tOSU thoughts

[HutchwasClutch]

Just think how good STJ will be on both ends when he's got a legit big playing next to him.  I said it back in summer that he'll be the most improved.  He's a darn good player.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Only got outrebounded by three. That's much much better than I expected.

Was this because of good positioning or because there were no misses to rebound? OSU only had one offensive rebound.

[NersEllenson]

I thought the uncontested layups came more in the second half when they were gassed. That's going to be a huge problem all season even when Luke is ready.

We did look gassed - and although we only played 8 - I don't feel there is an excuse for the guys to be gassed (other than perhaps Steve/Juan).  Wojo may need to ratchet up the pre-season conditioning.  OSU played 10 guys...we played 8...and chose not to even play 1 of our guys for whatever reason.

[Class71]

Comments

1) Need to learn to guard the back door.

2) Not a knock on Juan but don't we have guards to bring the ball up?

3) Can someone move the ball up faster to cross half court?

4) Freshman type mistake on the open dunk early in the game.

5) Need active playing from everyone on the court looking to either score or set up a score. Passing by someone needs to be more than just getting rid of the ball. There needs to be a purpose.

6) Overall this team is already better than last year's team. We will have some positive surprises this year. STjr gained confidence and it showed in his play against a much stronger team.

7) Team did not give up. They keep coming.

8) Even in a loss this team is fun to watch. They will grow and become better each game. This will be an exciting season.

9) ESPN Announcer's made little Dickie V sound like a professional. They were painful to listen to.

[HutchwasClutch]

I thought the uncontested layups came more in the second half when they were gassed. That's going to be a huge problem all season even when Luke is ready.

The uncontested dunks (I didn't see OSU laying many in!), were because we stunk at defending simple pick and roll plays.

[Vander Blue Man Group]

Not discouraged after this game.  There were some rough spots and some bright spots.

-Taylor missed some bunnies and needs to be a bit more efficient around the rim but overall a nice game for him.  Until Luke is eligible he is indispensable to this team.  Looking forward to him as a senior.
-Carlino is solid.  He will take some bad shots from time to time but he has a nice shot and I'm comfortable when the balls is in his hands.  
-Duane had a nice second half.  Would definitely like to see him earn more time as the season progresses.  Would like to see him and Carlino on the court together as they are both threats to hit from deep.
-Cohen is going to be a player, especially when he puts some weight on.  He could be a very nice piece going forward and if he is a 4 year player he could be very, very good.  
-Deonte is obviously struggling.  Had one nice move around the rim but just a poor night.  We know what he is capable of so I hope this is just a short rough patch.  I'll cut him some slack considering what he's gone through recently.
-JJJ had a tough night shooting - I'll be curious to see how consistent he is from the perimeter.  Had a couple of nice moves and played the passing lanes well at times.  As he finally will get consistent court time I expect to see a much better player come February/March.
-I felt like we got some really nice looks and ball movement against the zone.  It's still early and I don't have a lot to base it on but I think Wojo will be solid from a coaching perspective and will continue to improve.

I'm intrigued to see how this team looks from February on once we get Luke back and the young guys continue to get time and hopefully improve.  There is quite a bit of talent here.  I don't expect an at-large bid but I could see the pieces coming together to win the conference tourney.  

[jesmu84]

Lots of positives.   Guys moved the ball great against the zone.   Didn't hit our shots.  

But our guys had no fire/killer instinct.  Soft mentality to start.   Then I saw way too many uncontested lay ups on D.  Nobody sliding over to help.   You need to have help rotation no matter who you play.    There was some good on D too.

Hopefully as they gain experience they gain that toughness to be competitive on the road.

Hate these types of comments

[Dr. Blackheart]

One more I forgot: Wojo doesn't save his time outs.

[jesmu84]

Maybe it's the players on the roster, or just coincidence, but from the box score it looked a lot like a Buzz game (I only caught the last 8 minutes on TV). Make more FT than they shoot, can't make any 3s, the opponent makes tons of 3s, get it inside to the big guys (Taylor, in this case).

[4everwarriors]

tOSU was very wise to pick us up full court on D. Doesn't take much to wear down 8 dudes over a 40 minute game in that scenario, aina?

[NCMUFan]

Maybe it's the players on the roster, or just coincidence, but from the box score it looked a lot like a Buzz game (I only caught the last 8 minutes on TV). Make more FT than they shoot, can't make any 3s, the opponent makes tons of 3s, get it inside to the big guys (Taylor, in this case).

It is a very different team even if the stats don't necessarily show it.  Having guards that can pass is why Steve Taylor scored versus having a Davante muscle it.

[HutchwasClutch]

Not discouraged after this game.  There were some rough spots and some bright spots.

-Taylor missed some bunnies and needs to be a bit more efficient around the rim but overall a nice game for him.  Until Luke is eligible he is indispensable to this team.  Looking forward to him as a senior.

He was 9/14 from the floor, with 20 pts!!  Let's nit pick over our best offensive player of the night against a top 20 team.  I guess since he wasn't perfect, let's find fault with his performance.  

[MUsoxfan]

I thought the defense was at worst lazy and at best poorly coached. I've seen smaller teams defend much better in the paint, especially when tOSU has their gameplan tattooed on their foreheads. No rotation whatsoever

Also, Juan Anderson is not good at all

[hdog1017]

Wojo has to grow the man

[Vander Blue Man Group]

He was 9/14 from the floor, with 20 pts!!  Let's nit pick over our best offensive player of the night against a top 20 team.  I guess since he wasn't perfect, let's find fault with his performance.  

That's not nitpicking in the least.  It was an honest observation.  I said he was indispensable......

Chill.

[PGsHeroes32]

He was 9/14 from the floor, with 20 pts!!  Let's nit pick over our best offensive player of the night against a top 20 team.  I guess since he wasn't perfect, let's find fault with his performance.  

Dude. Calm down.

He said overall nice game from Steve and that he's indispensable. Steve does miss a lot of bunnies. But yes, he was very helpful tonight and will be going forward.

[RJax55]

tOSU was very wise to pick us up full court on D. Doesn't take much to wear down 8 dudes over a 40 minute game in that scenario, aina?

Yeah, Thad Matta knows what he's doing.

[HutchwasClutch]

I thought the defense was at worst lazy and at best poorly coached. I've seen smaller teams defend much better in the paint, especially when tOSU has their gameplan tattooed on their foreheads. No rotation whatsoever

Also, Juan Anderson is not good at all

Juan is Juan, he's a role player, he can make a few plays around the basket, he has some athleticism that can help team rebounding and D, but he's not a front line player for a good team.  

He was horrid against the press tonight- he dribbles one clearly off his own foot, and he make no attempt to retrieve it.  WTF Juan?

[Blackhat]

Also, Juan Anderson is not good at all

I wouldn't say that.   Lets remember this is one of the longest and talented teams we'll play.  He made some good passes and played pretty good d.   Is he going to be great?  No.  But he was average today.

[Texas Western]

As I said in game thread our kids played nervously. Totally understandable given they are playing a top 20 on the road for the first time. Once they learn they how to relax and trust their skills they will be fine.  We had lots of blown opportunities all night long  which is the bad news. The good news is we kept making the opportunities. A couple of cupcakes to build our confidence and then I think we have a real chance at doing some good things in Orlando.

Wojo and  Company will get Deonte back on track soon enough. Once he learns that he doesn't have to be the man every play he will start doing great things again.

[Vander Blue Man Group]

Dude. Calm down.

He said overall nice game from Steve and that he's indispensable. Steve does miss a lot of bunnies. But yes, he was very helpful tonight and will be going forward.

+1

[Nephew]

I thought the defense was at worst lazy and at best poorly coached. I've seen smaller teams defend much better in the paint, especially when tOSU has their gameplan tattooed on their foreheads. No rotation whatsoever

Not sure if the poor defense was due to coaching, but I was frequently yelling "lookout!" as a wide open Buckeye streaked to the basket (or made a three) because someone forgot to rotate or switch.  Seemed to me it was Carlino missing the rotation more often than not ... but I might be wrong.

I saw tentative decision making from MU while we were on defense, which tells me they simply need more playing time together.

[chapman]

Just think how good STJ will be on both ends when he's got a legit big playing next to him.  I said it back in summer that he'll be the most improved.  He's a darn good player.

Thought of that a couple times.  Especially against OSU's defensive scheme - we handled the press ok, but couldn't exploit it so it tired the thin rotation out.  Two post options that will leave open or a favorable one-on-one matchup at worst and gives a chance to push it down court and do that.  Zone offense execution could also look much better if Taylor was a four and a Fischer was the true post.      

One more I forgot: Wojo doesn't save his time outs.

I was very pleased with this.  None of the "learn to play through it" BS; the purpose of timeouts is to use them so you don't have to play through it.  They also responded well out of a couple of the timeouts.

He was 9/14 from the floor, with 20 pts!!  Let's nit pick over our best offensive player of the night against a top 20 team.  I guess since he wasn't perfect, let's find fault with his performance.  

Thought he gave a fair assessment.  He will have to improve like everyone else - he should have went for 30 and 15 with how poorly they played him.  But without him we lose by 30 and are grossly out-rebounded instead of only 26-23.  Another encouraging performance for someone coming off a lost season.

[Blackhat]

No.  Carlino did take some possessions off on D.    Need  to work on help defense for sure and lane protection.

[NCMUFan]

When our guards start to penetrate and break down the defense, Juan should take the shot immediately if he has it or pass immediately.  Taylor seems to understand that.  We desperately need people to rebound.  If Juan defends and rebounds and plays smart BB on offense that would be outstanding.