Buckeyes can gain some redemption here with a win against the Illini. Having said that, I'm beginning to wonder if this young Buckeye team has peaked?

I sure hope not, but they do need to regain their confidence and start building some momentum heading forward...Bucks by double digits.

OSU wins by 15.

Regardless of a win, a better game plan would be nice to see.

Me and You;1090936 wrote:Regardless of a win, a better game plan would be nice to see.

Out of curiosity, if you had Coach Matta's ear, what would you suggest? I'd like to see more dribble penetration and less walking the ball up after a made shot, for starters.

Ohio State by 34. I'm not kidding. Has a team ever tanked like Illinois? This is going to be a get well game for OSU.

vball10set;1090945 wrote:Out of curiosity, if you had Coach Matta's ear, what would you suggest? I'd like to see more dribble penetration and less walking the ball up after a made shot, for starters.

Pushing the pace could be a decent way to get the offense rolling. I think Sully needs to tought he ball at least 15 times a half. If they double down then have a shooter spotting up. If not more motion. THey jsut stand around.

OSU by 25. If Illinois actually tries, then OSU by 16


As for what I would tell Matta:

1. You are the more talented team on 95% of the nights. Push the pace. More possessions with more talent usuallys results in more possessions "won".
2. Try some pick and rolls with Sully. He can hit the shot, and if not Craft will be able to penetrate and create issues even if he doesnt score. He has troubel penetrating alone.
3. Swing the ball around until Sully has his man pinned. When he does, he touches it. Emphasize on getting the ball inside. This team cant shoot, so the best time to do so is on a kick out. They can hit those, they cant hit it when they settle though.

Me and You;1090996 wrote:Pushing the pace could be a decent way to get the offense rolling. I think Sully needs to tought he ball at least 15 times a half. If they double down then have a shooter spotting up. If not more motion. THey jsut stand around.

good points, and welcome

After the Mich St loss, one of Matta's quotes was..."We must stay together". I noticed some churping on the floor between Buckeye players. After reading what Matta said, I'm wondering if there are some internal problems on this team? Also here it is late Feburary and I still do not see a bona fide leader on this team...After the last few years, boy are we Buckeye fans spoiled or what???...lol

holdingout;1091237 wrote: Also here it is late Feburary and I still do not see a bona fide leader on this team...After the last few years, boy are we Buckeye fans spoiled or what???...lol

I've contended this for quite some time, but some on this board think it's overrated. I for one think it's not only obvious, but a huge factor in recent games.

I don't necessarily feel a bona fide leader is a necessity but I do think showing some passion on the court is needed. Most of the time that translates to the appearance of being a leader I guess but that's not how I would define one. There's too much whining about the reffing (justified but not helpful) and I've stated before I'd like Matta to get T'd up to instill some fire if no one else sees the need or has the nuts to do so.

^^^Its never justified to whine about officials, imo. Hardly ever do they affect the outcome of the game.

IMO, a leader is passionate about winning and will do whatever it takes to achieve this---so I think we're in agreement here.

This game should not be within 20 points.

Laley23;1091285 wrote:^^^Its never justified to whine about officials, imo. Hardly ever do they affect the outcome of the game.

From players no, is my point. They need to stfu and hustle back, now Matta on the other hand, seems to be finding it difficult to instill focus, passion, concentration, sense of urgency or whatever this team desperately lacks, getting T'd up in defense of your guys is a means to that end and easily attainable.

As B1G'ers we can moan all we want about the refs...

ytownfootball;1091292 wrote:From players no, is my point. They need to stfu and hustle back, now Matta on the other hand, seems to be finding it difficult to instill focus, passion, concentration, sense of urgency or whatever this team desperately lacks, getting T'd up in defense of your guys is a means to that end and easily attainable.

As B1G'ers we can moan all we want about the refs...

Gotcha. Yeah, I wish Crean would get a T (1 in 4 years if Im correct).

I think a coach should get on officials within reason to help there team down the road in that same game. But I have yet to see a game in my life (save the WV - Cuse game this year) where officials actually robbed a team of a win/chance to win.

Within reason I agree,and maybe not enough to rob a team of a W, but certainly enough to influence calls going forth (Izzo, Ryan).

ytownfootball;1091305 wrote:Within reason I agree,and maybe not enough to rob a team of a W, but certainly enough to influence calls going forth (Izzo, Ryan).

Yeah, calls can definitely influence a game. But they never really decide it. In the end, its all about players and execution.

Laley23;1091308 wrote:Yeah, calls can definitely influence a game. But they never really decide it. In the end, its all about players and execution.

...and putting the fucking ball into the fucking basket!!!

Mulva;1091289 wrote:This game should not be within 20 points.

It shouldn't but if it isn't at least a double-digit "W" at home, you can just about bet the ranch the the post-season will be a short ride home for the Buckeyes.

I honestly sense some internal issues on this team at the moment. They don't look comfortable playing together right now. Matta looks like he's ready to have a stroke, Sully needs to wipe that stupid grin off his face, Buford needs to wake-up, and Craft needs to stop thinking he's a three-point shooter.

There...Now Go Bucks!

believer;1091747 wrote:It shouldn't but if it isn't at least a double-digit "W" at home, you can just about bet the ranch the the post-season will be a short ride home for the Buckeyes.

I honestly sense some internal issues on this team at the moment. They don't look comfortable playing together right now. Matta looks like he's ready to have a stroke, Sully needs to wipe that stupid grin off his face, Buford needs to wake-up, and Craft needs to stop thinking he's a three-point shooter.

There...Now Go Bucks!

You make some good observations except for the last sentence. Craft is the only real constant on this team, and the only reason he's even attempting three's is because he needs to keep the opposing defenses honest. IMO Craft is trying his ass off to keep this team together, and once WB starts knocking down shots again, you'll see better results. I hope.

With the way OSU has played in 2 of last 3 games, I am not overly confident they are going to blow out ILL in this game like some think. I am hoping for a 10-15 pt win. But a game within 10pts wouldnt' surprise me at all.
As far as a game plan...how about making some baskets. No offense, but its not time to reinvent the wheel. Its really about knocking down some shots to loosen up a defense. When you shoot as poorly as OSU has in their losses to MSU and UM, it doesn't matter what the hell you run. And when you aren't knocking down outside shots, the defense is going to colapse on Sully.
I have said and Matta mentioned this the other day that OSU needs to get in attack mode. They are playing passively on offense. Attack the basket, get to the FT line and make things happen. Be aggressive. I would like to see more toughness from this team when adversity hits. These are things they were doing early in season when they were playing well.

** Craft stop shooting 3's? WTF? He has taken a grand total of 37 threes on the season. That is just over 1 attempt per game. lol

vball10set;1091763 wrote:. IMO Craft is trying his ass off to keep this team together, and once WB starts knocking down shots again, you'll see better results. I hope.

Agree.The thing with Buford is also magnified because he is really the only legit perimeter shooter OSU has. Last year, if Diebler was off, Buford or Lighty was there to offset, or vise versa. This year, except for Thomas occasionally drifting outside, OSU has no other legit perimeter shooters. Thus the Buford shooting poorly is magnified 10x.

centralbucksfan;1091793 wrote:Agree.The thing with Buford is also magnified because he is really the only legit perimeter shooter OSU has. Last year, if Diebler was off, Buford or Lighty was there to offset, or vise versa. This year, except for Thomas occasionally drifting outside, OSU has no other legit perimeter shooters. Thus the Buford shooting poorly is magnified 10x.

Not sure what happened to Thomas stepping back. Early in the season it looked like he was going to fill that role adequately, now he doesn't seem to look for that shot.