Jester;676457 wrote:Also, I went to bdubs to watch the game, so I couldn't pay attention as closely as I would have liked. Why did Thomas only get a few minutes playing time?

His shot was off and when you get fewer possessions in a game (like against Wisconsin) you need high percentage shooters in there.

centralbucksfan;676643 wrote:LOL...comical. OSU losses and its ALL ON DIEBLER. The usual for our knowitall Dynasty. Such a hater. He has been waiting all year for yesterday and was probaby happy OSU lost so he could run to the OC and spout off. I woulda bet money before even coming on today that his was going to happen. OSU is 24-1, Diebler sucks and Matta can't coach. Fucking clueless.

I fail to see where anyone said the loss was all on Diebler and that Matta can't coach.

dynasty has posted enough nonsense for me to have built a sufficient immunity.

centralbucksfan;676643 wrote:LOL...comical. OSU losses and its ALL ON DIEBLER. The usual for our knowitall Dynasty. Such a hater. He has been waiting all year for yesterday and was probaby happy OSU lost so he could run to the OC and spout off. I woulda bet money before even coming on today that his was going to happen. OSU is 24-1, Diebler sucks and Matta can't coach. Fucking clueless.

First off, I would have said the same thing about Diebler's play yesterday whether they won or lost.

Secondly, you need to quit being so defensive of everything OSU.

Diebler didn't play well yesterday, and yes, it was expected. A big game and he just doesn't show up and yet plays too many minutes.

I never said it was all on Diebler, but when you lose a close game and have a starter who plays 35+ minutes and fails to make an impact on the game, it certainly doesn't help. And again, it's not just offensively. He looked bad defensively.

Go watch a replay of Sullinger's 3 at the end and explain to me what the hell Diebler was doing. He just does things that you don't expect from a senior who has played as many minutes as he has.

Will OSU bounce back? Absolutely. But Diebler's inconsistency really scares me in a tournament game where Matta relies on 5 guys to do it all and you have to worry about one of them showing up.

ytownfootball;676649 wrote:dynasty has posted enough nonsense for me to have built a sufficient immunity.

No, this is nonsense:

ytownfootball;676470 wrote:Diebler has more assists on his side to Sully than anyone I'm willing to bet, if he ain't raining threes he has no value to some of you lol.

And yes, when he's not shooting the ball (really his only asset), he has no value.

thedynasty1998;676633 wrote:Most teams are not doubling Sullinger off the entry pass so your point isn't as correct as you might believe. Most are doubling from the back side big or off of Craft on the dribble.

Why do you think they don't double off the pass? Could it have something to do with the guys passing him the ball? They can't double off of Diebler because he is shooting almost 50% from 3. Agree or disagree with that? And I already said they have to double from elsewhere which opens up a shot for Buford, a driving lane for Lighty, or a dunk for Lauderdale. Perhaps you didn't read that or just chose to ignore it.

More often than not in college basketball a double team on a post player isn't coming from the passer. It's just too easy to see and pass out of.

So you are saying average college level post players are more skilled at recognizing where double teams are coming from and are able to easily pass out of? Interesting.

What?

I'm saying teams often don't double off the pass because it's easier to identify.

Leonardo;674269 wrote:They had that at Fostoria too.

I remember him and Aaron Craft's older brother running through the 7th grade season. I'll always remember watching him throw down 49 on the road against Willard, snapping Willard's 4+ year home Northern Ohio League winning streak in his freshman year.

That article actually says 3,208 points from 2003-2007 at Upper Sandusky. He actually played his freshman year at Fostoria.

I'll never forget seeing Diebler his sophomore year in a tournament game at Ashland University vs. Port Clinton. Went with a buddy of mine because we heard how good he and his brother were. All he did was score 25 in the first quarter, hit about 6 or 7 threes in that quarter, before cooling off when his team was up by 20. All of the fans seated next to us were pretty much neutral observers there to see the circus act, and everyone was blown away.

That said, I thought he would have more of an impact at OSU, but he's still had a good career and is well-deserving of the 3-pt record. Great kid and glad he's a Buckeye.

I rarely if ever post on this site. I enjoy (for the most part) just reading the discussion. But I have grown so annoyed and frustrated at the Diebler bashing from OSU fans, whether it's in person, on the local radio, or on this site. I am the first to admit he is not a perfect player by any means. He is too one-dimensional and passive to be an elite college basketball player. I would rather him play 30-35 mins a game instead of the 35-40 he typically plays. But he is an elite shooter and a smart and unselfish player. It's obviously not hurting us too much (39-4 in the last 43 games) that Matta doesn't use the bench as much as some fans (including myself) would like.

It just kills me this belief that he "disappears for big games" and is a world beater against the little sisters of the poor. He has had some horrible big game performances (@Butler, Tennessee in the tourney, etc.) and he did not have a particularly good game (at least in the first half) against Wisky on Saturday. But to say that he disappears in nearly every big game and vets like Buford and Lighty always show up and play great in big games couldn't be further from the truth. I just went to espn.com and spent a few minutes picking out some examples of Diebler playing well in big games.

Last season:

Cal- 14 pts (7 shot attempts)
FSU- 22 pts (13 shot attempts); Buford was 1-12 from the field that game BTW. I doubt that was discussed/criticized nearly as much by Buckeye fans as a Diebler off game.
@MSU- 12 pts (10 shot attempts)
@Illinois- 18 pts (11 shot attempts, 4 rebs, 4 steals)
Semis/Finals of Big Ten Tourney- 33 pts, 7 rebs, 3 assists, 5 steals, 0 turnovers
1st 2 rounds of NCAA Tourney- 43 pts (11-21 on threes)

This Season

@Florida-14 pts (8 shot attempts, 4 assists)
@Illinois-15 pts (6 shot attempts)
Purdue- 13 pts, 8 rebs, 6 assists
@Minnesota- 10 pts, 3 assists, 3 rebs, 1 blk, 1 steal

Could I go through and pick a few big games where he did not play well? Of course. But you could do the same thing with Buford and Lighty. Maybe not quite as many, but I'm sure you could find a few. I'm not sure why some fans can't let the Diebler hate go and just enjoy this team, but I'm just glad that I can.

mward31;678165 wrote:I'm not sure why some fans can't let the Diebler hate go and just enjoy this team, but I'm just glad that I can.

Good post. I think a lot of people had unrealistic expectations for Diebler because of how prolific of a scorer he was in HS. I mean even Lighty said in the article I posted that he expected Diebler to average 50 a game or whatever it was. Those points had a lot to do with the system they ran. It is run and gun from the opening tip and from what I can recall when I actually played against Diebler's dad's team way back when, they had set fastbreaks off of opponents free throws. Obviously Diebler is talented as a basketball player but I don't think he was that highly regarded coming out of high school outside of Ohio. I don't think he was a McDonald's All American or anything. And you bring up a good point, Buford is rarely criticized when he has an off game. He was a McD's AA as well as Mr Basketball and it was thought by many that he would leave for the NBA following his freshman year.

This.

Even the Diebler Nut Huggers know he's not an All American. But you have to be extremely far-removed from basketball reality to think that John Diebler is not an invaluable key to OSU's success. For those who enjoy critiquing all of his weaknesses...do you expect him to blow up the stat book every big game? To whom would you rather give his minutes in this 7 man rotation?

This.

Even the Diebler Nut Huggers know he's not an All American. But you have to be extremely far-removed from basketball reality to think that John Diebler is not an invaluable key to OSU's success. For those who enjoy critiquing all of his weaknesses...do you expect him to blow up the stat book every big game? To whom would you rather give his minutes in this 7 man rotation?

mward31;678165 wrote:I rarely if ever post on this site. I enjoy (for the most part) just reading the discussion. But I have grown so annoyed and frustrated at the Diebler bashing from OSU fans, whether it's in person, on the local radio, or on this site. I am the first to admit he is not a perfect player by any means. He is too one-dimensional and passive to be an elite college basketball player. I would rather him play 30-35 mins a game instead of the 35-40 he typically plays. But he is an elite shooter and a smart and unselfish player. It's obviously not hurting us too much (39-4 in the last 43 games) that Matta doesn't use the bench as much as some fans (including myself) would like.

It just kills me this belief that he "disappears for big games" and is a world beater against the little sisters of the poor. He has had some horrible big game performances (@Butler, Tennessee in the tourney, etc.) and he did not have a particularly good game (at least in the first half) against Wisky on Saturday. But to say that he disappears in nearly every big game and vets like Buford and Lighty always show up and play great in big games couldn't be further from the truth. I just went to espn.com and spent a few minutes picking out some examples of Diebler playing well in big games.

Last season:

Cal- 14 pts (7 shot attempts)
FSU- 22 pts (13 shot attempts); Buford was 1-12 from the field that game BTW. I doubt that was discussed/criticized nearly as much by Buckeye fans as a Diebler off game.
@MSU- 12 pts (10 shot attempts)
@Illinois- 18 pts (11 shot attempts, 4 rebs, 4 steals)
Semis/Finals of Big Ten Tourney- 33 pts, 7 rebs, 3 assists, 5 steals, 0 turnovers
1st 2 rounds of NCAA Tourney- 43 pts (11-21 on threes)

This Season

@Florida-14 pts (8 shot attempts, 4 assists)
@Illinois-15 pts (6 shot attempts)
Purdue- 13 pts, 8 rebs, 6 assists
@Minnesota- 10 pts, 3 assists, 3 rebs, 1 blk, 1 steal

Could I go through and pick a few big games where he did not play well? Of course. But you could do the same thing with Buford and Lighty. Maybe not quite as many, but I'm sure you could find a few. I'm not sure why some fans can't let the Diebler hate go and just enjoy this team, but I'm just glad that I can.

mward31;678165 wrote:I rarely if ever post on this site. I enjoy (for the most part) just reading the discussion. But I have grown so annoyed and frustrated at the Diebler bashing from OSU fans, whether it's in person, on the local radio, or on this site. I am the first to admit he is not a perfect player by any means. He is too one-dimensional and passive to be an elite college basketball player. I would rather him play 30-35 mins a game instead of the 35-40 he typically plays. But he is an elite shooter and a smart and unselfish player. It's obviously not hurting us too much (39-4 in the last 43 games) that Matta doesn't use the bench as much as some fans (including myself) would like.

It just kills me this belief that he "disappears for big games" and is a world beater against the little sisters of the poor. He has had some horrible big game performances (@Butler, Tennessee in the tourney, etc.) and he did not have a particularly good game (at least in the first half) against Wisky on Saturday. But to say that he disappears in nearly every big game and vets like Buford and Lighty always show up and play great in big games couldn't be further from the truth. I just went to espn.com and spent a few minutes picking out some examples of Diebler playing well in big games.

Last season:

Cal- 14 pts (7 shot attempts)
FSU- 22 pts (13 shot attempts); Buford was 1-12 from the field that game BTW. I doubt that was discussed/criticized nearly as much by Buckeye fans as a Diebler off game.
@MSU- 12 pts (10 shot attempts)
@Illinois- 18 pts (11 shot attempts, 4 rebs, 4 steals)
Semis/Finals of Big Ten Tourney- 33 pts, 7 rebs, 3 assists, 5 steals, 0 turnovers
1st 2 rounds of NCAA Tourney- 43 pts (11-21 on threes)

This Season

@Florida-14 pts (8 shot attempts, 4 assists)
@Illinois-15 pts (6 shot attempts)
Purdue- 13 pts, 8 rebs, 6 assists
@Minnesota- 10 pts, 3 assists, 3 rebs, 1 blk, 1 steal

Could I go through and pick a few big games where he did not play well? Of course. But you could do the same thing with Buford and Lighty. Maybe not quite as many, but I'm sure you could find a few. I'm not sure why some fans can't let the Diebler hate go and just enjoy this team, but I'm just glad that I can.

This.

Even the Diebler Nut Huggers know he's not an All American. But you have to be extremely far-removed from basketball reality to think that John Diebler is not an invaluable key to OSU's success. For those who enjoy critiquing all of his weaknesses...do you expect him to blow up the stat book every big game? To whom would you rather give his minutes in this 7 man rotation?

goodifitgoes;678421 wrote:To whom would you rather give his minutes in this 7 man rotation?

This guy.


Don't remember what game it was, maybe Minnesota, but the camera panned down the bench and it showed Kecman wearing a huge wristwatch. Not sure why but I thought it was pretty funny. He knew he wasn't going to play and probably didn't even bother putting his jersey on.

I say we trade Diebler for Dante Jackson.

ccrunner609;678569 wrote:Michigan (OSU only won by 4), 39 minutes, 9 points, 1 rb, 1 asst
Wisky, 40 minutes, 9 points, 2 rbs, 2 asst
Northwestern, 40 minutes (1 point win), 3 points, 3 rbs, 1 asst

Vs Michigan in the 4 point win. 3-5
Vs Northwestern in 1 point win. 1-4
Vs Wisky in loss. 2-5 and 4-4 from the line.

6-14 43% shooting in those 3 games. 7-9 from the FT line.

ccrunner609;678777 wrote:14 shots in 119 minutes of basketball....that is pretty much disappearing to me.

Why because he doesn't touch the ball every trip? Because the offense is not ran through him?

That averages out to be a lil over 4 shots per 40 minutes of game play....thats kinda bad

He touches the ball almost every position. To use the excuse of the offense not being run through his is weak. In order for him to have any value he needs at least 6-7 shots per game.

Look up Lighty's stats in the 3 games ccrunner mentioned. He did have a few more assists, but he didn't have any big numbers in those games either. Where is the pure hatred for him dynasty?

To be fair to Lighty, he does contribute a little more than Diebler on the defensive side of the court.

I understand that. He also takes bad shots at times, as does Buford for that matter and we don't hear much about it other than the moment it happens. Diebler gets ripped for not taking bad shots and has been as long as dynasty has had a keyboard.

ccrunner609;678569 wrote:Michigan (OSU only won by 4), 39 minutes, 9 points, 1 rb, 1 asst
Wisky, 40 minutes, 9 points, 2 rbs, 2 asst
Northwestern, 40 minutes (1 point win), 3 points, 3 rbs, 1 asst

This response doesn't impress me too much. First of all, I admitted that Diebler has had a few big games where he has disappeared. Secondly, 2 of your 3 examples are likely NIT teams (the Wildcats may not make it to that). Those are big games? And finally, 2 of your 3 examples are games in which Diebler scored a whopping 2 pts under his season average.

Since your qualifications for a big game obviously just mean a Big Ten game, let's look at David Lighty's scoring in 2 narrow wins (@NW, PSU) and this Saturday's loss at Wisky. 17 total pts on 15 shots in 105 minutes of basketball. I'm not trying to pick on Lighty because he is the heart and soul of this team and is a phenomenal defensive player, but his offensive disappearing act has never been brought up to me from fellow OSU fans. Seldom do I hear fans complaining about Buford's occasional awful shot selection, Lighty's subpar free throw shooting, Craft's turnovers, etc. But if Diebler has a bad game, forget about it. Whether it's Common Man and The Torg, co-workers, friends, or people on this board, everyone has to get their two cents in about JD. I don't get it.