Ohio State Basketball: Thad Matta Needs to Learn How to Make Adjustments

"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.”

                                                                 Albert Einstein or Ben Franklin

Ohio State entered the NCAA tournament as the No. 1 overall seed.  Many experts, like Mike Decourcy of the Sporting News, picked Ohio State to win it all. 

As I was filling out my bracket, my heart told me to pick Ohio State, but my head said no.  Why?  Thad Matta has shown me that he is overly reliant on his four-guard rotation and will stick with it till the bitter end. The end came too soon. 

This is not an article slamming Matta, he is an excellent coach who has put Ohio State Basketball on the map, but no one is perfect.

Ohio State’s four-guard offense was vulnerable to a team with size. Kentucky had size. Senior Josh Harrellson is listed as 6-10, 275 lbs., freshman Terrence Jones 6-8, 244 lbs., junior Darius Miller at 6-7, 228 lbs. 

And it was this size that sealed Ohio State’s fate, ending their national title run.  Matta could not make the adjustment to neutralize Kentucky’s height.

Kentucky used its size to block 11 shots while altering others.  Bufford was only 2-for-16 and OSU as a team was 6-for-16 shooting from 3 point range.  It was clear the four-guard offense was not working, and Matta needed to make an adjustment.

In last year’s NCAA loss, Matta insisted on sticking with his four-guard offense instead of trying to match Tennessee’s size and depth.  Dallas Lauderdale played only 29 minutes and had six rebounds, while backup center Kyle Madsen played only 11 minutes and had three rebounds. 

Matta should have played Madsen and Lauderdale together, trying to neutralize UT’s advantage on the boards, and he should have played the combination of Jared Sullinger and Dallas Lauderdale longer against Kentucky to attack UK more on the inside. 

UK’s Terrence Jones is a freshman and was dominated by Sullinger when Harrellson went out.  Matta should have inserted senior Dallas Lauderdale to try to get Jones in foul trouble or try to attack the freshman inside and keep him off the perimeter, freeing up Ohio State’s shooters. 

Since Jones was mainly guarding a guard, he used his length to alter shots, blocking two and staying out of foul trouble.  Matta did not make the necessary adjustments.

Matta’s preference of four guards, one center/power forward did not work against a more physical team in 2010; he did not learn.

In 1992, the Buckeyes, lead by Jimmy Jackson, played the University of Connecticut in the round of 32. 

UConn was beating Ohio State on the boards and controlling the game. Then OSU head coach Randy Ayers inserted power forward Ricky Dudley.

Momentum changed instantly. 

Dudley was able to neutralize the physical prowess of the Huskies shrinking the rebound margin.

Ohio State won the game 78-55. Ayers made the right adjustment.

Would Ohio State have won against Kentucky had Matta inserted Dallas Lauderdale longer? Would going bigger and more physical have changed the outcome? We will never know.

Thad Matta is a great coach and has elevated OSU to an elite level, but based on history, making the right adjustments at the right time is crucial for NCAA tournament success.

Until Matta learns from the past, OSU history could keep repeating itself.