Coach Matta: Ohio State Basketball Fans Are "Zoned" Out

There are some in Buckeye Nation who are questioning Thad Matta’s coaching acumen. More specifically, arm-chair Buckeye fans (with infinitely better coaching resumes) are debating his use of the zone defense and are calling on him to “press” the issue, so to speak. Those same fans have to realize that Coach Matta has been hamstrung with regards to the talent on hand necessary to man-up superior athletes, such as the buzz-saw they ran up against Michigan State last Saturday.

Understand that this team isn’t blessed with the likes of former Ohio State point guards Mike Conley or Jamar Butler anymore. The Buckeyes went into this season with almost no Division I experience at the point guard position, instead turning to JUCO transfer Jeremie Simmons and little used junior P.J. Hill. To make matters worse, top recruit Anthony Crater left the team after losing the starting nod to Simmons, leaving it very thin at the point guard position.

Let’s not forget that Ohio State’s best front-court defender, David Lighty, has missed most of the season due to injury. Lighty was not counted on to put up big points, but he is Ohio State’s most experienced player (only Evan Turner has one year of real playing time outside of Lighty). Teammates will unanimously admit that Lighty is the glue that holds this team together.

Lighty’s injury has forced Matta into more playing time for wings Jon Diebler and William Buford in his place. Both have the ability to put it in the hole, but neither is a defensive stalwart. Both have a scorers’ mentality, but both have not exactly bought in on the defensive end of the floor. As a result, Matta has tried to “hide” their short-comings by packing it in the zone. Unfortunately, if you can shoot it…or worse, beat them with penetration, they will be exposed no matter what Matta tries.

OSU has simply been out-manned against teams like Michigan State, who possess lightning quick guards and athletic big-men. Had Matta not slowed the pace by zoning Michigan State up, they probably would not have hung around as long as they did.

There is light at the end of the tunnel though. Lighty will be back in the lineup soon and paired with lanky Evan Turner on the wing, the defensive pressure will pick up. Long-armed, sophomore power forward Dallas Lauderdale has shown the ability to defend, block shots and rebound if he isn’t forced out of position having to cover for others’ defensive lapses. And 7-foot Freshman B.J. Mullin has only reached the tip of his outstanding potential. The other youngsters will gain some consistency as they gain more confidence and experience.

The Buckeyes have a lot of talent. However, this team is young…real young. Three of their four Big Ten losses have been on the road (all to upper-echelon Big Ten teams), and the fourth was to a superior Michigan State team. Playing without all your bullets is a recipe for disaster, especially on the road.

Ohio State holds a 12 point advantage on Michigan at Value City Arena as I am writing. The schedule is clearly more favorable down the stretch. The Bucks five losses have come against teams with the following RPI ranking: 4 (twice), 17, 19 and 32. They have wins against Butler, at Miami and at Notre Dame. With a Strength of Schedule ranking of 16 and an overall RPI of 21, Ohio State will be tournament bound if they play .500 or better in the Big Ten.

Matta is the same coach who took the Buckeyes to a 26-6 season in 2005-2006 and the National Championship game in 2006-2007. He’s the same coach who took both the Butler and Xavier programs to heights they never thought they could achieve. He didn’t suddenly take “stupid pills.” He’ll pick up the defensive pressure when he has the horses to do it. Until then, remember that you are watching a gifted, but green, basketball squad.