It’s almost like christmas for Ohio State basketball fans on Sunday afternoon. After watching the football team beat Indiana to kill some time (of course with vested interest), now we wait until the precious 2 PM ET to watch the unwrapping of the 2011-12 season against Walsh University.
There are so many different possibilities that sit under the basketball tree, and while we wait for tip-off this afternoon, Eric and I cannot contain our excitement. While staying up all night and into daybreak waiting for the season to start, we decided to chat a little bit about the season.
Of course, we’ve already been busy previewing the season. You can see our team previews of the Big Ten Conference and Player Previews here. Make sure you take a listen to our conversation with Bob Baptist of the Columbus Dispatch too. And of course, we will be live blogging today’s exhibition against Walsh University right here on tBBC. Eric got us ready for the competition on Saturday. After the jump, Eric and I will take a deeper look of what’s got us excited and what we expect in the upcoming season and the first live action against Walsh University.
Joe: The basketball season is finally here as the Buckeyes take on Walsh University this afternoon at 2 PM. Eric, you as pumped as I am? There are so many questions that are about to be answered.
Eric: Oh, I’m totally pumped to get this season going! It’ll be fun to see the Buckeyes take on Walsh again for the 4th straight year in exhibition.
Joe: And more importantly, we won’t be talking about what we think is taking place in the gym, but we’ll actually be able to see. What’s the one thing you are looking forward to seeing most on court today?
Eric: I’m only limited to one thing? That makes things tough! In that case, I’m most looking forward to getting to see how Thad Matta makes use of the incredible quantity of talent he has on this team.
Joe: That truly is the question. So many bodies, only 5 places on the floor. When you’re talking Buckeye basketball, I can’t limit you to one thing can I? That’s like telling Badger fans to just deal with it. They don’t listen.
Eric: Haha, exactly!
To be perfectly honest, I’m also excited to see LaQuinton Ross, but I have to wait until after December 9th for that.
Joe: Without a doubt — He is part of one of the most athletic classes in recent OSU history. That’s what I’m looking forward to today. To see these youngsters such as Shannon Scott, Amir Williams, Sam Thompson and Trey McDonald play. These are kids that can contribute right away
Eric: They sure can! In fact, Amir Williams and Shannon Scott are in the conversation to make the starting lineup for this team.
Given the talent present on the team, that’s very impressive.
Joe: Hmm, what is Thad Matta going to send out to the court first. That seems to be a question. If I were to guess it would be: C Ravenel PF Sullinger SF Tank Thomas SG William Buford PG Aaron Craft
Thoughts?
Eric: That is certainly one of the possible options.
Ravenel, the BC transfer, provides great reach inside and will be useful for the tip – much like Dallas Lauderdale last season.
As for D Thomas, he has reportedly really stepped up his offensive game and is ready to play significant minutes.
However, I suspect that the starting lineup, considering the defensive value gained, will be 5 – Ravenel, 4 – Sullinger, 3 – Buford, 2 – Craft, 1 – Scott
Joe: That’s one of the many factors coming into this season. Who is going to be that defensive stud that replaces David Lighty. There are so many names to choose from. Do you think we find a favorite after today?
Eric: One 2 hour game certainly isn’t enough to really be certain of that – but it is possible
Craft is already a defensive stud, and reportedly Scott is cut from the same cloth.
Joe: We’ve also heard good things from Lenzelle Smith and J.D. “Dunk in Your Face” Weatherspoon. Thad Matta called Sam Thompson by far the best athlete he’s ever coached. Then you throw a Jordan Sibert in the mix as well. At the guard position, besides the guys we know will contribute, is it Scott you think that has the biggest season?
Eric: That’s really hard to say. Given what we’ve heard about him so far I would at least give him good odds to be that guy. But there’s just so much talent on this team that guessing who will step up and have the best season is just impossible.
Who would you guess?
Joe: It’s nice to have the problem of figuring out who is going to be the best role player and spark off the bench secondly isn’t it? I really think the guy to step up is going to be Jordan Sibert. He has the big shot, his defense has vastly improved (or so we’ve heard) and he can make defenders look silly with his athletic ability and court vision. Then again that’s a lot of these guys we still don’t know what their role is yet.
Which brings up the question — How many players do we see in regular rotation this season?
It seems only Thad Matta knows.
Eric: Thad Matta is the only one who ever really knows, doesn’t he.
To be honest, I don’t expect we’re going to see a super deep rotation – Matta will play his 7 or 8 best players, and keep everyone else on the bench most of the time.
But, if there were ever a season that we were going to see a deeper bench out of Thad, that would be this year. There’s certainly 10 or even 11 guys who could see time at any other Big Ten team.
It’s just a question if Matta wants to take time away from his 5 best, which, to date, he’s been unwilling to do.
Joe: So it’s safe to say that this afternoon is an audition for the big show eh? At least a good indication of who’s being considered heading into the early part of the schedule
Eric: That’s very true. This will be everyone’s first chance to give a first impression in an actual basketball situation. Outside of the super-secret scrimmage against the Ohio Bobcats, of course.
Outside of Jared Sullinger, who do you think is going to be the new “fan favorite” like Jon Diebler and David Lighty last season?
Joe: How in the name do you replace the threebler and Captain Buckeye? It’s baffling to think that the heart of this team is gone, but there is something to be said about that Miley Cirus singing heart throb Aaron Craft. 1.) He is exciting on the court. 2.) He plays with a reckless abandon that doesn’t cost the team 3. He is the bomb at ping pong. Those are the keys to stealing the hearts of Buckeye fans.
Eric: Well, I have to admit that Craft has already stolen my heart with his defensive effort and hustle. He’s such a high motor guy who does all the dirty work on the court that it’s hard not to love him.
Outside of Craft, though, the answer might very well be Deshaun Thomas.
Joe: How can you not love a guy that shoots the basketball with the whole Chinese National Army guarding him?
Eric: There is that! But even more than that, he’s worked hard on his shot with Chris Jent so he may be even more dangerous with the basketball than he was last year.
He’s also learning to work in the framework of the team, which has made his life easier on the offensive end.
Joe: Do you agree with me that his energy and spark are the X factor? At least on the offensive side of the court?
Eric: If it’s up to the level that we think it will be, absolutely. He could absolutely fulfill the role that Craft had as the 6 man last season.
Joe: It just seemed at times, no matter what he was doing — he changed the outcome of the ballgame. Many see him as a starter on this team, but I’m starting to lean with you. He has such an effect on the game, having him check in changes ballgames
Eric: Exactly. That said, though, the lineups are going to depend more on which players work best with which other players.
So who ends up being the 6 guy may be more a factor of simply who the 6th best player is, rather than who is going to provide the most energy off the bench.
In that case, Thomas could very well start – but I still think that he will end up being the 6th best player either way.
Joe: Either way he’s going to put up 25 shots later today right?
Eric: Haha, 25 is a little on the high side, but I certainly see him putting up 10, and about half of those will be from long range.
Joe: Speaking of putting up shots, We haven’t even talked about Sully yet. He’s moving to the power forward slot it seems. Am I crazy for thinking he is more valuable as a center?
Eric: I was just about to ask you that very same question.
I actually think, with the current makeup of this team, that Sullinger will be much more valuable as a 4 than a 5.
As a 4, he will be able to roam around the court a bit more and make plays from longer range.
He’s already been working on a 15 foot jumper, and has been working on his three point shot, which should make him even more dangerous.
While we already knew that Sully could hit those shots, it will apparently be a bigger part of his game.
Joe: How about defensively? That’s the part that worries me. We’ll find out more in a couple hours, but is he athletic enough to guard the best power forwards of the conference?
Eric: Of course he is! Given that he’s slimmed down quite a bit, he should be much more quick and mobile on the defensive end. Plus he should have lost none of his power inside which will make him even more versatile on the defensive side the ball.
Joe: Okay Okay, I’ll stop playing devil’s advocate….. It also opens up a Evan Ravenel and Amir Williams who compliment Sullinger’s weak point of contesting shots that are in the air and blocking the basketball
Eric: It certainly does.
Joe: All Right, before we wrap things up. 1.) Who is going to be the player that surprises Buckeye fans in the first Exhibition of the season? 2. What are some things you are looking for as an analyst from Thad Matta’s offense and 3.) who steps up on defense and makes an impression
Eric: 1) The player that surprises fans today will most likely be Aaron Craft. Craft will bury long range shots that no-one expects him to after watching him play last season. He’ll have much more of a shooting guard style to his repertoire.
2) As for Matta’s offense, I’m expecting an awful lot of what we saw last year with a slight twist. We’ll see Sully playing down low, but with a partner in the paint more frequently. However, we’ll still see an inside/outside game trying to draw the defense into leaving players open – especially on the perimeter.
I also expect to see us run the pick-and-roll more than once in this game, considering that is one of Chris Jent’s specialties. Should be fun to see!
3) On defense, I expect we’ll be talking about the surprisingly good defense of two players – Deshaun Thomas, and Shannon Scott. We already know what Craft can bring, and where Sully fits into all of this. Those two will add an extra dimension to the defense that we haven’t yet seen from them.
Joe: You ready for basketball? Is tipoff here yet? LETS GO BUCKS. Thanks Eric, I know you’re just as pumped as anybody.
Eric: I haven’t been this pumped for Basketball Season in a long time, and it’s going to be fun to watch these kids take the court.
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