Editors Note: This is a guest post by first time tBuckeyeBlog contributor Scott Polacek. Scott is a graduate student at Ohio State studying journalism and an avid Ohio State Basketball fan.
Let me assure you, the sky is not falling. I know everyone wanted to eliminate some of the bad taste left in our mouths from the rather painful football season by witnessing the Buckeyes pulverize everyone that dared stand in their way on the hardwood, but it’s going to take some patience.
Standing at 15-3 and coming off of a loss at Illinois, in which Brandon Paul – rather annoyingly – did his best imitation of an NBA Jam character catching fire, there seems to be somewhat of a crack in the Buckeye armor. Aaron Craft and Jared Sullinger questioned the team’s effort and desire after the game, and some fans are genuinely concerned about the road woes plaguing Thad Matta’s bunch. After all, when your only conference road win is over Iowa, it does little to inspire confidence.
Perhaps a short trip down memory lane can help ease some of these worries. The 2009-10 Buckeye hoops team posted a 13-5 record through its first 18 games. This included road defeats at the hands of the Gophers, Butler, and that team up north, not to mention a cringe inducing 22-point drubbing at Bucky Badger’s place. It was a little more than half way through the year and the squad, led by one nationally known star player and some talented complementary pieces, was noticeably struggling on the road. Stop me if that sounds familiar.
Those basketball fans among Buckeye Nation probably remember that team turning things around down the stretch. In fact, the Buckeyes won 14 of their last 16 games (including their last five conference road games), the Big Ten regular season crown, and the Big Ten tournament in Indianapolis. Maybe you remember a certain Evan Turner winning the Naismith player of the year award and drilling one of the most satisfying buzzer beating shots in school history to put the dagger in the Wolverines’ NCAA tourney hopes.
So, what does this have to do with this year’s team? I look at the 2009-10 season as a somewhat of a template for how the rest of this year is going to play out. Turner and company had a particular taste for revenge and were spurred in their finish by rematch victories over all three Big Ten teams they had previously lost to. This is a pattern I fully expect Matta’s crew to emulate down the stretch, starting with Indiana on Sunday.
It was clear to anyone watching (or at least it was clear through my Scarlet and Gray tinted glasses) on New Year’s Eve that Ohio State was, and still is, the more talented squad when matched up with the Hoosiers. However, two things plagued the Buckeyes on that night – incessant foul trouble and turnovers. Sure the fouls can be partially attributed to the compromising photos of the officials that Tom Crean apparently possessed, but the 17 turnovers were inexcusable. Even the typically sure handed Craft struggled protecting the ball, which led to numerous fast break baskets for the Hoosiers. If the Buckeyes can take better care of the basketball, while avoiding foul trouble, they should be more than capable of dispatching Indiana in the Schott on Sunday.
While this season will hopefully end on a better note than the 2009-10 defeat in the Sweet Sixteen, I foresee a similar second half turnaround. Maybe Sullinger can even claim the player of the year award that Turner brought back to Columbus. But for the time being, March can wait. I am more concerned with a little revenge on Sunday. After all, the Hoosiers put somewhat of a damper on New Year’s Eve, so it’s up to Matta and company to see to it that they don’t spoil the long weekend too.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Gosh, you’d think that OSU played at gunpoint in Bloomington, based on the comments here and everywhere in OSU blogland about the officiating. It was an inconsistently-called and frustrating game to watch, but it was inconsistent for both teams, OSU finished with 22 fouls and IU with 20, and IU lost Zeller for all but four minutes in the second half due to foul trouble. That’s hardly favorable officiating for IU. If Crean bought off the officials, he should try to get his money back.
That being said, I think the Buckeyes will likely pound the Hoosiers if they use the recipe honed and perfected by our previous opponents: drive to the basket, and dish outside for three. IU is definitely better this year than previously, but our defense has been regressing since we played you, and I have a feeling Sunday is going to be ugly.
I thought a majority of the calls in the first half were rather tainted. Even Doug Gottlieb said at half time there were some pretty bad calls. I remember watching the game with Jim and some of the media moguls of Columbus while I was down in Jacksonville and thinking we still had a chance to put away Indiana in the second half. They did have a chance but they didn’t make the best of that opportunity. I’m one of the last people on earth to make excuses and I’m not. However, I think we also have an opportunity at the Schott to flex our muscles to not only make a sticking point as to who the better team is but also get back into a Big Ten title race that is rather open after last night.