It's been a long offseason for OSU
Dials could be best in Big Ten
The image of Matt Sylvester draining the 3-pointer is still there in the minds of Ohio State players and coaches. It was the perfect finish to a bittersweet ending - upsetting No. 1 and undefeated Illinois at the buzzer last March.
That's how Ohio State closed the 2004-05 regular season. The Buckeyes reached the second round of the Big Ten tournament, but were ineligible for postseason play. So, Ohio State was left in the offseason to think about the Illinois win and how it could carry that momentum into the beginning of this season, coach Thad Matta's second in Columbus.
Question: How good can Terence Dials be?
Answer: Ohio State coaches are trying to convince Dials he is one of the best big men in the Big Ten. Dials, who averaged 15.9 points and 7.9 rebounds last season, showed he could be a dominant post player when he started to put up big numbers against conference foes near the end of the season.
By that point, the OSU coaches were telling Dials, a second-team All Big Ten player, he could thrive in the league.
That sort of confidence-building exercise will continue this preseason. The coaches feel they just need to get Dials to believe in his ability more and the predictions of him being a Big Ten first-teamer could come true.
He's best playing with his back to the basket. Now that opposing coaches know how good he is, however, Dials will have to become better at passing out of double teams to open shooters or cutters.
Q: How much should Ohio State be concerned about outside shooting?
A: While it's true the player who made the most 3s for OSU last season, Tony Stockman, is gone, the top two 3-point percentage players, Je'Kel Foster and J.J. Sullinger, are both returning starters.
Foster will be the main outside threat, while Sullinger, more of a swingman, will take far fewer attempts than Foster.
Bowling Green transfer Ron Lewis will likely make an impact. He made 34 percent of his 3s two years ago at Bowling Green, and is expected to provide significant scoring immediately. His presence could relieve some pressure on Foster to make several 3-pointers every game.
Q: Will Sylvester's role change?
A: Probably not, but why should it? The former Moeller player filled an essential role off the bench last season as a player who averaged 8.0 points per game.
He'll likely remain the Buckeyes' sixth man with a starter's mentality when it comes to scoring opportunities.
Q: Don't the Buckeyes have to worry about being ineligible for the postseason again this year?
A: Most likely, no, though they won't find out for sure for two more months. The program has a hearing with the NCAA Infractions committee Dec. 9-10 when Ohio State will learn of any further sanctions to be levied for violations that occurred under former coach Jim O'Brien. The NCAA will likely forego placing any more postseason restrictions on OSU, which banned itself from the postseason in 2004-05. More likely, Ohio State could face a loss of scholarships.
Q: With only 10 players on scholarship, won't depth be a problem?
A: It could be, though it's not as if the Buckeyes will have a 10-player rotation - probably more like seven or eight players. Ohio State doesn't want starting point guard Jamar Butler to get in foul trouble because he's such a reliable ball-handler. Junior college transfer Sylvester Mayes can slide in at point guard and could push Butler for the starting spot.
