Ohio State-Delaware State: Buckeyes Sting Hornets, 70-42

John O'Dell — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 14:49:35 -0500

A season opener often serves as a glimpse of what the remainder of the season holds. If this axiom is true, things are looking up in Columbus. Ohio State's first challenge of the season, Delaware State, turned out not to be a challenge at all for the Buckeyes.

With the loss of Kosta Koufos, Jamar Butler, and Othello Hunter, a new-look Buckeye squad took the court in St. John Arena Thursday evening. The starting lineup featured one new face from last season's team, a Columbus native, Kyle Madsen, a 6'10" transfer from Vanderbilt. Along with Madsen stood four familiar faces: David Lighty, Dallas Lauderdale, Jon Diebler, and Evan Turner.

As play began, the Buckeyes jumped to an early lead with solid shooting and an airtight defense that allowed zero points for nearly the first five minutes of the game.

Dallas Lauderdale, on two occasions, brought the Buckeye faithful to their feet with dunks that Darryl Dawkins would have been proud to call his own.

The first substitution for the Buckeyes brought a thunderous round of applause. Enter B.J. Mullens.

In any line of work, there is always a fear of falling on one's face on the first day. Within moments of entering the game, Mullens indeed took a fall. Fortunately, the fall was not on his face, but on his backside, while playing solid defense

As the first half progressed, coach Thad Matta began incorporating the other new Buckeyes into the game. The first splash was made by Jeremie Simmons, a JuCo transfer from Chicago, who landed two consecutive three-point shots and ran the offense without missing a step.

Not to be outdone were William Buford, a five-star recruit from Toledo, OH, and Anthony Crater, a 6'1" guard from Flint, MI. Buford moved without the ball extremely well, and this led to two open baskets, which were converted easily. Crater then demonstrated his defensive prowess and speed by creating a steal, leading the break, and making the assist to add two points for the Buckeyes.

As the half drew to a close, the Buckeyes' lead neared 20 points. After allowing three long distance three-point shots moments before the end of the half, the Buckeyes led the Hornets 35-22 entering intermission.

Defensively, Ohio State played in a zone throughout the game. Matta has stated in the past that the zone is not his defense of choice, but with such a young team, the zone can help cover any shortcomings the Buckeyes may have on the defensive side of the ball. The zone worked well for the Buckeyes, leading to 10 first half turnovers.

The second half opened with another offensive explosion for the Buckeyes. Diebler came out firing from three-point range, Lauderdale threw down a breakaway dunk and then was on the receiving end of an alley-oop, and Simmons finished the 10-3 run with a beautiful three-point shot.

When the final buzzer sounded, the scoreboard read 70-42 in favor of Ohio State.

William Buford (13), David Lighty (10), and Jeremie Simmons (10) led the Buckeye offense in scoring. On the other hand, Dallas Lauderdale starred defensively with seven—that's right, seven—blocks.

Considering only one game has been played and the quality of the opponent, it is difficult to determine what to make of the Buckeyes so far. Will Ohio State lay down 28-point victories on every opponent this season? Dream on. Did the Buckeyes show glimpses of great things to come? Most definitely.

With difficult out-of-conference games on the horizon, Matta and his Buckeyes are in need of a quick and strong start. Through one game, so far, so good.

Ohio State Basketball Preview: Youth Will Be Served

John O'Dell — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 08:46:04 -0500

Thirteen of the last 20 winners of the NIT have made the NCAA tournament the following season. This, along with the addition of two five-star freshman recruits, has created another season of high expectations in Columbus.

The Buckeyes must replace 44 points and 16 rebounds a game with the loss of Kosta Koufos, Jamar Butler, and Othello Hunter. Butler's ball handling and senior leadership and the defensive presence of Koufos and Hunter will be sorely missed.

As the season approaches, there are more questions than answers as to who will be running the Buckeye offense from the point guard position. However, with the addition of five-star freshman B.J. Mullens, the Buckeyes have added a much needed physical presence down low.

Mullens, like Koufos, is comfortable playing away from the basket, but Mullens also possesses the ability to play with his back to the hoop, which will add an extra dimension to the Buckeye offense.

Coach Matta has landed another gem in a 6'5” shooting guard named William Buford. Buford is a shooter, plain and simple. This McDonald's All-American can score in bunches and hit from anywhere on the floor. With continued work on the defensive side of the ball, Buford could be polished into one of the best guards in the Big Ten.

With a lack of any senior leadership, David Lighty will need to step into the role of leader as a junior. Evan Turner will contribute to the Buckeye cause by performing well behind the three-point line.

Last season Turner shot the most free throws for the Buckeyes (103), but he converted only 69 percent. If the Buckeyes are going to challenge in the Big Ten, they have to pull out victories in close games, and that means Turner must put up numbers like Jamar Butler, who shot 94 percent from the charity stripe last season.

Jon Diebler came to Ohio State last season with the expectation that he would be a prolific shooter. Those expectations were not met as he put up a mere 30 percent field goal percentage. Last season Diebler took 166 shots from beyond the three-point line but converted on less than 29 percent.

If Diebler can find his shot, the one-two punch of Buford and Diebler could cause havoc for the Buckeyes' opponents.

The Buckeyes will be tested early with a string of three difficult out-of-conference games. As December begins, the Buckeyes travel to No. 16 Miami (FL) and to No. 9 Notre Dame and then return home and face the tenacious Butler Bulldogs. Before Big Ten play begins, the Buckeyes have another major hurdle in the West Virginia Mountaineers.

Ohio State plays well at home (35-3 over the last two seasons) but not as well on the road (11-11 over the last two seasons). The road matchups with Miami (FL) and Notre Dame will speak volumes about the rest of the Buckeyes' season.

Michigan State, Purdue, and Wisconsin clearly stand at the top of the Big Ten, and Ohio State could join them by season's end. With a young team in Columbus, the sky is the limit for the Buckeyes. A challenging out-of-conference schedule will test the Buckeyes, but an NCAA tournament bid is within reach.

Bleacher Report - Articles by John O'Dell

Ohio State-Delaware State: Buckeyes Sting Hornets, 70-42

Ohio State Basketball Preview: Youth Will Be Served