Needed Iowa and we need the next three

The recipe for a B1G conference title is win all the home games and half of the away games.  Coming up we have Penn State and Nebraska as the next two road games and Wisky at home.  I consider all three of these games must wins.  Which brings me to last night.

Did we just get lazy?  What happened?  Glad we pulled out a win but that stretch when a 20+ point lead dwindled to 4 had me concerned.  I had to work late and did aDVR catch up so I got nervous and fast played some of the bad stuff.  From what I can see we just eased up to early-  not dissing Iowa's effort- because their refusal to give up and keep fighting was also a factor.

I agree.  The four game stretch Iowa, PSU, UNL, and @Wiscy stood out to me as a must win stretch too. But with the lack of development of this team right now, I'm not confident that they'll pull it off.

I was throwing a conniption-fit that steadily built into an all out melt down as the 2nd period of the Iowa game played out.  Too many stupid turn-overs, players standing around and getting out of position, and a total lack of passion or energy until they saw that the Iowa was in position to actually steal the game.

Matta needs to develop the bench and get them involved in rotations. Also, he needs to work on setting up designed plays.  Sure, if he doesn't have shooting threats outside of Thomas that's a tough job to design high percentage chances; but right now they have nothing going on.  Only 12 assists for the entire team?  That's not top 25 level BB, and this Buckeyes team is not playing like it deserves a top 15 ranking at all.

I was amazed that Williams remained in the game.  He is just awful.  Out of position.  Can NOT handle the ball (count on a turn-over when ever he touches it).  No scoring.  No assists.  With him on the court, the Buckeyes are playing 4 vs 5 when on offense.  The coaches should have him playing at a much higher level by now.  That's just so disappointing.

This team is wandering without a purpose.  They pretty much duplicated their michigan performance, by jumping out to a big lead and holding on.  Have to keep playing with what got the lead, but there were some bad shot selections going on/ coupled with some defensive lapses while Iowa, and michigan, fought their way back into the games. 


The lack of sets really showed up against Michigan State as well.  The inability to create a good shot as the halves ended in that game was poor at best.  Right now, we are playing like a one and done come tournament time.  Hope Matta can get some things going the right way over the next few games and keep them moving that way.    

Did we just get lazy?  What happened?

I couldn't believe that.  Last year teams that tried to press us got dunked on about 99% of the time. 

What in the world is going on?  I know the starters were out when PSU's run started (w/ the press), but it's Penn St.  Same thing as what happened against Iowa - a press leads to a comeback, but they can't hit free throws, so the comeback fails.

I agree CZIMMY, a ranked team with decent ball handlers should be able to break any press.  I gotta believe that got Thad's attention.  On the plus side we saw Thompson step up when Thomas was struggling- maybe that's a good sign.  We need another scorer to emerge.  Tomorrow's game with Wisky is huge- home game- both at 5-2 in the conference with three teams ahead of us in the standings.  We absolutlely need a win to stay in contention.

This team is getting by on getting by.  Good enough to win enough.  Not good enough to beat the best competition consistently.  Not sure what their goals are, but just getting more exposure to playing some games in March is not enough to keep the recruiting train stopping in Columbus.  If they want to be just another better than average team, they will lose out in the years to come, with hungrier, more aggressive teams in the conference. 

I have the same observation having watched all the games this year. I do not believe we have played an all out effort for a full game this year. We had Michigan on the ropes and let them back in the game,and lucky for us the clock ran out or I feel we would of loss that one. The intensity level seems to go away when we get a good lead. Then when our opponents get the momentum and we have a hard time stopping them. This happens with good teams and average teams. I also feel we have been over ranked all year. I hope tonight is the turning point for  a complete game and play up to our ranking. GO BUCKS

It's common nature for a team to let up a bit after building a big lead, and for a good team to step it up a few levels if they're getting hammered. Indiana let up against Minnesota and they almost came back and won, same with the OSU/Michigan game. Good teams are hard to keep down for 40 minutes. In the end all that really matters is a W, be it by 20 or at the buzzer.

5 star post Brownfaninpain.  Throughout the course of the season this team has had me shaking my head wondering.  They have a lot of talent.  They have a very good coach.  They have at times played some great basketball.  Some times it's a shooting drought, some times they are too casual and turn the ball over or forget to block out on the defensive boards.  If they just keep the intensity up for 40 minutes the inconsistent play that drives us all nuts should be minimized.  Getting the most out of our bench players and finding a consistent second scorer will go a long way.  I do think this team still has a lot of potential and I'm going to keep watching.

Thanks for the Comp. I hope we have something good to comment on tomorrow. This is my only Ohio team with anything going or at least a chance.

 This is my only Ohio team with anything going or at least a chance.

Mount Union had a little bit going this year. 

SteveO, One more Win, This was a great defensive game by both teams and this game OSU played the whole game . Once again Williams was MIA , but Ravenal played solid in his place and Craft along with Thomas who was great carried the offense. Still in need of another scorer to step up consistently.Not much bench help which is another concern. Should Ravenal play ahead of Williams? Williams should be more domineering with his size and I question his desire. On to NEB>  GO Bucks

Should Ravenal play ahead of Williams?

He deserves more minutes IMO.  Williams does not seem to be progressing as much as we hoped.  Maybe he will improve during the season.  It seems he does not have that high of a basketball IQ.  Anyway, a complete game last night- good to see.  The only thing that got Wisky the early lead and kept them in were the 3s.  Overall the D was solid- gave up a few open looks from behind the ark, and gave up a couple offensive boards, but I think it was a very good defensive effort.  That shot clock violation in the first have was huge- got the crowd going too.  Any time you can hold a team to 19 field goals and no trips to the foul line, that's good D.  Fortunately Thomas was on his game, though I agree we still need another scorer to step up.  Now we have Nebraska on a Saturday evening-  hopefully I can just relax and sip a few home brews while enjoying a victory. 

I was wanting Matta to bench Williams at the start of the game but I saw something late that gives me hope that Amir might finally get it.

Ravenel is playing very well as well.

Man, I hate Wisconsin.  I was so stoked after that win.   

It was a solid effort, wire to wire.  Did a good job coming out after half time with a fast start, to offset good shooting from Wisconsin...before their drought.  Then when Wisconsin finally answered, and started crawling back into it, which good teams will, we actually answered, which is something I have not seen enough of this year.  The key play in that was Scott's steal, and drive coupled with a really hair brained foul by Jackson.  Ravenal looked good on the floor last night, and deserves more playing time.  Ross was also very good off the bench last night, and I think is that scorer we need to see more of on the court. 

I like the split playing time between Rav and Amir.  Rav off the bench gives the Buckeyes a bit more offense which is nice and Amir starting gives them a defensive big in the middle.  Amir drives me nuts at times but I thought he showed some fire in the 2nd half and when he gets physical he can dominate the boards and get quite a few blocks.  IMO the Buckeyes are improving as the season moves on and some of the role players are showing flashes.  Lenzelle has taken a back seat compared to the way he was scoring early in the season, while Craft, Slam, and LaQ are starting to pick it up on offense.  If Deshaun can continue to average 20ppg during league play then I see tOSU battling for another conference crown.  I think Ross needs more minutes and Matta needs to let him loose.  If this team wants to make another deep run it will depend on LaQ contributing consistently off the bench and Craft scoring double digits per game consistently and I can see both happening.  

Next up, Nebraska.  This will be a test of this team's identity.  Have they turned a corner, or were they just blessed by a very good shooting night by Thomas?  When he's on, the Buckeyes can hand with anyone, and beat anyone, but the test comes from consistency and finding alternatives to lean on.  I know this is a road game, and can't be taken lightly, but the Buckeyes are in need of putting someone down early, and completing a blowout, without having to rely on Thomas to carry the offensive load.  A weak performance even if it's a win doesn't up well for the following game.  It's about winning in March, but team development now is the key. 

Thompson or Ross look to be the pair that need to now step up and show they can be a threat off the bench a viable sixth man. The jury is still out on Williams. I hope he gets it before March because we need a big man to dominate the boards. Rav. can muscle his way around but is a little short for center. I also agree we need to take a team from the opening half , through the final half and show we can a dominate game. Plus as Stevo says a game to sit back and enjoy a few Brewski's instead of drinking out of frustration.

OK- Did not get to relax-  The good- a W, Buckeyes hit over 80% of free throws including 7-8 for Amir, who showed a lot of progress last night.  Smith Jr. had a good game.  The bad- taking the foot of the gas again and letting a team get back in a game we should have put away.  The ugly- the play after we got the 53-38 lead and Almeida.  We play like that and we have no prayer in Ann Arbor