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2012-13 Men's Basketball (B1G Tourney Champs, NCAA Elite Eight)

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bkochmc said:
I absolutely hate defending TV Ted, but he called a block on that one. The other official called a charge and overruled TV.

Now excuse me while I go clean my eyes with soap...
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Since I sort of brought that call up how our you sure that it was TV called a block:huh: and I am trying to understand how one official overrules another official.
 
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Amir Williams’ swat-but-not night — six blocked shots without a single rebound — pretty much sums up Ohio State’s season. The sophomore center is a mystery wrapped within the enigma of a team that tries its best to puzzle you.

Just as Williams can show glimpses of the McDonald’s high-school All-American he was — those career-high six blocks — then get devoured like a Big Mac on the boards, so the Buckeyes can look like an NCAA Tournament tiger — see the win over Michigan and near upset of Duke — but turn around and lose badly to Illinois.

Exhibit A of the perplexing up-and-down play arrived courtesy of Iowa last night at Value City Arena, where 14th-ranked Ohio State controlled the Hawkeyes — at one point leading by 24 points — then nearly squandered the lead before pulling out a 72-63 win.

Like Williams, the Buckeyes have so much talent, but at times show so little skill. Evan Ravenel is the only senior, so it is fair to say Ohio State is a victim of its own youth. The lack of staying power shows in Williams, Sam Thompson and LaQuinton Ross, three sophomores who one media member dubbed the Bermuda Triangle of Ohio State basketball:Their games are out there somewhere, sometimes visible, but then disappear in a blink.

But to pin the inconsistency only on those three players would not be accurate, because junior Lenzelle Smith Jr. also comes and goes like the wind. And against Iowa, junior point guard Aaron Craft was uncharacteristically hit-and-miss, scoring 12 points but committing six turnovers against five assists.

Coach Thad Matta said his players are exhausted because he has worked them harder in practice than any team in recent memory, but Matta also has eyes like the rest of us. He sees irregularities that are not yet alarming but concerning nonetheless.

“The biggest thing with this team we keep searching for is consistency,” Matta said. “I’ll take consistency over greatness. I don’t need a great play. I need consistent play.”

The good news for Ohio State is there remains time to find the consistency Matta seeks.

“On Jan. 22 (in the past), we’ve been this way before,” he said.

Last year comes to mind. The Buckeyes were stuck in neutral during stretches of the 2011-12 season but put things together late and made a run to the Final Four. I do not suggest this bunch is in for a similar route, but there remains room for intelligent tinkering. Ross, for one, will continue to collect playing time as his game develops. Shannon Scott already is smoother than he was two months ago.
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more http://buckeyextra.dispatch.com/content/stories/2013/01/23/on-the-lookout-for-betterconsistency.html
 
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This is sort of interesting but it doesn't bother me that scoring is down a little in college basketball games but it seems to bother Jay Bilas .
Jay Bilas ‏@JayBilas Scoring is down (again) in college hoop: http://bit.ly/WvjpWi The game has been in decline, and nobody is in charge to address it.
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From the article referenced
The scoring drought in college basketball looks very bad on paper.

It looks even worse on television.

Sometimes I imagine ESPN's GameDay staff - Digger Phelps, Jay Bilas, Jalen Rose and Co. - coming on the air from inside a cemetery. In the background is a gravestone. The camera zooms in on an inscription that reads: "The Fast Break. R.I.P."

A story in The Virginian-Pilot on Monday, chock full of decimal points and percentages, confirmed the offensive decline that is apparent to anyone who watches a lot of college basketball.

The fast break is all but extinct, but other reasons are given for the depression in scoring and shooting accuracy: one-and-done freshmen, more physical and perimeter-oriented defenses, lack of good big men and better schemes because of the availability of so much scouting video.

One reason often not included, perhaps because it's self-evident, is that too many coaches have taken a simple game and squeezed the life out of it. Like Virginia's Tony Bennett, whose team milks the clock and suppresses its scoring, taking the excitement out of the game.

A reputation for good defense goes hand-in-hand with this approach, but often, the best defense is simply a case of limiting possessions by the opponent. It's a strategy that often works for U.Va. - just not when the Cavaliers are scoring 44 points, as they did in a recent loss at Clemson. But what does it do for the overall popularity of basketball?

Teams that are a chore to watch have always been with us. But even programs noted for uptempo styles are contributing to the drought. Kentucky scored 55 in a loss to Alabama on Tuesday, the same night Kansas won despite scoring only 59.
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Seems like UM will be elevated to #1 next week. It is amazing how they can be bad for as long as they have been, and then their best team in almost 20 years happens to be in a season when the top of college basketball is one of the weakest it has been in history. It is going to be a real struggle to figure out ahead of time which team will win the tourney this year, as there haven't really been any teams that have dominated this year. Very high number of upsets against top-10 teams lately.
 
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New level of futility set by Northern Illinois today... First half: 3.2% from the field, one field goal, 4 points. All records. 8-61 from the field for the game for 13.1%, also a new record. And I'm sure the 1-33 (3%) from 3 point range is also a record for a team that makes at least one 3 pointer. They got on fire and scored 21 in the second half to avoid the record low score (20 by St. Louis in 2008). Amazingly, they only lost by 17, Eastern Michigan only scored 42 for the game.
 
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bkochmc;2297073; said:
New level of futility set by Northern Illinois today... First half: 3.2% from the field, one field goal, 4 points. All records. 8-61 from the field for the game for 13.1%, also a new record. And I'm sure the 1-33 (3%) from 3 point range is also a record for a team that makes at least one 3 pointer. They got on fire and scored 21 in the second half to avoid the record low score (20 by St. Louis in 2008). Amazingly, they only lost by 17, Eastern Michigan only scored 42 for the game.
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Burning Jay Bilas' chaps with some maction.

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Matta was at a loss to explain his suddenly foul-prone players putting Iowa and Penn State into the free-throw bonus early in the second half. It wasn’t fatal, but it caused Matta to jokingly wonder if spreading the minutes among more players has resulted in some playing more carelessly. “I never had this problem when I played five guys. They didn’t foul. And everybody ripped my (rear end) for that,” Matta said, with a smile. “We have to play smarter, (with better) positioning, (better) understanding of what (the opponent is) trying to do.”Defensive rebounding was a big problem against Iowa but none whatsoever against Penn State, so wait and see on that. After scoring 28 points in the loss at Michigan State, Thomas totaled 27 in the two victories, including a season-low 11 at Penn State. But considering the big picture, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
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http://buckeyextra.dispatch.com/content/stories/2013/01/28/buckeyes-hang-tough-in-big-ten.html
 
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OSU_Buckguy;2298641; said:
interesting to think that we may have the best defender and the best all-around scorer in all of division one.
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but if you listen to some people (alot of fans, national pundits, idiots on 97.1) this Buckeyes team isnt that talented. Youd think it was the mid 90's with the way some people like to talk. There is a TON of talent on this squad imo and if they just put some of that together watch out!
 
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Brought this from the Williams thread:
Posted by dragurd
The only problem I have with Matta is how stubbornly he sticks to his rotations. Amir was a beast in the beginning of the game but instead of riding it Matta goes to the bench and puts Ravenal in on schedule. Same with players that are struggling mightly during the game they all seem to get roughly the same amount of minutes goood or bad.
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I agree and it Williams. It has happened in a few other games this season but last night against Nebraska the starting five was playing exceptionally well but Thad went to his rotation again of bringing Scott, ER, and Q. into the game. I wish that Matta would have road the starting five until they started showing signs of wearing down or started to play sloppy. I know that almost all coaches tend to do this and it just boggles my mind why they have to stick to their "rotation" every single game. I know that 5 guys cannot play the entire game but why not ride them while they are playing extremely well together.
 
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