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Marquette University @ No. 20 Ohio State Buckeyes, Tue 11/18, 7:30p ET, ESPN2

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The talent and the pieces are there for this team to develop into a really tough out. Certain guys are going to have to come to an understanding regarding how they can best fill a role and help the team succeed. The passing yesterday was pretty good - guys were sharing the ball and looking for each other. At times those passes may have been of the circus variety and may not have been the best decision, but the thought is there.

Guys like Russell, in particular, can really thrive in this offense, but they (he) need to look to do it while playing the right way. Don't try to dribble through two guys when you have a wide open pass available. Don't throw a pass backward over your shoulder when you can go up for a layup. These are things the young guys will hopefully learn and clean up as the season goes. Along with that, the three-headed big man monster of Amir/Trey/Lee can do some good things. Hopefully Anthony Lee becomes more comfortable in the offense, as well as defensively, and is a low-post threat that this team desparately needs.
 
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Jake said:
I'll take a good shooting team with defensive deficiencies early in the season. Shooting doesn't typically improve once conference games start. Defense can get better as guys understand their assignments and with increased effort.
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I really hope the defensive deficiencies are just an early season lull, but I'm not so sure. The zone defense can be good, but when you are not active enough, don't have active hands, and are slow to react to quick passes, that's a bad sign. Thad Matta has been a VERY good defensive coach in his time at OSU, but one thing I struggle with is his insistence on going with one strategy and never wavering from that. Traditionally he's a man-to-man guy, and yes he will sometimes mix in the 2-2-1 token press, but depending on the year, his teams are either all man-to-man, or all zone. Why not switch it up at times? This may be a young team without a ton of great defenders, but there are some really good athletes out there. Switch from man to zone at times and force the opponent to change their plan during play.

This zone is not a 'Cuse zone. Not even close. Good teams will learn to pick it apart if OSU does not improve tremendously on that side of the court.
 
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RB07OSU said:
Well, first off...I miss Craft so, so bad...not because how we performed, but because I miss him. But this team has a ton of athleticism and talent. Russell has a comfortable shot, quick penetration, and a sweet shot. Tate is supremely gifted around the ball and I am thrilled with his ability. KBD has a ton of talent and has a way smoother shot than I expected. Kam Williams can light it up from behind the arc and has some nice complimentary pieces to his offense that does not make him one dimensional. The shooting is much better and the young guys are comfortable scorers.

I figured I would start with the positives. Very young team and they do not value each position...passing the ball at times like this is And1 Street Ball. How many traveling calls? Zone defense is almost a must I think because there are no great on-ball defenders other than Scott and Thompson. Lee does not appear to add any dimension to this team...hopefully it just was a bad game. Amir looks improved in some aspects but was lost on post moves regularly and frequently loses position on the boards.

But it was a very good win against a quality opponent early on. This team is insanely talented, we just need to get a better defensive mindset and clean up our passing...of course I'm not shocked either, we are way young. Matta will work his magic and turn this talent into disciplined talent, hopefully early on into the B1G schedule. I will admit I was not incredibly excited about this team coming into the year (perhaps wrestling has shifted my focus with their great team), but the pieces we have has more than piqued my interest.
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I agree with everything except the bolded. Marquette is not a quality opponent. I'll be shocked if they finish above .500.
 
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