting to affect the defensive side of the ball.

 

[MaxBuck]

I still see the Buckeyes as the best team in the nation, challenged only by UK. Syracuse is just too talent-challenged, and their schedule to date has been Charmin-squeezable soft.

Others are free to duck falling chunks of sky as they see fit.

 

[Onebuckfan]

Better shooting and spacing on the floor will help the offense...We waste too many possessions not with turnovers but poor shot selection or forced shots at the end of the shot clock. The team is still feeling its way on O and it only shows against teams that can match up with our talent. The blowout games have probably gave the team a false sense of security on offense.

 

[DZ83CK]

I don't think the offense is the problem for this OSU team ultimately. Yes, they need to mature and execute a lot better on offense in the last minute or so, but the defense is the more problematic side. They've got to do a much better job as a team in chasing shooters and getting around screens to guard 3-pointers. They got lit up by Paul, and trust me he wouldn't have been "in the zone" the whole game if they had forced him to take a step back from his comfort zone. Yeah, he hit a tough one for the last 3, but aside from that the ones he made were EXACTLY what he wanted to take. No way he should've got 43 with the athletes this Buckeye team has. They've got to do a better job guarding 3-point shooters. No doubt it was a big problem at Kansas, as they had several wide-open 3s. The Bucks need to do a lot better job of rotating to get out to shooters and/or chasing them through screens. Also, I don't like to see Sully playing D like he wants to avoid fouling - that's not a good strategy. He won't stop the better players if he's afraid of picking up fouls. Matta has to figure out a way that Sully can play tough D the whole time he's in there for this team to reach it's potential. Maybe that means they have to play bench players like Ravenel that didn't do much against Illinois, but you've got to let your best try their best for as long as they can.

 

[LitlBuck]

who guarded Paul

From his observations, Thompson, out of 4 different players, did the best job of guarding Paul but became fatigued as the game wore on.

By Bob Baptist

I spent the afternoon watching, and replaying, and slow-motioning, the DVR of the Buckeyes' defense at Illinois.

There's been a lot of ranting from fans about who was to blame for Brandon Paul going off for 43 points. I needed to break it down before jumping to conclusions.

Let me just say, it was a team effort. Or lack thereof.​

According to Ohio State records, only two players have scored more points against the Buckeyes in their long basketball history: Don Schlundt of Indiana, who had 47 against them in 1954 and again in '55, and Tommie Johnson of Central Michigan, who had 45 in 1987. Scott Skiles of Michigan State also scored 43, in 1986.

For the most part, Lenzelle Smith Jr., Aaron Craft and Sam Thompson defended Paul, or at least tried to. William Buford had him a few times. Deshaun Thomas even caught him once on a switch. Paul made all of them pay for one reason or another, either inattentiveness, an inability to keep up with him through staggered screens, or the fact Paul was just in a zone he may never be in again.

Thompson, in my opinion, did the best job in the second half before he wore out after nine minutes of getting run through screens, gave up a go-ahead three to Paul with two minutes left in the game and was replaced during a timeout 11 seconds later.

Paul's only other points during the stretch Thompson was on him were four free throws. His only other field goal attempt was a deep, desperation three as the shot clock wound down inside five seconds.

Thompson has longer legs and arms than Smith or Craft, and that helped him make up the split-second Smith and Craft were losing trying to get around the staggered screens Illinois used throughout the game to get Paul open. But Thompson also is a freshman, and a skinny one at that, and he has not yet built up the strength and stamina to stay on the court for long stretches. It was obvious when he finally gave up the three to Paul that his tank was empty.

Smith opened the game on Paul, who didn't start doing damage until the final eight minutes of the first half. Smith and Buford completely lost him on two of his threes during that time.

Smith also opened the second half on Paul, but out of the first timeout at 15:00, coach Thad Matta switched all three guards' assignments, putting Craft on Paul, Smith on D.J. Richardson and Buford on Tracy Abrams.

Paul had eight of Illinois' 11 points during the next 4:11, but it wasn't all Craft's fault.​

Smith got lost again in transition, forcing Craft to try to guard two players and a forced rotation that left Paul open for a three.

Also in that sequence, Jared Sullinger hung back rather than hedge a shot-screen, something he did more than once in the game, making me wonder whether the Bckeyes are coached to hedge ball-screens but not off-the-ball screens, and if so, why?

http://www.buckeyextra.com/content/...01-12-12-breaking-down-the-illinois-loss.html

 

[Systems_id]

Don't look now but NC is getting obliterated by FSU.