DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum College Basketball Part 2

I think I read that the Kentucky players were taking sewing and pre-algebra, wherea£ the kids from UConn were into stuff like differential equations and organic chemistry.

Seriously, give me a break. The guys on UConn weren't able to make the grades in their freshman general studies and sports management classes, and now the team is paying for it. If this were any other top program that it was happening to you'd be running a bigtime line of smack. It is what it is...suck it up and deal with it.

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If this were any other top program that it was happening to you'd be running a bigtime line of smack. It is what it is...suck it up and deal with it.

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Yeah, pretty much.

And we don't hear about any other top programs having trouble with this so the standard must be pretty low. Connecticut alumni must be proud.

Blame the NBA, don't blame Kentucky.

Should we not recruit the best? Pass over better talents for guys who won't go to the NBA?

For the record, John Calipari was openly supportive of a rumored two and through rule.

Carry on.

Way to go UConn. Game was going good until we give up a 15-1 run at the end of the game. Make it like 18-1 before stopping it............. You can't have that to finish out a basketball game, lol.

Talk about meltdown.

I really hope OSU doesn't have dan dakich today.

We ALWAYS freakin have him announcing our games and he ALWAYS says the same stuff like:

1. Sullingers behind
2. Deshaun Thomas being able to score since he was born
3. Aaron Crafts hustle, but Jordan Taylor is better
4. Something about Urban Meyer

One of the worst games in OSU basketball history.

Just seems like Matta isn't making this team better as the season goes along. Michigan State looked terrible in November, now they look like a good team. We just seem like we're the same team when the season started. No bench whatsoever, and still nobody to remotely replace Diebler. Why can't matta develop a few guys off the bench, I don't know. The way the team is assembled now, I just don't see this team winning 6 in a row in the tourney. Sullinger is the same player as last year, Buford you can't rely on, and Thomas is iffy as well. If Michgan State could lock us down at home, it would be prety scary to see what kentucky, or syracuse could do.

I've always felt last year was our best chance to win it all. we had everything, great inside and outside, plus a good point guard.

Boy.. that was as sloppy as I've seen the Bucks. I've been telling people that we've been ranked much too high.

We're not ranked too high. There are not a lot of great teams.

Thad has a collection of talent at the end of the season. Depending on the chemsitry of that particular team and group of individuals, it becomes a crap shoot for their ultimate tournament fate.

I disagree strongly about the bench. They completely outplayed some of our starters. When Ravenel was in the game, though, he did a great job on Draymond Green. Deshaun Thomas was a joke guarding him. He was pretty pathetic on both sides of the ball the entire night. He didn't even try. Sam Thompson can't shoot yet but he gives us energy, athleticism and defense. Shannon Scott is just used to give Craft a breather.

We are both OSU fans. You think we are pretty good. I think we are just ok and we need some improvement to be ranked where we are..

::shrug:: I gave up arguing on here a long time ago. Have a pleasant night.

It's morning and forgive me but I'm back after reading this morning's Dispatch commentary on Sullinger.

http://www.buckeyextra.com/content/stories/2012/02/12/sullinger-stuck-in-traffic.html

Jared Sullinger didn’t look like Jared Sullinger.

The cool guy, the unflappable guy who somehow always finds a way to play through the muggings, was talking to the refs and talking to himself. There were a couple of times when he scored and seemed to be playing to the crowd, a celebratory gesture or nod that again seemed like someone who’s not him.

Maybe it was the Michigan State defense, the buzz saw of hands in his vicinity when he put the ball on the floor that produced an uncharacteristic 10 turnovers, or maybe it was the fact that some of those slaps, pokes and prods weren’t called fouls.

Whatever. When Jared Sullinger isn’t Jared Sullinger, third-ranked Ohio State has serious problems.

Last night’s problem: Michigan State 58, OSU 48. A rare home-court loss.

“Every time he put it on the floor, we were trying to dig it out,” Spartans coach Tom Izzo said. “We couldn’t leave early because he’s too good a passer. It worked for us today. But I’ve seen people guard him a million different ways, some have beaten them, some have not. … But it doesn’t happen too often.”

Ohio State coach Thad Matta didn’t see the frustration or the unusual animation, or at least he didn’t want to talk about it.

“I thought down the stretch he wanted to make the plays,” Matta said. “He was animated in the huddles in a very positive way, of saying this is what we need to do. I’m not sure I saw the frustration that I’ve seen him have before. I thought he did a pretty good job of playing through all the things that went on.”

The “things that went on” cover a lot of territory. Ohio State missed lots of shots, easy and hard, shots it typically makes. At one point in the second half, Sullinger, William Buford and Deshaun Thomas were each 2 of 10 from the field. You don’t need a Ph.D. in basketball to know that the Buckeyes aren’t going to win many games shooting like that.

But at one point, they were 11 of 41 and still trailed by only six points, a sign that this was a winnable game if they had been able to settle down.

Sullinger did settle down, but it was too late to make the impact on offense that OSU needed when the rest of the offense was so flat. The suspicion is that he might have been tired — Izzo substituted early and often, rotating Adreian Payne and Derrick Nix often enough to keep Sullinger busy trying to keep up.

“We just kept telling our big guys to sprint every time on the break, even if it’s not there,” Izzo said. “They have depth this year, which they haven’t had in recent years, but not as much for him. He has to be on the floor. So our game plan was to run the bigs even if there’s not a break, just kind of force the running.”

Did it wear Sullinger out? Maybe not. He ended the game with 17 points and 16 rebounds; add in the 10 turnovers and he had the wrong kind of triple-double.

“Most of the turnovers were me going up for the shot,” he said. “I really wasn’t expecting a (double-team). That’s not what Michigan State shows. They will dig and they will dig, but they don’t dig like they did today. You’ve got to give credit to them. They had a great game plan, and they stuck to the system.”

If this is a road map to defeating the Buckeyes, it will only work for a team like Michigan State. The Spartans play the game at a defensive intensity that few teams can match. The sense even on that side was that if the Buckeyes had hit the shots they typically hit, there wouldn’t have been a reason for Sullinger to get so frustrated, and the upset would never have happened.

Jared Sullinger was Jared Sullinger afterward, which has to be considered good for OSU. He spoke of the calls, the defense and the missed shots as if they had occurred last year instead of in the last two hours.

“There were a lot of things that weren’t called, but that’s every night in the Big Ten, I guess,” Sullinger said. “It is what it is. Michigan State won the basketball game. At the end of the day, you really can’t go into the past. You have to look forward.”

Bob Hunter is a sports columnist for The Dispatch.

bhunter@dispatch.com

And here are some reader comments:

Comments
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flagNate Hartnell (Aueagle1)


Bob, I am tired of hearing fans complain about Sullinger. Even the announcers last night showed multiple plays Sullinger thought he was fouled and said there was no foul..sure the refs missed some but what about Craft? He is just as physical on the other team as they are on Sullinger. So if OSU fans want it called tight for Sullinger then Craft will foul out of every game.. Lets not forget that OSU was whislted for less fouls and took more fouls shots then MSU even though MSU had a huge margin on paint points, which means MSU wasnt throwing up long shots but pounding it inside which usually results in foul shots, just not last night for MSU

2012-02-12 08:25:43.0

flagDick Brand (ATLBuck)


I agree with Nate. I like Sullinger, but frankly think he gripes too much and usually without cause. Even worse, his frequent tumbles to the floor (and sigificant contact doesn't cause most of those tumbles) takes him out of subsequent plays at the other end. I know he's young, I know that does get fouled and that calls are missed, but he doesn't show a strong ability to play through that. I have to say, too -- at the risk of being blasted -- that I don't see a great offensive game from him. He seems awkward with the ball and forces up a lot of off-balance, ill-advised shots. Maybe thnt's frustration too, but I think he could be a lot more efficient at that end.

2012-02-12 10:02:03.0


Sounds about like what I was saying..

We're a good team, I just think the blueprint to beat this team, is to have a team that is athletic, size to play sully, and a team that plays great defense. If we had a sharpshooter like Diebler of a year ago, I would be less worried. Buford, and Thomas could hit the 3, but they are real inconsistent. Teams like Kentucky, Syracuse, Baylor, and Missouri are the teams I fear the most come next month. I hope we get into a bracket with North Carolina, or Duke. Both of them are pretty soft, I love our chances against them.

This team is the polar opposite of last year. Last years team could run up and down the court and get transition 3's. We have more speed at the wing positions but Deshaun Thomas is a lot slower than David Lighty and nowhere near the defender. We are a better defensive team because everyone has improved since last year, but our offense struggles without a constant 3 point shooter. This team is more built to slow it down and run a half court offense. Unfortunately this teams exhausts so much energy on defense that we rarely push the tempo and get easy buckets. We should have ran Sparty out of the gym but Sully and Deshaun played incredibly lazy yesterday. What pisses me off is that when you're struggling on offense like yesterday, you tell guys to hustle and get easy transition baskets. Well nobody had the energy or will to do that. I mean shoot, I felt liked we got killed on the glass. Also I have no clue how Matta is using Buford. Run some damn plays for him to boost his confidence. Don't just have him come off of screens and expect him to hit fade aways. Also use the damn bench more please.

Oh yeah Tom Izzo said Aaron Craft is the best on ball defender he's ever seen.

To win a title OSU is gonna need Buford and Deshaun to step up period. Those 2 plus Sully are the only guys who can beat a guy 1 on 1, which is what you need versus great man to man teams.

Buford is hot early. Also you guys are gonna love Sam Thompson in the future. Kid is an athletic freak. Just needs to learn how to hit a jump shot.

Ohio State is playing like a team that is pissed off.

To win a title, you're going to need Kentucky to have an off night.

I'm not typically "that guy". Two years ago, I said Kansas was the best team. Last year I said we weren't even a top 10 team.

This year, though, we are the best team in college basketball and it's not really close.

Can we get upset? Sure. But no one is just better than us.

Kentucky can not slip up at all if OSU and Syracuse are at their best

Uconn might miss the tourney

Your assistant coaches do not know what they are doing. Too much 1 on 1 NBA iso going on. Guys are not hustling in transition.

Kemba held Uconn together. He was the leader and go to guy. I knew the Huskies would struggle without him, but not this bad. Uconn has top 5 talent but bottom 5 chemistry. Things need to start clicking NOW or they are screwed. Not having Calhoun is awful timing for them too because I have no idea what the assistant coaches are doing. As of right now they are one and done in the tourney.

Anyways, looking forward to tonights game!

Since my wife is feeling ill tonight I'll actually get to watch the entire Buckeyes game.. hopefully it's not a let down... LET's GO BUCKS

Hmmph.. usual slow start by Buckeyes

horrible start!

Geez.. I wish for once they would come out of the gate just firing on all cylinders. The turnovers, the stupid stuff and penalties. Arrggh.

Jay Bilas just said Buford is clutch, ummm

LMAO

Umm.. is there some reason why we are raining misses from the 3 and not working it inside to Sully?